Kenton’s Restaurant

Yum. We went for dinner recently, and really enjoyed our meal.
Loved the oysters and the other small plates. My entrée was cooked perfectly.
The only downside was the wait. I think we waited about 30 minutes past the time of our reservation. It seemed everyone else was in a similar situation and as a result the bar was particularly crowded.
Definitely worth a try on a not so crowded night.

Fine dining in New Orleans is treacherous business. Misleading Unilocal reviews or over-​reliance on restaurant quality based on «tradition» represent serious pitfalls to any eater in the city. Neither of these are an issue for Kenton’s.
Upon entering, I was greeted by a friendly hostess, who led me by a beautiful charcoal rendering of an airborne vista of a by-​gone Mississippi River scene. The décor is elegant (though the over-​reliance on horse themes speaks to daring and perhaps unsettling equine fantasies), and though the restaurant is small, the seating arrangements and decoration open up the space.
The bar menu is almost everything in terms of the range and quality of fine bourbons in stock. On several occasions the bartenders have preven themselves to be innovative and knowledgeable about their craft. You’ll find some of the highest quality cocktails in city at a most agreeable price. I’m a fan of their Boulevardier, though the campari may not be to everyone’s liking.
Having sampled both lunch and dinner at the establishment, I can certainly attest to the high quality of both. Reviewers seem to take issue with portions at the establishment, but I found them to be more than adequate, especially if enjoying a multi-​course meal. Served with caviar and jalapeño, the crab cakes are impeccably seasoned and undeniably local. The smoked drum mousse was unlike seafood dish I have experienced, both in terms of complex flavor and texture. The whole hog pasta combined the best aspects of each part of the pig, from creamy and smokey shoulder meat to the luxurious bone broth. I’ve primarily stuck to the small plates through my visits, but I’ve heard nothing but good things about the entrees as well.
Overall, Kenton’s is a welcome relief to the Uptown culinary scene that either leans upon the crutch of tradition or attains to be so chic that you’re not even really sure what you’re eating.

What an eventful Valentine’s Day brunch it was!
My gf and I arrived about 10 minutes before our reservation time and went to the bar to have a drink while we waited for our table. Both the hostesses and the bartenders were very welcoming and very pleasant. I ended up getting the Bourbon Royale at the bar. It reminded me of a French 75 but with bourbon. It was very good; a little different but good.
The bar menu is fantastic. All of the different bourbon cocktails that they have to offer is going to get me in trouble one day haha.
One of the first things that I noticed when I walked in was the décor of the restaurant. It made me feel like I was in an old farmhouse; kinda like my Grandma’s.
We were say down at our table we were greeted once again by a very nice waiter. He answered all of our questions and took our food and drink order.
Then the EVEN happened… While we were sitting there waiting on our food to come out a gentleman behind us yelled out for someone to call 911. I turned back and a man was laying back passed out on the floor.
The staff was very quick to respond. They called 911 and moved people from the area and the manger (I’m assuming; a young brunette woman) stayed with the two gentlemen during the whole situation. It could have gone so many awful ways but thankfully everything was ok and settled down after 15 – 20 minutes.
I was stuck in a corner during all this and the manger came over to me numerous times to check and see if I was ok.
Then after all this we were sat back down and our food and drinks came out. They held our order so everything came out fresh.
I ended up having the smoked biscuit and eggs and it was phenomenal! It was warm and homey and quite satisfying.
I’ll be going here again for sure.

I think that this place has some definite kinks to work out. It’s in a great spot on Magazine St, and has beautiful curb appeal. I also really appreciate the history behind the name, and how it’s associated with New Orleans history.
The décor is beautiful. A cross between rustic and chic. We’ve been in twice and it’s not horrible, but in no way great.
First time, we came in for a late lunch at 4:00pm. When we asked for a table for two, the waitress started to take us to our table, and told us the kitchen was closed. We paused and asked, «So you’re not serving food at all?» She responded that they were only serving drinks and raw oysters. Even though we love oysters, we were hugely for more than just that, so we decided to go elsewhere. We found it to be frustrating that they didn’t offer up that information right away, and also that we had to practically drag the information out of them. If the kitchen is closed, then please tell us, and let us know what you do have!
Second time, we came for Sunday brunch. The staff was friendly, and we were seated immediately. The restaurant was pretty empty and the waiter was nice, but he forgot what we ordered and had to come back to the table and ask us twice.
The brunch menu wasn’t brunch. It consisted of 2 egg sandwich options, a waffle option, and then some lunch items like pulled pork over crispy grits, and ribs. The issue was that when I think of brunch, I think about being able to have a few different things to eat, from a fairly wide variety of options. In the case of Kenton’s, you get a choice of entrees and that’s it. There are side dishes that you can add on, but that’s it. No omelette, no pancakes, not even eggs and bacon!
My husband ordered the fried green tomato egg sandwich. It came with crispy fingerling potatoes, and was very good. It was really, really heavy and rich though.
I ordered the pulled pork over crispy grits and Brussel sprout leaves. The pulled pork was really sweet. Too sweet. The crispy grits were not crispy at all. There was a gravy poured over them, which made them soft and soggy and didn’t complement the dish at all. The Brussel sprout leaves were exactly that– little leaves sprinkled on top. Everything on the plate was so rich and heavy, I was craving a vegetable or something to lighten it up, and the Brussel sprout leaves were a tiny garnish that didn’t do the trick.
In the end, it was so rich that I left feeling sick. For our 2 dishes, a glass of orange juice (which was fresh-​squeezed and very good, but small), and an iced tea, our bill was $ 55! That, to me, seems extremely overpriced for what we got. The food wasn’t bad at all, but there are definitely some things that could have been done better.
We have no interest in coming back.
It’s a beautiful restaurant, but the service is super average and the dishes are too rich, with no greens, and very small.

I think this may be my new favorite spot in New Orleans. Not only had I not known about uptown (classy, clean, less touristy), but this place has I all.
The wine list is short but interesting. I’m seeing a theme in Nola and that is to serve their red wine at room temperature. This is a big of an issue since their room temperature is warmer than it should be served. My bartender was cool though and got me a fresh bottle from the cellar. Problem solved.
I only tried a few things, but what I did try was outstanding. Their grilled oysters and lamb carpaccio were light and had the flavor that will make me go back.
The restaurant itself has a cool, upscale but not pretentious feeling. There is also outside seating. I will be back to try more and to also explore that area.

This was an amazing place for brunch. The food, drinks, and interior design were top notch.
I had the grilled flatbread which consisted of smoked drum, sour cream, potatoes, capers, pickled onions, AND a fried egg. It was served on a beautiful wood block that contrasted the light colors of the food. The flavors all complimented each other with a tangy finish at the end with the onions.
I had a cocktail with bourbon, lime, habanero, and other fruit juices. It was a great choice to keep warm during the winter. The heat wasn’t over-​the-​top and allowed you to actually taste the sweetness of the habanero.
I personally enjoyed the design of the restaurant. It was very aesthetically pleasing with all the clean lines from the floor to the tables. It had a minimal feel to it but had plenty of pieces to hold your attention, like the beautiful marble bar and large hanging light fixtures.
Also, they have a solid list/​wall of bourbons.
5 stars all the way!

I like the vibe ad feel of this place. It’s new construction, so it feels light and airy. The people watching is good, too. Our drinks were awesome; I had the sparkling wine cocktail, the Kentucky Royal which was perfect — a nice tart touch with the cassis. We also had the Hound dog: grapefruit, honey, mint, ginger. lime. It was heavy on the juice and sugar and light on the alcohol. I also tasted the old fashioned which was the smoothest old fashioned I’d ever tasted. Bottom line, the drinks are great.
The food was OK, though generally too salty. We began with the red snapper tartare which was great — like a ceviche, with some heat to it. Next up was the raviolis with short rib filling. They come with some shoe string potatoes on top; I felt like that made the dish too rich, too over the top, though my partner liked it. Up next was the shrimp; they were delicious but the sauce, though it had excellent flavor, was too heavy. The grits are weird: the shape them into cubes and fry them, then serve them with thinly sliced ham. The were heavy and too salty. After four appetizers, we were full — the food is rich.
We didn’t get any cookies with our bill, but noticed that the tables next to us did. We mentioned it on the way out, and they apologized, and we asked for some to go. The cookies were a shortbread, which has a hint of savory in it which I don’t like, a round chocolate cookie that tasted like a nutty brownie (yum), and an amazing chocolate truffle.
The wheelchair accessible entrance is in the back. There were two bikes chained to the ramp and firewood at the top of the ramp. I was disappointed that there wasn’t a ramp in the front, too.

This is a great whiskey bar and restaurant,
The food was delicious and the drinks were great!
The service was a little on the slow side, but don’t think it was the waitress fault
We will definitely come back, great place to get together and have drinks and have a great meal!

It was literally terrible. Overpriced for poor quality food. Very disappointed such a prime spot of real estate ended up in the hands of these guys.
We live right near by so we were excited for a new place to open up, we were disappointed when it ended up being Kenton’s. I ordered the basic chef’s breakfast and everything was. bad! Nothing was hot, we were lucky to get warm at best. The potatoes were rock hard as was the bacon, the biscuit crumbled to nothing when I tried biting it. It was just no good. Even the water tasted terrible, it really felt like old dish water or a fish had just finished swimming in it.
Furthermore, the staff members were obnoxious and totally rude to us. Rarely refilled our water (even though it was bad, we had to wash down the food with it), gave us some snooty attitude and overall had no customer service skills.
In the end, this business is a horrible choice for such a prime spot on Magazine St with its poor food offering and horrid staff members. Stay away!

Oysters are not local and $ 3.45 each.
Caviar is from either choupique or garfish.
Mediocre service; little knowledge of the wine list, didn’t know of the fish-​of-​the-​day, etc.
The most memorable edible was the delicious homemade sweet bread as a complimentary bite.

I went back and forth on whether or not I should give this three or four stars. I enjoyed the ambiance. The staff was great. The drinks were good. The price… well let’s just say the other pros outweighed the cons which led to a four-​star rating.
I’d go back. I’d probably want to see more appetizers. All in all, it was a great night with five friends that all had the same comments.

I went back and forth on whether or not I should give this three or four stars. I enjoyed the ambiance. The staff was great. the drinks were good. The price… well let’s just say the other pros outweighed the cons which led to a four star rating.
I’d go back. I’d probably want to see more appetizers. All in all, it was a great night with five friends that all had the same comments.

Mixed feelings. Friendly staff, nice dining rooms and inventive menu but just too many negatives.
We started with a glass of wine and a martini. A very small pour for the price and a lukewarm martini. The wine list is large and varied but seriously overpriced. We ordered a bottle when our friends arrived. After the initial pour it disappeared and was offered again after entrees were served, despite empty glasses. Water was lukewarm and ice hard to come by.
Starters were very good. Beet and satsuma salads, quail and fried oysters all met with approval. Rolls were served when we sat down, got cold and a board and were never refreshed.
Mains were good, but the selection was small. The chicken under a brick was ordinary and under seasoned. Seafood choices were better.
Considering the high prices and lackluster service we will not return. Too many great restaurants in NOLA.

Pleadsant, contemporary atmosphere. Great selection
Of Bourbon cocktails. Sidewalk dining available. Service attentive and helpful. Food was artfully presented and prepared. BI had grilled pompano and thought the sauce overwhelmed the fish. Tasty, but a little overpowering. A pleasant neighborhood dining experience, but not exceptional. I heard the heavy thump
Of a head office influencing the place. Almost too well put together attempt at a bistro. I will go here again, but not a destination
Restaurant yet. Bit has the potential if they lighten
Up
The sauce balance and relax s little on food and atmosphere.

I expected a good selection of whiskey from all that I had read about Kenton’s. What I didn’t expect was such excellent food. I had the sheepshead dish, which has a bourbon peanut sauce on it that would make you weep with joy. My friend had the pork, which was so tender she simply used a fork. The snapper tartare was a refreshing and perfect appetizer, and the flatbread with Brussels sprouts and feta was fabulous. We were treated to nice little lagniappes throughout the meal – cheese balls in the beginning, a refreshing tangerine palate cleanser after the main course, and a tray of sweets at the end that included bourbon chocolate balls.
Thea, the manager, was attentive to the whole crowd, visiting each table and welcoming guests as we entered the restaurant. The staff was super attentive and friendly, making this restaurant experience one that felt comfortable, yet elegant. A beautiful neighborhood restaurant where you’re likely to run into a lot of people you know in New Orleans.

Went here for a late lunch! It was very good! I was worried at first because I’m allergic to shellfish and the menu was limited for me, but everything I tried was delicious! Highly recommend the brick chicken! I was stuffed when I left (I got the three course lunch special).
Our waitress was good. Service was a little slow but nothing more than is expected down south. I noticed a lot of the reviews complained about the services. Our bill was wrong but easily fixed! I guess check your bill!

Went to Kenton’s on a weeknight for a private work event. We had a large group (over 30 people) so we were put in the private room– it was a tight squeeze. The rest of the restaurant is adorable– dimly lit, booths with leather seating, and a very nice long bar. My friend had come with her husband, previously, and said she was able to enjoy appetizers and drinks at the bar.
For dinner, they offered our event a prix fixed menu with options for an appetizer, entrée, and dessert featuring a few dishes from their main menu. Before the appetizers, they brought whole wheat bread, which I was skeptical about, but ended up absolutely loving. For dinner, I had the grilled flatbread with brussel sprouts and feta (appetizer), gulf red snapper (entrée), and chocolate mint tart (dessert). The grilled flatbread was delicious. The brussel sprouts on top were crispy and flavorful. The gulf red snapper was well cooked and placed on bed of squash spaghetti, which had a nice texture. I also had the opportunity to try the fried oysters, which were good as well. And I had a bite of the chicken under a brick, which was a little too salty for my taste. The appetizers were medium sized and all seemed good to share. The entrees were also well-​sized and none of us left hungry (I ended up packing half of my red snapper to go).
Overall, I was impressed with the quality of the food, especially given the size of our party. Regarding service– they did the best they could given the large size of our party. The servers were attentive and overall very friendly. The food was timed poorly, with long wait times in between courses, but I am happy they did not compromise the quality of the food in order to serve is more quickly!

Uptown’s newest up end restaurant. Convenient location with nice clean décor. Unfortunately the price is uppity and so is the waiter’s attitude.
The food was creative. I ordered the grits and they made the grits into a tofu like square. The taste was unique and creamy. The portions are on the small side.
The selection was also small with about a paragraph of food and the rest of the menu was drinks.
Service was on the snooty side. I wasn’t sure if it was just our waiter or the general vibe but then several other staff gave us attitude. Nobody was blatantly rude but more so they gave us and the tone. Which sounds like a crazy ex lovers line but when you feel it you know it.
Price
Their oysters were $ 2.25 each in a city with fresh 50 cent oysters. I felt a bit ridiculous. Be prepared to pay around 20 dollars for food and 10 $ for drinks. Which would not be bad prices if the portions weren’t so small.

Don’t be fooled by the shiny new façade of this new construction… Kenton’s, a newly opened American a Whiskey bar, is the super sexy new it spot in Nola apparently! The owners have a several successful restaurants & bars in New York & Brooklyn… This place definitely has a refined/​cosmopolitan New York vibe to it. I don’t really drink whiskey, but I also really like the concept of a specialty place. There is an impressive selection of whiskey here ! I was really impressed with how much I enjoyed the the whiskey cocktails (they serve wine as well). I loved the hound dog — it was like a whiskey Paloma.
We went to Kentons with intentions of only having cocktails, but the food was so appetizing, we tried 2 appetizers– the fried oysters & the Brussels flat bread. Both were enjoyed by everyone at the table. I’m eager to come back for dinner. I Definitely recommend reservations — even if you are coming for cocktails with more than 2 people. This place was packed!

We had brunch at Kenton’s a couple weeks after they opened. Other than the smallest of missteps, the food and staff seemed like seasoned pros. Perhaps not surprising, as the husband and wife team own a whiskey bar and a tapas place in NYC.
First off, the restaurant design is stunning. A gorgeous marble bar runs along the length of the restaurant and showcases the 150+ whiskeys. A multi-​panel graphite on glass drawing divides the bar from the dining area. Brilliant daylight shines through the large windows.
A proper New Orleans brunch demands booze, and Kenton’s delivered. They have an impressive bourbon selection, even Pappy 12 and 15… though they supposedly just ran out when we tried to order it. I’m more of a cocktail gal, so I got a Bourbon Bloody Mary and loved the smoothness.
Our table got the Island Creek Oysters to start. If you like briny, cold-​water oysters, these were particularly good.
I had a Citrus Glazed Donut. They serve it as an appetizer. Hell yes — delicate sugary goodness with bright orange flavor.
My entrée was the Grits with Pulled Pork. I love Carolina pulled pork, and I was in heaven with Kenton’s extra vinegary version. The tang cut through the creamy grits and mornay sauce perfectly. And those greens! Omg take me back please.
I also tried some of the Chef’s Breakfast which is your standard eggs, bacon (house-​smoked), and potatoes. The star of the dish was the biscuit though.
The BISCUIT deserves its own mention. This was literally the flakiest biscuit I’ve had. There must have been a whole stick of butter in there. The inside was undercooked, but the outside was perfection. Perfection I say! Ask for the Black Pepper & Honey Butter. It takes it over the top. If you are on a diet, this is worth breaking it for. Seriously.
Even in it’s opening weeks I was very impressed with Kenton’s and can’t wait to go back to New Orleans to try them for dinner.

We went in for dinner not too long after Kenton’s opened and they did not disappoint. Even with a packed house, the likes of which few new restaurants experience, it was an excellent experience.
We had fun with the cocktail menu, ordering a mix of the bourbon offerings they emphasize. There is something for everyone, personally I love a classic Manhattan, but the Bourbon Fever was great if you like a little effervescence in your drink.
For the table: Lamb Carpaccio — it came with a nice yogurt sauce and arugula and I could have had four plates of that with some bread, two more manhattans, and gone home happy.
App: Smoked Drum Mousse — We felt a little guilty leaving some on the table, it was a rich and deliciously smokey and topped in caviar, can that ever be a bad thing? We were simply concerned we’d run out of room for entrees. A table of four would clear it without issue.
We split a Pompano in chilled tomato broth, and the roast pork shoulder with butter beans, both entrees were great, the Pompano in broth was the rockstar for us. The contrast in temperatures was enjoyable and it brought a ton of clean crisp flavor to the table, it was light and filling at the same time.
We ordered the peanut butter cheese cake, I must say I didn’t recognize it as cheesecake when it hit the table, the presentation is really fun. Paired with an apple sorbet the whole thing comes together nicely, I rarely get through my share of a split dessert but I held my own on this one, there may have been a fork duel (thanks manhattans).
Overall I would say Kenton’s did an amazing job, as they grow and settle into their new space I think everyone in Uptown is going to find they have a new neighborhood favorite.

I enjoyed my brunch. Was it adventurous and different? No. But it was filling and not bad. I would however prefer a Satsuma breakfast plate over the traditional breakfast I had at Kenton’s. That being said, my girlfriend got the grits with pulled pork and it was actually really really good.
Also the décor and atmosphere is really nice, very comfortable. However the service was mediocre. The waiter literally just asked what we wanted and that was the entirety of our interaction.
In the end I probably won’t be back, there are just so many brunch spots that I’d rather spend my ~$ 30 somewhere else.

I had a wonderful time at Kentons. The restaurant excels on both the dining experience and the food.
The restaurant itself is quite beautiful, and feels both grand and intimate. The luminous charcoal on smoked glass paintings that line the middle of the room are some of the most amazing things I have ever seen. They evoke both an old and a new New Orleans. It would be worth it to come here for an appetizer and a cocktail just to look at them.
I found the food very good. I left full. I stuck with mostly seafood, and it was all very well cooked, moist, flavorful. I had an appetizer, an entrée, and a dessert. I had a wonderful cocktail to start, and I found their wine list to be interesting. The host picked a light Italian red that matched perfectly with the seafood.
I read one review commenting that the portions were small, but I did not find that at all. The portions were a perfectly normal size. I know people value different things in restaurants, but I always prefer a place that has good size portions of high-​quality, over those NOLA places that just try to make you happy by glooping a bunch of stuff on your plate.
I eat out very often, two or three times a week, at restaurants at this price point. I remember this place for its décor and it’s food, and I would go back.

The hype is real, the décor gorgeous, the drinks incredible, the food is beautiful but blah.
I went in with high hopes, actually, I was expecting a great meal.
I was disappointed.
The flavor is missing en toto. Bland, bland, bland… even the desserts lack zing.
The portions are ridiculously small. It would take four appetizers or small plates to feed one person. There is no way you can dine at Kentons without a three course meal… unless you intend to leave hungry.
Example: The Risotto stuffed pasta with fried okra is an appetizer that sells for $ 14. When it arrived, there were tiny two pieces of pasta, a few greens, and 4 slices of okra… the tiny bowl was about ½ cup of food. The sauce tasted like plain butter and olive oil.
The roasted oysters arrive on an oyster plate with indentations to serve 6 oyster shells, you receive four with ¹⁄₃ of the plate awkwardly bare. Worse, the roasted oyster special was oysters topped with white cream sauce and a teaspoon of chopped bacon, rendering each oyster to taste like a potato skin at a sports bar. The oyster itself was completely masked under this heavy topping.
The 6 entrees choices were four fish, one pork, one steak. Theses were equally small and nothing spectacular. I asked four other tables to rate the restaurant, the results, 5, 2, 4, and 6… out of 10. All said they would not return. My date said the same.
The smores desert was a small jar of chocolate similar to Nutella? with ½ an inch of melted marshmallow on top. This was accompanied with four tiny graham cracker cookies so chewy, they reminded me of digestive biscuits and hurt our teeth. No flavor there either, Nabisco would have been better, or at least sweet vice salty, chewy, and/​or stale.
Also the marshmallow should be in equal proportion to the chocolate.
The mint chocolate dessert was basically a sliver of girl scout cookie torte served with a few tablespoons of homed ice cream. It was fine, but bland. No one with ever crave a second helping.
Dinner for two splitting the fouroyster special, an appetizer each, an entrée each, and two desserts with cocktails was $ 165 before tip.
The bourbon cocktails are outstanding, as is the shucker. Credit where it is due.
I heard brunch was equally lackluster «bland» yankee food and my neighbors said they won’t return. $ 65for two for eggs, fried potatoes, a biscuit, and a stale donut appetizer?
Service is s.l.o.w.
Drinks take 15 minutes after seating. Second round also takes 15 minutes. The sweet hostesses seem confused and to have had no fine dining experience.
NOLA and Uptown have the best restaurants in the world. Why bother?