One of the best avenues for unique, independently owned eateries just got better. New restaurants continue to pop up along University Avenue in St. Paul, now home to a newly minted Cajun boil spot, a French patisserie, the Twin Cities’ first dedicated to Chinese hand-pulled noodles restaurant and more.

We stopped by 5 new places on our radar to give the lowdown on what’s new along the avenue:

SWEET CAJUN BOILING SEAFOOD

The Cajun boil trend continues to gain steam. At Sweet Cajun Boiling, in a business plaza located next to Allianz Field, you order at the counter where boils are sold by the pound, be it mussels, clams, crawfish, shrimp, snow crab, Dungeness crab or lobster tail. You then choose a flavor of Plain, Louisiana, Garlic Butter, Lemon Pepper or a House Mix to go with it. In addition to boils, catfish, shrimp or soft shell crab can be ordered in fried up or sandwich form. Beyond traditional sides such as potatoes, corn or sausage, there are options such as fries or rice, too. It’s best to suit up in armor that lets you make a mess. You can do so by heading to one of the stations and grabbing a bib and plastic gloves. The restaurant is located in a business plaza that has ample parking. Hours noon to 9 p.m. Monday, Wednesday through Saturday, noon to 8 p.m. Sunday, closed Tuesday. 1464 University Ave. W., St. Paul; 651-330-3439; sweet-cajun-boiling-seafood.business.site

MARC HEU PATISSERIE PARIS

There was such a demand for Marc Heu’s artfully prepared cakes, tarts, croissants and other French desserts and pastries that the Paris-trained pastry chef quickly outgrew his home operation. Recently, he moved into the former Mi Casa Su Casa space. That’s great news for us, because before, Heu was doing online orders only. Now that he has a bricks and mortar, Heu is holding retail hours at his dessert shop. While offering more well-known classics such as croissants and fruit tarts, Heu also aims to introduce customers to other desserts and pastries he grew up with in France — Paris-brest choux pastries, Vanilla Saint Honore cream puffs and Tropezienne cream-filled tarts among them. And the results are delicious. Parking is available in the back of the dessert shop. 7 a.m. to noon Tuesday through Friday and 9 a.m. to noon Saturday and Sunday. Pick-up for online orders 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. 383 University Ave W., St. Paul; 651-666-1464; marcheuparis.com

MAGIC NOODLE

Part of the fun here is watching Chinese hand-pulled noodles being stretched from a kitchen window. The menu is made up of a variety of noodle soup or noodle bowl dishes representing different regional specialties in China. Dishes here can pack plenty of heat, but there are some mild options, too. For starters, we like to recommend the Shanxi, a hearty noodle soup with beef brisket that is on the mild side. You can amp up any flavors in your noodle bowl by adding chili oil, soy sauce or Chinese black vinegar, provided at each table. If you can take some heat, don’t skip the Sichuan wontons on the appetizer menu that swim in a glorious pool of chili oil, scallions and chopped peanuts. Parking is available in the back of the restaurant. Open 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days a week. 1337 W. University Ave., St. Paul; 651-369-6688; magicnoodlemn.com

BASIL CAFE

Thai classics — papaya salad, curries and noodle stir fries are all covered here. We also love that the menu includes Thai dishes we don’t see around here every day such as the selection of coconut milk and chicken broth Thai noodle soups. Some even contain handmade noodles. Other specialties here are chicken-rice dishes like Khao Mun Gai, boiled chicken over seasoned rice, with cucumber slices and soup. Another option, the Khao Mun Gai Taut, comes with the same sides but is served with a crispy instead of boiled chicken. It’s worth noting that the spot on University Avenue near Dale Street has a parking lot located on the side of the restaurant. 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday; closed Monday. 585 University Ave. W., St. Paul; 651-493-2893; 585basilcafe.com

PHO PASTEUR

Technically Pho Pasteur is not located on University Avenue, but its close enough, and we can’t wait to tell you about it. This new Snelling Avenue eatery (just past the intersection of University Avenue) is simmering up some top-notch pho. The owners used to work at Pho Hoa on Nicollet Avenue in Minneapolis. Pro tip: When ordering the Vietnamese noodle soup here, we like the brisket pho. It’s the same price ($10 large, $14 extra large, $7 kids) for all the nine variations (except oxtail, which is an extra $4 per bowl), whereas other places often charge extra for brisket. In addition to pho, the spot near Hamline University also has rice platters, pho ga chicken soup, Vietnamese sandwiches, vermicelli salads and specialties such as spicy lemongrass noodle soup. Other Asian restaurant staples such as lo mein, sweet and sour chicken and pad Thai are also available. Open 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. seven days a week. 694 Snelling Ave. N., St. Paul; 651-756-8562; phopasteurvn.com