The Original French Market Restaurant and Bar

Kept smelling something while walking around and found where it was coming from so randomly stopped in here for some lunch and it did NOT disappoint! The staff was prompt, kind and service didn't leave anything to be desired. The food... A+! Sooo good! We were very pleased with our experience. Keep up the good work!

We came here for a seafood lunch with another couple. The ambiance is lively without being annoying. Our waiter was friendly and really terrific! He offered suggestions and explained anything you wanted to know about a dish. I ordered the Swamp Platter - shrimp creole, blackened alligator, and crawfish etouffee. I was hoping for more heat in these dishes and it felt like they had toned down the spice level for tourists. The blackened alligator had NO Cajun blackened seasoning flavor and the alligator was a bit tough. There was a limited amount of crawfish in the etouffee, and again, the Shrimp Creole was bland, so I can't recommend this dish if you like lots of flavor and some heat! My wife enjoyed the Buffalo Chicken Salad with large chunks of deep fried chicken topped with blue cheese and Frank's Hot Sauce. However, the highlight dish was ordered by our friends - a Seafood Boat of boiled shrimp, crawfish, crab, andouille sausage, corn on the cob, and potatoes that serves 2 - 4 people! They loved it, but could only eat half of the platter, so they brought home the rest. If you come here, I'd recommend ordering any boiled seafood item that is cooked in their Zatarain's-spice boiling pots where you can view the cooks at work in the front window.

Yummy enough spot, ambience leaves something to be desired, though. I enjoyed the crawfish etouffe (wasn't blown away), and liked the boiled potatoes/corn/sausage. The boiled shrimp were also yummy, and the crawfish was okay -- just a lot of work for not that much meat, which isn't the restaurants fault. Banana pudding dessert was good, the pecan pie was a bit too sweet for me. Some people in our party don't eat pork, and we asked them not to include it in their order of potatoes and corn, which they didn't but also didn't substitute with anything else (just gave less overall food), which was a bit disappointing. Our bill came out wrong and it took awhile to get sorted out, but the service was friendly. Bathrooms were dirty, and the tables were really tiny, particularly for a group of four.

Service was extremely slow and some food didn't make it to the table and we had to ask for it to be removed from the bill. When we were greeted the waitress said she wasn't doing well. Not sure where that statement came from. Ordered jambalaya, and I had to ask for it twice after everyone got their food. It came once the rest of the party had finished eating. The food was tasty, but I won't go back due to the service.

Happy I came here with family, the food was great. My table ordered a lot of food including catfish, red beans n rice, crab cakes, Mac n cheese, and my dish was Seafood Pasta (with shrimp and crawfish tails). My dish tasted really good as I thought it would be a regular creamy pasta but it's actually a creole creamy pasta which taste lovely. My next favorite was the catfish, it melts in your mouth.

Interesting restaurant....Had not planned on going to this restaurant but had not planned on the snow storm and many places closed. This definitely is a dive restaurant but dives have some of the best food and this place did not disappoint. We had fried seafood which was delicious service was good and efficient. Only complaints I had were bathroom was gross and because of the weather they could not leave windows open and spices in boil were really strong. Boil pots are near windows in main dining room and we were all coughing. Would recommend if you are wanting some great seafood

This is located right on Decatur street, across from the French Market. They have an oyster bar and the usual NOLA tourist foods and of course a bar. They seem more focused on selling booze however, and during a recent visit the place was understaffed, and frankly in serious need of a power wash top to bottom. If restaurants could have a similar category of a "dive bar" this place is pretty close. Food is only ok IMHO, but the oysters fresh when you can get them.

my favorite restaurant experience in new orleans! we got a seat on the balcony- excellent for people watching. our waitress had a warm southern vibe (other places we've been to have had rude waiting staff ngl). the food was generously portioned, the char grilled oysters were light on the cheese and exactly what I was imagining when people would hype them up- these were delicious! be warned- the crawfish is SPICY. the only seafood boil i've experienced are the buttery bagged ones at home, so I wasn't expecting them to be served on a tray looking dry here. believe me tho those things are SEASONED in the inside. delicious!!!

You should tell your customers you charge a 20% surcharge for "special event", it was just me, my spouse and kid. On top of that, the waiter did not bring our food. We had to ask for it and it was apparently ready for some time and just waiting to be brought to us. He was just standing and chatting. Lastly, he gave himself an unauthorized tip bc my card shows the total is different from what I signed to pay for. The food was good but this part of the experience was the most negative on my trip there.

The smell will lure you in every time. The French Market never misses for me. The service is usually pretty quick and your food comes out fast as well. The food is flavored to perfection. I usually always come here whenever I'm in town!