Buffa’s Restaurant and Lounge

Darren and Scottie were amazing! We came here on a recommendation from the bnb we are staying at and were not disappointed. Great food great drinks and great people. Don’t fuck up and not come here!!! We will def be back!

Too inconsistent. First time I went, had a great burger and fries. Second time, fries seemed unappetizing, not fresh. Third and last time, I called in an order, then 15 minutes later walked nine blocks in 90-​degree heat, only to find they had forgotten my order. Lame. Went to Nola Poboys instead.

Look for this place late night. Any bar with a 24 hour kitchen is worth a try. While I wasn’t blown away, I was left on the satisfied side of things. They have a bit of a broad menu from burgers and Jambalaya to breakfast food (breakfast starts at 2am according to the menu).
Service: our bartender was very friendly and made rum and coke the way it should be. I got mine with the Old New Orleans Cajun Rum. She also answered my questions about the menu sufficiently.
Food: The gator bites were ok but the sauce they came in tasted like nothing… I repeat nothing. The jambalaya was ok but tasted as if it had been sitting and was reheated. The Dark Side burger was delicious. The beef tasted fresh and it had the right amount of spice one would expect from a spicy burger. If I shall ever return, I think I’m going for the Sith Lord (burger with ghost pepper).
Solid place and you can’t beat a kitchen that doesn’t close.

Came here at 10pm for dinner, drinks and entertainment.
Pros:
* Good ambiance and music
* Strong drinks ($ 11 for an old fashioned)
* Good service
Cons:
* Bland food
Verdict: I wouldn’t come back other than for drinks and music.

The bloody Mary’s are a tasty and spicy way to start the day. The seafood omelette is huge with shrimp cheese and crawfish corn sauce. Paula had gumbo and biscuits and gravy. Excellent

the back was too packed to listen to some jazz so we sat out in front. we were just there to wait out the weather before heading to Jazz Fess. BEST. JAMBALAYA. EVER.
Bloody Mary’s are nothing fancy but damn good — lots of alcohol

The friendly people of NOLA love their alcohol, so it’s no surprise that their best eats are also bars. Buffa’s is no different. It is here that I recommend getting the redfish sandwich/​po boy ($ 14). The fish is firm but perfectly cooked in Nora’s blackened style. It’s a bit salty but the crisp bread matches the saltiness well. I would like to make a note of how amazing our server/​bartender was. Everyone was on edge the morning we went because it took the cook close to an hour to get out all our dishes, but the server was extremely laid back and nice.
This place is on Frenchman St (where the locals go for live jazz) AND it’s open 24 hours. There is no perfect time to go, because you can go anytime!

Started bumpy with all the bar tables either dirty or occupied so we sat at the bar. Bartender was very friendly.
Beer for me, cocktail for my girlfriend.
Began to order food but the ’86 list was huge.
Lucky we stayed because the food we did receive was excellent. Blackened redfish po-​boy w/​side salad for her was perfect. Double brats w/​kraut & fries for me was tasty. The menu said kraut or onions are available as a topping on the brats. I asked for one on each and was told no.
Noticeables include:
— Esquire Magazine denoted Buffa’s as one of the Best Bars in America.
— I pointed out to my girlfriend that the house phone on the bar had 70 unheard messages. The phone did ring while we were there & the bartender said out loud, «And I’m not answering you because you’re going to order food and my shift is over in a few minutes…» He was trying to be funny for the bar patrons but the customer called back. The bartender answered. It was a TG order & he said it was a shift change in the kitchen right now so TG orders would take 35 – 45 minutes. Time? 9:42pm.
— there is a small dining room in the rear that has live music and wait service but you wouldn’t know unless someone told you.
— Immediately after paying the tab, I trapped a roach under a hot sauce bottle and informed the bartender who promptly & subtly finished it off with a napkin. It would have been nice if he offered a beer as a result. He apologized and said thank you.
Love to try this place during the day.

Loved the music, local artists with drop in by others as well. The location was great as well, away from all the craziness. The food was OK. Bratwurst jambolia? The Red Beans and Rice had good texture but the sausage on the side and the the beans lacked the significant flavor I was looking for. Needed hot sauce but I wanted spice not not.

I LOVE a good friendly dive bar and I always seek them out everywhere I travel. Buffa’s is my go-​to NOLA place and reminds me of my favorite corner watering holes in Wisconsin which is high praise coming from a state that drinks their breakfast, dinner and lunch.
They do get a little fancy with the USB chargers below the bar but I won’t hold that against them. They also have purse hooks as well so they are trying to accommodate the drunk with charging and purse hanging needs.
We went there and friend ordered a shot of Jäger and it came in a small rocks glass and was only $ 5 or $ 6 and was a HUGE pour. All of the pours were good and the prices much more reasonable than most places. The service is friendly but still a little edgy which I dig in a corner bar.
They do have bar food which is a notch above the norm. We always get the fried green beans with their dipping sauce. It is a great snack for absorbing all of the booze.
The place is pretty good size with a back room. You have to zig-​zag your way back to the room where they have the bathrooms. The bathrooms get an A grade which is unusual for NOLA where you usually have to hover over the toilet.
It’s a little off the beaten path but well worth it. If you are hanging on Frenchman street it is only a few block walk down Esplanade but well worth it!

We were staying at a local b&b on Esplinade, and found ourselves at Buffas 7 days a week. Bonus points on the nerdy, hilarious signage and music on the jukebox. Bloody Mary’s were on point, as was the staff. At all hours the food was fast and friendly. If you’re walking by, drop in, you won’t be disappointed!

Buffa’s is a bar and eatery along the French Quarter/​Marigny border on the Marigny side of Esplanade. (Disclaimer: my band played a 2-​hour set here the night of my visit.)
Product: Drinks and bar food. The drinks are your usual fare of beer, wine, mixed drinks, and non-​alcoholic cold drinks. The menu is fairly small, but worth taking a look at, if you’re hungry. **NOTE: They have a spicy sauce that comes on/​with some of the menu items that is exceedingly hot, even for a seasoned palate, so be warned if you’re squeamish about very spicy food.** (3 stars)
Service: Bar staff works with the kitchen to get your food ordered and delivered to you. I didn’t notice it taking terribly long from order to delivery. Staff was friendly enough. Most nights there is a live band performing for tips. (3 stars)
Facilities: This establishment has been around for decades, maybe close to a century. To my understanding, the business has been in a little spat with its next door neighbor (Sidney Torres of SDT Waste and Debris fame), so noise levels have been tamped down. You’ll still be able to hear live music sufficiently, but there is a decible meter on location. There is a traditional bar right on the corner at the front of the establishment, and the event venue in the back half. Often, something is being cooked on a grill outside as well, to entice more customers. The building is in decent shape, but it is old and a tad bit divey looking, even if the typical clientele isn’t what you’d expect in a dive bar (mostly tourists and older locals). (3 stars)
Bonus: Buffa’s has an open mic night — they have an upright piano available on the stage. So, bring out your instrument, signing voice, or a small ensemble to perform and have some fun!
Overall: A nice little bar in a not-​so-​busy part of Downtown. Check it out if you happen to be walking around the area and are looking for a bite or to quench your thirst and don’t want to wait a long time. (3 stars)

Decent bar but what happened with this bartender? Who doesn’t know how to type prep cheese on the side? Automatically I have to have cheese even when I don’t want it? Its simple. Where is the owner /​manager? Stop drinking behind the bar guys.

Christy was amazing!!! We came here for my bachelor party. Ask for Christy. get the creole sheimp.

Hi. I’m from Los Angeles and was waiting years just to try a port of call burger. I waited in line for 2 hours and loved it. But the next day I decided to try buffa’s. Their burger in fact blew Port of call out of the water! Best burger in the world, right here! Get the Star Wars one!
Also the kitchen staff was on point, one of the cooks was even singing along to his philosophy podcast.
Overall A+++++ ¹⁰⁄₁₀ 5 stars. Hell 10 stars.
2 thumbs up. 100 golden burgers.

What can you say … It’s sad when a great place is just not that great anymore. Sad so sad
Once was a fantastic late night spot with good New Orleans bar food.
Ate there last night and was not terrible happy about any of it.
Jalapeño poppers straight out the Freezer bag from Walmart., blah
Onion rings though looked amazing
where not cooked through so runny flour paste on inside in edible mostly
Boudin balls where fried almost hard
and the crawfish cream sauce was nothing more than tiny frozen crawfish in watery flavorless milky liquid.
My burger was passable though it did come dressed incorrectly. Service it self was marginal and not terribly attentive, bar had people but not overly busy. Much better options exist a few blocks away, I’ll leave this place to rest in my memories of better times. And the tourist and recent transplants can have this new incarnation

My two friends and I picked Buffa’s for dinner on a Sunday evening instead of Port of Call because of the tremendous wait for a table at PoC. It was an excellent choice!
We sat in the bar and a very personable and known-​around-​town (apparently) bartender took care of us. In the best tradition of bartenders, he provided wit and behind the bar wisdom. The drinks were also excellent. One of my friends and I did a split and share for the Gotham Burger with house made potato salad and the Shrimp Creole.
The food was excellent. Highly recommend the burger and I cannot stop thinking about the potato salad! Only concern was a bit of a delay in making the food. The kitchen seemed to be quite understaffed and we waited a significant amount of time for what we’d ordered. The bartender was apologetic and helpful, checking on our food often.
If you’re looking for good quality, good value food in the Marigny/​Quarter area, definitely give Buffa’s your time. You won’t be sorry (unless you don’t have time to spare)!

On the positive side we got to Buffa’s just as they opened for Sunday brunch and got seated right away. Some Like It Hot, the fairly regular jazz band was fun to hear, but aside from that my experience was mostly so-​so.
It took a while to have our order taken, but not nearly as long as it took to get the food. I ordered the Jambalaya, which basically tasted like rice with some slightly spiced tomato sauce. Some of the people in my group had been there multiple times, but for myself there are many other great places to eat in New Orleans, so Buffa’s is off my radar for the time being.

I’ve been here twice for food. Once it was terrible and once it was amazing. So I guess four stars? Three might be more appropriate but I think that one time they were all just really hungover or something.
Anyway the first time I got crawfish pasta. This was after a 20 minute fiasco of no service and no water. I was hungover too so that really bothered me (lol). Once I got the water I calmed down.
The pasta almost set me off again. It was soupy… like they just poured in the cream and hadn’t made a roux nor did they have the time to let it cook down. Pretty much flavorless. The crawfish tails were really good, but it didn’t make up for the overcooked pasta /​«cream sauce» (hot heavy cream) mess.
For some crazy reason I went back for brunch. There was (good) live music, prompt service, and dank eats. I had eggs Benedict and it was yum and well priced. They kept the bloodys and mimosas coming. I would go again — the brunch would be great for tourists too. It’s a bit off the beaten path but pretty representative of Nola food and music. Maybe don’t get the crawfish pasta?

Stopped in for their famous red beans and rice and it was ok. Still the beans were a little undercooked, did not have the cream that I am used to. There was also no meat in the beans. Served with a side of sausage $ 15 with tip is high for such a cheap dish to make. I like Buffa’s so find something else on the menu worth the price because theses beans are not.