The Big Easy

Completely delicious, and my favorite restaurant in Hyde Park! This place is usually dead – I think because they just re-​opened – but you’d be a fool to let that stop you from enjoying this place. The cornbread muffins are to die for and the gumbo is incredible. I’ve worked my way through about half the menu and seriously, every dish is amazing (although the shakshuka is my favorite!). Service is prompt and friendly, and the prices are very reasonable for what you’re getting (which is a TON of delicious food). I highly recommend this place.

I’m so happy that this place is open again! I have been craving some Stuffed Jambalaya for months now from this spot and I was truly sad when they were temporarily closed. It’s hard to find a restaurant with great food and this place is truly a gem people are sleeping on.

We walked out.
We were seated pretty promptly, there were two other tables with customers. The waitstaff talked to them, brought them their bill, etc. We got nothing. Not even water! I’m not sure how long we waited but since we knew what we wanted before we walked in, it was way too long. They were too busy clearing the desserts from the brunch.
As we walked out, the person clearing the desserts asked if we were going to order and and we said we would have if someone had come to the table.
My boyfriend has been there before and he wasn’t impressed with the service or food…

Imagine you’re in China and you see some local folks staring at a brand new Panda Express restaurant. The locals wonder how Americans make Chinese food, how is it different from the real thing?
As a New Orleanian I wondered the same about «The Big Easy» hoping to find an authentic representation of home cooking. Oh lord. These guys have never been to NOLA or hate the place so much that they decided to make fun of the place with this restaurant.
The Po Boys need to be made with French Bread, not with WTF bread. The catfish was passable, the only reason they get 2 stars, but the sides are pretty yuck. The sweet potato fries are cold, the mash potatoes not really true to form. I saw the beignets in the display case and wondered if modern people cannot faithfully reproduce something from a thousand miles away, then maybe nothing fossil hunters put together in museums can be trusted either. In short, the beignets look forlorn, like criminal pastries on the run from the law and caught on camera.
In short, this is not «cajun» it sho ain’t «creole». The service staff was nice enough but the service itself is perfunctory. I think I have in passing said hello to the owner, who seems like a good guy, this place could be so much more than it is today I wanna tell him. I hope he reads these reviews – I would happy if he saved his business by trying harder and not phoning it in, like it seems has happened.

I love this restaurant! I took my husband and kids after church for brunch and I didn’t know wat to expect. The reviews on Unilocal were horrible so I almost didn’t go. But I had a gift certificate from
and I felt like why not go and give it a chance. We got there as soon as they opened and so we were the first ones there. I love the décor. The owner is very friendly and welcoming. He cracked jokes with my kids and took the time to explain the brunch menu to us. The manager/​waiter was superb! He explained the history of the location and how the owner had other restaurants in that same location before this one. I loved the fact that he could tell us about the menu. He had his top five picks on the menu. I feel if a waiter does not eat at the restaurant then that speaks volumes. He said he makes his waiters taste everything on the menu so they can be more helpful when folks are trying to decide on what to eat. Overall for the price $ 15.99 per person for a four course meal including this great fresh strawberry orange drink the owner made. Homemade cinnamon raisin sticky buns, entrée and homemade dessert (an entire table of desserts for u to choose from). The kids brunch is 6.99 and includes everything but the entrée. Which was perfect because the entrees are big enough to share. And the waiter/​manager suggested sharing. I had the jumbo stuffed french toast which was very good (it tasted like cinnamon raisin funnel cake) and it came with eggs and canadian bacon. My husband had the bbq medley which included chicken and ribs with eggs and roasted potatoes. My husband loved it.
All in all we were very, very pleased with the restaurant and will definitely be going back again!

I’ve only been for brunch, but it’s a lot of fun. They have fantastic food (the French toast is divine), and you can always order off the regular menu at brunch time if you’ve got a picky eater in your group. They’re almost always empty, so service tends to be very attentive… and be sure to save room for dessert!

The food was pretty good and the décor is tacky, but I have to admit, I had fun at this place. The owner was cracking jokes that really weren’t funny, but at least he was trying. Our visit came on the Friday after Thanksgiving and the place was dead. We were literally the only people in the joint by the time our food arrived. I would like to see what this place is like when it’s busy.
For my entrée, I had a delicious plate of spare ribs that I really enjoyed. The sauce was quite different than anything I’ve ever eaten. It was more on the sweet side, but it worked. My wife didn’t seem all that excited about her Cat Fish Po’ boy though and she wasn’t at all amused by the strange comedy routine that was thrust upon us. The jokes were so bad, that I had to laugh.
Here’s the bottom line: The Big Easy provided us with a interesting dining experience. The food was good. A lot better than the comedy routine the owner provided us with. Let’s just say he shouldn’t quit his day job just yet.

Well, I am trying to cut this joint a little bit of slack, mainly because we were there on an off day (day after Thanksgiving), but I still can’t overlook a few things that are obviously not due to the holiday weekend:
First off, the décor was exceptionally strange. Never having been to New Orleans I don’t know what is typical down there, but I am going to guess it isn’t turquoise, black and cream painted walls, a Mexican tile floor, old green vinyl diner booths and terrible lighting. I could have forgiven most of it (especially the floor, which was in great condition and the little handpainted tiles really too pretty to rip out) but the lighting was just so bad. The only way it could have been worse was to have a giant, humming fluorescent light bar over each table that flickered on and off randomly. It was dim, cold and sent unpleasant shadows around the whole space. Awful.
Next was the service, and that was also completely bizarre. We had this older gentleman waiting on us, but he wanted to make strange jokes the entire time (like saying he was going to take Andy’s phone and make all sorts of long distance calls on it, and that Andy had to clean his plate because there was no dishwasher in the back and the plate had to go right back on the shelf when he was done. OK???) And the other weird thing was that he was a little obsessed with Andy, only speaking to him and making all the odd jokes with him. Aside from him asking if I wanted more coffee, I was virtually ignored. Which was AOK with me because he had such a heavy accent it was hard to follow the jokes in the first place.
As for the food, it was decent. I had the Catfish Po’ Boy with remoulade. The fish was a thin cut and heavily breaded, but still had a nice fresh flavour. It came with a side, I chose the collard greens, which were well prepared and delicious. I was sad they were out of quite a few things on the menu that day (no chicory coffee, almost all of the beers listed except 2, and one of the appetizers, I forget which one exactly). Andy had the rib plate which was gigantic, but I wasn’t a fan of the sweet sauce used on the meat.
As much as I like coming down to Hyde Park I think the next time I am there I might skip The Big Easy and go to another place that is Easier to understand.

I went to the Big Easy for lunch because I had a Groupon. This restaurant has been different food themes in past years. I think they got it right with Cajun cuisine. It was a good day, because we got seated promptly and didn’t have to wait long for our food. The server was kind enough to split our BBQ Brisket sandwich and give me & my guest our own plates. The sandwich was massive. Lots of sweet sauce, is that’s what you like. Coleslaw was a little dry and the red beans & rice were served with or w/​o meat. The food was mild in general and our table could have used a few hot sauce bottles to add our own heat.
Nice beers on tap, and we did get a slice of chocolate cake to finish out our Groupon. I wish this place was more consistent with their service so lunch could be an option, since it’s close to work. Prices might be a little high for the average student, but it’s a nice «family dinner/​special event» spot.

This sole star represents the fact that there was an exchange of food for money. This restaurant is so bad that it has taken me about 7 months to write a review. Just… awful. There are some restaurants where the service is really good and the food really bad or vice versa but everything about this place is horrible. This is not hyperbole. I had just moved to Hyde Park and my best friend came to visit, we decided to go to Big Easy because it was Cajun and not far from my apartment. Apparently, we both wore our «bad idea jeans» that day.
It was a Saturday night and the restaurant was not crowded at all (I guess we were the only ones who hadn’t gotten the memo). However, we waited about 5 minutes for someone to seat us. Now mind you while we waited employees walked past us without a word. No, «Someone will be right with you» or «Seat yourself» or even «Go home» Finally, we decided to seat ourselves. After we sit down, the manager comes over and announced that he would be our server. When we told him that we had no menus because we had to seat ourselves, he said and I quote verbatim, «Oh, you should’ve come and got me.» I know, we should have left then.
We ordered drinks, pomegranate lemonade which would have been really good except for the fact that there was a taste as if the cups had been washed with a rag that had gone sour sitting on the counter. When we explained this to the manager, he took our drinks and came back with new ones with «more syrup» they still had that taste. Same rag.
The food was awful. The fried green tomatoes had so much batter on them that the tomatoes weren’t cooked and the crab cakes as stated earlier are made with imitation krab. My friend had the catfish for an entrée, which she described as «edible» but she also hadn’t eaten all day, so…
Anyway, unless you are a food and/​or customer service masochist, don’t go here. Don’t trade places with what I’ve been through. My friend to this day gets angry every time she passes by the restaurant. It’s just that damn bad.
The fact that place is still open and Calypso is closed is proof positive is the best argument for atheism I’ve seen in a long time.

Probably the worst cajun food I’ve ever had. It tasted like somebody who didn’t know what they were doing trying to imitate a foreign cuisine.
My red beans and rice tasted strange. It also had lots of bones in it, which was unpleasant.
I’d rather just go to Heaven On Seven.

The Big Easy is sort of hit or miss — but the hits are really quite good, enough for four stars.
The fried green tomato supreme sandwich is really worth a try — fried green tomato, guacamole, bacon and cheddar. Good stuff! And the stuffed jambalaya which they call their specialty is pretty great too, and it’s plenty of food.
Their «bakery» spread always underwhelms me for brunch — it’s fine, but tastes like something you’d get off a catering tray. And the service can be totally fine — or it can be awful, depending on the night.
But all in all, the food is good, so I’m not going to complain too much.

This is the third time my husband and I have visited the Big Easy. The service has improved but the food is still so-​so.
We went for lunch, so it was rather empty, which may have contributed to the better service. We started with the gumbo. Wasn’t the best I’ve had, but it wasn’t bad either. Our muffins were fresh from the oven (not cold as others have indicated). My lemonade left somethings to be desired. It wasn’t sweetened (I had to add 3 packs of Splenda) and smelled of that terrible sewer smell that permeates the restaurant.
My husband played it safe and ordered the jambalaya as he usually does. They highlight this as their signature dish and I venture to say it probably should be their only (maybe it and the shrimp po’boy). His jambalaya was delicious! My shrimp & grits left a lot to be desired. The sweet creaminess of the grits did not have enough savory to cut it, even with the cheese, the applewood-​bacon gravy, and the few shrimp. It could benefit from a revamp with maybe some andouile sausage and mushrooms and a less-​sweet gravy.
I also ordered the beignets. Major letdown. I was polite and ate them, but really needs some place that makes them close to Café Du Monde in New Orleans.
The owner came in as we were finishing up and talked with us. He’s looking for ideas to bring in more business. I think a total revamp is needed.

It looked so good online but fell slightly below average in person. We went there Today (Saturday) for lunch. I ordered the Jambalaya stuffed chicken breast. Our other dish was Gumbo. Let me describe this to you with some help from the lyrics of Rappers Delight.
Have you ever went over to a friends house to eat & the food just aint no good.
I mean the shrimp are soggy, the rice was mushed & the chicken taste like wood”.
Actually the chicken was ok but I got carried away in song. But the shrimp tasted like they were soaking in water for a week.

I really, really want to love this place. It always sounds good and is within two blocks of my apartment, but every visit has failed miserably. The food is not good. The first time I went, I had a chicken pasta. It was so salty that I couldn’t finish it, which is unusual for me. I eat pretty much everything… and lots of it.
On my second visit, I had a sandwich of some sort. It was equally as bad… bland. The sides weren’t fresh, either. My boyfriend and I left food on our plates and didn’t take it home. He had the gumbo… terrible.
On the plus side, both times our waiter was very funny and nice. However, the service is slow.

I actually like this spot a lot. The reason why I’m giving it an okay rating is because the last time I went the food wasn’t all that great. It was cold and my fried green tomatoes were burnt. I was angry but since when ever I’m there I’m greeted with awesome service. The first three times I went (three days in a row) I left with free things. The staff is great, nuff said!
The only thing I don’t like on the menu is the peach cobbler brownie. It wasn’t very good and lacked sweetness. Other than that everything is pretty good.
I just like a place that is consistent with its awesomeness, and within the past month this place has really fell off. It will be a long time before I go back there again.

Cheap. Delicious. What more do you want?
We happened upon this place on our way home from the Museum of Science and Industry. Stumbled in to find it’d be $ 15 for a four-​course brunch – I had the fruit cup, strawberry punch, muffins, catfish (with scrambled eggs and seasoned taters on the side) and gut-​busting dessert buffet. The food was amazing, and the owner stopped by our table; he was a character and a half. I’m a sucker for fried green tomatoes, and theirs is the best I’ve had in the city so far.
Awesome.

I have confirmed my original assumption that there was nothing special about this place. The first sign should have been the amount of times that I’ve actually passed by and never went in. The confirmation came after not completely finishing any one dish and leaving with a doggy bag. I’m a person who really enjoys and appreciates good food and rarely ever have anything left to take home.
Everything about this place was mediocre except the speed at which we received our food after ordering. My theory is that the food was already prepared and sitting in the kitchen. When we ordered, they slapped it on a plate and served us. The food may have been better if we had come three days earlier.
We started with the fried green tomatoes. I had the shrimp creole with a side of sweet potatoes and the wife had shrimp and grits with a side of cornbread dressing. Nothing really stood out about anything that either of us ordered. Everything tasted old and bland. After finally eating at The Big Easy, I realized that I haven’t been missing out on anything.

Here I go again being a sucker with a groupon.
First, I purchased the groupon because I liked the idea of cajun food on the south side. It sounded good and from the pictures, it looked nice. The groupon was a great idea. $ 12 for $ 25 worth of food. So with a couple of clicks, I had a Big Easy groupon.
I was coming from an appointment downtown, when I decided to stop in there for lunch. When I use a groupon, I try to be fair. I went in the afternoon when it was empty. I don’t want to complain about the service when I’m trying the food for the first time. (isn’t that fair?)
My waiter Rochelle was superb. He was very attentive and helpful. This is the reason for the 3^rd star. The food in itself needed some assistance. I ordered the wings as an appetizer with the peach-​mango bbq sauce. The wings didn’t seem to fresh to me and the sauce was OK. The presentation was nice but the actual taste was meh. I ate 1 wing and that was it.
For my entrée’, I ordered the shrimp creole. The is where the disaster begins. Again their presentation was great but the actual food was a BIG disappointment. The shrimp was overcooked and so was the rice. Cajun food is suppose seasoned and spicy, not overcooked and bland. I had to add half a bottle of hot sauce just to get some spice on the food. What actually took away from the dish for me was the overcooked rice. It came with a side of which I choose the collard greens. Now the collard greens was delicious. I don’t know how they could get the sides right and not the entrée?!
If you ask me, I wouldn’t recommend this place. But if you want to judge on your own, be my guest.

3.5 stars, rounded down because the service was soooo slow.
Having just come from the South, it was nice to find a restaurant in the middle of Hyde Park (random location, imo) that served Southern/​Cajun style food. You start with a basket of cornbread and butter here, which was really good. You do not get the luxury of sweet tea here, which is a bit disappointing for a Southern/​Cajun style restaurant!
I ordered the fried shrimp po boy sandwich, which was $ 11 and came with a side. The sandwich was decent — the shrimp were medium sized and the roll came garnished with lettuce, tomatoes, and a cajun mayo liked sauce. The shrimp was breaded in corn meal but did not have a deep fried taste to it. Overall, a decent po boy sandwich, although it could use a bit more shrimp in it.
Everyone else’s dishes, ranging from the jambalaya to other sandwiches seemed to be great! My main gripe about this place is how SLOW the service is — it is ridiculously slow. Certainly, if service becomes better, I would happily give this place a solid 4 star rating (as long as the food stays good).