sal & judy's restaurant

unparalled food. i have lived in the mandeville/new orleans area my whole life and thus have had my fair share of excellent food, but nothing even comes close to sal and judy's. it's not just sometimes excellent, but rather consistently the bestfoodi've ever eaten. before you go, you must know what to order. the crab claws with cream sauce are the best appetizer on the menu. though the others are fabulous, too, you can't eat at sal and judy's without having the crab claws. forget about your diet for the night and use the hot loaf of french bread to sop up all the extra sauce. when you order an entree such as veal or fish, be sure to add the nicholas sauce to it. it is a butter-based sauce filled with lump crabmeat as well as shrimp and mushrooms. it absolutely makes the dishes. i always get something with the nicholas sauce and my husband always gets something with a traditional italian sauce. the traditional italianfoodis always excellent,and portions are huge, but, in my opinion, the nicholas sauce is what's so special. sometimes you have to ask for the sauce, though the server usually mentions it as a choice. don't treat it as a choice. treat it as a must-have. happy eating!

egg-plant louis. this was a small birthday dinner party of ten with reservations on saturday night at 7 pm and we were seated within 20 minutes.foodwas excellent as was the service. the bread is something to get use to as it's delicious when served hot but within minutes it's cold and hard. we had fun and will go back.

a wonderful iconic restaurant on the northshore! yes... the decor could use a little updating , but we go for the incredible italian/creolefood& always lively conversations with our friends and family. oh wait! i almost forgot! the best makers mark old fashioned ever!!!!!! love ya sal!

as great as it has always been. went for my brothers move back to la. we had reservations and were seated immediately. brandon waited on us, i did not get the name of the very nice lady who served us water. my sister-in-law requested lemonade, "sorry we do not have lemonade". when brandon brought out the drinks he had a small pitcher of lemonade, he had made. the deliciousfoodwas served hot and in perfect timing to allow conversation and not feel rushed. we ended with a shared dessert, nothing could have been more perfect.

superiorfoodand service. recently we had my dad's 80th b'day party in the private room of the restaurant. we had 37 guest.. we had the "italian feed" and a feed it was. we had appetizers, salads, entrees, and ice cream to go with the b'day cake. thefoodwas absolutely fabulous and exceeded all expectations. thank you mr. sal and staff for a memorable dinner party for our family.

italian?. first off, i am not impressed. i was told to go to sal & judy's because it is the bestfoodon the north shore, but to my surprise i had a completely different experience. the out side looked very pleasant yet, when i entered i could not help but notice the horrible decor. i felt as if i was in a renovated funeral/wake home. the carpet was ridiculous, i saw a plastic bench table get brought out for use, and the plates looked like my 95 year old grandmothers. i wouldn't be surprised if the owner looted her house after katrina. oh yah, how could i forget...the butter ceramics are reused at every table..........nice! when we got our food, i was brought french bread instead of italian .... what?!?! then they gave me cocktail sauce with my calamari instead of marinara.... i thought it was a joke... i don't know where the chef got his recipes but never have i seen peas in lasagna. i read these post from other people and all i can say is you live in a box. explore, go to italy, or even new york and see what real italianfoodis like. on the upside...the bar tender did serve good drinks, nice and strong.

best italianfoodever!. i adore this place and have been going for years. it never disappoints. it is the best italianfoodi have ever eaten. the salad is amazing with their homemade dressing, the crab claw appetizer is to die for, the spaghetti and meatballs is the best. i also love the spittini--incredible flavors and such a huge portion. you will not leave hungry. even the owner, sal, will still come by every table and check on everyone. a wonderful place to eat and such a treat!

wonderful!!. amazingfoodand service!! was our first time and i guarantee it won't be my last.

worth a drive from anywhere. when i think about memorable meals, i think about this place. amazingfoodand very good service. my favorites are the veal cannelloni, the pasta with sausage and peppers, shrimp scampi, seafood cannelloni. and you must have some green beans, those are to die for. forget dessert, you won't have room.

just ok. i don't really get the unending praise this place gets. thefoodis ok, but not great. also overpriced.

when you are the best, you stand alone.. let me first address the newcomers from colorado to our area. welcome, you need to develop some taste buds as you must eat ravioli out of a can. sal and judys has been on the northshore for 30 + years at that exact location. it started with 10 tables at the most. and you saw what it gre into..it is considered to be a northshore best . please visit their website and learn to appreciate their history. out of the many restaurants in our area to choose from sal and judy's has a menu that never changes, ever. when something is that good it doesnt need to. as far as the decor and the "patrons"go... that decor has been the same since the place opened. pink and linen-sorry that affects the way thefoodtastes to you. you apparently care more about appearences than quality. and the patrons, are the people who come back week after week because thefoodis unsurpassed. i guess you were looking for the atmosphere and patrons to be that of chilis after a night at the bar. maybe you will change your mind if you are ever invited to dine in the presence of someone whom is entertaining or hosting a large group, as sal and judy's is where you go to do that.

now, about the food,
the veal is one of the most popular dishes on the menu, excellent choice. my personal favorite is the lasagne. sal's mother's receipe. i suggest getting a side of green beans. the canelloni and the scampi are also excellent choices. sometimes, redfish nicholas will be a special. ask for the nicholas sauce on the veal. its cream and crab meat over veal served with more pasta than you can manage.

way overrated. i am sad to say that this dining experience was a total disappointment. we took my mother and father in law for their anniversary. they were visiting from co and we have just moved to the area. we were told by the "locals" that this was an excellent place. not so in our opintions. we felt like we were in a retirement community, very bad decor and ambiance. why bother with the linens? thefoodwas mediocre at best. not worth the money or the travel time. who are the people that think this is greatfoodand a dining experience?

salty sal. thefoodand service are great, but the patrons must be ignoring the horrific use of salt.

my advice don't order a mixed drink. instead order two glasses of water.

when "outstanding" falls short!!. saturday 25jun11

this restaurant is a crown jewel, and always is worth the 45 minute drive. i am so pleased with it all. our waiter "dustin" was perfect as well as our bus boy. when we told the manager how good they were, he knew. they had been trained there.
my wife and i both had redfish, and shared crab claws and calamari. wonderful. lots of hot crusty bread throughout. even the dinner salad served with viniagrette and a
bowl of blue cheese and another of croutons was excellent. the cocktails are fairly priced and very good. thefoodwas delicious with huge portions. we must be getting old, because we brought home about a third of the food. the current location is much more comfortable, even romantic. try it, you'll love it !!

what more can you say?. this place has excellentfoodat reasonable prices with friendly service. if you leave sal and judy's hungery than their is something wrong with you. qualityfoodin large portions in a clean friendly enviroment.