Cafe Pontalba
New Orleans, LA 70116-3321
Phone: (504) 522-1180
User Reviews for Cafe Pontalba
06/28/2008 Posted by desijohn
The wait staff was pleasant but could be a little more professional. In addition the food could be a little tastier.
10/26/2007 Posted by miss_mona
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.
01/02/2007 Posted by brett0479
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.
Pros: Location
Cons: Food
04/14/2005 Posted by mariluetta
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.
11/09/2004 Posted by djbigdonna
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.
Pros: great food, great location, friendly service
12/16/2003 Posted by edh1713
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.
Pros: Great Barbecue Shrimp, Reasonable Prices, Open-air dining
Cons: Sometimes a wait, Service sometimes

