We were greeted by a shower of green, gold and purple Mardi Gras beads when we stepped in the door of Cajun King, a Louisiana-style buffet restaurant located at 5816 NW 63rd St.

Cajun King has been a staple of southern soul food and Cajun food for years, offering a buffet-style experience ($11.99), and for the most part, the Marionette staff wasn’t disappointed in the wide variety of Cajun delicacies.

Hani Mohamed was the only one to go for the salad option, and she thought that it was okay, but not great.

The meats were crowd favorites, the fried ones in particular.

The classic fried chicken was a popular favorite, adviser Kelli Taylor and Violet Parrott both noted how the light crispy texture of the chicken and its blend of seasonings paired nicely with the saltiness of the other sides. Alice Bennet found the hint of sweet flavor in the skin to be a little odd but she thought the interior was juicy and delicious.

The blackened chicken was a twist on baked chicken with a slightly charred flavor to accompany the rich and spicy sauce it was suspended in. Xavier and I both enjoyed the consistent moist texture and richness of the chicken.

Gregory Richardson paired the spicy blackened catfish filet with an alfredo sauce over spaghetti and he said it turned out really good overall. The seasoning was the same spicy blend from the chicken but with the flaky texture of fish.

They served the fried catfish like the breadsticks at Olive Garden and they were just as popular. The fish was breaded in almond flour and fried in thin strips, combining the texture of calamari with the flavor of the catfish and the crunch of a good fried chicken. It was easily a highlight of the meal.

The blackened pork chop was the same flavors of the chicken and catfish but with the texture of a pork chop.

The last meat-based option was the etouffee, Xavier’s personal favorite for its creamy texture and hearty flavor. He described it as being simply amazing.

The macaroni came as a sour surprise with its acidic cheese sauce and watery texture. Many of us expected a creamy or cheesy pasta side and though the macaroni here is certainly not geared toward that, Mrs. Taylor liked how the sour taste cut through the greasiness of the rest of her meal.

The jambalaya rice had “a perfect amount of spice” according to Gregory, and Taylor said it was a staple of her meal.

If you don’t want spice in your rice, they do have a plain white rice option as well, but only Alice tried it and then only as a texture combo with the jambalaya. The white rice seemed a bit dry to her, but she described it as a good complement when mixed with the flavorful jambalaya.

The cornbread was good in taste and texture and was moist too. I liked it even though cornbread isn’t really my thing.

Your standard beta lunchroom roll comes off as bland and uninteresting in texture, but these were Alpha rolls with a light and slightly rich crumb punctuated with bursts of salty butter throughout and a satisfying but not overly-tough crust to top it all off. The rolls were especially good in my opinion, and a few others on the staff commented favorably on them as well. Cam Anderson described them as “10/10 – to die for.”

The beignets were your standard sugar-dusted fried dough treats but were a bit heavy this time around.

Cajun King’s appeal is clearly in its range of food rather than a carefully cultivated atmosphere, but I think that whimsical decorations fit the free-form buffet style meal nicely.