The Gumbo House in Sanger is cooking up authentic Cajun cuisine.

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Nick and Susan Neyrey own and operate Gumbo House in Sanger’s budding downtown.

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The restaurant is owned by Nick and Susan Neyrey, who left the Gulf Coast during Hurricane Katrina, then liked the area enough they decided to stay.

They opened their restaurant last September.

The Gumbo House’s specialties include fried and grilled seafood, including shrimp and oysters, bread pudding and gumbo. Nick Neyrey said the restaurant’s bread pudding comes from a 100-year-old recipe. Prices range from $3 for an appetizer to $20 for a seafood platter.

Neyrey said his restaurant has a down-home feeling.

“We want your experience to be like going to Mama and Papa’s house,” he said.

The restaurant also offers live music at 6:30 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. Performers include students from the University of North Texas and professional bands.

Alcohol is not sold at the establishment, but free beer is offered on game nights when the Dallas Cowboys and the Mavericks play away games. On those nights, diners can watch the game on a plasma-screen TV.

The Neyreys also recently opened a ’50s-style diner called Flashbacks Grill, located down the road at 303 Bolivar St.

“We are going to make our square one of the best squares in North Texas,” Neyrey said, mentioning that a number of businesses are opening up in downtown Sanger. “We knew we had a great opportunity to build something here.”

He is hoping to offer Sanger’s first 24-hour diner with Flashbacks Grill.

The restaurant offers everything produced on a grill. It has a pool table, ice cream parlor and $2.99 breakfast served all day. On Sundays, patrons can catch live music.

“In times like this, you’ve got to find something to offer people,” Neyrey said, adding that he and his wife are trying to offer something unique and family-oriented.

“I think all the merchants are building a great place to come shop and eat,” he said.