atchafalaya restaurant

new orleans gourmet slow traditional food. take a minute and process that. brilliant and creative specials, quality ingredients, a classically new orleans cafe atmosphere, and a top tier sunday jazz brunch with a dyi bloody mary bar. if you are nervous about making your own, don't worry someone will help you out with a smile. great customerservicecentered around the individuals dining there not just focused on surviving their shifts, which are always busy.

the front desk is a weak point. getting seated will be your primary challenge. however, once you're seated it's well worth the effort. great cocktails and super food. we had crab cakes and free form ravioli as appetizers then moved on to redfish and halibut. all was worth returning for.servicewas leisurely, at just the right pace to enjoy food and conversation.

great food in a restaurant that's out of the madness of the french quarter. we had the steak and eggs special and the crawfish etoufee omelette. both were awesome. probably the best part of the meal was the bananas foster french toast, however. it is sinful! the only negative about the experience was the fact that they never said how much the special was. it turned out to be $30 which i thought was a bit pricey for a brunch dish. other than that theservicewas amazing.

praised by many for dinner, but moreso by locals for brunch, atchafalaya recently extended the weekend-morning meal to include both thursday, friday as well as monday morning service, the always-packed restaurant at 901 louisiana avenue already generating a small line at 10am with the dining room and bar both three-quarters filled on thursday by noon.

no longer the “hidden neighborhood gem” it once was, a creative menu of creole inspiration from chef chris lynch enticing diners in a room of reclaimed woods and artifacts post-katrina, those with the foresight to book a table at atchafalaya will find warm greetings at the hostess stand overlooking a diy bloody mary bar beneath articles touting accolades, the full-bar opposite ready to supply those in search of alternative beer, wine or spirits.

seated comfortably at a mid-size four top, sleep-eyedservicea bit tight at first but improving as the meal went on, it was from a well-culled menu of brunch plates that decisions were made, a small plate of warm cornbread muffins served with whipped butter ready to whet appetites alongside rounds of spicy alligator sausage plus a cup of creamy yellow soup that offered almost as much fresh-picked crab as it did the pureed corn it was mixed in.

deciding to choose atchafalaya’s classics as entrees, though a few recent specials were also quite tempting, the challenge was one of deciding which was best as all three plates offered something different and delicious, the fried chicken surely the most straight forward and perfectly crisp with good gravy while the pain perdu was a custard soaked masterpiece that ate deceivingly light, the hash spinning tradition on its head by adding fruit to crispy duck with rich hollandaise balanced by the salty and bright vinaigrette.

food is good, theserviceis terrible. although many tables were available, customers had to wait nearly two hours to be seated. it then took another hour to get ice coffee, two hours for food to be served to some of us; while others in our party had to wait another hour for our meals. we went there for 11am brunch and left at 3 pm. not worth the wait! there is a bloody mary bar where customers garnish there on drinks with a variety vegetables (celery, corn, pepper etc.) including meat which is nice. however, the premixed bloody mary's were not good. premixed bloody mary's lack flavor and have very little alcohol. i would not recommend.

i have only been here for brunch but it's been about 3 times. it is always excellentserviceand the food is so delicious and amazing!! they have the best bloody mary bar! it is stocked with more toppings and garnishments than you can imagine! i will be back! can't wait to try it for dinner!

new orleans brunch is a supposed rite of passage for any louisiana native who loves food. it took me 24 years but i finally managed to scratch this one off of my dining to-do list. i made reservations online, opentable.com is a great source by the way, for atchafalaya 10:15 this past sunday morning. we arrived early with a healthy appetite and were ready for some delicious food.

there was already a line out the door when we walked up shortly after 10 o’clock. it appeared as though a few parties were attempting to procure a table before the mid-brunch rush. i took this as a good sign, as i often do with restaurants. in a city as culinarily diverse as new orleans, why else would people clamor to eat somewhere if it wasn’t viewed pretty favorably?

the staff is an interesting assortment of characters, much like the new orleans population. atchafalaya is located on the corner of louisiana avenue and the relatively quiet laurel street. like many garden district restaurants, it feels like a neighborhood establishment that many nearby neighbors walk to for a meal. in fact, there were a number of individuals passing by while in the midst of a midmorning stroll.

we decided to sit outside and enjoy the louisiana sunshine. the sun quickly grew hot, but that was an afterthought given the beautiful surroundings. our curbside table was flanked by a row of beautiful, blooming flowers and we beheld a number of beautiful homes situated along louisiana avenue. sitting outside proved to be a popular choice as a number of diners soon joined us at the nearby tables.

theservicethroughout the meal was quite attentive. my water glass was constantly refilled and we didn’t wait long for our food to arrive.

as for the food, we ordered the bananas foster french toast and one of the sunday specials. the special was comprised of a half-rack of pork ribs covered in a port wine reduction and adorned with a medley of mandarin oranges and other edible accoutrements and was served with a side of cheese grits.

the french toast was perfect. its hands down the best i have ever had. the perfectly cooked toast, topped with powdered sugar and ripe banana slices formed a trifecta of sweetness that just amounted to a wonderful experience. but what made this dish truly perfect was the presence of the accompanying rum sauce, which is offered on the side in abundance rather than drenched on the toast when it arrives. personally, i am all in favor of preserving the french toast and preventing it from becoming excessively soggy. the sauce was sweet, rich, and…perfection.

the special on the other hand was a little underwhelming. firstly, i was extra critical of the dish because i desperately wanted to order the oh so appealing duck hash. however, my date coerced me into ordering the special and so it appears as though the duck has will now haunt my dreams like some cruel, fleeting temptress until i can unite with it someday. secondly, i have determined that i am not a ribs-before-noon kind of guy, at least that’s what i discovered after this meal.

our cheese grits were outstanding. they were adorned with green onions and are arguably the best i have ever had. i love cheese grits so the success of this dish thoroughly pleased me.

oh but the ribs which sounded so delicious when described by our waiter failed to capture my taste buds in the way it had captured my imagination. the toppings were quite delicious, but i’m not sure they really complimented the actual ribs. the ribs themselves were tender and smoky. they were pretty good. yet, the reason for my disappointment was the port wine reduction. man, talk about a lackluster sauce. for me, the sauce makes or breaks wet ribs. and this unstimulating sauce nearly broke these ribs for me. given that the special was several dollars more than the majority of the brunch items, i expected to be wowed but was instead left feeling a little hollow knowing that i passed up on so many other options.

damn, damn, damn my date for not being a fan of non-scrambled eggs. there were so many tantalizing egg-based dishes that i contemplated ordering, and after seeing many of them pass by our table en route to other patrons, i grew even more frustrated.

great location. great service. pleasant food with an array of appealing dishes and reasonable prices. atchafalaya is worthy of a visit if you are near the garden district.

taste: 8/10

cost: 8/10

dining area/decor: 10/10

customer service: 9/10

location: 9.5/10

loved it! if you go on the weekend for brunch, expect a long wait (1.5 hours). make a reservation in advance. they have live jazz music, a blood mary bar, and food that doesn't disappoint.serviceis good and ambiance is fun. perfect place for brunch in the garden district.

questionable service. food was really really good but theservicewas crazy slow. we were there for two and a half hours for a two person dinner which is a little slow even if the food was really good

amazingserviceand amazing food. we were a party of 11 and it was the best experience i have ever had with such a large group. i worked directly with both owners and both were incredibly accommodating. they sat us in beautiful private room (the restaurant is in an old house and it is a really cool place). rachael, one of the owners, helped me create a pre fixe menu for the party and it was an impressive menu. tony helped us out once we got there to ensure everything went smoothly and really went above and beyond, i simply can not say enough good things about them and their restaurant. everything that we had was absolutely delicious. the free form crab ravioli appetizer really stands out but the star of my dish (pork belly and tuna) was the pork belly, it is the best i have ever had and i really enjoy pork belly so i have it frequently. i highly recommend this place to anyone and everyone. i am planning a return visit to n.o. with my wife and we will definitely be going back to atchafalaya (even if i can't pronounce it properly) maybe to try the brunch this time because one look at that menu and wow!

excellent brunch. 4 of us visited oct 5th for jazz brunch + enjoyed the make your own bloody mary buffet and great coffee.servicewas friendly + timely. eggs louisiane was rich and flavorful, shrimp + grits were awesome . cochon du l'eggs also sweet and smoky . perfect portions . can't wait to try it again sometime

fan-freakintastic! great experience here from start to finish.servicewas good, bloody mary bar offerings were great (do try the house made mix), and the food was superb. we had the eggs treme: boudin, potatoes, popcorn mud bugs, hollandaise, and perfectly poached and runny eggs. cream cheese grits, and omelette w/spinach, crab, and truffle. the only drawback was how loud the room upstairs was as we could barley eat each other, and this is on a sunday at 10:30 am. do place reservations on opentable.

fantastic place, fantastic food. we love atchafalaya - so much so that we ate there twice during our four night stay in nola last weekend! the food is phenomenal, theserviceis great, the atmosphere is comfortable, romantic, and intimate. tony and rachel are great hosts and really make you feel like family! we will be back again and again whenever we are lucky enough to visit this great city!

excellent brunch. perfect eggs benedict. the n.o. bbq shrimp is very good. the applewood smoked bacon and the alligator sausage was great. atmosphere is very nice and theservicewas very good. prices are reasonable.

the food is beautifully presented, sophisticated in taste, and yet recognizable. theservicewas prompt and friendly. a gem.