Crying Eagle Brewing Company-Lakefront

Lake Charles’ New Waterfront Restaurant Ushers in a New Era 

by Kerri Cooke

Lake Charles is finally seeing the fruit of long conversations, investment and action in regard to lakefront development in 2025. Port Wonder opened earlier this year, and now the spotlight in on Crying Eagle Brewing Company’s latest venture. 

It’s been six years since plans for Crying Eagle—Lakefront took shape. Delays, due to a pandemic, multiple natural disasters and inflation costs, affected every project on the lakefront. Now, Eric Avery, owner of Crying Eagle Brewing Company, says, “We truly stand on top of the mountain.” 

As impressive as Crying Eagle’s exterior is, it’s not until you experience the views inside that you truly get a glimpse of the planning and heart that went into creating the attraction. The company’s logo at the Lakefront is composed of gold, white and blue, which represent the waterfront and the elevated experience customers will encounter inside.  

While the business model for the lakefront location is completely different from Crying Eagle’s location on McNeese Street, Avery says, “90% of people think we’re recreating the other location. They’re 179 degrees different. Not polar opposite, but close.”  

Beer will still be produced at the lakefront location—you can see the industrial silver equipment to the left as you walk in the main door—but most of Crying Eagle’s selection will still be brewed at the McNeese brewery and transported to the lakefront. The restaurant will offer 10 beers as opposed to the main brewery’s 15-20. There will also be an extensive list of other spirits for those wanting cocktails or wine. 

Avery knew from the beginning he wanted food as the primary focus at the lakefront location, and he had one man in mind to lead the culinary team—Chef Lyle Broussard. The creation of the menu was a collaborative effort between Chef Lyle and the development team. The focus is on seafood to pay homage to Louisiana’s seafood industry and the local palette. 

The restaurant was never intended to replace Crying Eagle—University but instead complement what the company has already built. Avery ensured that each location is “different enough for each to be main attractions in the community.” The McNeese location offers a casual environment where patrons can order from an extended beer menu and hang out for hours on end. The lakefront location’s ambiance is different. A full-service restaurant with waterfront views, Avery describes the mood as “sleek and sexy” and perfect for a date night. He intends for customers to have such a stellar experience that they are curious enough to explore the McNeese location to learn about the history of the brewery. 

As you walk into Crying Eagle — Lakefront, you will notice exactly how different of an experience you will have. There are exposed beams and flashes of silver that are intended as an homage to the impact local industry has on SWLA. Even the light fixtures over the first-floor bar look like golden molecules. Hidden behind the wall is an entire system connected to bar taps to ensure integrity of the beer. 

The dining room is gorgeous, but the outdoor patio, complete with its own bar, gives a prime view of the lake as sunbeams make the waves glisten. An elevator that opens to both the dining room and the kitchen takes you to the second floor where you’re greeted with a more casual bar than the one on the first floor. There’s a small room available to be rented out for parties, but it will only seat 30 people. The star of the second floor is the outdoor patio in which views of the lake and the I-10 bridge are even more spectacular than on the first floor. 

Back to the ground floor, there is turf for kids to play on outdoors and a colorful mural with symbols of Lake Charles—the Sallier oak, Historic City Hall, the I-10 Bridge, the city seal, etc. Firepits, sunshades and loveseats complete the outdoor seating areas. 

“I want this company to be successful not just tomorrow but forever,” Avery says, and he believes Crying Eagle Brewing Company “can be one of the greatest food and beverage establishments in the country” and aims to help make Lake Charles the No. 1 city in the state.