Mr B’s Bistro

Good service and good food. My filet mignon was like butter. My girlfriend’s shrimp and grits was awesome. The waiter even shared the restaurant’s recipe for their shrimp and grits. I’d recommend this place.

Still a top choice for dining in New Orleans. Service can be spotty now at times and food not as on point all the time while prices have risen on some entrees to almost a ridiculous level… but the charm and the past do bring with it, some laurels.
Not as regular a stop now but sitting at the bar chatting with folks from Houston, Ormond Beach, New York and Cleveland while sipping a Bloody Mary and having a Crabcake is still a fave pastime for me.
Bring back the free form ravioli with lump crab.

First meal in New Orleans, right after flying in from California. We were told wait would be 15 – 25 minutes for 3, at around 7:45 on a Tuesday night. Not bad, but we decided to sit at the bar cause we were starving.
Bartender was a little distant at first, but seemed to be the same with the others at the bar as well so we didn’t take it personally. Ended up warming up to us really nicely though. Chatted with some servers as they came to the bar to deliver food and they were all incredibly friendly. Complementary loaf of the lightest, fluffiest French bread.
I got the Seared Jumbo Scallops appetizer: $ 15. Came with a small salad. The scallops were delicious! Flavorful, tender, and cooked to perfected. Practically melted in the mouth. The order came with only 2, but they were huge as promised, and it was only an appetizer after all.
I decided I needed a little something more, and went with the Soup 1−1−1: $ 8.50; a combo of their three soups-​Gumbo Ya Ya (good, nothing extraordinary, had a little kick; the sausage didn’t have too much flavor), Seafood Gumbo (similar to the Gumbo Ya Ya; same kick, both had wild rice in it) and the Soup Du Jour (not exactly sure what it was; yellow-​golden color, rich, creamy flavor with shrimp). The Du Jour was the best of the 3, but the trio option was still nice. This came with a loaf of French bread as well.
Bistro Salad: $ 9. The vinaigrette was delightful, but the veggies weren’t anything special.
Soft Shell Crab: $ 34. Delicious! Looks deceptively brown and shriveled, but almost squirted juices as it was cut. Crab meat was soft; could’ve been less lightly breaded. The corn bed was perfect; creamy and flavorful, and went nicely with the loaf of French bread.
Two beers+tip brought the tab to $ 100.

Another great dinner here. Had the bacon wrapped shrimp and grits and these grits are still my favorite in the city! Duck spring rolls were rich but the perfect size for a starter. The sauce they came from was really good. Of course had the pecan pie again and it was just as good as I remembered. Excellent service and ambiance!

My friend and I decided to have lunch at Mr. B’s on Memorial Day. The atmosphere is moderately upscale. Fortunately for us, there was no long line or crowd, so we got seated immediately.
For the most part the servers were nice, however our waitress could have improved her customer service etiquette.
My first issue with the waitress began after I asked her to clean the bread crumbs from the table … (Side note: the bread is served from a bag, it’s light and crispy on the outside and airy on the inside… It tastes good but easily crumbles)
The waitress wiped the table but left a considerable amount of crumbs on the table … Afterward, the waitress called me a «neat freak», not once but twice … The neat freak comment was completely inappropriate.
Second, the waitress was unfamiliar with the menu. She did not seem to know whether or not the shrimp in the various dishes was deveined.
My third issue was with waiting 40 minutes for the crab cake appetizer. One crab cake is $ 18. The crab cake was actually good and savory, but it was disappointing waiting 40 minutes for one crab cake …
Our main course arrived about 15 minute after the crab cake.
I ordered the shrimp and angel hair pasta. The buttery taste overwhelmed the dish. Since the dish lacked acidity, I requested lemons from the waitress. The taste of the pasta was not a big deal … Nothing a little lemon juice couldn’t fix.
My fourth issue was with the waitress bringing the small cut lemons from the bar, instead of lemon wedges …
The lemon cuts were so small that I was unable to squeeze lemon juice from the lemons …
Overall, I wanted to enjoy Mr. B’s more than I did… I have no plans of returning.

We went to New Orleans for spring break 2016, and had a splendid time. It was my husband, myself, our 11 and 6 year old daughters. We did some great things (historical walking tour of St. Louis Cemetery, the World War II Museum, the Audubon Insectarium and Aquarium, etc) and ate at some wonderful places (Herbsaint, Boucherie, and Comprere Lapin which were fantastic, listed in descending order of amazing to us, and Cochon Butcher which was fine but overrated, oversalted, and a tad under flavored).
But — the place which stole our hearts and brought true magic to our tongues was Mr. B’s Bistro.
We went because dear friends highly recommended it. I made a reservation on our last night there. Frankly, I figured sure it would be fine, but that those Brennan family places had gotten so hyped for years that it wouldn’t be extraordinary (I still have a grudge against the Commander’s Palace for having gone downhill I my last visit years ago from its former glory and yet still costing a fortune) — BUT:
Mr. B’s Bistro won the trip with every dish being cooked to perfection, all flavors being totally on point, absolutely elegant with no pretension, and shamelessly magnificent in the quality of their ingredients. We had the fried oysters with that horseradish sauce (yum!), gumbo ya-​ya (best dark roux chicken and sausage gumbo I’ve ever had and I have an ongoing obsessive quest for the stuff), a crème of cauliflower soup (mine is better — a version of Daniel Boulaud’s), the shrimp and grits (omg, quite tasty), and the BBQ shrimp — which was hands down the most unbelievably delicious shrimp dish I or any of us have ever had. If we had known how fantastic, that is all we would have ordered, one for each of us, because once you have had that, how could anything else do?! I am a wine person, but my husband and had it with Abita Amber on draft and that is what I must always drink with it in the future! We did also manage to split the lemon pie/​tart, good, and the white chocolate brownie with dark chocolate bits and their excellent chocolate sauce, the best.
My only regret — we have been left yearning for that BBQ shrimp, and New Orleans is an almost 8 hour drive from us. Revisitation plans are already being discussed!

It was a nice experience.
A staff in the Hyatt Hotel recommended to try this out while in NOLA.
We went there for lunch, the wait for a table is very minimum. We quickly got seated.
Ordered a couple entrees and a cocktail.
The décor is more old fashioned like back in the 20^th century, but this is their theme, which is perfectly fine. I was not so amazed by the food though, they were to me, average.
But i have to say that their services are very good in all ways, it makes you feel like the prices you pay for the food are worth in.
I would recommend if you’d like to see the interior and the way the traditional server would provide a good service at your table.

I wanted so badly to come back and add another 5 star review, but I just can’t. We arrived early for our reservation and they accommodated us, even though I said we would just wait at the bar until our reservation time. When I made the reservation I mentioned it was our anniversary and asked for a seat near the windows. We were sat a tiny 2top right in front of the kitchen and server stand, smack in the middle of staff constantly whizzing by with food and dirty plates. There were windows to the kitchen though, so I guess I got what I asked for.
The service was wonderful and my husband said his drink was the best he had in New Orleans.
The food… eh. I had the soup 1−1−1. The soup of the day, artichoke & spinach was delicious, as was the seafood gumbo. But the gumbo ya ya? Bland. Really disappointing. My husband had the crawfish risotto and it was so bad he could only choke down half. I feel like the staff knows it’s terrible because none of our three servers even asked if he wanted a box when they removed his plate full of food. Onto the BBQ Shrimp. It’s a mess. A complete and total mess. But they help you with your bib, give you a ton of napkins, and a warm, moist towel and lemon to clean your hands. Peeling is difficult because it’s super hot. They give you a ton of shrimp. I don’t remember how many I just remember being blown away by the size AND quantity. As for the taste? They were just ok. But the BBQ sauce? They should sell that as a dipping sauce with the bread. I’d eat an entire loaf of bread soaked up with that sauce. I’d almost order that again just for the sauce. Almost.
I might come back to try the shrimp & grits and the truffle fries, but with so many other places to eat, I don’t know if I’d spend the money and risk another let down.

Not only was Mr. B’s the worst restaurant experience we had in New Orleans, it was easily in the top five of worst restaurant experiences of my life.
My boyfriend and I regularly go out to eat. As you can tell from a quick glance at my Unilocal page, we have eaten at our fair share of nice places. Mr. B’s seriously failed on many levels. I’ll explain:
1) We were originally seated at what we like to call an «afterthought table». It was out in the walkway between the main dining area and the bar and had people constantly walking past it and bumping into the chairs. It also had what was basically a spotlight over it, which for an otherwise dimly lit restaurant, made us feel like we were awkwardly on display. At these prices, this table shouldn’t exist, and sadly, there are two of them.
2) After getting seated we waited an eternity for our waiter to come back by and take our drink orders. When he finally showed after about 15 – 20 min, we brought up the lighting issue and asked if the light could be dimmed. He said no. The manager offered us a new table and we accepted.
3)Upon being seated at the new table with a new wait staff member, we were given a wine list and told the specials. Neither of these things happened at the first table, which made u question what was going on with the disjointed service.
4) After this, the good service stopped. Our waitress was all but non– existent.
5) She messed up our drink order which was a a simple two glasses of wine (the same wine at that).
6) The food was abysmal. I ordered the barbecued shrimp and after peeling, it was poop tracks galore. Who wants to remove feces from their dinner before eating it? I only got through three shrimp on a $ 30 meal which is a shame. A peeled shrimp option of this dish would be great for those who don’t want to deal with peeling and deveining at the table themselves.
7) The waitress saw how little I ate and didn’t ask about it or offer to make it right.
8) After we paid our bill, she came and picked up the merchant copy off the table about 30 seconds after it was signed, right in front of us, and opened it in front of us to check the tip she had received. In this level of restaurant, that behavior was disgusting. You are never supposed to pick up the check from the table while the patrons are still sitting there. The check was picked up, while the dirty dishes still sat in front of us.
Never again, Mr. B’s! There are far better options for the money in NOLA!

We walked in without a reservation after eyeing it from the carousel bar across the street. They were able to seat us right away.
The fresh bread was great as we decided what to order. We tried the truffle fries, crawfish, car cakes and a filet.
Each item was well prepared and service was quick.
Enjoy!

This review is mostly for the bar, though my fiancéé and I did sit at a table, I almost don’t need to go any further because the bar did such a great job.
The look of this place is very cool; kind of a dark smokey jazzy classy old New Orleans kind of feel. We sat at the bar because there was a bit of a wait.
5 stars to the bartender. I forget his name but he was a really cool guy who I believe was from Washington Heights, NY. A lot of people serve drinks behind a bar, but few are what I would consider a true bartender, and this guy is certified. He was friendly, efficient, knew his products, and just plain good at his job, which is so rare to find!
I was feeling pretty rough from the previous night’s bender, so I was taking it easy and only drinking Abita drafts, while my lady enjoyed a cocktail from the menu. The bar area was clean and organized and I watched the other bartenders interacting with guests. They were friendly and nice and presented the guests with menus and information and most importantly, a friendly atmosphere.
Finally our table was ready and we moved to our dinner experience. Everything was great; I had the famous BBQ shrimp with a bib (yes, I needed the bib) and it was delicious. The service was good as well; there seemed to be teams of servers that worked together, as well as other staff that came by with bread and what not. Long story short, we didn’t need to ask for anything and everyone was nice.
Will return!

I absolutely love this place! No trip is complete without a trip to mr b’s! I usually come here twice during a weekend trip. I dream about this place! The service is great and the food is to die for!!!
On Fridays you can get bloody Mary’s for $ 1.50! How can I love this place even more?
Bbq shrimp is what you must have when you are here! It is out of this world!!!
Pecan pie is deliciously sweet.

I’m giving this restaurant five stars based on how amazing my entrée was. We had reservations so there wasn’t an issue with seating. I couldn’t decide on which soup to try so I got the trio of soup tasting to start: gumbo ya-​ya which is a chicken gumbo, seafood gumbo and soup du jour. a red Pepper goat cheese soup. My favorite was the seafood gumbo which had a little bit of a kick to it.
The selection of entrees were really catered towards my taste. I felt a tad indulgent when I ordered the entrée special, panko crusted halibut with jumbo lump crab and champagne butter. That all melted away, when I took my first bite. The fish was amazing, seasoned perfectly and incredibly fresh. I could eat this everyday.
The hot buttered pecan pie with vanilla bean ice cream was absolutely divine as well. Worth the calories.
Service was great and attentive. We split a bottle of wine and everybody got their share. Definitely pricier than some other restaurants but you get what you pay for. Plus being in NOLA, it is a seafood heavy menu. Was glad it wasn’t my turn to pick up the check but I would come back again and again if I could. Loved the sound of everything on the menu! Best meal I’ve had in a while.

It was a dark rainy day in New Orleans and my friend and I hopped into Mr. B’s for refuge from the weather in search of some snacks and libations. This place was PACKED and we were lucky enough to snag two seats together at the bar.
After ordering a tasty IPA we then put in an order each for some gumbo and to share the fried catfish fingers. My favorite and most memorable part of the meal was the bag of fresh warm bread we each received. It was delicious and hit the spot.
After things calmed down a bit we had the opportunity to chat with the bartenders. Small world, both had ties to our hometown of Pittsburgh. It was fun chatting with them about the city and learning how they moved to New Orleans.
This is a cool place and I would love to go back on my next visit to sit in the dining room and enjoy dinner.

This was the worse restaurant experience we had in NOLA. The reason why I’m giving this place such a low rating is their inability to handle high end wine.
We ordered Harlan Estate 2005. Our server opened the wine and the cork fell apart. Then he brought the bottle to the back and another server helped in removing the remaining cork. Everyone at the table tasted the wine and everyone agreed it was off. I asked the server to have the sommelier taste it and let us know. She (the second server) took the bottle back and return to tell us it tasted fine.
This is the strangest wine service and inappropriate. Usually in this circumstance, the sommelier would be at the table to manage the opening and tasting. This is a $ 950 bottle of wine.
My friends ended up telling me not to accept it and we got a Caymus Special Selection instead.
The entire wine ordeal was very off putting. The remainder of the meal and service was decent but I rather lost all respect and appetite for this restaurant.
The foods overall are decent but NOLA have so many great options, there is no point going here and wasting your hard earned money!

omgggggggg BBQ shrimp! Get them. Get the shrimp on grits. Get the ice box pie.
You can’t go wrong with any of the menu items. I can only speak of what I’ve sampled. I wish I could eat it all. Rich and delicious.
Pecan pie with ice cream is good
Truffle fries come with rosemary, parmesan and a bulb of roasted garlic. I want these every day!
Shrimp and grits were so so good. Grits might be the best I’ve ever had.
Service was so nice! Waiter and his helper were excellent, funny and had great suggestions.
We will be back on our next trip.

It felt a bit weird to stumble out of the sights and smells of bourbon street during Mardi Gras, and half a block away find myself in this pretty classy restaurant.
The service was absolutely impeccable. I can’t remember the lady servers name but she had knowledge of the menu down to an absolute T. I have a milk allergy and not only did she know the ingredients to everything off the back of her hand, she knew what every meat and vegetable was cooked in (oil or butter) and knew how to make appropriate substitutions in a flash. Absolutely top notch service.
I ordered the appetisers 1−1−1 which included pork belly (ok but not great), fried oysters (good) and fried shrimp (good). Had a pear salad which was very refreshing and light.
I also had the jumbo lump crab cake which was the best dish on my table — huge hunks of great quality crab in a tasty dressing.
Pretty pricey but worth it.

After much preparation for our recent NOLA visit, we decided this would be our first stop. Every since I tried BBQ Shrimp at Pascal’s Manale many, many years ago, I’ve wanted to go back to NOLA and try the dish again. And this was the place I decided to try.
The atmosphere is wonderful. Mr. B’s Bistro his a little on the dark side, but has an upscale and warm feel, white linens and a dark wood bar which set the tone.
Other than a small stretch of not seeing our waiter, the service was attentive and they did a nice job of answering questions about menu items. They were very accommodating regarding splitting plates, etc. for our children. One weird thing was that when I received the bill, they had incorrectly added 3 drinks to our tab that were never ordered. Pays to check your bill!
Our plan was to sample as much of the food as possible, so we split 3 appetizers among the four of us. They included Gumbo Ya Ya, Duck Egg rolls and a Crab Cake. They were all very good, the Crab Cakes were light on the breading and heavy on the crab meat, the Gumbo Ya Ya roux was very rich, but the Duck Egg rolls were unexpectedly my favorite.
I ordered the BBQ Shrimp for my meal and was rewarded with an excellent version. The sauce was rich (could have used a bit more pepper IMO) and the shrimp were cooked perfectly (shells were easy to peel). Very enjoyable.
Deserts for the table included Bread Pudding, Tiramisu and a Chocolate Molten Cupcake. I thought the Bread Pudding and the Tiramisu were average at best.
Overall, I’m a fan of Mr. B’s and while it might not be my first destination next time, it would definitely be a contender for a return visit.

CONSISTENCY!!!
There’s a reason why my friends and I always rank Mr. B’s as our top Quarter restaurant for a «Christmas Bell» lunch: it’s always good.***
That may not sound like a sexy reason to choose it over the myriad new bourgie alternatives, but it’s been my experience that while most of these newbies may provide a comparable menu it’s at a premium price for an experience that is unsatisfactory half the time.
STANDOUTS TODAY:
1. The smoked buster crabs in meunière were among the best dishes I had in 2015.
2. This afternoon’s gumbo yaya roux was the darkest and richest that I’ve lapped up in years.
3. The 2 course pricing is still aggravating but the bloodies remain just fitty-​cent.
***CAVEAT:
Mr. B’s is a lunch spot, perhaps our best lunch spot; but I would never go there for dinner. It doesn’t translate.

Had the breakfast most amazing place in New Orleans this morning. This place is definitely a high classy restaurant with the most amazing foods to choose from …
For appetizers I had Duck spring rolls which had housemaid spring rolls confit, shiitake, mushroom spinach and goat cheese, served with sweet ginger garlic dipping sauce. Was so amazing also had
Fried chicken livers — served with pepper jelly and brioche toast points. Amazing !!
You will not be disappointed what ever you have here. The appetizers tasted so amazing some places would have this for there main courses.
But for my main course I had the The Duck Hash and Egg
A savory duck hash cake made with root vegetables, topped with a fried duff egg — touched with sauce choron.
Wow it was out of this world. Not was all the food amazing the services and ambience was great. They had live jazz players inside playing amazing music .
Also found out president Bill Clinton came here for food in the early 2000’s that’s pretty awesome. This is a must visit place when you Come to New Orleans

The dinner Was delicious i have a wonderful time With my wife because that day Was You happy Birthday And my waiter Was very nice. All my food Was yummy but the PROFITEROLES Was EXCELENT See You in February !!