Cafe Pontalba

Friendly. Quick. Delicious. We shared a shrimp poboy and the crab cakes. It was just the perfect amount.

A great cafe in the Jackson Square area. I was exhausted from walking around and wanted to enjoy a Po-Boy. Google Maps suggested this location so we came over. There were several football fans seated inside to watch the Chiefs game. I found a seat by the window to enjoy the views of the city. I ordered the Fried Fish Po Boy and a Louisiana Iced Tea. The Louisiana Iced Tea had a surprising taste. It was not too sweet but had a strong amount of alcohol in it. The Po Boy was a tasty sandwich but mostly bread. You could barely taste the amount of fish inside. The french fries were average. Overall, the food was okay for a quick lunch break but nothing amazing.

Great location, no wait for brunch. Food sucked. Ambiance was great with so much going on outside.

Located right on Jackson Square restaurant was nice. Classic decor and clean. Fish poboy was mid at best. Not bad but essentially a filet o fish. The main issue I had was staff. I felt like I was interrupting their day. They were not busy. Initially they were basically hostile. I may have walked into some other issue but it was a bad vibe

Tasty food right off Jackson Square in a typical NOLA dive restaurant. A good place to stop and grab a bite to eat and then look around. I hate beans and the red beans and rice was amazing. The blackened gator bites were great too. I'd defintely come back!

Best shrimp and grits I've ever had. I've had dreams about this dish. Cute restaurant right by the square, great for people watching. They have a side bar area to grab and go.

Fun & delicious restaurant by the church. Delicious gumbo, etoufee and hush puppies as well! Restaurant bustling like all of NOLA - loved the open air restaurant vibe so one can dine & listen to the live music on the square! Nothing more to make this a perfect NOLA experience! And of course, like everywhere in NOLA, service friendly & good!

Stopped by here because we were famished and it was the nearest place. So glad we did! Not sure why it doesn't have more stars on yelp. It was very tasty and affordable. Our waitress was funny, nice and attentive. Love the open ceiling to floor windows and ceiling fans going. Very NOLA!

We stopped for lunch here based on a list of recommendations from a local bartender as we were looking for a quintessential New Orleans food. I really wish Yelp allowed half stars because this is decent 3.5 kinda place. It's in a prime spot in Jackson Square next to all the art vendors and street performers and there was an endless line out the door for to-go drinks. Service was pretty awful and while I'd like to give them some slack because there ended up being a plumbing issue during our visit, it was actually shocking how poor the service was even before that began. That aside, our meal was pretty solid and we would've had a few more drinks if we'd had better service. I opted for both the Cajun pasta and Cajun cooler, which were very good. My boyfriend said the red beans and rice was the best he ever had and his brother thought the gator bites were amazing. I might be willing to give them another shot if only because I trust said bartender's rec, but I'll probably try some other spots first.

Very quaint spot at the corner of Jackson Square. Small inside with a bar but clean. Service is good. We were seated and met by our server within a minute. The menu isn't different from most spots in that area but for a late lunch, it was fine. We both ordered a cup of gumbo and house salad. I asked for mine gumbo minus rice because I'm not a fan of rice. Gumbo was hot and had some flavor but wasn't the type of gumbo I was expecting. It had a tomato sauce base to me instead of the thinner roux I like. But I ate most of it. It didn't have a lot of shrimp nor sausage and I don't recall any crab meat but it was fine. Salad was good. Not a spot I would visit again.