Roll Cajun Boudin's new restaurant in the former Iron City Grill — Roll Cajun Boudin’s new restaurant in the former Iron City Grill space. (Nathan Watson / Bham Now)

If you’ve driven past Iron City recently and noticed a smoky, flavorful and unmistakably Cajun smell, you’re not imagining it. Beloved local food truck Roll Cajun Boudin has nearly completed its move into the former Iron City Grill space and is set to open on Mardi Gras (Tuesday, February 17).

We met with owner Matt Coltrin for an exclusive inside look at Birmingham’s mouthwatering new Cajun destination.

From food truck to brick & mortar

For Roll Cajun Boudin founder and owner Matt Coltrin, opening a restaurant in Birmingham was never the plan—it just happened organically.

Born and raised in the Acadiana region of Louisiana, Contrin recently retired from the U.S. Air Force after over two decades of service. After settling down in Homewood and landing a telework job with a Huntsville-based defense contractor, Contrin started using his newfound free time to make and sell his own homemade boudin.

“Throughout my Air Force career, I had always made boudin and King Cakes for myself because shipping was expensive and the mass produced stuff never tasted right. Eventually, my fellow airmen found out, and they started making me make it for them!

Over the years, I started making the recipes exactly the way I wanted.”
Matt Contrin, Owner and Founder, Roll Cajun Boudin

Contrin founded the Roll Cajun Boudin food truck in March 2024 and began selling grocery items like frozen packs of boudin, cans of jambalaya and gumbo. Due to popular request, Contrin started making and serving hot food and flipped the truck from a grocery store to a party truck, complete with TVs, bars and a sound system.

Through word of mouth, the Roll Cajun Boudin food truck got booked for the Anniston Jazz and Art Festival. Contrin and his team brought 400 pounds of shrimp, a 30-gallon jambalaya and 15 King Cakes—and the people loved it.

“When I was in the military and traveling around, I’d go to ‘Cajun’ restaurants and trust me, ain’t nothing Cajun about them! I’m a true Cajun; I’ve got Cajun blood, I parlez vous francais—and this guy is putting hot sauce on food and calling it Cajun?

Not only was I proud that they liked my food, but I was proud because I was representing my Acadiana heritage and Cajun culture appropriately. So, in December I resigned from my job and committed myself entirely to Roll Cajun Boudin.”
Matt Contrin, Owner and Founder, Roll Cajun Boudin

In December, Contrin negotiated a deal with Iron City to use the former Iron City Grill space at 2208 6th Ave S as Roll Cajun Boudin’s first brick & mortar.

“I never planned on having a giant restaurant with a bar. We didn’t do it because we hoped people would come; we did it to meet the demand we already had for the food truck.

Our plan here is to grow into the space. We have a loyal customer base that we love dearly, and we hope that more people try us out as we go—because there’s no one who better represents Cajun Country than Roll Cajun Boudin.
Matt Contrin, Owner and Founder, Roll Cajun Boudin

Here’s what to expect at the new Roll Cajun Boudin restaurant

If you remember Iron City Grill (which closed in 2023 after ten years in business), the inside of Roll Cajun Boudin will look both familiar and different. While the bones remain intact—like the gorgeous 75-foot bar—Contrin and his team have decked out the interior with Cajun-themed decor, art and memorabilia.

“Our restaurant has two sections—on the left, its a swampy, Cajun vibe with art and a new mural to help you feel like you’ve stepped into a hole-in-the-wall with the best food you’ve ever had. On the right, we’ve got our bar. We’ll have an cappuccino and espresso coffee bar in the morning, but I think it’s going to be the place where you want to meet up with friends and have a good time.”
Matt Contrin, Owner and Founder, Roll Cajun Boudin

Open on Sundays and Mondays from 10AM to 10PM, closed Tuesday, from 8AM to 1AM Wednesday through Saturday, Roll Cajun Boudin will serve up a wide and rotating variety of authentic Cajun fare. From time to time, the restaurant will offer whole smoked alligator and, during crawfish season, will host weekend boils with fresh crawfish driven up from Breaux Bridge, Louisiana—the Crawfish Capital of the World.

“Our most popular dish is our Chicken Boudin Egg Roll. A while back, I started making chicken boudin; I had a lot of Muslim and Jewish friends who couldn’t eat traditional boudin with pork. My chicken boudain sold so well, I started putting it in an egg roll with Pepperjack cheese and the rest is history—it’s our number one seller.”
Matt Contrin, Owner and Founder, Roll Cajun Boudin

In addition to hot plates served in-house, Roll Cajun Boudin also has a small grocery section with ready-to-cook items, including frozen, deboned chicken stuffed with boudin crawfish étouffée.

Roll Cajun Boudin opens to the public on Tuesday, February 17

Roll Cajun Boudin will officially open its doors to the public on Mardi Gras—Tuesday, February 17.

“If you know what authentic Cajun food is supposed to look like, taste like and smell like, then you’re gonna love what we do. I think if you give us a shot and try our food, you’ll come back.

Not only is our food fantastic, but our people are the very best. I have an outstanding team that’s going to make sure you feel welcome.”
Matt Contrin, Owner and Founder, Roll Cajun Boudin

Planning to check out Roll Cajun Boudin next week? Tag us @bhamnow with photos of what you ate!