Spoonbill Watering Hole in Lafayette, LA serves enjoyable drinks | Meals

Spoonbill Watering Hole is a downtown Lafayette eating establishment that has had just a few completely different lives — however by means of every iteration, creativity is the primary order of the day. 

Once upon a time, the classic constructing served up Conoco gasoline. Tanner Dimmick remembers when it was The Filling Station, a spot to seize Tex-Mex with the household and expertise the ambiance on the prime of Jefferson Street, the place church buildings, eating places, espresso photographs and music venues converge to create prime people-watching circumstances. 

“It was a place where me and my friends would come meet each other and have a little frozen margarita before we went out downtown and stuff. But I never actually went inside the building until we took it over,” stated Dimmick, who’s Spoonbill’s basic supervisor and helped create the the restaurant’s bar program, which makes a speciality of cocktails, tiki drinks and zero-proof drinks. 

Take the Perillo Punch, named for KATC chief meteorologist Rob Perillo. Given Lafayette’s proximity to the Gulf Coast and proclivity for hurricanes, climate reporters like Perillo are well-known locally — so naming a drink after him simply feels pure. Tiki drinks normally characteristic a mix of rum, contemporary juices and syrups, making them good for, effectively, hurricane season. Spoonbill’s Perillo Punch is made with blended rum, ardour fruit, lemon and tiki bitters. 

“It’s a riff on a classic hurricane for our local hero,” Dimmick stated. 

Spoonbill remains to be a spot the place folks can camp out on the patio for an hour or two, particularly if guests can get a desk throughout occasions like Festival International de Louisiane, which might be held downtown this yr from April 22 to 26. However, prospects miss out in the event that they don’t step foot contained in the constructing. The house options vibrant decor that appears into the kitchen and stylish bar space, the place magic just like the “Mango Sticky Rice” cocktail occurs. 

Created by a former bartender, the drink incorporates the flavors of the basic southeast Asian dish — coconut water, mango, El Guapo orgeat, lemon and vodka, with a sesame seed rim. 

“We’re not a specifically Italian or Mexican restaurant, and I think that’s what’s great about us. We can kind of do whatever we want, which has given us a lot of freedom to have, say, fish tacos and Bibimbap on the menu,” Dimmick said. “The cocktails are the same thing — we have some tiki drinks, we have classic margaritas and old fashioneds, a fun little wine list. Not being corralled into a certain type of cuisine has allowed us to do whatever we think is fun in the moment.”

The kitchen’s creativity can be in gear throughout Spoonbill’s Sunday brunch, which options creations like spicy tuna nachos and a “Brunchwrap Supreme,” which is a way more scrumptious, breakfast-geared model of Taco Bell’s Crunchwrap. 

“We came up with the term party-forward a few years ago,” Dimmick stated. “Patio friendly, warm weather drinks, fresh juices. Freshness is the biggest thing, because going to dive bars and stuff, you drink the bottled lime juice and just taste it immediately. It allows you to make a better cocktail when you start with fresh ingredients, so we focus on drinks that are crowd pleasers that everyone’s gonna like — not overly sweet, not overly bitter, just delicious, refreshing drinks.” 

Spoonbill Watering Hole is positioned at 900 Jefferson St., Lafayette. They are open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. from Tuesday to Thursday, and shut at 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. Brunch is served on Sundays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.