Andrea’s Restaurant

I haven’t been to Andrea’s in years… at least 10. My wife and I came this evening to meet some friends that were in town and to catch Butch Caire on the piano. Butch gets 5 stars… his contemporary playlist and subtle pizzazz cheered up what is otherwise an uninspiring old Italian restaurant.
As we waited for our party to arrive, my wife and I sat up at the bar and had a few cocktails and appetizers. I had a Maker’s Old Fashioned and my wife had a glass of Lemoncello. I am always amazed at how many bartenders don’t know how to make an Old Fashioned the right way… bourbon and a splash of grenadine with a cherry and an orange slice is not an Old Fashioned.
We asked the bartender what the best appetizer was and she recommended the calamari. We love calamari and were excited to order it, but very disappointed in the dish once it arrived. The fry batter was intensely bland… even just a little salt would have made the difference. The red gravy for dipping was ok… but also noticeably bland.
For entre, I ordered the Veal Parmesan. It wasn’t too bad, but thats likely because I was about 4 Bourbon and Grenadine’s in by the time I ordered and received the dish. The veal cutlets were thin cut, just the way I like it, but cooked a little too dry. I felt like the dish was close to being pretty good, but missed the mark.
BOTTOM LINE: Good music over in the bar area… mediocre food.

Gave Andrea’s a shot for Mothers Day because I waited too long and my usual Italian restaurant was booked. HUGE mistake! It was $ 52 dollars per person for three courses which isn’t bad if the food is worth it. We started with 2 appetizers (not included) calamari and an oyster dish. The calamari was chewy and tasteless and the oyster dish had an overpowering lemon taste. The entrees were no better. My son the steak lover ordered the T-​bone, my mother had the lasagna, and I had the veal marsala. Bad, Bad, and what am I even eating??? The steak was dry and tasteless, the lasagna tasted like it was from a box in the freezer section, and the veal marsala was more of a mystery meat with brown gravy. There was no evidence of the wine in the sauce at all. I never add salt to my food but was the first one to grab it hoping it might help but I was wrong. For dessert we had Tiramisu which was the only edible thing from this entire meal. Our waitress boxed up our leftovers but they all ended up in the trash as no one wanted to attempt to eat any of it again. I spent over $ 200.00 in this restaurant for less than mediocre food. I’ll be sure to make my reservations at my usual Italian spot early next year.

Wonderful food, even better service!!! We were greeted with a warm welcome and ushered in to a quaint dining room that instantly transported us to the hills of Tuscany. Our extremely charming Sicilian server walked us through wine choices and recommended a delicious Tuscan Chianti! After the wine came he walked us through the menu and made some fantastic recommendations. We started with the eggplant crab cakes which were crispy and delicious, the crab tasted as if it had just been caught off the lake. For entrees my husband and I got the veal and the the snapper, both were impeccable. We finished our meal with a perfect tiramisu and a classic Italian port.
Great food, great service, great atmosphere, Andreas is highly recommended!!!

Love this place! I am a foodie living in Denver and have been visiting NOLA regularly for business. I’ve been to Andrea’s several times, Chef Andreas always checks on us and the food and atmosphere are great!

I held a birthday dinner here and the service was impeccable. The food was outstanding!!! I can’t wait to get back at one of their tables. This is a great date spot. Me and my husband will definitely be back for a date night. The staff was so friendly and accommodating. They even had a birthday surprise for me that included some singing. It was awesome! Love this place!

I have been going to Andrea’s for many years. I really like it. The staff is very friendly and Chef Andrea always greats me and welcomes my party. I always get their grilled fish. They have a good selection of fish to chose from.

I really wanted to love this place, but it didn’t met my expectations. I went here for my birthday for a late dinner on a Sunday night.
Pros:
Nice selection of both wines by the glass and bottles so A+ there
Staff is really sweet and when our waitress found out it was my birthday she brought me a glass of champagne on the house (my fav!)
Lemon Sorbet was very refreshing and a great way to end the meal
Cons:
We started with the Escargots All’ Italiana and it didn’t have much of a taste and the shrimp fettuccine alfredo also fell short on flavor. I also felt the portion size for the alfredo was small for the price.
Overall, the food was ok. I am giving them the benefit of the doubt and will try them again.

Just don’t ever go here for Christmas! It was mass confusion. Two hours and 200 $ plus for a memorable meal for 3, but for all the wrong reasons. The wrong order (twice), the slowest service I have ever experienced, and mediocre food at best. Not the Andrea’s I remember at all. One and done.

Came here for the reveillon dinner on Christmas. We had revers action and had to wait 10 minutes before our table was ready. Upon being seated at a table of 4 (we were only 2) we waited 10 minutes for someone to acknowledge us. He claimed he thought we were waiting for 2 more as no one took the setting away. God forbid you check just in case.
After waiting the food service was too fast. I barely finished the appetizer when the entrée was out. The refills were mostly timely.
They served sliced read that was already toasted and tasted stale. The pasta fagioli was good. The ravioli bolognese was very tasty.
The crab ravioli portion was huge. The cream sauce was watery and had no flavor. The ravioli was bland but I like that they were homemade.
The prime rib was cooked to order. The mixed veggies were properly cooed. I like that the baked potato came with a side of chopped scallions, bacon and cheese.
Several of the desserts were already sold out so selection was limited. I had the apple pie which was ok and tasted store bought. The strawberry shortcake was good.
Portion sizes were good but the quality was not acceptable.
We added to have a cab called and they said they did but when e checked the cab company said they never got a call from the restaurant.
At $ 49.50 per plate I expect a lot better and would not recommend.

Had Christmas day lunch here. The special menu had tons of options of which our large group had most of them. Everyone was very happy with their meal. The service was excellwnt, the atmosphere was lively but not loud and if I had to point out a complaint the only misstep was a delay in delivering the coffee (very forgivable).
I tried the following:
Speckled trout dish — delicious
Prime rib — perfect
Osso bucco — yum
Lasagna — best I have had recentl
Bread pudding — could have been warmer but still delicious
Chocolate log — yum
Zuppa Ingleside — yummy

Arrival. We arrived at 4:45pm for 5:00pm reservations. Checked in, was told nothing available, and to go sit in the bar. Asked how long for a table. They said they didn’t know and to go sit in the bar.
OK well we don’t drink, so we waited. At 5pm, we were seated.
It took the server about 10 – 15 minutes to notice we had been seated however, and to take our drink order. Once he came, we also placed our meal order at the same time in case the next visit was going to be another 15 minutes.
After that point, the service was excellent. If anything the kitchen was too fast, and that’s not something I have ever used in a review before. The good was good, no complaints, we cooked properly.
Of course it was expensive. On their website they said they would provide transportation to and from the venue from download hotels. For some reason they didn’t do that for us, and we have to pay about $ 50 total in taxi fees to get there.
When we were leaving we asked for a taxi. They said they called one, but 20 minutes later when we call the taxi company they say they called, they said no one ever called them, and they had someone out to pick us up within 5 minutes.
Would I come here again? Probably not. With the multiple failures in the service chain I would say they still have some serious kinks to work out, and with what they are charging, it’s not even close to being worth it.

We opted for Andrea’s for my birthday dinner. There were four of us in the party, and while it took a bit to get our food (why wouldn’t it, its a fancy restaurant!), everything was delicious. I ordered the rotisserie chicken with angel hair pasta, my mom ordered the seafood platter, my papa ordered the veal, and my boyfriend had the ravioli. Everything was magnificent, and beautifully plated.
We opted for dessert after our wonderful dinner, and had the white chocolate mousse, spumoni, and pecan praline cake. The desserts were just as delicious, if not better, than our main plates.
All in all, its worth a good five stars. Though the food takes a while to make it to your table– but again it’s made fresh so it should take time– it is well worth the wait. The service was a bit slow at times, but our server was very polite. It’s a place that deserves a visit if you love good Italian food and seafood.

Just spoke to Liz on the phone to rearrange last minute reservation details. She was the nicest person i’ve spoken to over the phone in a very long time. With service like that, I’m excited to try Andrea’s for the first time tonight! I will post an update later.
Update***
I’m not a negative person and hardly ever leave bad reviews– so this is a big deal for me. I chose Andreas for my birthday dinner. I was so excited to try it for the first time but sadly was very disappointed. The service was absolutely terrible. Our server didn’t approach the table for over 15 minutes, and when she did she just stood there and didn’t address the entire table about drinks or appetizers. I had to ask her every time we needed to order or get drinks, it was as if she’d never waited a table in her life! I use to be a server and I understand how high pressure the job can be– but this was ridiculous. The dinner took over 2 hours and it was very annoying having to ask everytime we needed anything as she didn’t ask us one thing the entire dinner. She also had no idea how many people their caprese salad would serve and didn’t know what was listed on the kids menu. The food was ok, nothing to write home about, so sorry to say It was a sad dinner for my birthday :(

Great food, but horrible service. Over an hour before we got food, forgot appetizers. People apologized, gave us free dessert, but really unacceptable.
Update: I’m adding a star to my review, in view of the respectful reply from the owner. The food really was excellent, I just wish our experience has been better.

I’ve been here twice to this established Metairie institution.
The first time was for a luncheon and we had a set menu to choose from. I chose their redfish in a lemon sauce with a side of roasted potatoes. Fish was perfectly cooked and very flavorful. Same with the potatoes and the haricot verts that accompanied everything. Bread pudding was served. Slightly dry but still pretty good.
So I was excited to hear about their anniversary on the local morning show. To celebrate their 30 year anniversary, in January, they had a limited menu of stuff they served when they first opened. It
was also going to be their prices during that time too!
Needless to say, I was very excited to check this place again. Since my mom’s birthday is in January, I decided to take her to lunch there for her birthday dinner. Once we got there, I realized it was a good decision.
Most of the patrons were my mom’s age (read 60+). Not sure if that was because of the anniversary or if it was because they were their normal clients. Either way, I was hoping the stuff wouldn’t be overcooked or bland.
It ended up being much worse. We got the shrimp linguine and the mushroom ravioli. Both of us decided to get a couple of salads. My mom’s Caesar was drenched in dressing on the 4 romaine leaves that consisted of. My Caprese was very old mozzarella and a very garlicky vinaigrette which was more garlic and oil than anything else. Major disappointment.
The entrees were actually not much better. The linguine had a horrible alfredo sauce while my ravioli was 5 raviolis. Sauce was much better than my mom. But I was still very hungry after the server took away my plate.
Overall, could not believe the portions, prices and quality of what was served. For an Italian restaurant, I was hoping they would be have great alfredo sauce. Unfortunately, Andrea’s proves that’s not the case.

Great service, great food!
Our party arrived right at closing time and the gracious waiters still allowed us to dine there. The food came quickly and it was absolutely delicious! The waiters ended up staying there an hour later for us. I would definitely go back and recommend this place anytime!

Sirloin steak is about the best thing on the menu. The chef comes out and greets you that was pretty nice. The food could’ve been better. Restaurant needs some updating.

Worst meal in New Orleans. Horrible service. This place looks like the 1970’s threw up.
Menu is outdated, and overpriced. Bread was stale and took forever to come out. Entrée came out wrong, and the new entrée was chef boyardee in a bowl for $ 17. 5 person dinner party and everyone hated their meals. Oh, and she charged the wrong amount to my cc and wouldn’t fix it so I could tip her. So instead of having management re-​ring my card, she said «just don’t tip me.» We specifically told her what to put on each card and the rest in cash but she took it upon herself to charge both cards whatever amount she felt like. Run away from this Restaurant!

I went with my family for Christmas eve dinner. There were about 15 of us in all and it was nice they were able to seat all of us together and on time for our reservation, which is what the 1 star is for. Things did not go so smoothly after that. The waiter came by to fill water but didn’t get our wine glasses and other drinks until about 30 – 40 minutes in. At this point we had never even gotten our menus and wondered if it was a special menu but we saw other tables get menus. After sitting there 45 minutes we finally asked about menus and the waiter was like «what you don’t have menus! let me get them!» Seriously?! So soon after we order our appetizers (after having to call the waiter back over). These take about another 1.5 hours to come out! When we had asked him about the apps as we were waiting he just shrugged unapologetically and blamed it on the kitchen because one of the chefs «walked out on them that day.» Never once did he apologize. I get that the kitchen issues were out of his control but it was no excuse for the other issues with the service. We had to keep reminding him of things, such as refilling water, and when he did he would spill it all over the table while pouring.
We finally were able to order our entrees. The menu was a shorter menu for Christmas but still had some varied options, but I was disappointed they didn’t include a single regular pasta dish on their menu and only included more expensive meat and seafood entrees. The prices also seemed to be raised above their normal prices for the same items. Some prices were pretty high like $ 10 for a small salad (see picture I’ll post). It ended up taking another 1.5 hours to get our entrees, which came at all different times and before our soups and salads for some people and after for others! Another table in the restaurant walked out because their food took so long and they tried to bring us their food! We thought it was ours so they served our party 3 steaks but didn’t bring out the rest and didn’t realize their error until they had already eaten half and we were wondering where the rest was. Again no apologies. The manager kept walking by and was obviously dealing with other issues but she never once came to our table to try to address our issues. My sister doesn’t eat red sauce and tried to order her chicken parm without red sauce and the waiter was really rude to her about this and said they couldn’t deviate. He also refused to answer her question of what sides came with the steak. He only finally gave in when she said she would order off the kids menu.
So in terms of the food, most of it was rather bland and flavorless, especially the calamari app. The ravioli app was a few small pieces of ravioli drowning in marinara sauce. I ordered the Andrea salad and it was missing the avocado and green onion that was supposed to come in it, and was mostly just lettuce and tomato. My cousin ordered the Caesar which lacked the anchovies and parmesan stated on the menu. My uncle’s turtle soup didn’t seem to contain any turtle and he described it as «hamburger soup.» The steak didn’t come with the potato it was supposed to and the venison lacked the polenta. My entrée, the Osso Bucco was actually quite good and flavorful, but the side of pasta had obviously been sitting out for some time and was cold and dry and stuck together. One of my cousins had the Cioppino which was NOT a Cioppino at all but a pasta with seafood and red sauce. A Cioppino is supposed to be a soup! I think they tried to repackage the shrimp fra diavlo pasta the other tabled that walked out ordered and just through the other seafood on top and served it to her as Cioppino. My sister’s chicken parm she asked for no sauce came out with no sauce or cheese and no pasta (or any other starch side)! The trout didn’t taste like trout should and was chewy and hard to eat. The 3 people who ordered trout sent it back but they did not take it off the check.
At the end, the server did try to offer free dessert and coffee to make up for the issues, but at that point it was too little too late since we had been there 4 hours and were ready to go, but a couple people did end up ordering dessert and coffee. They actually came around asking us about dessert when most of us were still finishing our entrees, so it felt a bit rushed at this point. The coffee is very good but the desserts were just ok. All in all this dinner took over 4 hours from start to finish. There also isn’t much in the way of ambiance. I agree with other reviews on here that it is pretty outdated, old, and has an 80’s feel. I think when my uncle spoke to the manager she did finally end up deducting 20% from the check but then they also added on a 20% obligatory gratuity to the check before that deduction even though our service was terrible!

After reading a recent review I felt compelled to share my very unpleasant experience with everyone.
My family and I had Thanksgiving Lunch here in 2012. If you take nothing from else this review, know this, It was the WORST high end dining experience of my life.
We made reservations, far in advance. I was very excited to try Andrea’s as it is a local restaurant that has been around a while. We expected it to be swanky and tasty.
We arrived 10 minutes prior to our reservation time and we were not seated for 30 minutes beyond our reservation time. When we were finally seated, the dining room was crammed full. And I mean crammed. The table that they seated us at was tiny and we had 5 people eating. This was obviously not a dining table we were seated at as there was a table leg directly in front of me. I could not scoot to either side as I would have been sitting in my children’s laps and I could not straddle the bar as my legs would not extend beyond the sides of my chair due to my children’s chairs being jammed in next to mine. There was no space. None. I could not position my chair near the table because of the bar in front of me so I spent my entire meal leaning forward over my plate like an ill-​mannered pig.
The service was horrendous. Just horrendous. We had not one, not two, but THREE different waiters before they decided who was going to take care of us. It took an additional 30 minutes to receive bread.
Of course the menu was limited, so we ordered and 15 minutes later, were brought plates of food that a cafeteria style restaurant would likely have declined to serve. It was literally just plopped on to the plate. No wiping the edge of the plate, no care taken for plating it was so sloppy. The food was so cold that the gravy splotches on my plate had already begun to separate into solids and oil. My turkey was just one slice of a dried mess with gravy on it. I didn’t eat two bites.
My daughter’s ravioli was not even whole pieces. It was ravioli pieces and fragments covered in sauce.
We quit expecting service and just gave up on having a nice meal. When we were brought the desserts, the plates were still cold from the refrigerator, and my son’s had a clump of plastic wrap on the bottom of his. It prevented the plate from sitting level on the table, so how could it have been missed by staff? About 2 minutes into the dessert, they let us know that we needed to wrap things up as they has other people who needed to be seated. (after they seated us 30 minutes late) Ahem…
If you have made it this far, let me tell you that the décor is almost comical in its clearly 80’s look. It looks like something from an 80’s soap opera. Very over done with lavish flower patterns. The dust on the fixtures really adds something to the place.
Maybe the dust is the old world charm they keep referring to. I do not recommend this place and if you eat there, do not say we didn’t warn you.