Rice Palace

The city of Crowley is known as the rice capital of the world, home to the annual Rice Festival and also home to the Rice Palace, a locally-owned restaurant that opened its doors back in 1994.

It’s a peaceful, quiet place where locals and travelers alike can relax over a homey meal and simply take a breather. Soft rock ‘n’ roll classics play in the background. The dinning room is a wide open space done in oak paneling and painted a soothing pale green color reminiscent of Chinese jade. Black and white photographs on the walls show Crowley’s history and development, including pictures of the local agribusiness and several shots of then-Sen. John F. Kennedy attending 1961 Rice Festival. The air is casual.

The food, too, is casual, and, according to General Manager Daniel Fontenot, based on replacing the home-cooked favorites many people simply don’t have the time to prepare for themselves, such as gumbos and rice dishes.

The Rice Palace is open 24 hours a day, every day, the restaurant is able to handle early birds and night owls and everyone in between. Breakfast is served until 11 am. There is a lunch buffet through Thursday, with a seafood buffet Friday and Saturday night. The Rice Palace is located at 2015 N. Cherokee Dr. in Crowley, and the staff can be reached at (337) 783-3001.