We all love to declare that a certain event or holiday is the most wonderful time of the year. But when it comes to crawfish season, Houstonians really mean it.

While Louisiana can take the credit for supplying us with a steady stream of mudbugs, and for popularizing the tradition in the US in the first place, Houston has an undeniable place in crawfish culture. After all, it's here that one of the best culinary inventions took hold: Viet-Cajun crawfish, a delicious blend of Vietnamese and Acadian flavors. The cuisine has exploded over the past couple of decades, with Viet-Cajun restaurants popping up in Asiatown and all over the Houston area serving boils slathered with garlic, butter, lemongrass, and other Southeast Asian ingredients. For those who love to go back and forth, there are plenty of options in town for a classic Cajun boil, too.

Now that we've crossed over into the latter part of February, with winter solidly in our rearview mirror and the very first blooms sprouting in our yards, we can safely declare that the (most wonderful) time has come: it's officially crawfish season, y'all.

In this guide, find everything you need for joyful mudbug experiences, from our favorite restaurants in Houston for Viet-Cajun and Cajun boils to a little history lesson from Houstonia's archives.