El Gato Negro

Why are the tables SO close together? Couldn’t breathe. Didn’t care to hear everyone’s conversations in my ears & it’s annoying to have to move my seat & be brushed up against every 2 seconds as the waiters pass. The other location is nice, but they need to take tables out of this place & make space. A renovation overall is in store for this old house.

It’s a must go every time I visit New Orleans. Usually not known for their Mexican food but I haven’t found any better anywhere. Ceviche is a must order appetizer with sashimi grade tuna mixed in with a guacamole mix. Unreal!

Had a lunch date here with the lady one nice early afternoon.
Product: Your basic Tex-​Mex style restaurant, with everything you’d figure would be available at such – tacos, burritos, quesadillas, chimichangas, rice, refried beans, and what-​not. Nothing spectacular, but nothing horrible either. The fare was completely average. 3 stars
Service: This is a sit-​down, full-​service casual restaurant. Service was slow for lunch, but they got our orders right and the food was hot. 2 stars
Facilities: A Faux-​stucco storefront to give that Mexican architectural feel to the outside. Inside was a bunch of Mexican-​themed art. The place was clean, and the seating was comfortable enough. Like the food, nothing special. 3 stars
Bonus: Free chips and salsa, which is becoming quite the rarity and no longer the norm at these types of restaurants.
Overall: This place reminds me of the old Cuco’s chain in both style and fare. There’s nothing special about it, and I wouldn’t go out of my way to go there. 3 stars

I brought my grandma for an early Mother’s Day dinner. The food was great but the only bad thing was that two tables were seater after us and they got their food before us. It might have been a simple mistake but it shouldn’t have happened.

I have been a regular here for about a year and for good reason. The food quality is excellent and the drinks are amazing. Anthony is my usual waiter, has always given great service and always remembers what I like to drink. Kelly always greets us at the door with a smile by name. Great place great food. Can’t say enough good things about this place! The chorizo is delicious!

I can usually tell how good the Mexican food will be by a restaurant’s margarita and chips & salsa. The margarita tasted like it was from a mix and was too sour. Salsa was average at best. Food was the same. Also, tacos come out of the kitchen completely bare. If you want salsa on it, that costs extra. If you want cheese, extra. Lettuce, extra.
The service was pretty good though.
The upside– it is located close to the convention center where I was at a conference.

The service was good. I ordered the Stuffed Avocado and that was amazing. My daughter ordered tacos and asked for onion and cilantro and we were charge so next time we wont get taco’s from here. over all experience was fair and possibly when craving «Stuffed Avocados» i’ll go back.

It was crowded during lunchtime which is a good sign & service was pretty good. Food was good, but pricey for what is was, basic Mexican food. I would have given it more stars if the portions were so small & the price so high. You get spoiled with true Mexican owned & operated places w/​old family recipes or even Baja Fresh in some cities, where the cost is lower & yet the food is fresh & affordable. Guacamole was good. If your craving Mexican food, in the area & wanna drop a dime, this is your place.

I have been a big fan of the French Quarter location of this restaurant for a long time. The food is great and the margaritas are pretty damn good as well. I just went to the Lakeview location for the first time and was absolutely blown away by the quality of the staff. All of the staff were so friendly and attentive, and we got incredible service during the whole visit.
Now for the food. I am usually adventurous and like to try new things, but the Seared Oaxacan Eggplant is so good I can never convince myself to order anything else. Seriously, if they ever took this dish off the menu, I would have no idea what to do. The eggplant is delicious, and smothered (lovingly) with a perfectly-​spicy sauce, delicious cheese, and shrimp, chicken, and mushrooms sauteed to perfection.
If you’re in the area, come on over to the Lakeview location and give it a shot. Definitely the best Mexican food in the area.

Ended up in here on a Sunday because the wait at Velvet Cactus was over an hour long. There was absolutely no wait here, but be sure to check their hours before you go because they do close between lunch and dinner! They close at 3 and then reopen at 5.
We didn’t get an appetizer this time, but usually we get the guacamole which is pretty good. They do give you complimentary chips and salsa for the table, but each additional refill of chips is $ 2 extra. Also, soda is not free refills but given in glass bottles, so if you are someone like me who drinks 4 diet cokes with each meal, keep this in mind.
I got the burrito with pulled pork. Inside is rice, pinto beans, and cheese. It comes drizzled with salsa with sour cream and guacamole on the side. They give you a healthy portion of both the sour cream and guac. My guest for the chicken quesadillas l which come as 4 small triangles. This dish came with a scoop of beans and Mexican rice.
All in all, this place is good, not amazing. They food is pretty good, it is a little pricier for how casual the place is, but not expensive by any means. It is actually more expensive than velvet cactus. The service is normal, nothing to write home about. Good for a quick meal, but they do not split checks so maybe not great for a large group.

Our first trip to the Lakeview location since moving here. The entire experience was excellent. Arrived just before the crowd hit so immediately seated. Just as quickly we had chips and salsa with drinks not far behind.
The table side prepared guacamole is as others have said, incredible. Opted for the cucumber slices and they were good, too.
I had the burrito with pulled pork. They grilled the tortilla so it had a nice crunch. This is a two handed burrito if you dare. Your dry cleaner will appreciate it more if you use a knife and fork to cut it into manageable chunks. Lots of pork. Subtle hints of smokey goodness. Burrito served over some very tasty rice and beans
My wife had the appetizer size roasted stuffed poblano pepper with the (very tender) filet mignon. Again, large serving. Taste was very rich due to the salsa which included butter, cream, cheese, etc. Yummo
Each of us took half our servings home due to their size. We will be back.

Definitely top notch. We went here tonight for the first time. Smaller than I thought, but they moved the tables quickly. Many families there, but the top of the restaurant is surrounded by high end Tequila. The food was fantastic and our waitress was amazing. We will be back!

Drinks:
Mexican’s obviously about margaritas so three words– Pineapple. Cadillac. Cruz. It was amaze! Not too weak. Not too sweet. Not too tart.
Foodwise:
Shrimp fajitas– yum! Healthy portions & great flavor
Service:
Lacking. Like downgrade by two stars lacking… Hard to eat without place settings– which could’ve been quickly remedies had it not been for the infrequent check ins.
Unfortunately, poor service is the main thing keeping this place from truly shining.
Comparison:
Juan’s Flying Burrito is clearly continuing to dominate the Mexican market, but I might walk into this place if I lived nearby.

Food was fantastic /​Moises my waiter was exceptional /​suggesting their Specialities.
Had the Combo plater which was delicious /​I don’t know if was due to Super Bowl nite and it was slow, they kept bringing me things to try… Wow.
Plus the Sangria was great… Highly recommended

love these places. both quarter and lakeview. I really love the orange margoram hot sauce. if you haven’t tried it, ask. I always get enchilada’s cause I love them. and they come with the sauce. quick service, quality food, and filling.
see you again soon.

Went here on a Sunday after church with my husband and a friend. We have been wanting to come for a while, but I’m skeptical of all Mexican food in New Orleans (coming from Texas where Mexican food is done right!!). Needless to say NOLA doesn’t do Mexican food well.
The husband and I split chicken fajitas (for $ 19.99 for CHICKEN FAJITAS we weren’t about to buy 2 orders). Luckily, we order the stuffed avocado and we left satisfied.
Although the price of this restaurant is silly, as in way over priced, the food was decent. I will probably not return because I can’t handle spending so much money on Mexican food at that average quality but for those who don’t have anything to compare it to, I would say enjoy!

There’s nothing wrong with El Gato Negro, but it doesn’t blow me away either. It’s consistently good, but not great, which is o.k.
I really enjoy the stuffed avocado appetizer. Even though it sounds like a cold dish, it’s hot. It’s an avocado half topped with a lime, tomato, mushroom shrimp sauce. It’s served with tortillas. MORE than enough to be an entrée…especially after eating the free chips and salsa.

I was in Lakeview and craving a burrito big time when a friend suggested we head to El Gato Negro.
It was lunchtime, and although it was about one there was no crowd and we were seated immediately. First of all, this menu is amazing. They have a wide variety of choices (including fajitas!) but I had my mind set on that burrito and I decided to get my burrito with pork.
As we waited, I dug into the bowl of chips and salsa that were given to us as a free munch. The chips were amazing and tasted warm and fresh. The salsa was pretty light with not too much spice to it, although there are a couple of hot sauces on the table, if you want to spice things up.
My burrito came out and WOW. Not only was it huge, but it was topped with salsa, guacamole and sour cream. Along with generous amounts of pork, this beauty was stuffed with onions, beans, rice and cheese. The burrito had a lot of flavor and was beyond delicious. You could really taste all of the fresh ingredients that went into making this meal. I must have been really hungry, because I finished all but about 2 bites of this thing. It was out of this world.
I will definitely return to El Gato Negro. Between the food, the friendly waiter and the atmosphere, I am a fan.

You have not lived until you’ve eaten the Stuffed Avocado from the appetizer menu. Aside from the fact that everything from the chips and salsa to the margaritas was spectacular, THIS dish was the most heavenly. It’s a hot dish with avocado (surprise), tomatoes, mushrooms, shrimp, and a sauce that I could drink by itself.
I went an hour before Jazz Fest let out, so maybe that’s why I had no wait and no service issues. Even if I did wait or had subpar service, the food and drinks would definitely have more than made up for it. I can’t believe I waited all these years to try El Gato Negro and that the Destrehan location has just closed (it’s close to my job). It would be dangerous for me to have one in Kenner! Try it regardless of the negative reviews you read here.

I came today on a whim, and I am glad that I came back! The waiter was very nice and enthusiastic that today is National Margarita Day.
I tried the orange margarita, and it was pure yumminess (don’t correct my spelling, yumminess is so a word!)! The free chips and salsa are very good, the salsa was full of flavor. The steak quesadilla is my new favorite entrée from them. The steak was juicy and full of flavor. The meal left a great aftertaste in my mouth, and I am enjoying the burps!
The restaurant is very neat, clean and organized. The staff is always friendly, and willing to answer questions.