mandina's restaurant

it's good. didn't have the turtle soup which i'm told is a go-to. the red sauce is a bit sweet for me, like most new orleans italian red sauce.

i drive from baton rouge to new orleans just to eat their trout meunière!

good neighborhood cafe. i get the impression that mandina's is kind of hanging on its past laurels a little bit. i first went here just a couple of years ago post-katrina.

the service has always been good to me. the food is classic nola neighborhood cafe food. not that all of it is good...mind you. generally, the specials are your best bet. they do a very good plate of red beans here on monday. they also have a very solid sandwich selecion; the roast beef po'boy stands out.

a lot of the food isn't that good though. the appetizers are generally subpar. i know people that like the turtle soup, but it doesn't have any turtle meat in it. the fried seafood platters aren't that good. never had a good steak here.

so it is what it is: a prototypical nola-style neighborhood joint with some dishes that are really good.....and some that aren't.

we were here for a catered event dinner. the drum almandine and rib eye steak were amazing. the fried shrimp was perfect. the salad and garlic bread very good. our assigned staff was attentive and accommodating. more comfortable seating and a private room (they seated us with another party making speeches and toasts awkward) would have made this night a perfect 5. would like to return and enjoy specials/ menu!!

classic. the quintessential new orleans neighborhood restaurant. nice environment, profesional waitstaff (no tattooed sweet young things), many who have been around for years.

just fine if you want fried seafood in a nice place. i am not always happy with some of their other stuff, like the oyster/artichoke soup or the crawfish cake (which had no visible crawfish and seemed like pan fried stuffing).

the white wine crab fingers (app) are phenomenal and no one else does them like they do -- it is the main reason i go.

if you have people in from out of town, a great place to go. lots of locals go too.

market priced steak = ripped off customer. i was excited to try mandina's, but pretty much disappointed. my evening begain with a fifteen minute wait that lasted thirty minutes and end with a severly over priced steak.
on the plus side my steak was served with a side of roasted potatos and green beans and both were fantastic, good enough to convince me to give them one more shot. however, i won't be ordering another steak.

impeccable service in a cozy and casual atmosphere. i’ve had mandina’s on my to do list for a while and finally was able to join a fiend for dinner this week. yes, the turtle soup was amazing. i also had the salisbury steak, which is smothered in onion and that famous roast beef gravy. my friend claims that the italian salad here is the best on the planet. it was very tasty with lettuce, celery, olives, green beans, onion and that italian dressing. i soaked up all the extra dressing with french bread that is served with every meal. not a bad thing to say about mandina’s.

comfort food in comfortable surroundings

mandina’s has been around for many, many years. it is loud and boisterous and very casual. the food is solidly good and flavorful. nothing is fancy or fussy or nouveau. prices are reasonable and portions are generous. our server was friendly and helpful.

we started with an appetizer of shrimp remoulade which was delicious. we moved on to a delicious cup of artichoke and oyster stew. our group enjoyed several different entrees. none of them would set the world on fire but all were very good.

the best turtle soup ever. also, don't skip the soft shell crab poboy. a half loaf is the same size as every other full size poboy in town, though, so expect to need a to go box!

it's been over 20 plus years since i have visited to dine here. called from another spot and asked about table wait which was at 30-40 minutes on a saturday night.

headed over and got on the list, had a glass of pinot and waited for our name to be shouted over the din of noise in the still charming dining room and bar area. seems like one big dinner party where all your friends are there with you.

once seated, right at 40 minutes my exuberant wife immediately orders the gulf fish almandine and meunière. i had not even opened my menu. lol.

ended up ordering the buster crab app, cup of turtle soup and a club sandwich for me and to share. two small soft shells and some boiled shrimp over lettuce with remoulade is the app. good but the crabs really could have been anything as they had no real substance to them other than fried crab shaped crunchy things.

turtle soup was above average but different than any i have had. wife ate most of it before i got any. very thick, dark and decent meat in it. no sherry brought or offered on this one.

the fish showed up fried rather than grilled with my club sandwich which was simply done and ala carte with no side dish for $11. it was very good but pretty small based on other clubs i have had and my wife had her share of it too while we waited on the correct fish. it came out 20 minutes later after i had finished eating and was a huge plate drowning in brown gravy. with lots of fries. edible but far from the delicate trout dish of the same name from years ago. in that vein pretty disappointing. fish was the right tender white meatiness but just got drowned out by the brown gravy river.

server also volunteered me for an extra barq's root beer not ordered but it did come in handy.

due to our server picking up a five top and then a ten on either side of us the service slowed and the after meal cat and mouse to decline dessert and await the check ensued. took us a good 15-20 minutes to get the check, pay and depart.

overall the ambience and vibe are still there but not sure if we will visit again anytime soon. it's good but not drooling good. maybe lunch next time.

absolutely fabulous. i was hesitant to travel out of the cbd to this restaurant way out canal st. however, i am thrilled i did. i had the fried catfish with french fries. it was great. i was told by a friend to try the shrimp remoulade, but that will have to wait until my next trip. if you're staying in nola, jump on the canal street trolley and head out to mid-town and mandina's. you won't be disappointed. the ride out isn't too bad either!

good old standard new orleans food. very good and true to our city's spirit. best seafood gumbo in town. onion rings are a must and the veal parmigiana is huge with a pound of spaghetti. wonderful!

daube (thursdays). slow cooked. tender.

the mandina's in covington has lost its touch. i've defended it many times. however, after two very disappointing meals i will not go back. cafeteria type taste or out the can sauce. this was a great place at one time. the service is still good but somebody in the kitchen doesn't care anymore.

if there ever was a local new orleans joint this is it. they have been serving food here since the 1930’s. the place is into 4 generations of mandina family owners. opened in 1898 by sebastian mandina from palermo, italy, the family lived in the upstairs as the place has gone from an italian grocery, a pool hall, and in 1932 mandina’s restaurant. i tend to stick with the same thing every time, turtle soup au sherry, and trout amandine meuniere. you can not go wrong with that combination. open for lunch and dinner. you can not say i have done new orleans without hitting this place. shrimp po-boy half loaf homemade turtle soup au sherry shrimp po-boy catfish meuniere or almandine with french fried potatoes share this: twitter