Palm Court Jazz Cafe

This is exactly what we wanted in our New Orleans jazz experience. It’s a classy place with authentic cocktails and a great band. It feels like a known spot for locals because everyone seemed to knew each other. I wish more bars and cafes in the French Quarter were like this.

this place is a 5 for live music. but because it’s a restaurant, i feel compelled to give it a 3, because the food was a 2. i got duped a little bit by the star rating when i looked for this restaurant, because the ratings commend the live music here, not the food.
the food is forgettable. got the mozzarella balls, ribeye, and beef pie. all were just… ok, but i would never come back here for the food. esp considering that it’s a bit pricey for such mediocre food. the service was incredibly slow. i mean… so slow i fell asleep at the table waiting for the check (granted, i had just gotten off the plane and was exhausted, but still!!). the sides that came with the food were also mediocre. broccoli overcooked, potatoes unseasoned. the beef pie was somehow. dry. not the outside crust, which was also overcooked. i mean the beef filling was dry.
now the music… the band was FAN-​TASTIC… i mean it. they were so charming. the lead singer had a great jazzy/​old crooner style way of singing. there was piano, clarinet, drums, bass, trumpet, all of it. it was amazing. they took requests and encouraged people to come up and dance (though there isn’t really a dance floor, several couples took advantage of the invitation). i really liked their music. if i had to guess, and i’m no jazz expert, i’d guess it was sort of big band style jazz, which seemed common in NOLA. really upbeat and fun, really gets your foot tappin’
the place is pretty huge, and seating is pretty standard bistro style seating. it kind of looks like it’s supposed to be fancy, but don’t be intimidated, it’s not fancy.
so come for the music. have a drink… relax and maybe even dance a little. but no need to order food. FYI, $ 5 coverage charge pp for music.

The music was good — came here with a group — had better service at convention banquet and food — the other THING IS 3 FOR A COKE EACH TIME WAITRESS FOR GOT TO GROUP NO FREE REFILLS — 3 cokes = 13 dollars with tip

What an amazing find! Halloween. Pouring rain. Stumbled in here and heard some amazing Jazz music. Great gumbo and jambalaya to go with. I will definitely visit again when I am back in New Orleans.

We were in the French Quarter on a Sunday night looking for a simple meal. The restaurant we had targeted was closed for a private event, so we kept strolling and found Palm Court. We had a great dinner, drinks and for only $ 5/​cover we enjoyed some wonderful traditional jazz. Loved the whole ambience! This was quite a find.

Come for the music, not for the food. Maybe for the drinks.
I miss New Orleans. After living in Los Angeles for the past 10 years; I am always in search of food that brings me close to home; close to New Orleans, close to my heart. As I visited New Orleans again with family; we decided to try somewhere new for dinner. I had some relatives visiting NOLA for the first time and wanted a Jazz experience and dinner.
When I am down in the quarter; I usually tend to head across the street to Doop’s Café. The line was insanely long; probably because their food is that good. So; we decided to head over to the Palm. There was no line and the performers on stage really livened things up. I was excited.
There is probably a reason why it wasn’t hard on getting a table. The food is really just that bad. If you are looking to get that New Orleans cooking you been hearing about; don’t come here. Go across the street to Doop’s. I promise you won’t be disappointed.
Now the reason I gave two stars. Remember that I mentioned that it was easy to get a table. We were seated the moment we walked in the door. Jazz band was playing and top notch talent too. I loved that; but you could have made it like a speak easy or a straight up bar and I am sure you would get a packed house. We got our drink order relatively quick and the food order shortly after. Our waitress was busy and she really did try her best. Yet, there was a hard time getting refills, bread, and condiments to our meal. We constantly flagged who we thought worked there. I ordered jambalaya and was dying to get hot sauce to kill the bland taste out of my mouth. When the check arrived, we didn’t know that there was a entertainment charge added to the bill. I don’t mind paying this but it was a added gut punch to a already bad meal.
Here is the final kicker, my cousin visiting from France; first experience watching a live jazz band at dinner takes a photo as we are leaving. We get stopped by the owner or manager and she tells us no photography. She points to a sign, our bad. However, it dawns on me. She had stood behind our table the whole meal. So when we were trying to flag down our waiter over and over, or to try and get our bill for 15 minutes, she couldn’t step in to assist? Yet, she popped up like a ninja to moment someone tries to take a picture. It really hindered my cousin’s experience in NOLA. Nothing alcohol can’t fix.
In the end, Palms is one of the establishments that take advantage of the emerging tourism boom post-​Katrina. Sadly offering a cheeky New Orleans experience to unsuspecting tourists. Most likely will walk right pass them next time.

Would be 0 stars if the band wasn’t enjoyable. Terrible service and the food was less than desirable. Oh and being forced to give 20% tip despite terrible service and burnt bread pudding added to our disappointment.
Do NOT try the Sesame Ginger Shrimp app!

This is my favorite spot to eat in the Quarter, and I really like that it’s more on the outskirts where it’s less crazy. In the three times I’ve been there’s always been great live music.
I really enjoy the Cajun style food, which is very heavy and deliciously seasoned – the first time I came I ate so much jambalaya I almost puked.
Even more, the staff is extremely nice and the owner loves to come out and talk. I don’t think you’ll find a more fun place to get dinner east of Canal!

Went to New Orleans on spring break and wanted to hear some great music while having a nice meal. First the good things; the music was phenomenal and if you like jazz this is a great place to go. The food was good my boyfriend and I had the pasta and we were both very satisfied.
Now the bad things; the hostess was very drunk and wandering around the restaurant dancing, it was entertaining to watch but not very professional. The food was a bit expensive and we also were not given the best service, perhaps because we are in our early 20s and the typical crowd for the Palm court is older. We also did see the waters and waitresses refilling the bread baskets by reaching into a large trash bag full of bread and taking handfuls with their un-​gloved hands. Can you say health code violation! Anyway I’m not too picky and had a good night anyway, would definitely recommend the nut free bread pudding! It was to die for!

Great music, mostly good food. Don’t get the ribeye, well prepared but a bad cut of meat.

Great place to see live jazz music. The night we were there they had an old school band playing some swanky jazz! Love how the owner of the place, an older lady, goes around to check on the patrons.
The crowd is on the older side (like grandma & grandpa old) but they still get down. Feel free to get up and dance with the hip senior citizens.
Food is average at best so don’t come here for the food. Come for the music and cheap drinks. Good place to avoid the madness at Frenchman Street, which is jazz central and very crowded.
Definitely wouldn’t mind going back… to take the elderlies!

Absolutely perfect last night in NOLA. We arrived 20 minutes early for our reservation because we had to take a can instead of walking in the hot southern rain storm… We were greeted by the owner who gladly sat us and advised our server we would be waiting for our dining partners to join us shortly. The server had dinner and drink menus in hand and water was delivered promptly. Mint Julep was perfectly mixed! We ordered «cheese sticks» they were very small and not worth $ 6 but the marinara they were served with was delicious! I had the mushroom and artichoke salad … Dressing was VERY vinegary and too much was used. Boyfriend had the tomato onion and his was very tasty. He had the steak and it was over done but he still enjoyed it’s flavor. I had the pork chop and we all agreed it was the best!

We ended up here at 945pm after taking a haunted tour. It seemed to get great reviews so we decided to visit. Having visited quite a few places while using Unilocal we thought, «this should be good!».
We ended up waiting to get seated which I expected. Then were told we would be the last to get seated seeing how they close at 11pm. The waiter (older gentlemen with gray hair) was dressed nice but seemed upset to sit us down. We follow him to our table which was not cleared. He cleared it and brought a stack of silverware and started to toss it on the table. He tossed our napkins on the table and simply said someone would check on us. We waited and no one showed. Needless to say we left a small tip for just sitting us down and walked out. It was disappointing that the attitude of one employee would make us leave. If you come here and eat just be careful to not show up near 930ish because you will be treated crappy.

I have been sitting here for 20mins deciding if this deserves 3 or 4 stars — nothing actually WRONG with this place and the live music really was very very good but the food so-​so and ambience left something to be desired…
Location is slightly out of the way (away from the popular, Jazz-​heavy Frenchman Street) which may have been the reason it was a bit empty — to their credit it did not dishearten the musicians (trad Jazz, eight piece band, Sachmo style) who I thoroughly enjoyed.
Menu was fish heavy (fine by me) but when our food arrived it wasn’t really up to par (I had ordered oysters… which turned out to be battered… my ‘healthy’ option went out the window) and was on the expensive side vs. comparable venues we had visited.
Service was good and very friendly, the vibe is upscale but dress code on the more casual side (would say smart sneakers are ok, hoodie probably not ok). I would come here again (for the music + food combo in a venue that isn’t rammed) but would be more selective and inquisitive about my food order.

Food so-​so and definitely overpriced for the flavor and the portions.
Wait staff so-​so. Definitely not friendly and barely checked on us.
Drinks overpriced for tiny, tiny glasses. My «hurricane» came in a glass that was basically the size of a double shot glass.
The music, however, was very good. We came on a night that the «Palm Court Jazz Café Band» was on stage. I would have to say that this was the only good thing about this restaurant. But, with this being my first time in NOLA, I don’t know how any of this compares to other restaurants and musicians.

This place is AWESOME!!! It’s a must when you’re in town. We were there with a group of 15 ppl including kids. The staffs were just so kind and friendly to settle down the kids with food in just a minute.
Another high light was the live band. They played good music. We enjoyed a lot. The kids were so happy and the adults were having a wonderful time!!! Highly recommended!!!

The only thing that wasn’t disappointing was the band. Drink prices are on par with most of the tourist traps. Service is terrible. They’re friendly enough but they just aren’t around. Everyone at our table had far too many «where is our waiter?» moments. Our entrees took over an hour and a half to arrive. Several people wanted to send food back. The seafood was way over cooked. For the prices of the food there should be some consistency. A decent standard. Every dish was hit or miss. This place is all atmosphere and no substance.

This is the ultimate music place in the Crescent City to see local musicians and hear some great Jazz. And from the musicians who have produced this unique music for a lifetime.
It is also a restaurant and the service is very attentive. The entire experience here is very upbeat. Food is acceptable but you really don’t go here for a gourmet meal. It is for the music.
Located in the lower end of the Vieux Carré I find the parking lot across Esplanade Ave. and the old U. S. Mint to be ideal. The walk is just a couple of blocks away and in a well lit lot.

We went to the Palm Court Jazz Café on a tip from a coworker. He is very knowledgeable about jazz and has seen a lot of the greats that are still around. The Palm Court did not disappoint. The music is great and the band was enthusiastic. They obviously love what they do.
We made a reservation for a Saturday night and although the place was busy, not all the tables were full. The food is very good, but not great. We started with the Palm Court Appetizer plate, which included ginger shrimp, fried oysters, and tiny crab claws. It was good, but a little pricey. For entrees, we jambalaya. It was good, but I have had better. For desert, we had the bread pudding, which was very satisfying. There is better food to be found in New Orleans. Just remember, you are going there for the music.
It’s New Orleans and the music is the best. It’s a more old-​fashioned jazz. The musicians were talented. We had the opportunity to see Lionel Ferbos with the Palm Court Jazz Band. He is a New Orleans legend at 100 years old. He sang and played the coronet. The rest of the band was made up of local musicians, each with their own band, and very talented.
The service was great, as well. Our waitress was charming and explained the menu to us. The hostess really got the crowd going with her dancing and clapping. She is an older woman, but had a lot of moves. She got a lot of the patrons up dancing, as well. It seemed like the crowd consisted of a lot of locals, as many seemed to know each other.
It was just a great evening. The band played three sets starting at 7:30 and ending at 10:30. It was a wonderful evening. We had so much fun!
The next evening, we were in the area so we stopped in for a couple drinks after dinner hoping to get a table. A couple had just left and we got their table right next to the stage. It was a different group of musicians, but they were very good, as well. Clearly, Fridays and Saturdays are the bigger crowds, but Sunday was great, too. On Sunday, the hostess announced that everyone had to dance, so we did.
This place is a must when in New Orleans.

Experience: 5 stars
Food: 3.5 stars
Service: 5 stars friendly, attentive, and always made eye contact to see if there was anything we needed.
This is such a cute sophisticated family owned restaurant. The live jazz band was awesome, and each musician had their moment throughout the night to really shine in their performance.
We ordered:
— Chicken gumbo. Sadly this wasn’t memorable. It was OK.
— Crawfish entouette: It had lots of crawfish unpeeled and doused in a not too creamy sauce. It’s really good but super filling! It also came with rice pilaf which was just OK too.
— Fish with coconut curry sauce: This was my husbands FAVORITE meal in all of NOLA! It’s sweet but not overly sweet and just right.
— Bread pudding: It had a lot going on and we felt it was too sugary — would’ve liked it to be a little simpler.
Our waitress was the best! She was attentive yet didn’t rush us out as got to enjoy the jazz band for hours (there’s a $ 5 fee per person that’s added to your bill that goes towards the band)! If there were a place like this at home, I’d be a regular!