freds lounge

We visited Fred's Lounge back in the late 1980's. We had an awesome time! Good Cajun music, good friends, and good times. Fred's Lounge should be on everyone's bucket list. Looking forward to returning one day very soon. Laissez les bons temps rouler!

Read the other reviews for the details ... this is a fabulous place to begin your Saturday of CAJUN CULTURE and fun. Come EARLY to Fred's and after you wear yourself out, drive south and then turn east on US 190 toward Opelousas to Marc Savoy's Music Shop (look it up) ... 9am to noon is the jam session and you will have a great time (return during the week to learn about the accordions, Saturday is JAM time) ... then continue east and turn south on I-49 toward Lafayette and visit Prejean's (look it up) for lunch ... they have a live Video Cam so you can wave to the folks at home and make them jealous. YOU WILL HAVE FUN.

It is only open on Saturday from 8 AM until 2 PM. Music starts at 9 and seats will be filled by then. Eat before you come, because you will drink beer and dance.Order a Fred's Omlette - aka a Bloody Mary.

Decades ago Fred and Raven Reed were afraid that Cajun culture was disappearing, and they started Saturday morning broadcasts of the very best Cajun bands. He and his wife Sue held court with their patrons and it became a destination for locals and tourists the world over.Fred is gone now, but his wife, known as Tante Sue de Mamou, still presides over the Saturday morning festivities. I had not been since the 80's but I had dreamed of going back one day and last weekend, we finally did.I was thrilled to find that nothing has really changed, except that Mamou isn't much of a town anymore. It never was very big, but it was affectionately called the "Big Mamou" because of the Cajun Culture it dedicated iteself to and because the surrounding towns of Pine Prairie and Ville Platte are even smaller. The place has no website. Now it is only open on Saturday MORNINGS.Fred's opens at 8AM Saturday morning. and the band plays from 9am until 1:30 . The bar closes at 2pm. If you want a seat, arrive before 9. People come from all around. The bar is small and the band sits in the middle and people will dance on both sides. The bar gets really crowded after 10am, but all the seats are gone by 9. They serve drinks and Tante Sue usally brings around some yummy local favorite bites of Boudin, cracklins, etc. She will also come over and offer you one of her favorite shots. Make no mistake. This is the BEST cajun folk music you will ever hear. It is the most fun you will ever have. It is quaint, steeped in tradition and fun. Everyone drinks - including the band. If you don't know how to cajun dance (a combination of the Two step, some modified steps and the Cajun jitterbug), someone will teach you how. Other than the free bites, there is no food here so eat before you come. There is a McDonald's in nearby Kinder, LAYou can park in the street out front or the gravel parking lot out back. Be sure to go out back during your visit - lots of visiting goes on out there. Also go around to the side and take a picture with the famous sign,

Wow. Saturday morning is so much fun it defies logic. The people that we met and the music that we heard are incredible. Dancing and drinking beer at 10:00am on Saturday morning sounds a little strange, but I wouldn't want to be anywhere else. Terrific Bloody Mary to start the day. Not my first time at Fred's and surely not my last.

I'm a repeat visitor to fred's and it is truly a out of world experience. This time I went with a group of 6 family members for a birthday party. I can spend hours watching some of the locals dance the morning away. Be weary of a few of the locals for they may leach on to you and follow you around town expecting you to buy them beer all night....but overall a good time.

A great mix of locals, tourists and foreigners were up early on Saturday morning to listen, dance and drink to authentic Cajun music. It is worth the drive off the beaten path!

Repeat visitor to Fred's. Never get enough of it. Love Tante Sue. Great Cajun music. Great Blood Marys. People come all over the world to visit Fred's. Meet lots of new folks and do some Cajun dancing.

A native of mamou, Louisiana, I can certainly recommend this establishment. Wonderful people. True Cajun music on a Saturday morning. I rarely go anymore, because I have been so many times. Plenty of fond memories with Mr Fred and Taunte Sue. Do not miss this if in the area on a Saturday morning.

On main st Big Mamou sits a time capsule that everyone must visit once. This time took the family with my daughters from Maine, and we had a blast. Its like the Star Wars Bar, there were locals, Texas bikers, cajuns, cowboys, seniors, college students and quite a few foreigners. All enjoying the band,,, get there early for a good seat, start drinking and have fun,,,

Our friend Debbie in Alexandria said, "Don't schedule ANYTHING for Saturday morning!". We didn't and found ourselves at Fred's Lounge in li'l ol' Mamou, LA. Got a seat at the bar and met Tante Sue. From that point on we were on a Cajun E-ticket ride! Her holster and the bar got us feelin' good, the foot didn't stop tappin', the dancin' was as jiggy as it should be when the band lays down a catchy cajun rhythm, and everyone was a friend. Get your bucket list out and add one more...You cannot die until you've spent a Saturday mornin' at Fred's Lounge.

Just read everyone else's reviews and then go! This is the real deal. The party starts early make sure to buy a drink and tip the band they don't charge a penny for this experience.

Heard about this place while we were at the RV park. Could have stayed for the whole four hours without any problem. The music is fabulous and the environment is like walking back in time. Unfortunately Tante Sue was not there as she had recently broken her hip but we sure heard lots of stories from the regular patrons. This is a must stop when in the area. Be there by 8:30 in the morning in time for the Radio show that goes from 9-1:30 pretty much non stop!! Enjoy a beer or whatever you like--Yes in the morning!!!

I have been to LA many times and never got the chance to go to Freds Lounge. Now I will never miss an opportunity to go. This place is great, nice people, great bloody marys.

We came for the Saturday Cajun Music Jam Session being broadcast live on the radio, along with 10 of our friends. Arrived at 8:30 a.m. and was able to get the last table. Enjoyed the large Bloody Mary for $8 and received great service and greetings from the locals. Music was fantastic and is a "must do place" if you are any where with a few hours drive. We came from Abbeville and it was well worth it. Highly recommend. This is authentic Cajun music with skilled musicians.