Johnny Trauth Seafood Bistro

This place is horrible. The food is mediocre and the prices are 5 star. But you won’t know that until you get the bill. The prices were definitely higher on the bill than on the menu. Oh and don’t complain. They like to call the cops if you do. This place should be shut down.

Total rip off. We should have known better, being from the area and all…
I’ll just start off saying this: add $ 4 to the listed price on the online menu, $ 2 if you’re looking at the actual menu in the restaurant. One star for the fact that nothing had correct prices; disgusting practice to lie about prices in that way.
Our waitress never introduced herself; instead she started off the night with pointing at the hostess saying, «She didn’t get your drink order yet, did she?» Nope. Placed our drink orders, then waited 10 minutes for them.
Started off with 3 lb boiled crawfish, mozzarella sticks, and onion rings. Took a while to arrive, despite the restaurant not being very full. I was a bit shocked that it took as long as it did, even making the comment (to him, not the waitress), «What are they doing, boiling the crawfish as they’re ordered?» The boiled crawfish were the best thing we ate, very well seasoned, and at $ 2.99, quite possibly the cheapest in town. The mozzarella sticks were reminiscent of the Wal-​Mart freezer case, and the onion rings were decent.
Dinner was brought out maybe 10 minutes later, so we had to pile the condiments on chairs to make room, as we weren’t close to done with the appetizers. 6 shrimp/3−4 small pieces of fish piled high with fries for him, 6 shrimp and a small foil crab with a scoop of stuffing, yet again piled high with fries for me, all placed strategically on a 9 inch plate. Literally. The shrimp were evenly spaced all around the fries. And, for a whopping $ 17.99 each. His extra side of mac and cheese was litterally stuck to the inside of the bowl.
Grand total…$ 71. I’m sick to my stomach.
For that price, we should have just gotten hibachi… next time, I definitely will.

Never going to this place Again! All you can eat crab night on Tuesday. Waitress charged 7 year old full price, because she saw them eat off of their Mom’s plate. REALLY! The police were called and everything. Really ! We have a big family. Don’t go to this place. Let the owner realize it’s better to compromise than to call the Po Po!

They patrons were charged twice for gratuity! Surprised this place is still open! From New Orleans so I know there’s some great restaurants there! Will never give them any service! Manager wouldn’t correct issue rather threatened to call cops!
Being from New Orleans I know there are great restaurants there! So there’s no reason to even come here!

Very happy with blackened red fish for lunch! Close to my hotel, I would definitely come back!

First impression is always the last impression. This was the first time eating here and it was the worst experience ever. It was not busy all of 3 tables were occupied. The hostess no where to be found. We had to flag someone towards us. It took literally 30 minutes to get our food. I ordered the shrimp and oyster combo plate for 17.99 and it was the worst. I had 6 small shrimp and 6 shriveled up oysters and lots of fries. I was appalled by the presentation and the amount on the plate for the price. The food tasted good but I could get more for my money at Deanies, Food n Spirit or even New Orleans hamburger n Seafood. Will not go again!!!

Mediocre Sysco-​type fried seafood with mediocre service in a below-​average restaurant.
The gumbo was runny and nearly tasteless, and everything from the shrimp to the hushpuppies to the fish was obviously frozen delivery truck fare. It was all bland and barely worth grading as a step up from something like Long John Silvers.
The interior was dated… as in not remodeled since 1995, with furniture from 1985.
Our server was young and inexperienced and not getting any help from the other staff. Despite not being busy (about ¹⁄₃ of the tables were full) and having a more than adequate number of servers on the floor, it took 15 minutes to get a refill on our drinks and we waited 20 minutes after we were clearly finished (having stacked our plates and left them at the side of the table) to get a check delivered so we could get out of there.
It seemed like the kind of place that intends to catch tourists coming to the New Orleans area hoping to find some gumbo and seafood. But, it’s a tourist trap. Really worth avoiding unless you have a hankering for cheap seafood and a trip down memory lane to 1995.

Great food and service! Had the onion blossom & the seafood platter and they were faaaaaantastic! Great for family dining and our waitress was the best! If you are craving seafood after a flight from the nearby airport, check this place out!

Every 2^nd Wednesday our high school dinner group searches for a casual dining restaurant. This month we picked Trauth’s and were thrilled with the choice ! We shared onion mum, the spinach and artichoke dip a catfish plate and 2 seafood platters, all were piping hot and fried to perfection! The service was so good we decided on a 50% tip! We’ll be back!

All you can eat fried catfish and chicken filet on special Wednesday and Sunday. Well worth it and the service is super good. The girls will take care of you with a cool smile. They always have beer on draft which for me is a must. Big TV if you want to enjoy a game while you eat. Makes it great.

I had the fried seafood platter. Catfish and shrimp. It was very good. Excellent service. Really enjoyed my visit

Don’t worry about anything else on the menu… Tuesday night is all you can eat snow and dungenes (sp) crab legs… It is slightly pricey, but it IS all you can eat. Way better quality than the Asian buffets. I am local and eat here regularly

I am out of town on business from Atlanta… I just had to turn back the shrimp cocktail because it was not fresh. The waiter took the shrimp back and that was it no new dish no reason why just OK. It was also interesting I was the only person eating in the dinning room. Maybe the locals know better.

Just no. No. No. No. No. First of all, «Bistro» is a bit of a stretch. I get more of a «family picnic» vibe from this place. — I had the oyster Po’ Boy. What I expected was a light, crunchy bread with a hearty helping of fried oysters and a side of remoulade. What I got was a thick roll with enough oysters to cover the interior in a line, a couple lettuce leaves, some sliced tomatoes, and a side of tartar sauce. Straight up tartar sauce. I don’t know, if it were me, I’d have shredded that lettuce, found a more ripe tomato, and whipped up a batch of my Johnny Trauth’s famous remoulade. ‘Twas not to be. I mean, you put tartar sauce on fish you don’t like – cod for example.

I can now say that I have been to snow crab heaven. Tuesday is the magical day to have endless amounts of hot salty crabs. I had been craving boiled snow crabs for so long and didnt feel like driving to a casino and Johnny Trauths came to my rescue. Thanks to fellow Unilocaler Ryan C. who led me here. I have been to this sodium show twice and I think I have fulfilled my craving for a while.
Service was slacking both times. 3 servers share an entire dining room on the busiest night of the week. The restaurant doesnt have enough crackers to go around. What a tease! So you can only eat what you can crack with your hands. They just need to order more– not the servers fault.
I’ll be back when the craving kicks in again. The rest of the menu was your run of the mill fried/​grilled seafood.

Great service and good quality flavorful food.
Fried Alligator — done well and seasoned to perfection.
Chicken Gumbo — one of the best in the area.
Fried Fish — done with a fine coating — I prefer corn meal but it was still good.
Fried Oysters — perfect
Boiled potatoes — season well
Again … super service.

This was not a choice I made. We dined here as a group (I was at a long conference and the company tries to support local businesses). I decided that I would try this out and played the safe bet Red Beans & Rice with Potato Salad & Iced Tea…
My decision to play it safe wasn’t so safe! This place is a tourist trap and while it may have been very good a few decades ago its absolute abysmal today!!! My beans tasted like blue runners our of the can with about ½ a bottle of Louisiana Hot Sauce merged into it. The sausage that came with the beans and rice was clearly DEEP FRIED in a fryer— I repeat they deep fried a 4″ link of Smoked Sausage which came out on my plate looking like a dehydrated, carbon-​dioxide torched RAT TURD! I suppose you all have a flat top why not cook my sausage there? Yes we were a pretty big group (16) but you only had 5 other people in the entire place!
The potato salad was a total epic fail— even for KENNER this place sucked! I will try it again as always to see if this was a once in a lifetime mishap… but my stomach and palate have been begging me to not do so.
The high point? The tea was perfectly sweet as was our server (the out of towners LOVED the food, but then again they weren’t raised here & this was their first time in New Orleans).
Trauth’s isn’t the Truth & a millennium away from being close to a Bistro…

Tourist Trap. All the way.
As soon as we got off the plane, we were already craving in getting some southern comfort food. The reviewed looked overall swell, but the food failed and left much to be inspired and desired.
Most of the meal was band and needed the aid of some sort of hot sauce. Clearly this for people without taste or haven’t had real southern food.

Happy Hour EVERYDAY! It’s 2-​for-​1 from 4−7pm Monday through Sunday. Cheers!

I’m not a huge seafood fan. Crawfish, shrimp, and other «bug-​like» sea creatures creep me out. I don’t like the fishiness of most fish. However, I’m quite fond of thin fried Catfish if done correctly.
Johnny Trauth? They’re doing it right. The fish, anyway.
I had never even heard of this place until a co-​worker suggested we go there for lunch. It’s behind a gas station on Williams. Even though I had probably passed this place a million times, I never realized it was there. Anywho, we were greeted and given a table within a minute or two of entering the building. Of course, it was almost 2pm, so definitely after the lunch rush was gone.
The server was quick to take our order. We got a couple of the lunch specials (priced around $ 8 for a generous portion of food). I had the Catfish, of course, which comes with a bowl of mixed veggies, fries, hushpuppies, and coleslaw. I really, really don’t like coleslaw (are you noticing that I’m a little picky??), so I wish I had read the menu a bit closer to see if I could substitute it. The veggies were obviously frozen and the fries were nothing to get excited over. The hushpuppies and catfish were fresh and delicious. They had a sign saying that they have an all-​you-​can eat night, so I may bring the family out for that and see what their dinner service is like. Lunch was definitely good, quick, and affordable.