LUVI Restaurant

Food was DELICIOUS and the service was amazing! Everyone was super nice and welcoming! I loved it!!

I love a restaurant in a house! LUVI is in a quintessential New Orleans home on upper Tchoupitoulas Street. I will recommend that you make reservations, especially on a weekend, as it's intimate, which is part of the charm of course. We stopped by around 8:30 and the only seating available for non reservations was at the bar, which is not typically where I want to sit, honestly, but understandable given my lack of reservation. The atmosphere is so adorable, with hanging paper fish lanterns. I loved the vibrant wallpaper pattern and floral chairs. I was so into it all that I didn't mind where we sat. One of those nights were I was just glad to be seated and what a surprise at how damn good this food is!There's several vegan options, noted clearly on the menu (thank you!) and I ordered the stir fried cabbage (so flavorful, I ate every last bit of it) and dumplings. I have to say that these were the best vegan dumplings that I've had in recent memory (as in, I can't recall a dumpling that I've loved this much in ages!) I loved loved loved the char on the bottom and the way it makes the luscious dumpling that's filled with so much goodness even more delicious than if it had be only steamed. The dipping sauce is salty, sweet and slightly sour. My mouth is watering just thinking about it.They have a good variety of cocktails and they have a Sangiovese, which is what I enjoyed this go-around. But I will be back to report on the drinks!

We started the trek to Luvi from the Merigny and were full of excitement. We left full of disappointment. I'm torn on the 2-3* slots. The sushi was fresh but it was underwhelming. We had the monkey bites and the yellowfin stoplight. The monkey snacks were something very unique. It was good but others didn't enjoy the banana flavor being some pronounced. The yellowfin was like all other sushi bars except they cut the capsaicin out of the jalapeños leaving them tasting like a bell pepper. Our plan was to judge the dinner course based off the sushi. We went with cooked options since the two appetizers were disappointing. I had the mala holla which I thought would be spicy since it stated "ghost chili" oil.....it wasn't. I expected it to be warm.....it wasn't....it was a pile of cold meat with little to offer. Friend had the Bam Bam chicken and that was completely tasteless. It reminded both of us of school lunch chicken. Wife had the chicken wings. I did like the dry spice run versus sloppy wings but once again, it was lacking in flavor. I think the chefs idea of Chinese and Japanese fusion works but it needs some tweaking.

We enjoyed our trip to LUVI. Had dinner at 7 pm on a Saturday with a reservation and they were steady the whole time! It's a pretty small spot, so I would definitely recommend a resy. The food was very good. Everything had great flavors, our favorite was the Monkey Snack! Who would've thought to put banana with fish?! A genius! Fruit & salmon definitely hit the spot. Unique dish! The cucumbers were very tasty - such a simple dish but truly made to perfection. The sauce was awesome. The bam bam chicken was also very good! It reminded me of chicken katsu. I liked the sauce too, but it wasn't the best I ever had. Both of our drinks were super good & strong! I loved the variety of flavors and mixtures of the flavors. Yum! The service was pretty good too. Overall, I would recommend LUVI, had a great time, but I wouldn't say it was my favorite restaurant or as memorable as some others I've been to which is why I give 4/5. Just missed the wow factor..

Fun, good, but not fantastic -- as another reviewer said, just kind of lacked the "wow" factor. Maybe we should've done the "feed me" chef's choice menu? My two favorite dishes were the smashed cucumbers (simple, but executed perfectly) and the fish collar (flaky, crispy, delicious). We also got the spring rolls, dan dan noodles, bam bam chicken, and curried favor dumplings. Staff recommended 4-6 dishes for two, and that turned out to be perfect.

We loved LUVI!We ordered:1) feed me a la carte: this is the chef's choice sashimi which was salmon with a crispy chili oil and pooped sunflower seeds. The fish was SO fresh and the toppings were perfect complements.2) mala holla: wow!!!! This was my favorite. Very finely shredded beef with a delicious savory umami sauce.3) curry dumplings: this was my friends favorite. The dumplings were SO fresh and flavorful which was a delightful surprise since the soup is a bit more mild. We added some chili sauce as somebody else recommended and that added a nice spice.4) yellowtail collar: really tasty! If you haven't have yellowtail collar, try it! The sauce was particularly good.5) black sesame ice cream: probably my least favorite, but still delicious.Seems like you can't go wrong here!!

5 star food again at our second time hereOrdered the Don't-Miss items again: Dragon Boat, Feed Me a La Carte & Curried favor dumplings- I also LOVE the monkey snack (so creative) and vegan pan fried dumplings Passion fruit margarita very nice- we like the lychee cocktail too- it's good and strong and you won't need another!They weren't the friendliest this time around and not the busiest (we made the rez 20 minutes before we arrived) so I was a little surprised by that but things happen and we are service industry family so I understand staff issues This is the kind of place that benefits from staff engagement (chefs voice type menus always do) and can bring in much more $ if the staff make suggestions, explain dishes or offer a second drink because menu is unknown for most customers Luvi is one of a kind in this town so everyone should try it- flavors are outstanding

Omg so good. I have a retired service dog who is dying and I wrote this ridiculous note asking if they could let him dine with us. They were so accommodating and even gave him a plate of peanut butter rice balls. Food was delicious. We did the chef's pick or whatever it's called, as well as some other snacks. Billy the dog enjoyed several courses of delicious raw fish (as did we). Thank you everyone at Luvi.

Delicious food!!! Delicious drinks! I was in NOLA for a week and this was the best restaurant I went to. Get the Jade Monkey cocktail. I substituted vodka for gin. It was excellent!

This is our second time here and we had to write a review because it was, for the second time in a row, the best meal we ever had. The service is impeccable and the food is unmatched. Everything is so fresh and so packed full of flavor!! The place is so cozy and inviting and the chef is there making every plate right in front of you. A must try!!