Ernst Cafe

The food was good but the service was horrible. My husband got his food after we finished ours. We literally have to call our server because to get our refill because she never came an ask.

Horrible service. Waited 45 minutes for starters and second round of drinks. Kitchen forgot part of our starters order and brought it out after we’d paid for the check. Don’t bother with this place. Food is def not worth the wait.

Good times had by all !! Service wasn’t what I expected but I don’t think they were prepared for the crowds. Beer was cold my chicken sandwich was good the waffle fries could have used some more cooking and I didnt expec to have and chase down the server to pay. But I would go back.

It’s a struggle to give this place three stars… again I wish you could give half stars, because two is unjust but that’s what they get.
We showed up around 8pm on a Friday in Nov., not too crowded, immediately got a table. Then 1 waitress walked by avoiding eye contact. We went to the bar to get a menu. One of the bartenders actually became our waitress. We ordered the Red beans and Rice… and the Crawfish étouffée. The Red beans and rice was fantastic, although way too much meat. it was difficult to get a spoonful of just beans. The étouffée just sucked… like a spicy brown bowl of soup with some crawfish in it. Each came with a tiny slice of French bread and were way overpriced at 12.95 each. Some good looking shrimp went by, some big burgers went by, but my meal sucked.

This little joint happened to be a block from my hotel. It had a great little Oyster Po’boy that came with a little souvenir to take home as well! Yep, you guessed it! There was a good sized pearl in my sandwich. Food was good, but this place was a one hit wonder for me.
The atmosphere was a little dated, but the tile flooring when you walk in, formed swatstikas show the age and history of the building.

Ernst Café is close to the convention center and has a wonderful, friendly staff that will go out of their way to make it a great dining experience! There is also a catering /​wedding venue that will give a 5 star experience! Enjoy the foods, drinks and outdoor dining!

This is obviously a very old, established restaurant on Fulton Street. The food is just ok. The menu is very limited. Outside of the bar area it is very cramped and narrow. There is great outside seating, but no tvs on game day to watch the game. The only thing that comes to mind when I think of this place is average.

Great place with awesome people! Food is good and drinks are even better. Bacon Bloody Mary, Breakfast Shot, and beer for the walk. Go here first!

Kitchen closed at 2 PM today. I was disappointed only because I REALLY wanted those nachos!

Iconic Stop For Any Bar Crawl in NOLA!
SITREP
The drinks are wonderfully tasty and strong: my usual Rum & Cokes and Jack & Cokes choices were full-​on fantastic here!
And being centrally located in downtown New Orleans, this spot is a great location for everyone to get together and meet at for Bar Craw Madness!
A SALOON IS BORN
Originally founded by three (3) brothers — John, William and Charles Ernst — Ernst Café has been locally owned and operated for more than 100 years, and Ernst Café is a premier saloon meeting the needs of customers with a touch of fun & «nostalgic class».
From the civil war, through prohibition, and up to today, this location has always managed to be a successful place of business and is an icon New Orleans history. It’s history is a tapestry of great American commerce:
* Built in 1851 – 52 by Evariste Blanc, the building where Ernst Café is now located is an iconic pre-​civil war architecture in the warehouse district.
* In 1859, Schneider & Wise Grocers occupied the building and also used it as a private residence, because at that time the building had two separate addresses.
* In 1902, Schneider & Wise sold the building to the Ernst brothers since they wanted to open a Saloon.
And the rest is history as Ernst Café has fully become a historical tradition in NOLA.
HISTORICAL HICCUPS
And what about that floor tile décor, eh?
SWASTIKA — OR ACTUALLY «REVERSE”-SWASTIKA, TO BE FAIR
And yet it should be noted the floor tiles were placed here at the dawn of the 20^th Century in 1902 when der Fuehrer was still a teenager before the rise of National Socialism and the subsequent perversion of this symbol: the mosaic tile floor actually depicts the ancient «Symbol For Peace» dating back more than 10,000 years. As Ernst Café shares, «It can be found in many places around the world such as; the gates of the Great Wall of China, the Pyramids in Egypt, and ancient Aztec Indian sites.»
The American Indians also used it. In fact, I actually found it at the «Mission of the Sacred Heart» near Coeur d’Alene, Idaho where the icon is a symbol of peace for Native Americans on their treaty items, such as this peace belt from the early 1800s:
Ce la vie.
THE LOWDOWN
Ernst Café is a fantastic stop on any trek through NOLA. Prepare to have your mind *BLOWN* by the most amazing crafted cocktail drinks — and by some crazy twists on historical icons. ;)

Great little place on the corner that is open until 7 am. We were wandering back to the hotel from the casino and decided to grab one more drink. We left 3 or 4 hours later…

This was my last meal in NOLA after a 6 day stay and it was extremely disappointing. I sat at a high-​top table near the bar in clear view of the bartender/​server so I would have thought I would have gotten good service, but it didn’t turn out that way.
I ordered the Grilled Shrimp Po’Boy with Sweet Potato Fries. The sandwich had about 8 shrimp on it plus shredded lettuce and pickles. There was no sauce on it and the shrimp didn’t even have much flavor by themselves. The server didn’t return until I had eaten almost all of my fries before I could ask for a sauce. I asked for a remoulade or cocktail sauce and the server returned with cocktail sauce. Unfortunately, it didn’t help the sandwich much as the bread was super dry.
My drink sat empty for several minutes and I finally had to take my cup up to the bar to ask for a refill.
The place has a lot of character, which I love in a restaurant, but for $ 12, there are better Po’Boys to be had at other places and with much better service.

Went there for a break between parades. Amazing red beans + rice, delicious, creamy and heavy!!! Food came out on time, nice and hot…
However our waitress took almost 20min to bring us our check, a bit ridiculous… Either way, I would def go back.

Cute little spot away from the madness! $ 7 12 0z Absolute Bloody Mary’s! Perfect pre lunch appetizer! The boyfriend said the Crawfish Nachos were good… But he’s no foodie! Lol. Menu looks yummy & so does food coming out of the kitchen!

My coworker and I came here and had a great time! Great beer selection and happy hour till 7:00. Our server, Gracie, was very charismatic and fun, we pretty much tried everything she recommended.
Started with the Fried Green Tomatoes, these were very crispy, nice big tomato pieces, could have used more shrimp, but what was there was very well seasoned and tasty!
I had the Crawfish Étouffée, it was very good! The spices and flavors were great, nice and thick, lots of crawfish, ate every drop.
My coworker had the shrimp poyboy, and a side of Crawfish Monica. he enjoyed it. Recommend it with tarter sauce and smokey hot sauce. The bread was great, not too crusty, a little chew to it. The Crawfish Monika had great flavor and was a great hearty dish for a cold day,
For dessert we had the bread pudding, with ice cream. Again we ate every drop! Great bread pudding
Overall a very nice place for dinner or lunch, especially if on a budget!

The OYSTER PO-​BOY was plain, no sauce. Greasy. Bread was plain as well.
The FRIED GATOR BITES were too salty, in my opinion.
Service was good, but lack professionalism.

This is our trivia bar Tuesdays at 7:30 (Geeks Who Drink). While everything here is pretty good, nothing is really great:
1. Best thing on the menu might be the crawfish nachos, but I’m biased towards nachos. Regardless they’re delicious.
2. Other notables are the chicken sandwich and bread pudding for dessert.
3. Good beer selection, yet they always seem to be out of a lot.
4. The wait staff here seems very inattentive. It’s always a struggle to place our order, get refills, get our check, etc. orders have frequently been wrong.
It’s your pretty run of the mill place, probably wouldn’t come back much if it wasn’t for trivia. 3 stars!

Terrence provided excellent service when we stopped by on Saturday night. We didn’t have any beer or drinks but the food was great.
To start we had the southwestern rolls and mozzarella sticks, both good. For entrees we had the buffalo salad, the blackened shrimp po-​boy with a side of red beans and rice and also the grilled fish platter. The shrimp and red beans and rice was some of the best we’ve had.
Thank you!!!

Time for an update… been 2 years give or take since my last visit here… stopped in after the Unilocal Elite event on 2÷11÷13 along with some of my favorite people… started out about 6 of us but the group grew to 10+ while we were there…
Nothing much has changed, the interior still has the old school pub vibe and we pretty much had the joint to ourselves until right before we left around midnight…
This time in I went with the «Classic Roast Beef» poboy while I recall Steve I. went with the Boss Tenders, Vicky L. went with gumbo and some type of egg roll thing and can’t remember what Michelle B ordered up for herself… heard no complaints about the food but heard no rave reviews either… as to my poboy the bread was crispy and tender chewy but it wasn’t «wet» enough… the roast beef itself was tasty but the overall dryness detracted from the dining experience… not sure if the bread soaked up the juice or there just wasn’t any put on it… either way made for an average eat…
However we rolled in around 9ish maybe closer to 10 PM and the kitchen closes at 10 so be warned… but the server Eddi was outstanding let us know and made sure our dining experience was the best it could be… My thoughts on the food offerings from my original review still hold after this visit… plus all beer still bottles only, NO draft options… I was doing the well scotch with water and the pour was excellent and at $ 4 a drink I thought the price was reasonable…
So to recap, the food ain’t gonna blow you away but it’s tasty and filling, the prices on booze were reasonable and overall there are better options but this place is still A-​OK in my book…

There I was admiring the tile floors, not really noticing that there are a hella lotta swastikas up in there… I took a pic, commented that I loved the floors and uploaded. Within seconds I had a bunch of comments, «Hitler’s clubhouse» and the like. Mea Culpa. I then noticed the plaque to the side explaining the original peaceful meaning of the swastika. I’m not saying it’s right or wrong. But I had to deal with all of this before I even had a drink.
Food/​Drink:
I didn’t try more than a couple fries here (which are very, very delicious as fries often are), and had several glasses of red wine, a Pinot Noir, if I recall correctly, which at $ 8 bucks a glass seems kind of steep considering the bartender who seemed on the whole clueless about what reds they had. Never a good sign. I wasn’t sure if I’d be served days old swill or what. It was definitely decent. Not $ 8 decent considering I could stop in a nice hotel bar nearby and pay around the same.
I dig the overall old timey pub atmosphere, with all the tin and tiles and wood. The crowd, well, I can’t really place my finger on any kind of «type» per se. I saw a decent variety of ages and locals and tourists alike. Definitely an after work kind of vibe going.
Verdict? If in the Fulton St. area, I wouldn’t *not* stop in here on a Friday night… Especially considering the alternatives a little ways up in the Warehouse District. *shudder* But I wouldn’t go out of my way to come here either.