Located downtown, Dwyer’s Café, originally Pop Stinson’s, moved to its current location in 1979. During the Lafayette Economic Depression, Mr. Dwyer joined the Civil Conservation Corps and learned to be a baker, butcher, and chef during his tour of duty and then returned to work for the Stinsons, the original owners. After working for them as a cook for nearly ten years he bought the restaurant in 1965, changed the name to Dwyer’s Café and continued working until he was 85-years-old.
Dwyer’s Café has always been a family-run business and Mr. Dwyer’s son Michael bought it from his father in 1975 and continues to run it with his own family. On any given day you will find Michael’s son cooking and his children and grandchildren helping his wife at the register.
Dwyer’s serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner seven days a week. For breakfast, the kitchen will accommodate just about any request and they serve – everything but waffles. Not only are the breakfasts hearty, they are also easy on the pocketbook. Lafayette natives, from families dressed in their church clothes to college students recovering from a night on the town, make their way to Dwyer’s for a complete and balanced morning meal. Wednesdays at 7 a.m. is an especially good time to visit Dwyer’s. That’s when a group of local French speakers gather at their designated spot, “le table français,” just to listen and talk in their mother tongue. It’s part of the effort by everyday people to preserve Acadiana’s identity, and they warmly welcome strangers who want to listen and learn, no matter what their level of fluency might be.
On a nice day, you can sit outside and dine while watching the day unfold downtown. If you’re lucky you may even be entertained by a freelance jazz musician that likes to play on the street corner next to the restaurant.
Quoted from www.lafayette.travel
What is it? A diner
Where is it? 323 Jefferson St., Lafayette, Louisiana, USA
Why go here? It's where the locals go for ages, right in the heart of the downtown.
