The Little Easy

I love this place! Came here for brunch and had such a great experience. The staff was extremely friendly, the food was great and the décor and vibe was so fun! They have a live jazz band from 11 to 3 every Sunday which was perfect. I’m definitely bringing more friends and coming back! Apparently they have a drag shoe every Sunday night at 8pm and Wednesday nights they have a burlesque show. Such a different style restaurant that I really appreciate!

This is probably my favorite place downtown and I was reluctant to write a review because I don’t want it to get packed.
Part of the reason I like it so much is the amount of people there at one time. On an off day, it can be just us, but when it’s full there’s still room to move. I have no patience left for fighting my way to the bar, only to have to compete for the bartender’s attention so I can pay 15 dollars for a watered down drink. Luckily, the Little Easy isn’t like that at all.
I love the New Orleans theme. I’ve never been so I can’t comment on the authenticity, but it’s how I would image the city to look. The back room feels like you’re sitting on a restaurant patio in a courtyard of restaurants and live music. The fountain reinforces the outdoors vibe. I’m very curious if anyone’s ever jumped in there.
The bouncer at the door is cool and so are all the bartenders. They’re always down to chat. When it’s slow, if I’m not sure exactly what I want or I’m looking for something new, I can give them a few ingredients that I like and see what they come up with, which is usually exactly what I was in the mood to drink. And of course, they have Abita Purple Haze.
I tried the food for the first time the other day and wow! I was looking for some comfort food and I was 100 percent comforted. Definitely not the place to eat if you’re looking for light and healthy, but if you want something that’s going to fill you up and hit the spot, it’s a good choice.

This review is in honor of my friends Sara and Ronald, they always find the hidden jewels of the city. Thanks guys!
The Little Easy is not what you expect from 5^th street. When you walk in, you definitely don’t feel that you’re in DTLA. The ambiance is if you walked into an early century salon in a rich person’s home. The front bar has two beautiful chandeliers hanging above and interesting works of art. If you’re looking at the bar, to the right is a picture of Andrew Jackson and above the fireplace is a picture of Joan of Arc. If you look closely, there’s something different about the paintings that you first don’t catch. But the bartender revealed, the paintings are of the two owners. If your ever want to see an Asian Andrew Jackson, stop by.
As you walk towards the back of the bar, past the bathrooms, you realize how big The Little Easy is. It reminds me of old time New Orleans, with this beautiful fountain in the «courtyard». It actually reminds me of the Jazz Kitchen in Downtown Disney. Come for the ambiance, its really beautiful.
I did have an Irish Mule, it was so good I didn’t realize I downed it. The bartender was very nice and had many suggestions for drinks. And I hear the food is good as well, so maybe next time.

We stopped by this cute little place to grab a drink… and I wanted to see inside.
What a lovely spot… the back bar, food area really gives off the NOLA vibe… French quarters and what not.
A decent menu with po boys, dirty fries, mac n cheese and oodles of libations to choose from.
They’ve also got some NOLA beer on tap which is pretty damn good.
It’s easy to walk right by this place, the outside is also deceiving. it appears there’s a bar in front and that’s it. Just keep walking and you’ll find yourself in NOLA… blues music, attitude, good vibes and comfort food.
Weekends you can park at Pershing Square for $ 7.00 all day… or you can train it and get off at Pershing Square on 5^th.

Little Easy will forever hold a special place in my heart and stomach. My husband and I first stumbled across this place during a Sunday morning Farmer’s Market trip, where the sweetest husband and wife duo had a stand set up where you could order plates to-​go. Food was delicious!
We decided to stop by on a Thursday evening around 6PM to experience the venue itself and see what all of the fuss was about. If you’re not familiar with the area, it’s SO easy to miss the entrance, so be sure to look out for the security guard sitting by the door. It has the most charming, french-​creole vibe when you walk in, and the décor is absolutely perfect. It feels likes you stepped into something straight off of Royal Street in New Orleans/​Doesnt feel like you’re in DTLA.
It wasn’t too crowded when we arrived, so we were able to snag seats at the bar pretty easily. It filled up almost immediately after our butts hit the barstools, so we were def getting some side eyes wondering when we were going to gtfo.
Food and drinks were both fantastic! We ordered the gumbo, jambalaya and debris fries. I will probably be buried in creole food, and Little Easy’s gumbo is a strong contender at this point in my eating career. The flavor is so rich and bold, with the perfect level of spice. The debris fries were flavorful and plentiful to hold us over for the good stuff.
Two slight downsides:
–The bartender seemed to hate her job and everyone within a 10 mile radius of her. I get having a bad day, but girl, you gotta chill! Her level of annoyance reached to point that we were hesitant to ask her for napkins in fear she’d turn us to stone with her death stare.
–They have a limited variety of booze. They don’t carry virtually any scotch, whaaa?
All in all, great place to grab some delicious food, listen to live music and have an authentic New Orleans experience in this concrete jungle that is DTLA.

I stumbled upon this hidden bar after a Sunday farmers market in downtown. You walk into what looks like a tiny bar and follow a corridor into the second bar area. It’s set up to look like an outdoor scene in New Orleans and it’s pretty convincing! The décor is amazing, the food however was disappointing. I had cheese grits and shrimp where the grits were crunchy and the shrimp seemed undercooked. My boyfriend ordered a jambalaya burrito, they gave him the wrong order at first and when they replaced it with the real deal neither of us were impressed.
The drinks were good and the atmosphere was great, I would advise against the food.

Parking: It’s DTLA, so you know the drill. Street parking will be near impossible or you have to go to a pay lot. Or use Über.
Atmosphere: It’s definitely one of the more unique experiences you’ll have in DTLA. When you first enter, it’s a bar that looks like something out of Interview With the Vampire or some other Gothic horror story. To make it to the main dining area, you have to go through a winding corridor that has huge potential for a Halloween haunted house. Nothing like an element of fear to whet your appetite. Even if you aren’t into alcohol or cajun food, it’s worth the trip just to see the effort they put into creating the illusion of New Orleans.
Service: The staff is nice and all, but it’s not helpful for the uninitiated. There is no host/​hostess to seat you, so you have to know to just grab whatever seat you can. Also, there’s no waiter, so you order food at the bar. Do not sit there like an idiot because nobody is going to come teach you how things work. I found this to be the only annoying thing about this place because it creates a log jam at the bar, since the bartenders not only have to pour drinks, but also pull double duty as waiters. This is bad when there are only like, 2 bartenders.
Food: Warning, the portions appear larger in pictures. The food comes in mini-​skillets, around the size of a DVD. I had the gumbo, jalapeño poppers, and beignets. All of them were terrific. I was actually glad the portions were tapas-​sized, because my friend doesn’t eat much, and I would just eat gumbo non-​stop if it were an option.
Overall, it’s a great place to bring a date and show off how cool you are. It’s got that spooky, romantic vibe to it, and it’s a big departure from the standard DTLA bars and restaurants.

**My reviews are in the POV of a 20 something year old who can probably live off of Del Taco for the rest of her life — my palette is not as refined as it could be, I’m not adventurous enough to try new places, and I am too polite to be picky with my food.**
TL; DR for DINNER:
Pimm’s Cup: YUM.
Caesar Salad: DELISH.
Fries: BOMB AND CHEESY AND HEAVY.
Sliders: EXCELLENT but they’re like sandwiches.
Mac n Cheese: mmmm
Entertainment: So many pasties, so little time.
WiFi: NOLA2015
Today, my manfriend decides he wants to «date the shit out of me» and swoops me up after my night class. We drive around 5^th and find parking (you can park in loading zones in LA after 6pm, that’s a secret, don’t tell anyone) and walk on over. After having to pull out my passport because I lost my ID at a club (so LA, I know), we enter a dim bar where clearly, the New Orleans décor is everything. We keep walking down the hall, passing the bathrooms, and I thought it was a maze and got nervous/​excited for this entertainment that came along with dinner. We then come to a huge dark room with open seating, from low garden chairs to high tables to a little lounge area with couches and a bar, of course. Menus are on the table, and you order at the bar.
I’m not the type to drink with dinner because I think it’s a waste of money but I was feeling stressed from work and adventurous. After looking on Unilocal and getting confused with the names of entrees that were not on the menu, we decided to get a bunch of things and share.
We were greeted by a smooth bar tender whose name I can not remember; what I CAN remember is that he was so cool and slick and genuine that my manfriend and I felt fairly delighted by his behavior.
I asked him what I should get to drink; I don’t like gin, but I can handle my whiskey, and he suggested a Pimm’s Cup. After my drink was finished and my manfriend got his stout, I overhead someone saying the burlesque show was from 9pm to 12am.
I checked my phone.
8:34pm.
Hell yeassssss I LOVE BURLESQUE.
We ordered and headed back to our seat, as one of us got mildly drunk after a few minutes.
SPOILER ALERT: it was me.
Our food came out rather quickly (or I was just that drunk). We ordered the mac n cheese, the sliders with shredded pork, the gravy fries, and the Caesar salad because I felt the need to eat some greens with this heavy ass meal.
I apologize that I can’t remember the exact names of the entrees — it was something like the Mardi Gras Mac n Cheese, the Saint Louis Caesar, the… Po Mo Sliders (???), and the fries (not the Cajun).
The salad was fantastic. The Mac n cheese was delicious, the fries were AMAZING, and the sliders were great but more like small sandwiches.
From most to least fave, I would say the fries, salad, sliders, then mac n cheese. The last two are kind of a tie, but either way, it was a lot of food and we almost didn’t finish (keyword is «almost» because we are fatasses).
Then…
The burlesque dancers came out and they were amazing and were swinging on this metal fixture and dancing on the bar and taking their tops off and wearing rhinestone heart pasties on their nipples and it was amazing.
In conclusion, I gave my manfriend a high five for finding such a cool place. Good job to him.

I adore this place! It’s so beautiful! When you first walk in, there’s a gorgeous bar. Once you ohh and aww over the beauty, you wonder where you’re going to sit because it’s so small. Then you walk to the back and it’s such a pleasant surprise. There’s an awesome, spacious dining area with another bar. I literally felt like I was at the blue bayou in the pirates of the carribean ride at Disneyland. It’s really fantastic. For brunch, you place your orders at the bar and then find a table. We received our mimosas right after we placed the order at the bar. Our food took a little while, however we enjoyed the mimosas and live music while we waited. I ordered the crawfish scramble and it was fantastic. My husband and friend both ordered the brisket with eggs and grits and they loved it. The brisket was exceptional. It was fork tender, just amazing. My other friend ordered the french toast, which was much smaller than our orders. She said it was good, but it didn’t seem like she loved it.
Our mimosa glasses were kept flowing and we loved that. There were only about 3 other groups of people there, so it was pretty empty. Hopefully the service is just as good when the place is full.

Ok, food is delicious and the place being kinda hidden is quite awesome! And their drink menu looks like they serve the kind of drinks that I love. but service is pretty lacking n confusing.
First of all, we are here for brunch. The bartender comes over and says we have to order at the bar when we are ready. There’s only two customers at the bar and Us At a table… How hard is it to drop by to take our order.
Anyways later, we went to the bar to order our food. Because both my friend and I were sick with this cough, we asked for hot water instead of alcohol. 15 min later goes by, we were wondering when our hot water is gonna come by, so we asked the lady that came to serve us food. She said they don’t have hot water, we can only get ice water so she brought us a bunch of ice water with no ice. 5 min after, the bartender dropped by with the hot water. Ok? How come the bartender has hot water then? Weird.
After our breakfast food, we ordered dessert, my friend asked for extra set of plates/​utensils as we are splitting the dessert, 10 min goes by and we didn’t get the plates, my friend went to check n see the bartender playing on the phone, so she got pretty upset that he must have already forgotten about it.
When the check came, they charged us for the hot water, my friends got super upset esp after the bad service and disputed the charge as hardly any place charges for hot water. How come they didn’t charge for ice water?

This place… LOVE!!! Food is spectacular & the ambiance is awesome. It’s like New Orleans smack dab in DTLA.
We ordered the Catfish Skillet, which included 2 generous filets of catfish stacked on top of a mountain of seasoned criss-​cut fries. The batter was wonderful; just delicious! We also got the Po Boy w/​blackened shrimp… solid choice; very tasty. Like we needed anymore food, but I had to try the red beans & rice b/​c it’s one of my faves & i wasn’t disappointed. We ended w/​the beignets. They came w/​a chocolate lavendar sauce. All I can say is YUM!
There was a DJ there the night we came. He was spinning classic R&B. Very nostalgic for me & it just enhanced my overall pleasant experience. Such a great venue; I’m definitely coming back!

I like the vibe. They did an excellent job of giving it a New Orleans feel.
From the moment you walk in, you are transported to the bayous. The bar on the right and the piano near the back of the bar paint the scene beautifully.
Past the piano and restrooms, there is a larger bar/​seating area. I didn’t see the menu in the front room, but they had a nice selection of New Orleans born cocktails, Sazerac for example. They had several beers on tap, including NOLA’s own Abita Purple Haze.
They did their best to offer some authentic Nawlins food, shrimp and grits, jambalaya, seafood gumbo. We went with the seafood gumbo, but it was obvious that they microwaved a package of gumbo and poured it into a nice bowl. Tasted like Savoie’s seafood gumbo; it probably was.
They will win over the hearts of folks in the area who don’t know what New Orleans food is supposed to look, smell and taste like. I think I’ll stick to the drinks. But I did like the vibe.

From what I can remember, this place is AWESOME! On Hallow’s evening, after pre-​drinking, then drinks at the first bar, drinks and food at the second bar, we slowly danced our way to Little Easy. Having no idea there was another room, we hung out at the front bar for 20 mins. Our wonderful bartender said to go explore, but didn’t want to ruin the surprise. Walking down a short dark hallway, we found ourselves a party in the back with a DJ in full spinning mode and everyone in their great costumes.
Captures a New Orleans style ambience, some good old school hip hop to party through the night. We had a great time.

LOVE it here! I was a little skeptical about it when a friend suggested we go here based on the fact we we’re only going to go because he had free drink tokens, lol. But turns out, this place is the bees knees and I love it here!
If you’re not looking up while walking on 5^th, you’ll miss the sign. But the big indicator is the security guard sitting out front on the stool. The front is modest but when you walk in it feels like you’re somewhere in New Orleans. Or at least that’s how I felt. I can’t be 100% sure since I’ve never been, hahaha!
There’s the bar area with about 10 or so seats if you wanna get intimate (so to speak) with the bartender or just there for a couple of after dinner drinks. But for those of you with larger parties or wanting to get intimate with your date, there’s another room in the back.
Tuesdays are ALL DAY HAPPY HOUR!!! You’re welcome. I know that’s the real reason you’re scoping out the reviews baby. ;) $ 2 off ALL beverages.
What I came for and highly recommend: BOOZE & BEIGNETS! I wasn’t too enticed over the set cocktails list but ask the bartender for their recommendation or let them know what you like and I am pretty sure they can make you something that fits your taste profile. Or I am just incredibly lucky?

Cool place to hang out with friends. We walked here after Perch because our friends were outside in line and the line was taking forever.
Walking in, it’s just a bar. However, when you walk further in, there’s a whole back room with lots of tables and chairs to sit. There’s a fountain, free water with cucumber slides, and nice décor. The DJ played cool music, some people were dancing, and cocktails were good!

Four stars for the bar and ambience, three for food. As the name suggests, Little Easy has a NOLA vibe. There are two bars separated by a hallway; the back room contains an area large enough for tables and chairs as well as performers. There are also nice lounge chairs and couches.
I came with my husband to hear the live zydeco band playing on a Tuesday night. There was no cover, which was great, and the bar was pretty empty.
The band was great. The cocktails and food average.
Spicy cucumber margarita– tasted a little bland other than the spice; needed salt
Seafood gumbo– I’ve definitely had better. The roux was thin and semi-​watery and the gumbo just tasted like it was thrown together at the end rather than cooked all together throughout. No depth of flavor.
Apple kale slaw– decent vinaigrette but nothing amazing. I couldn’t taste the pickled onion.
I paid $ 21 for the meal ($ 16 for gumbo) and we were both left feeling unsatisfied.
Service was prompt and the bartender friendly. I will definitely return to hear music and get beer or wine but I probably wouldn’t try the food again.

This place is great! Oddly shaped place with a full bar in the front, and restaurant + bar in the back. The restaurant really captures the New Orleans vibe — old, enchanted, charming, and playful. When you enter, you go down a long windy hallway that almost feels like a haunted house… then you’re in the back restaurant where it looks like an outdoor courtyard with decks, fountains. and chandeliers. It’s really dim in the back as well, so you always feel like it’s night time. Great ambiance, mellow jazz music, and fun décor.
As for the food… omg THE FOOD!
+ SHRIMP & GRITS -$ 16
sautéed shrimp, creole butter sauce, War Eagle Millscheese grits! This was amazing. The cheesy grits was so creamy and flavorful. The shrimp was cooked perfectly — super snappy — and the cajon butter sauce was to DIE FOR.
+ SEAFOOD GUMBO — $ 16
blackened catfish, shrimp & crawfish. My husband ordered this and we both loved it. It was full of spices and bold flavor! My husband said that the food reallllly took him back to NOLA and was very authentic. The dish was really generous with seafood, although we couldn’t quite taste the crawfish.
+ RED BEANS AND RICE — $ 5
slow cooked with Andouille sausage. So simple, but SOOO SOOO GOOD. Definitely a side worth trying. The rice was cooked perfectly, and the beans were expertly flavored.
We enjoyed our first trip so much that we came back for brunch one morning. We ordered Bloody Marys with brunch and they let us go to the Bloody Mary station at the front bar for add-​ons to our drink — bacon, sausage, onion, olives, celery, etc.
We ordered the Biscuit & Gravy and Brisket with Eggs on Grits (instead of potato hash). DAMNNNNN. the brunch was just as amazing. The gravy was full of shrimp, peppers, and sausage. I loved that it was creamy and reminded me of a decadent alfredo sauce. The biscuit was nice and buttery! As for the Brisket and Eggs, it was also phenomenal. I loved the gravy-​like sauce the brisket was in. It was so savory and complimented the fatty brisket. This place has become one our favorite places to dine in DTLA since it opened.

this place is pretty hard to find and can seem weird b/​c you have to go through this creepy long hallway to get to the back restaurant. BUT once you’re there~ it’s a total gem of a place! great cocktails, unlimited brunch mimosas, hearty cajun brunch food. SUCH a fun experience. on sundays they also play jazz/​blues music so that’s a fun treat.
we ordered the brisket and eggs and the cajun scramble. both were DELIC.

Came here for a friend’s birthday gathering on a Saturday night and had the greatest time. (Side note, Happy birthday Vanessa!!!)
When you first walk in there is a bar to your immediate right, looks tiny but if you continue down the hallway that winds around the kitchen there is another area that is bigger with another bar, plenty of seating, a swing, a fountain. the set up is very New Orleans-​y and gives off a very comfortable and inviting vibe.
To start off I had the SAZERAC $ 12 consisted of rye whiskey, absinthe, and bitters. I enjoyed this drink especially watching my bartender create it. The drink is pretty potent and I got a little buzz on after having two. **4 stars
Debris fries– $ 8 crisscut fries, brisket gravy, smoked gouda. I la la loved this. The fries were so crispy and delicious. The brisket gravy and Gouda was just enough to give the fries extra flavor but not too much to over power so you could still taste the fries **5 stars
Po boy sliders $ 12 blacken catfish on leidenheimer bread. This was good. Came with 3 pieces and are fairly large I couldn’t quite call them «sliders» very fulfilling and good flavor. I think next time I’ll try the fries versions. **4 stars
Tips– Be sure to come early because seating is at a first come first serve basis. Order your food at the bar, kitchen closes early at 11pm
I’ll definitely be returning to try other items on their menu.

This place is awesome! Came here for dinner on a Friday night and ended up back here for drinks the very next night — even the bouncer commented «you guys are back again!» :D Always nice to feel like a (very very) minor celebrity lol
FOOD & DRINKS:
— jambalaya — yummy! Good sized portion and great flavor. Nice chunks of andouille sausage and the jambalaya and a very nice and light spiciness to it (wish it had been spicier though)
— fried catfish po’boy sliders — you get 3 pretty good sized pieces! The catfish was very crispy and not greasy at all, went well with the slaw, and the bread was nice and pillowy, although it was a little too bread-​heavy.
They have Angel City and Abita on tap! Cocktails are pretty yummy too.
SERVICE:
Very friendly! You walk in and order your food/​drinks at the bar, take a number, find a seat and they’ll bring your food over to you. Everyone is very nice and friendly and food comes out fast. You can transfer your tab between the front and back bar, no problemo!
VENUE/​PARKING:
The Little Easy is where the Gorbals used to be, and the entrance is marked with a yellow neon sign over the door. You walk in and there’s a bar area, after you order, go down the hallway and you’ll end up in a large back room where it kinda feels like you’re in the Pirates of the Caribbean ride at Disneyland! Dim, with a fountain in the middle. Several large tables and small tables and a bigger second bar. Bathrooms are single room per gender, but pretty clean.
There’s street parking if you can snag it, flat rate lots, or even the metro! We walked over so that was the easiest option :)