The Bourbon Street Barrel Room

Today was our first time here. It was amazing! Our waiter (I think his name was Chris) was absolutely wonderful. It was my boyfriend’s birthday and he got us an order of beignets and even had a candle for him to blow out. We were both so touched and surprised! The atmosphere/​décor reminded us of New Orleans. We felt like we were there again.
We got there about 6pm and happy hour was still going on til 7. They had $ 2 off ALL starters and drafts. The andouille sausage is to die for! And their beignets tasted just like the ones we had in NOLA. I also highly recommend the charbroiled oysters! Large draft beer selections, wines, etc. They also have great daily specials. The food came out quick with perfect timing. We had 1 starter and finished and the 2^nd starter came out. Then after we finished our entrees came out! Finished our I give this place 5 stars and I would recommend it to anyone.

Met up here with some extended family members on a Sunday night to celebrate my birthday… we had a wonderful experience! The place is a bit on the loud side (due to the open air nature of the space, but it was also lively and vibrant.
On Sunday night all drinks (except beers) are $ 3 off, making for some very affordable cocktails. We had an assortment including Hurricanes, Pims Cup and an Old Fashioned. All were tasty.
The meal itself was outstanding… I ordered the fleur debris po boy sandwich which had tender roast beef served with a horseradish sauce and perfect bread (soft inside and slightly crisp outside in order to soak up the sandwich juices).
Also on Sundays is half price gumbo… so what the hey, we went for it! Turned out to be quite spicy and hearty with plenty of textures and flavors to enjoy.
But to me, the star dish of the meal was the voodoo mama… served with with two kinds of sausage, beans in a pool of flavorful sauce. Not overly spicy, but plenty of kick from the meats included in the dish. I really loved this plate.
To finish things off (and since it was a birthday celebration), we ordered beignets. The beignets were a bit overcooked and firm (should have been softer and pillowy), not sure if that is their normal cooking style of if they were simply overdone.
Anyway, the overall ambiance of the space and food quality really hit the spot and made for an enjoyable evening. And with all the dining specials they are offering, we’ll be sure to return.

Once again the utmost service. Had a reservation but still needed a low table for our wheelchair mom. Justin and his staff moved tables from upstairs to accommodate us. If you want the best service and delivery city’s authentic NO. Food, come here with friends and family for a great time and ask for Curtis as your server, he’s awesome!

Delicious food! Great NOLA atmosphere. Come on Sunday is relaxed. The staff is gracious and pleasant. Enjoy the drinks stay for the food!

Go HERE for your next dining out experience! As a Buckeye living away, I tend to follow a lot of news about my old hometown. Lately, I have seen a lot of «press» devoted to raving reviews about BSBR. Since FOUR of us all decided that this place had promise (and this family rarely agrees quickly on where to eat), we figured it would be OK. OK? Oh, no, it is most excellent!
Two in our party have spent time in The Crescent City. They both said this place replicates authentic Cajun cooking. Son gave the Muffaletta two-​thumbs-​up. Hubby (and daughter) had the Crawfish Étouffée and made yummy noises the entire time. I had the BBQ Shrimp and Grits. «BBQ» is a misnomer, since this in no way resembles a sauce-​drenched dish. Perhaps it refers to the heat of the dish — lots of it, but definitely not tongue-​burning. All I remember was it was very good, and loaded with nice-​sized shrimp. Loaded, I tell you!
I’ve told you how wonderful this place is. I told owner Justin Clemens how wonderful this place is when I had the pleasure of speaking with him and his associate Craig. Now YOU go to BSBR and find out for yourself how wonderful the food and atmosphere is. It’s like C-​town just got a little bayou on the North Coast.

I live in tremont, and whenever I have a group of 6 or more friends or family, this is my «go-​to» spot. They accommodate big groups better than any other place in the area. For me, the service has always been lightening fast, with zero issues. Clearly they’ve hired an experienced staff, so you’re in good hands here.
The Food: While there’s nothing on the menu that I’d necessarily rave about, overall they have really solid offerings, and I always seem to leave full and happy. If you like a lil spice, the VooDoo Mama is really satisfying. Also, brunch menu on weekends = solid.
Last Couple Points: if you’re a sports fan, they have a bunch of jumbo tvs always set to the big games. Atmosphere still maintains a sleek, metropolitan vibe, and even tho the atmosphere is themed to match the cuisine, they’ve managed to do it without coming off tacky. It’s a gorgeous space and comfortable too. Kudos to the owners, managers, and staff!

The best Cajun food I have ever eaten. My wife is from Louisiana so I know what good Cajon tastes like. I was pleasantly surprised to stumble upon the BSBR in Tremont. Have been back with another friend from the South and tried many dishes. All are authentic and excellent. If you like Cajun you will not be disappointed.

I came here for a birthday party and had a great experience! The atmosphere of this restaurant is amazing. I love the dim lighting and overall cozy feel of it. It makes me feel like I’m in NOLA! There is an upstairs area that can accommodate larger parties. I ordered the crawfish étouffée. This was superb! I love the spicy and savory taste of the dish! The portion was huge too! I anticipated taking half of it home, but ended up eating the entirety of the dish because it was so delicious! I had a bite of my friend’s catfish sandwich, which was perfectly crispy and flavorful! We also had a side of beignets for everyone to share. It definitely rivals the ones you get in NOLA. The service was also amazing!
Overall, I had a great experience here and I’ll be coming back soon :)

The décor and atmosphere was great, and my boyfriend loved his food but I thought mine was just okay. I would get he jambalaya appetizer and hush puppies again but I wasn’t crazy about the po boys though my boyfriend loves the andouille sausage.
Crème Brûlée though was awesome and the beignets looked good as well. Brunch menu looks promising so I would return for brunch.

I was excited to try BSBR! Friends and I chose it as our destination for an all-​too-​rare ladies’ dinner on a recent weeknight. I arrived early and sat down at the bar to enjoy a cocktail and peruse the menu. I was charmed by the layout of the interior and looking forward to a lovely evening.
My cocktail experience basically summed up my impressions of the evening: the service was quite good and the drink was pleasing on the initial sip but was ultimately disappointing. I ordered the Cucumber Gimlet and, though tasty, it was much, much too sweet. The final sip made me pucker! To use a fine gin such as Hendrick’s and to drown out the flavor with so much sugar is baffling to me!
The remainder of the meal was much the same: well-​intentioned, but falling short in execution. Between the three of us, we ordered the shrimp and grits, the jambalaya, and the gumbo. A full compliment of Creole specialties! All came out looking appetizing, but proved to be overly large portions of salty, heavy food. It tasted pleasing in the first few bites, but as it cooled I was put off by the increasingly heavy feeling it gave me. I had to pack up and take home over ²⁄₃ of what was served and was unable to stomach it at home either and it went to waste, I regret.
In hopes of a satisfying ending to the meal we shared an order of the crème brûlée to finish. Once again, we were found an overly large, overly sweet, unpalatable pablum that we were not inclined to finish. One in the group declined to even try a second bite.
As much as I was looking forward to this meal and as much as I hate to give it such a low rating, my experience left me underwhelmed and I would not be inclined to return to BSBR nor to recommend it to others. A charming design scheme/​menu concept and polite service, to me, do not compensate for inelegant dishes.

What I ordered:
Wyder’s Reposado Pear Cider (AH-​MAY-​ZING)
Crispy Oysters and Bistro Sauce (meh-​okay)
Fleur Debris (Chuck Roast) Po’ Boy (nope nope and nope) – side order of fries or hush puppies extra ($ 2.50, which I think should have came with the po’ boy).
Just left the place a little after 9:30 p.m. Friday (came in around 8:15ish). Music blasting, thought it was happening… nope, crowd was moderate (not a lot of people). «Hostess» was surrounded by a few other people but still managed to greet me. Found a seat at the bar… don’t remember my servers names (guy and girl, but I think the guy was new). Service was okay and my food came out super fast. There was a small moment when I asked my male bartender/​server no tomatoes on my po’ boy, but got them anyway. But besides that, they were pretty attentive. The vibe was pretty cool and laid back, not quite sure about a second visit though.

Decided to check out this joint after reading some great Unilocal reviews and noting a lack of good cajun/​creole fare in CLE. Let’s start with aesthetics: this place is gorgeous. I felt like I was stepping into a restaurant in the heart NOLA. The front bay window opens to allow al fresco dining (a HUGE bonus with short summer months in OH). They have a large outdoor patio that is spacious, yet cozy.
Food: hubby had the étouffée. Large portion, mildly seasoned. Son had the muffaletta w/​pomme frittes. Hearty portions. Kiddo loved it. I had the shrimp and grits. Huge portion, reasonably priced. I wish it had that cajun flair I was craving… spicy, but it was lacking in spicy level and needed salt. Grits were the savior of the dish. I think there were about 4 shrimp total on the plate. Finished the meal with obligatory beignets. These were outstanding. The fresh fruit topping really made them come to life.
Drink: excellent variety of beers on tap. Try a flight for $ 10. Great way to try a variety before committing for fairly cheap.
Service: Outstanding. Can’t say enough good things about our server, Danny. Attentive and polite, even if slightly green, understood his customers’ needs.
I would recommend this place without reservatoin. Please just season the food so I get that cajun sensation.

I was in the area for business and decided to try out BSBR. It was not really a good decision, unfortunately. I arrived around 10:15 pm on a weeknight. I was the only person in the restaurant. Per their website, they serve the full menu until 11:00 pm and then the late night menu until 2 am. However, they told me I could only order off the late night menu and when I left, they would be closing. Okay… I understand they weren’t busy but if it’s a chronic issue, then adjust the operating hours.
I got a glass of wine, the Big Easy. It was $ 13 a glass so I was expecting a great wine. I guess because it is the most expensive on the menu, it must not get ordered often. The initial pour was much too oxidized, it had that broken down, not quite port flavor. I asked for a glass from a new bottle and I was obliged. The wine wasn’t very good, I’d remove it from the menu, there are much better wines out there. Maybe it’s only on the menu because of the name?
I ordered a starter of the jambalaya and then the shrimp po boy. I guess this was sort of a blessing because I was going to get the jambalaya off the regular menu. It was good but it’s not traditional jambalaya, it’s just dirty rice with Andouille. The flavor was fine but I would have liked some more vegetables and maybe more of a kick to it. The po boy… yikes. I would not eat the shrimp here unless you love that chlorine taste. Even with the deep fried breading, it was still overwhelming. It was so bad that I kind of hid some of the shrimp underneath the bread to make it look like I ate more than I did. The tomatoes on the sandwich were mealy and there was barely any lettuce. They also gave me complimentary hush puppies which were good, I guess? Hushpuppies are just fried cornmeal, I’m not sure how it’s possible to make it taste any different.

It was our first time here and we had a friend visiting in from Pittsburg. So we wanted her to see Tremont during the afternoon since the weather was nice out! We love the way it looks on the inside. Great feel and design. The food came out really quick which was great and it was not crowded.
For our shared starters we chose the «pomme frittes» which tasted ordinary. I never had «hush puppies» before and they were delicious with an awesome dipping sauce! My fiancé ordered the «Oyster on the half Shell» and it was very apatizing and be sure to ask for horse radish because it is a must. My friend Megan ordered the «Shrimp Creole» and I sampled it even though I don’t really care for shrimp. The shrimp was tender and perfectly tender with a nice tomatoe sauce over steamed rice. I myself order «Johnny’s Famous gumbo» which is a great size to share with a partner. It was not my favorite because the sausage was so small you don’t really remember it even being in the gumbo. The rice was hard and very uncooked. So I had to pick it out of my mouth.
I am sure if I would go back sadly. The beer list on draft has a great selection though! Cheers–

I suppose I should preface this review with a bit of a disclaimer. I’ve never been to Louisiana. What I know about New Orleans and the French Quarter I’ve learned from popular culture, the media, movies and from watching way too much Food Network. I’m sure that some of what I’ve learned is inaccurate stereotyping but I’m also sure that some of it’s true. Either way, I guess what I’m trying to say is that in this review I won’t be railing against the establishment for not being «authentic» or «true to the culture» because I don’t have first-​hand experience in these areas. What I do know is what I like and BSBR is a whole lotta that.
Yes, the other Unilocalers have nailed it. The restaurant is beautiful. As soon as you walk in you’re grabbed by what I can only describe as transformative design at its best. From what I hear it took them 15 months to build it out. It really does feel like you’ve been taken somewhere far from Cleveland. The attention to detail is everywhere — the crystal chandeliers, the wood plank flooring, marble bar top, the wrought iron scrollwork that carries from the outside balcony and its shutter-​flanked French doors to the inside, live gaslights on the walls, the pressed tin ceiling tiles — it’s truly beautiful. Add to this the way they’ve created an open-​air dining experience inside by elevating a second dining area and bar overlooking the main floor and it’s hard not to be impressed. You can tell that a great deal of time, money and love went in to making this a feast for the eyes as well as the stomach.
We were greeted by the friendly hostess upon arriving and escorted upstairs to our table overlooking the central bar and foyer. Our two-​top was perfectly located to give us a view of the entire dining room and just enough out of the way that it felt like we had the entire place to ourselves. Our server was pleasant and very knowledgeable about the menus, both bar and food. Speaking of the bar, this is the real deal. I’m talking mixology here, not simply slinging well drinks. House-​made mixers, bitters and simple syrups crafting cocktails befitting a French Quarter neophyte like myself — Hurricanes, Mint Juleps, Vieux Carres, Gator Juice (?) — I get buzzed just typing the names. As a beer guy, though, I was gobsmacked by their 30-​tap selection including 5 Abita selections (they are from LA, after all) and several locals like Fat Head’s and Platform. If you can’t get drunk here you’re not trying very hard.
Did I mention that I don’t really know all that much about Cajun or Creole food? Not to worry. I was in good hands here. Chef Johnny (a la food truck Zydeco Bistro) is a Baton Rouge native and you can taste the love he has for his roots in every bite. The worst part of our experience was having to decide what to order. Frog’s legs, shrimp étouffée, jambalaya, alligator piquant, po boys, muffaletta, the list goes on.
Everything we ate was delicious. From the addictively good crispy golden hush puppies drizzled with the sweet heat of the house Bistro Sauce to the tender pieces of alligator swimming in the deftly balanced sweet and sour spice of the sauce piquant. We couldn’t stop ourselves. The catfish po boy was mouthwatering with just the right amount of crispy breading encasing the tender, white fish. There’s something about the slightly muddy flavor of catfish that I love. Next, a side of ratatouille, perfect peasant food in rough-​chopped squash, zucchini and tomatoes. I ordered the jambalaya and if this is what Creole food is supposed to taste like, all other renditions I’ve had in the past were blurry facsimiles. The dirty rice, cooked perfectly, just a bit toothsome, was filled with spices and the Andouille sausage grilled with a slight char. The heat level was perfect and built to a slow, pleasant burn.
After all that we still had room for dessert and, of course, we went for the Beignets. A great way to end the dinner. Puffy fried pastries dusted with copious amounts of powdered sugar and served with fresh berries.
I don’t really know all that much about Cajun versus Creole and I have never set foot on Bourbon Street, but I know when something just feels right. From the moment we walked in to the moment we left with full bellies and Hurricane and beer-​induced grins, our experience at BSBR was more just just another night out at a restaurant. It felt like we had somehow managed to wander out of our city and into someone else’s where we were guests that they had long been expecting. I don’t care all that much about whether or not something is «authentic» or exactly like it is in the city that inspired its creation. What I Do care about is how a place makes me feel and, damn, this do feel good.

This restaurant is truly a nod to the food I know from NOLA.
The place is pretty large so I have not had to wait either of the two times I have been here. They have a really nice large patio that surrounds the east and south sides of the restaurant. The front of the restaurant also has some stool window seating in front of windows that open up. The inside you can tell was carefully constructed — there are nods to NOLA style and design. The first thing that hits you are the gas lanterns. The ceiling and iron work caught my eye in close succession. The size of the space does take away slightly from it’s coziness in my opinion, but the food more than makes up for that.
I have to recommend the appetizer sampler as either an appetizer or a meal ($ 15). If this is your first time here or if you have never tried some of these kinds of foods before I would definitely recommend getting the sampler. The sampler comes with three large bowls of whatever you choose. I find the portions to be large — large enough to split with someone or large enough, depending which choices you make, for a meal. I paired the sampler with a soup on one of my visits and was full! A lot of the food is rice based too which adds to filling you up quickly.
Of all the sampler choices I recommend the gumbo and the red beans and rice first and foremost. Next I would recommend the jambalaya and the ratatouille. The greens were also good.
Service is fast and friendly. Kitchen service is impressively fast as well. Tip: Try the mint julep drink.

There is no where like this in CLE! I admit, I know nothing about cajun/​creole food, but I’m pretty sure that the Bourbon Street Barrel Room knows EVERYTHING about it.
This place is stunning when you walk in. The copper ceilings are just gorgeous, the lighting great, and the art is pleasing. Our service was great — our waitress was very knowledgable and made great recommendations since I really am not familiar with the cuisine. She made great drink suggestions too based on what we told her we like. Our food came out steaming hot and the portion sizes were perfect. We enjoyed beignets for dessert (enjoyed isn’t even the right word — those things were GOOD, like I dream about them still). I have absolutely no complaints about BSBR and I cannot wait to go back.

I know everyone mentioned this, but I will reiterate — the restaurant is beautiful! The second floor basically opens up in the middle as a balcony to the first– and in the open area, there are gorgeous chandeliers hanging down. The atmosphere is perfect and it truly takes you back to NOLA.
The service is great. I planned a work outing for 12 of my coworkers and myself and still called ahead to confirm that they didn’t take reservations. The girl on the phone said they didn’t but still asked how many and what time to make sure they had space available. They ended up being pretty empty that night, but the thought to accommodate was still appreciated. Our server was also great– we had people coming and going and different times and he did a good job coming back often to see what he could get for us (which was something new literally every time he came). Through the whole night, only one item was forgotten and when it was brought to his attention, he was extremely apologetic and made sure it was brought out right away.
The food and drinks are wonderful! I had the hush puppies (delicious) and the beignets (I think I was anticipating café du monde — so was a tad disappointed. However, they were still delicious). Everyone else tried a variety of menu items and everyone enjoyed what they ordered. I ordered the Category 5 hurricane (or a few of them). The difference between category 5 and a regular hurricane is that the category 5 uses local rum, which is 100 proof. You can taste the difference, for sure. I definitely recommend the category 5.
They have different «Specialty nights» now on Sundays-​Wednesdays, offering different deals each night starting at 4pm. We went on «Mardi Gras Monday» and our drinks and dinner entrees were all 2 dollars off! This was in addition to the happy hour until 7pm that offers drink and appetizer deals!
Overall, we had a great time and I can’t wait to return. It was pouring the day we went, but I can’t wait to check out the patio next time.
–
After 5pm, valet is only 6 dollars!
They have a kids menu — feel free to bring little ones (we weren’t sure since it wasn’t online)

When your happy hour starts during the lunch hour, it’s hard *not* to be a fan.
I’d like to get the obvious, previously-​stated things out of the way, which are:
— It’s a gorgeous space. Like… really, really visually pleasing. I loved the dim lighting, accented by what I’m assuming were gas-​powered lamps at each booth. Also, the high ceilings with decorative, metal ceiling tiles were gorgeous.
— The lunch service was phenomenal. Our waitress was adorable, talkative and knew the menu very well. My lunch date (my Dad) always has questions about wines, which tends to throw some servers off. She handled it like a champ and I appreciated her depth of knowledge of both the food and drink menus.
Now on to the other stuff – like food and drinks! My uncle lives in Louisiana – Baton Rouge to be exact. And I’ve spent a few vacations eating my way through NOLA and all the Cajun/​Creole grub I could get my little fangs on. With that being said, I appreciated the authentic options, including muffulettas, po’boys, gumbo, and my personal favorite dish, jambalaya.
My dad scarfed down the muffuletta like there was no tomorrow, so I’m assuming he wasn’t lying when he told me it was delicious. He also had a cup of the gumbo – same story there for Mr. Clean Plate Club. I tried the lunch portion of the jambalaya. It was served with more of a dry-​spice technique, adorned with spicy sausage and pulled hunks of what tasted like smoked chicken. The dish was tasty, just not what I’ve come to expect from a slightly more tomato-​based jambalaya. I will also add that while the dish was spicy, it did not pack heat. A perk for some, but not as much for a heat-​hound like me. Overall the dish was just a little dry for me.
Price and serving sizes have me a little thrown, since my dad’s meal was perfect. The price and portions were spot on. Did I mention they have a happy hour drink menu during lunch? Yes, please. But my dish was not as spot on. For the portion size I felt the $ 10 price tag was a bit hefty.
I’d definitely come back to try more of the menu items, especially for dinner and drinks. And I want to add that although I didn’t love the jambalaya, to each their own! Don’t let my opinion keep you from trying it.

I’m giving BSBR 3 stars but I’m floating between 2 – 4.
4 Stars for ambiance. Quite frankly this is a gorgeous space! It reminds me of NOLA and well, as I said, it is GORGEOUS. Music however, lame. I was there on a night without live music, and the canned music was boring and not in the spirit of NOLA. If you’re going to have a NOLA-​style restaurant, keep the theme going and hook me up with some sweet jazz, or something!
2 Stars for food. The Hush Puppies arrived quickly, but were not crispy on the outside, and were kind of bland. My friend got a salad with fried oysters on it, which looked delicious and she enjoyed it. My shrimp creole was, again, bland, and without life. I felt like I could have done something better at home. And quite frankly, I was hoping for a New Orleans style boil, and nothing like it on the menu.
4 Stars for drinks. The hurricane was not like the one I’ve had before, but my, oh, my this one will knock you on your feet and was wonderful!
I didn’t have desert, but I’d be willing to go back to try that and hope for better success than the food.
Valet parking the night I went was $ 6 and you got a «free» car-​wash when you picked up your car at the end of the evening.
Loads of sea-​food on the menu, and not a ton of veg options, so beware if you’re Vegan /​Veg friendly.
Would I recommend BSBR? I can’t say that I wouldn’t, but I think there are some kinks that need worked out. I’d be willing to give it 1 more shot, but not more… or, maybe just stick to the drinks.