Mardi Gras Zone

My deep cover research on Mardis Gras Zone is that it was designed by the surrealist painter Salvador Dali during the time in his life when he was manic but yet perhaps slightly more organized. He may have been on some kind of amphetamine stimulant which allowed him the semi-​mental clarity to be semi-​organized just enough to place many off brand semi-​products on shelves into store aisles. But of course, .he was still Salvador Dali after all so that explains the bizarre random order of the products on those shelves.
Take the metal spiral staircase on your right side to the upstairs and you will find a bizarre collection of kitchen products. Ummmm. and some tools. Ummm… and some Coleman propane fuel canisters for stoves and lanterns. And also Coleman lanterns. And directly underneath those you will find some paperback Webster’s Dictionaries should you need to learn new words if the power ever goes out during a hurricane. That’s just the tip of the iceberg here folks.
Upstairs on the other side is the rows and rows of Mardis Gras beads, hats, masks, feather boas and yes… «Elect Mitt Romney» straw cowboy hats in case you need those. I thought about grabbing the hat, a Mardis Gras mask and a pink feather boa to do some retro campaigning but in one of my better personal decisions I elected not to do so. I did seriously consider the Bozo the Clown Mardis Gras beads too but then I remembered that I hate clowns so I did not get them. You can get some Cool St. Patty’s Day swag and beads here so load up if that’s yo thang !
The fresh produce here looks decent and the pizza is a very popular item. These pizza slices are the size of an actual elephant ear so the portions are generous. They got snacks, cold beer, candy, po-​boy sandwiches and just about anything else you could ever want ! In fact they also have quite a few more things that you don’t want too but on any return trip you could always change your mind.
The next time I drop in at the Mardis Gras Zone, I may decide to pick up a few young hipster chick bicyclists in their black shorts and black fishnet stockings. They seem simple enough to acquire in terms of availability although I am fairly certain that like many other types of «exotic pets» that they are quite difficult to maintain and keep in captivity. Be advised.
But if you are in the neighborhood then I HIGHLY recommend that you should stop by for a visit to the Mardis Gras Zone. There is no telling what you might see or experience here. Kind of like the Twilight Zone. Except for Mardis Gras. Or somethin’.
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Fair warning: I was in starvation nation when I found myself here, so keep that in mind when you are reading this.
OH MY GOD THIS MIGHT BE THE BEST PIZZA I HAVE EVER EATEN!!!
Okay, now that I got that out of my system– we stopped into this neighborhood convenience store on the hunt for a snack. This place has a little bit of everything, like others have said. It’s a spot where you can «make groceries», if you are in a pinch.
They have a pretty good selection of fresh pizza and I decided to get the feta and spinach one, because it looked really good. You get a huge slice of pizza and mine was so big that I had to actually fold it and eat it sandwich style. It’s not the very best pizza I have ever had, but it had been a long evening and I was thankful for it. It did have a lot of flavor and was really good, especially considering that this place is basically just a hole in the wall.
Would I return? Sure, why not?

This place confused the hell out of me. Why do you have an 18 pack of jumbo crayons but no scotch tape? Rows of coolers with funky tea drinks but no Gatorade. One woman asked me where the band-​aids were, she couldn’t find them anywhere, and I said I had no idea, but did she think they had any dry shampoo? Inexplicably, they also have pizza and a nice selection of those over-​sized saint candles.
It’s like someone’s kooky aunt Bea and her rambunctious nephew are in charge of the inventory. Convenient location and hours though, so I guess all in all it’s sort of endearing.

This place is a lot larger than I thought it would be on the inside.
The food that was cooking smelled delicious. They are fully stocked with an unbelievable number of cold drinks. Ice teas, colas, energy drinks, coffee, water, many of which I’ve never even heard of before.
This is a fantastic place to find spices.
On the way out, when you are paying for your purchase, you will be tempted to buy a cookie or 3. Do it. They are wonderful and fresh.

A crazy mix of pizza spot/​convenience store/​healthy grocery store and deli.
Amazing vegetarian options like veggie jambalaya and veggie lasagna, and yummy (giant) hoagies. There are a few seats to eat at or you can take it to go.
Great staff. We were visiting for the weekend, and I really wish I had this store near us at home!

Lots of drinks to pick from, and this is where you can get your organic quinoa, for those of you who are into that. It’s 24 hours, which means a lot when it’s 3am and you are out of something essential. But also the prices are… umm…how shall I say? Bizarre. Who in their right mind is going to pay $ 2.49 for a few ounces of yogurt? I don’t care if it IS in a cute little glass jar. The Dr. Bronner’s soap is the right price, and the naan is half the price of other places. The pre-​made mixers for alcoholic drinks? They were looking somewhat elderly, I wouldn’t have used them.

Extremely overpriced grocery store. I have heard its owner encourages transphobic staff and fires trans* staff. Well, I do not go there for it is too pricey and the quality is simply wal-​mart equivalent. nothing special but its location.

Great fod selection

They have some creative pizzas. $ 4 a slice fairly priced. Pretty much only good if it’s fresh tho.

Stopped to get pizza to go before going to wait in an hour and a half line to pick up Mardi Gras throws. Got 4 slices of pepperoni, a water, and a coke for the two of us. Pizza guy was friendly and cool. The store itself is very neat. Like a small grocery/​dept store/​Mardi Gras supply store. Little dirty.
The pizza itself was pretty good. But just a wee bit too greasy. Cashier guy seemed nice enough, but also like he was up to late the night before and kinda distant. We were satisfied tho.

I was so excited a 24 hour store was only a block away from my vacation rental. During the last five days of my nine day stay, I’d come in and get groceries and supplies every other day. The pizza was awesome too. On a Saturday night @ 2am, I went in with my boyfriend to get a couple slices of pizza. I wanted a soda and noticed they had a fountain soda machine. I got a small drink since it had TWO signs that said: «Free Refills.» I ate two slices of awesome pizza. Earlier that day, I came in to shop for groceries and spent about $ 40 bucks. After devouring the slices, I went in to get ANOTHER slice and even bought three cookies. I was munching away and decided to get a refill of soda. Then the dick of a staff member, some fat and bald loser, tells me that there is NO REFILLS on sodas. I tell him that the sign said on the fountain machine that there was free refills and I had no idea. He checks the machine and tells me that someone must have ripped the NO part of the sign. He then mumbled something. After finishing up, we leave and thank everyone. But the dick staff member yells at us as we’re heading to the door. He demands we pay for the drink refill. I notice the sign is finally removed from the machine. My boyfriend tells the staff about another guy who got another refill (apparently a local who knows the owner) and the dick staff tells us «Don’t worry about that guy.» He literally fights us for a fucking refill on a small soda and tells us that if he doesn’t charge us, then 30 others would get it for free. Um, free for your mistake on your signs?!
We pay… via credit card since that was all we had. And after he struggles to run our card for FIFTY FUCKING CENTS and we pay, we leave after spending over $ 60 bucks that entire day in the store.
Seriously?! What kind of lameness is that? Well, they definitely lost my business. I’m going to walk the extra three blocks to go to a store that treats their customers better than that.

Amazing staff, the kindest owner on the planet… I wouldn’t wish my neighborhood corner store to be owned by anyone other than Mr. Benny Naghi (and no one paid me to say that — I’ve never even met him face to face). He feeds the community free on Monday nights — do you see the big chain stores doing that (hint: nope).? I hear consistently how he helps out the community, which means I know there’s more that I don’t hear about. I’ve seen him working just as hard (if not harder) than his employees, and he seems so warm and genuinely interested in taking care of his patrons. From a neighborhood resident’s perspective, I can REALLY appreciate that.
I wish I knew more of the staff’s names — that one guy with brown hair who’s been there forever is always so friendly and kind to my wife and I, and Barbara who makes pizza is just fantastic and always willing to help. The old out-​of-​tune piano upstairs is fantastic. The selection of Zapps and Big Shot sodas are what make me feel like home. Their products cater to the neighborhood consistently. Their deli lasagna is absolutely fantastic — both the meat and veggie. The weekly cake selection is excellent. The jambalaya is great. The Alfredo is great.
If I had to complain about something? Their coffee is never strong enough for me. Sometimes there’s a pizza guy there in a cowboy hat who really needs to smile more. I stopped getting pizza when he works just because he always looks grumpy — I’m sure he’s a great guy. Sometimes the already-​made pizza has been sitting out too long but it’s still SOOO tasty. Anyway — this store IS New Orleans. If you’re reading a review I’m assuming you’re thinking of going? Go. Don’t blink. Go. :)

I am in LOVE with this joint. Everything about it. The selection of healthy food is insane! The deli is delicious. So many drinks and snacks. But my favorite? The pizza! I was embarrassed to say it was some of the best pizza I’ve ever had because I assumed it was a frozen crust type deal. But then I noticed them kneading the crusts behind the counter as well as their brick oven. It’s a must to have a slice if you visit!

Firstly, I must say that over the years the employees have been pretty stellar — eccentric, no doubt, but genuine. Yeah, it’s over-priced…but this jernt falls under the genre of whole-​foodian convenience store. Meaning organic but almost laughing in the face of what is a reasonable price.
Seriously, this place does serve a good purpose for those who don’t have anywhere to go on a holiday (many do take a plate dinner from the deli). And I do feel a pull to get a coffee there on occasion.
Yeah, the inventory isn’t consistent… nor are the prices. But in the off-​chance I happen to hear someone playing the piano upstairs or read a really interesting flyer on the bulletin board, it is worth the while.

For late night slices this place is not just the only option but it is pretty solid. Sometimes they have vegan /​gluten free options as well. When your hungry at 1−2 – 3−4am it’s a great place to get a bite.

This shop does not honor the prices on the items. I had a manager take several items from me at checkout telling me that they were wrongly priced. She said that several other items were also wrongly priced, but she would let them go since she doesn’t like them.
Both the items had printed, laminated signs advertising the prices as marked.
I don’t know what kind of scam they are running, but be smart and stay away.

I’ve been hearing about the amazing MG Zone for years. And I finally stopped in last month. I can see why the neighborhood folks love it. This shop really does sell a little bit of everything. Fancy canned goods, basic dog food, prepared foods, veg-​friendly stuff, it’s all there.
Yes I can see that some stuff may age out on the shelf, but really what grocery exists where you don’t have to check the expiration dates.
I enjoyed my perusal and I did feel like a tourist in a strange land… And then I headed back to my part of town which evidently hoards all the grocery stores so the rest of the city can’t have any.

I would give them 4 or 5 stars because they’re open ²⁴⁄₇ and they have a lot of organic produce and stuff, but they also have some problems that really irk me.
Problems:
1. Mardi Gras Zone is often out of a lot of different things, like Lilly’s Hummus, any type of Pita Bread, almond milk, and many other products.
2. They sell a lot of Sabra Hummus, which is co-​owned by the Strauss Group, an Israeli food company that according to its Web site provides financial support to the Golani brigade, part of Israel’s military force. Essentially, it’s a Zionist product that many people, myself included, boycott.
3. They don’t use energy efficient lightbulbs in many places throughout the store, like the bathroom, which is not just bad for the environment but it’s a dumb long-​term spending move because those things use ¼th the energy and could save lot of overhead in the long term.

I read a few of the reviews and I am a bit annoyed.
Let’s start out with the name.
Originally Margi Gras Zone WAS just a Mardi Gras supplier. Then hurricane Katrina came around. The owner, Benny, drove around the city (and as far as I can tell, the state) buying all the food and water he could find and was GIVING it away to the residents of the Marigny and Bywater. Honestly, if it weren’t for Benny, many would not be alive today. After that, he kept food in stock.
Let’s talk prices. The prices are a bit expensive, BUT after doing some comparison shopping, many of the items he carries are only available at Whole Foods and specialty shops. When you find the same items elsewhere, the prices are comparable with a little mark up. But to be fair, I have a real fondness for Short bread, and they have ACTUAL british short bread.
HOWEVER, with this specific location, you have many other options. If you want cheap, low quality food stuffs, there is a dollar general 5 blocks away.
As for the pizza. It is tasty with good ingredients. But as with all pizzas, it’s a matter of personal taste. Their crust is hearty, with a good weight to it. The sauce has tang to it. If you like a chicago deep dish or a california style pizza, then this is not for you.
The Deli and Salad Bar that people have complained about. I have never had any issues with the deli… Every time I have eaten the deli food it has been hot and fresh (and I go at WEIRD hours, so it’s not that I am there during the lunch rush). As for the salad bar, I am surprised that people complain about it… The french market is a 15 minute walk from this location and has fresh produce daily… buying a salad bar at a corner grocery is a bit like buying gas station sushi — in restrospect… it’s never a good idea…
They have an amazing cheese selection, they cold drink isle is… well… pretty much awesome (everything from real ginger beer, to coca-​cola, to energy drinks to bigshot sodas), lots of organics… AND they will do requests… if you ask, they will order items for you.
In closing — this shop is a gem. Wonderful atmosphere, a taste of new orleans, and an owner that really cares.

Don’t punch me for saying, «Only in New Orleans.» (You don’t have to drink a shot or buy me a beer either). Once a Mardi Gras store/​bead warehouse, it’s now so much more.
Like a grocery store, a health food store and food court too!
Don’t worry, you can still get your beads and the like on the upstairs mezzanine (I haven’t made it up there yet, so I can’t comment as to selection and prices). But now you can also get soy milk! And kitty litter! And Maca and Spirulina! (These are all things I did or will buy). There are also outside food vendors setting up shop because this place is that big. I doubt their hours are 24 like the rest of the store, but don’t quote me on that.
I came here because I had heard that the Superfood Bar had set up shop recently and I was jonesing for a maca smoothie or a cacao shake or an avocado smoothie. I think it felt akin to ‘roid rage when I was told that Superfood had left the building. Thankfully, they left behind some of their products (the aforementioned jars of Spirulina and Maca) and the kind lady behind the counter pointed out they also sell goji berries, raw nuts and energy bars and the like. Oh and the Superfood products are 10% off for now, so I can’t complain (I got my smoothie fix today when I went Uptown).
I look forward to updating this review when I can make a list of more strange juxtapositions! The store is an oxymoron masterpiece waiting to happen…