Cafe Pontalba

Doesn't Recommend

desijohn

Joined 5 years ago

Beautiful atmosphere, but.... The wait staff was pleasant but could be a little more professional. In addition the food could be a little tastier.

Recommends

miss_mona

Joined 8 years ago

Great Food and Atmosphere!. I always went to Cafe Pontalba when I vistied New Orleans. My favorite place to sip a Bloody Mary (which is the best I've ever had anywhere traveling), people watch as they roam on the Square, the church bells ringing, etc. Its "the place" to be on the square for me! I've always had great food there. Great bartender named Aaron ( hope the spelling is right)! Its not a vaction in the French Quarter without stopping by there.

Doesn't Recommend

brett0479

Joined 6 years ago

Inedible Jambalaya. I was in New Orleans this past weekend with some friends and ended up at this place, right on Jackson Square, which should have been my first warning. We got the blackened alligator appetizer which was pretty good. I had the jambalaya entree, which was disgusting. The rice was luke-warm and mushy, and I got the feeling that it had been sitting in a chafing dish for hours before being scooped onto my plate with an ice cream scoop. Also, it had little pieces of unidentifiable meat in it. Was it chicken? Was it sausage? Good God, was it some sort of seafood? It did come with two sausage links on the side, and they were pretty good, actually. They tasted as if they had been made on a grill, so at least I was able to eat part of my meal. One of my friends had a chicken sandwich, which was described as "ok" but "boring." Another had a shrimp and fettuccini alfredo dish which she also said was good, but not great. Only one person truly enjoyed his meal, and he had the catfish with pecans. I didn't try it, but he really liked it. All in all, I would not recommend this place. With so many other great restaurants in the city (some only blocks away), there is no need to suffer mediocre food. Try Ralph and Kacoo's (even if it is a chain) or The Gumbo Shop for better Creole/Cajun food.

Doesn't Recommend

mariluetta

Joined 8 years ago

A rip-off from start to finish. You know that, given its location, it's going to be a rip-off. But you walk in hopeful, or at least with realistic hopes that the place is cute and could provide a quick, reasonable lunch. No way. This restaurant does not offer up even a fair sampling of the amazing food New Orleans has to offer.

My entree was already a hack job, but then came out lukewarm, so much that the top had actually congealed in a gelationous goo. The prices suggest far better food than is actually available. Eat elsewhere and come back for a beer if the view's that much of an attraction. With all the fantastic cuisine that the Big Easy has to offer, there's no need to waste your time at this place.

Recommends

djbigdonna

Joined 9 years ago

Catfish and garlic mashed potatos. We found this little gem a couple trips ago and go back everytime we come to NOLA. Food is fabulous, friendly service and a great place to relax and people watch. One of my favorite spots in the big easy. Crab cakes, catfish, gumbo all yummy plus the best garlic mashed potatos in the world. Don't miss this one.

Recommends

edh1713

Joined 10 years ago

Great food on a great FQ Corner. On a beautiful day, this cafe is a wonderful place to enjoy open-air dining and people watching. A must-have is their Barbecue Shrimp - AWESOME!!! I was only in NOLA for 4 days and ate there twice! Reasonable prices is the icing on the cake.