Arnaud’s Restaurant

My family came here for the Jazz brunch on Sunday. Everything was excellent and this restaurant did not disappoint. I had the Arnaud’s Gulf Fish Meuniere which was excellent. For my appetizer I had Shrimp Bisque and for dessert my wife and I shared the Bananas Foster. Of course I had to try the bourbon milk punch which was different but very good. This was one of our favorite New Orleans restaurants.

Had Father’s Day jazz brunch and it was amazing. They have a pre fix menu with tons of options, great bar menu, 3 piece jazz trio. A great brunch spot for sure. The servers were so friendly that we didn’t want to leave. New Orleans brunch at its finest. Please make reservations. The locals know how great this place is. Might have to go back for dinner before we leave New Orleans.

Staff at Arnaud’s was extremely pleasant and helpful. I received a lot of attention and really felt the southern hospitality and charm New Orleans is known for. The band was amazing. The cocktail list was not as extensive as it could be. Overall a classy restaurant with friendly people and slightly above average food.

If you want to get away from the craziness of Bourbon st. tourists, this high class restaurant has an old south country club feel that might make you feel a little snootier than you want.
Collared shirt and business attire is a must! Unless you like feeling out of place and awkward.
Food is good but not the best around. A bit bland compared to the spices and culinary treats around.

Arnaud’s is a must visit I Nawlins. Try for the Sunday brunch where you will be treated to old time (literally) jazz. Our band featured a lovely gent n 80’s singing with joy in his heart and fistful of tips.
The food, while not at the height of N.O.‘s cutting culinary scene, it is sturdy, traditional an VERY good. This i a place for ladies and gentlemen to savor the heritage of the French quarter and savor the dishes that have drawn crowds for 150 years.
TIP: Try to reserve a room n the old chandelier room at the front.

Had such a good time listening to the Gumbo Trio and eating the wonderful food at the Jazz Bistro section of Arnaud’s, we ended up going two nights in a row.
Arnaud’s is massive and has two dining areas and two bars — one being the incomparable Arnaud’s French 75. The main dining area sits in the middle and is more subdue then the Jazz Bistro which borders Bourbon Street.
The food is good and reliable and I feel they have the best soufflé potatoes in town, and of course the fantastic Shrimp Arnaud. I normally start of with those two items, plus some oysters then order whatever is in season fish wise, and finish with two flaming items the Bananas Foster and the Café Brulot, which are both wonderful and provides a great side show.
For Classic NOLA, this is one of the top five… and right now my current favorite [of the Classics] for the combo punches of Top Bar, great music, location, service and food.
Remember, this is Old School… if can’t do Old School, choose some other fine dining establishment in this town of a thousand choices.

I’m a tour guide in New Orleans and so I don’t make enough money to enjoy the really fine dining experiences in my town. However, sometimes, when the cotton is high and my tips have been good, I throw caution to the wind and pull out all of the stops. Last night my friend and I pulled out the stops at Arnaud’s and I have only one word: Spectacular!
Say what you want about James Beard winners and Food Network foodie snobbery — New Orleans ain’t about alligator! It’s about old line dining in 100+ year old restaurants eating food that is elegantly served and flamboyantly prepared.
I’m not going to go chapter and verse into what we ate (and we ate A LOT) but I have a hunch there is no such thing as a bad offering at Arnaud’s. For dessert, however, you want FIRE! Although Bananas Foster was created at another restaurant, Arnaud’s flames those bananas tableside with panache! And if you’ve never had Café Brûlot (a flaming coffee) — well, you just haven’t tasted New Orleans!
Our waiter was Douglas — VERY nice guy, very accommodating and skilled when it comes to setting things on fire.
My only criticism was that my friend ordered an appetizer where I did not — they brought out my soup with his appetizer, my salad with his soup — and I was afraid my entrée would be served while he had his salad. I realize they didn’t want me sitting and watching him eat an appetizer but I’d’ve preferred noshing on bread while he had his appetizer so we could have had the same courses at the same time.
Small matter, though — didn’t ruin the evening. HIGHLY recommended.

After pacing through the French Quarter one evening looking for something to eat I saw Arnaud’s so I quickly Unilocaled the place and read a few reviews. I decided to give it a try, after eating Gumbo and PO-​Boys for the entire trip I knew I needed a upscale Creole dinner. Arnoud’s is a nice old school New Orleans restaurant. The menu is very short and simple with a few recognizable dishes. I ordered the «Breast of Chicken Pontalba» which wasn’t a over sized dish but was very filling considering I had been eating all day prior. This place gets a 5 star rating based on the great old school attentive service. Too bad my GF wasn’t with me because this is the perfect date restaurant before a night on the town.

On our last visit to NOLA, we were forced into Arnaud’s on a double date! Ok, fine! Being the foodie that I am and upon hearing that it was THE New Orleans pinnacle of food (with 100+ years of history serving the city) I was down for the ride! I mean, «don’t threaten me with a good time», right?! WRONG! (Or somewhere in between)
Pros: Ambiance, ok! Service was stellar and it feels as if the servers never leave the table. (After writing that, I actually don’t know if that’s good or bad as our dinner conversation kept getting interrupted, but we’ll keep it a pro!) Loved the giant bears in the check-​in area! (What can I say, I’m a sucker for a good photo op!) The bananas foster was killer, and I don’t even like bananas. ‘Twas good! Had my first experience with turtle soup and I’m still not sure how I feel about it, but it wasn’t necessarily a con. Meh.
Cons: Food overall, Ok. Yep, that’s a con as I tried a bit of everything and I expected this 5 star «pinnacle» to knock my socks off. Arnaud’s was average, at best, even down to the drinks. We got a $ 170.00 bill for two and I kinda’ felt used. There are SO many great eateries in NOLA, and I felt like I wasted a meal as we were there on a short visit and all other meals were stellar. This was the most expensive and least satisfying. My hubs wouldn’t let me forget it either. He wanted to dine at another 5 star restaurant, but I strong armed him. That’s the part that hurts most!
Overall, it saddens me to say that Arnaud’s didn’t do it for me at all. I won the battle, and lost the war!

5 stars for the service, experience & wine — 2 stars for the vegan offerings and adding back 1 star for the museum.
My friend works at the restaurant and warned me in advance that there were scanty vegan offerings: bread w olive oil, salad, soufflé potatoes (yum!), asparagus and some carrots/​veggies (somehow, the wild mushrooms got lost!). It was a meal, nonetheless — and the «Café Brulee» was magnificent!
During the meal, we were serenaded by the jazz band — they did «Sitting on the Dock of the Bay» by request of the birthday boy at the table. And then — there was a horse in the window — as NOLA’s finest shut down the kids who were tap dancing for change outside our window. The horses were pretty entertaining, too!
After our Café Brulee — we got to have a tour of the rest of the restaurant and visited the museum. It was really a great experience and a treat — the restaurant is actually several restaurants and takes up an entire city block! The museum contains incredible costumes made for the owner — and it’s really like time travel to look at the costumes and the photos and articles throughout the restaurant.

This place is gorgeous but the food is much to be desired. You can leave here feeling hungry in fact eat before you come. Overall the service was very good but the price of the entrées are way overpriced for the amount of food you get. We were also disappointed with the presentation of the entrees. People most likely come here because of the flaming orange coffee which is delicious by the way. I just don’t see myself coming here again.

The staff is very attentive, Thomas was great, he explained the menu and he was constantly checking in with us. The ambiance was nice, a bit fancy but we didn’t feel displaced. The food was amazing! We had the Gumbo, Specialty Arnaud Shrimp as appetizer then the fish fillet and baked crawfish. The best in NOLA thus far. The flavors are amazing and price was reasonable. Conveniently located on Bourbon Street.

An absolutely fantastic meal. We came here for jazz brunch and each had the four course pre fix menu.
I started with the shrimp appetizer, which was served cold and showcased shrimp coated in a spicy horseradish sauce. My boyfriend chose the chilled Gulf oysters, which he said were fantastic.
The salad course was great and featured a dressing made in house which tasted similar to homemade ranch dressing, but better.
For our entrees, my boyfriend had the eggs Benedict with eggs that were perfectly poached. I had some of the most delicious crab cakes of my life.
The dessert course included a flan which was accidentally delivered to our table, strawberries Arnaud, which were strawberries soaked in liquor and topped with whipped cream and a homemade cookie and a chocolate torte. Everything was above expectations.
With a beautiful antique décor setting, a live jazz band, and impeccable service, it’s easy to see why Arnaud’s is a staple of New Orleans. Definitely a must stop if you would like to enjoy a nice dinner with outstanding service.

Pros: very friendly, attentive staff including our waiter Hannibal.
Cons:
Went to use the ladies room and was handed a napkin from another woman who said there was no toilet paper. The bathroom was dirty with both garbage cans overflowing onto the floor and both toilet paper rolls were empty. On the way out of the bathroom saw 3 roaches walking under the sink area.
The food is mediocre at best. Bland and underwhelming to say the least. Entrees were served without a side dish we ordered, which never came.
Sad experience considering we were so looking forward to dining there, and so not acceptable for a 250.00 dinner.

This is classic New Orleans! I was ver surprised when I learned it was just off Bourbon St. The place is huge and you would never know it from the outside. We were in a very nice a large dinning room. Atmosphere was great.
The first indicator that was going to great was the Vieux Carre that I has maybe one of the best I ever had. Then I had the shrimp bisque, outstanding! Such great flavor. I had the shrimp an grits as the main course and it was unique spice the shrimp were fried.
The table next to us had the bananas foster and a coffee prepared sable side. Very nice presentation.
Impressive place and will be back.

Came here for the Jazz Sunday brunch. I liked the jazz trio at Commander’s Palace better, but this was good too.
Shrimp Arnaud’s was a little disappointing (had been expecting huge shrimp, but it was a smaller variety). The Arnaud’s sauce is one of those sauces you either have to like or get used to.
On a brighter note, their steak was excellent, as was their fish. Bananas foster tasted great. And service was, of course, excellent.

This was my splurge during my visit to NOLA — French 75 cocktail, mushrooms stuffed with Boursin and grapes, duck with blueberry sauce, potatoes soufflé, Bananas Foster, and a glass of Calvados as a digestif.
The staff was super attentive, and I even had the chance to practice my French with the waiter. The jazz trio added a lovely ambiance, and the people-​watching on Bourbon street provided an extra layer of entertainment.

I got the pleasure to eat at Arnaud’s for a business dinner and was pleasantly surprised. We dined with around 100 people and I was sure it would be a mess. Luckily, I was wrong.
The restaurant is located in a 3800 square foot space at the corner of Bienville and Bourbon, (you’ve heard of that!). It’s a gorgeous restaurant that you could easily get lost in. Somehow, while making a phone call, I ended up in their museum dedicated to their previous owner… I love history, so this was a fun surprise.
The hor dourves were Boudin Wraps, Stuffed Shrimp with Brie and some type of mushroom bite. Everything was delicious but the shrimp was crispy with hot, melted cheese.
For a starter, we had Shrimp Arnaud. It’s a gulf shrimp marinated in a tangy, Creole sauce. It was good, but the shrimp was [intentionally] cold and I’m not a fan of shrimp cocktail. I would prefer it hot. I also had the Chicken & Andouille Gumbo. It was my second cup of Gumbo ever and now I know… this is what Gumbo should taste like. It was spicy and delicious. I could have went for another cup!
For our main course, we had our choice of Filet Au Poivre or Gulf Fish Pontchartrain. I went with the fish which was a gulf drum fish topped with Louisiana crab meat in a sauce with scallions. It also came with Haricots Vert, (which from what I could figure out, is just a fancy word for green beans), and Brabant Potatoes. The sides were a little lacking in flavor and I really wanted ketchup for my potaoes… however, the fish was devine! I was afraid I made a poor choice, but it was perfectly cooked with a little creole seasoning and the crab meat was large chunks. The scallion added a savory flavor to the crab meat. It was absolutely amazing.
To finish off, we had Strawberries Arnaud which is port strawberries marinated in a port wine sauce over french vanilla ice cream and topped with whipped topping. It also had a fun wafer made to look like a spoon.
Overall, this was an incredible dining experience rich with delicious food and a fun and historical atmosphere in the heart of New Orleans!

I attended a pharmaceutical in service February 18, 2016 and the service was impeccable. The Shrimp Arnaud was perfectly chilled and piquant. The wined served to accompany the appetizer was a suitable starter. As the presentation was underway the waiters stealthy passed around more delicious appetizers and wine. As the presentation concluded the waiters calmly requested what participants would like for their entrée. I have be attended many in services around the city before but Arnaud’s is easily in my 10 for their excellence. Within 10 minutes, my entrée was in front on me and it was scrumptious. My mouth is watering even thinking about it. The piece de resistance was the incredible bananas foster. My phone was dead and unfortunately I couldn’t share it with everyone. Dessert was divine. I wish I could have this dinner all over again as I write this this review.

Top to bottom old school fine dining. We went for the Jazz Brunch, which is a three course meal of an appy, a main, and dessert. I started with the stiff bourbon milk punch, and they bring a fresh loaf of bread for you to eat messily (no bread plates as per their 100 year tradition). The appetizer selection was quite varied with a dozen Cajun & Creole items ranging from gumbo to crab cakes to shrimp remoulade. The local shrimp was noticeably less muddy here than other restaurants we dined at, in case that’s an issue for you. The gumbo was more on the refined side as far as preparations of this dish are concerned.
For mains, the boudin cakes were a hit, and the fish meunière respectable. The haricots were done perfectly for both. For dessert we got the tableside-​prepared bananas foster after our first choice of crepes Suzette was unfortunately unavailable. Tasty. But would have preferred crepes.
The service was good, and the Jazz trio was very entertaining, coming to each table, taking requests and engaging in friendly banter. As it was Mardi Gras season we could see processions going by the window as we dined, making Arnaud’s a uniquely NOLA experience… so 5 stars!

Bön repas, cadre très agréable, petites portions