Rambla

Fabulous creative New Orleans wow food and great service to go with it.

Rambla is a hidden gem downtown inside the International House Hotel. It’s tucked away in such a spot that one can literally walk past it without noticing, but those who do notice are in luck for a delightful treat.
The restaurant is warm and inviting with high table tops and the menu is tapas. It’s BYOB so be sure to bring your bottle of wine along with (or head to Loa bar across the hall for a bottle or some drinks). The menu was simple yet had a little bit of everything. The dates wrapped in bacon and lamb chops were very tasty.
Peter, the pleasant manager and host was so nice he let us try some flan as well. We will def be back again to check this place out.
I’d def recommend bringing your own wine though, their selection is a bit sparse and parking can be a bit of a pain but not during the middle of the week.

Went a few weeks back. First of all, i love the seating. Different heights and areas made it seem less like people were listening into your conversation. the wine selection was excellent. they let us taste a few to choose one that we liked. We liked the sweet red wine. As a vegetarian, the options were many. The flat bread was amazing, as was the brussel sprouts dish. Just make sure they remove the bacon on this dish. They also had some awesome fries with the dipping sauce. Will absolutely go back there as I loved the fact that it was right next to my favorite bar in the International House hotel.
The only thing was the seating in the booth was a lil large when its just two of you, but it was still fun to sit next to each other instead of yelling across the table.

Oh, Restaurant Rambla… after everything I put you through, you still never fail to captivate the palate of this hungry lady.
Rambla truly has acquired a FOH Dream Team, lead by their fearless GM Scott, whom is a mastermind of wines and Peter, probably the most delightful person I have ever met. Internally, their team has taken the restaurant’s foundation of industrial design, pairing it with warm, chic accents orchestrating a stylish, welcoming ambiance; home to a band of charismatic, knowledgeable servers that just may be the highlight of your evening.
Not to mention, BOH has morphed into a fleet of Culinary warriors… brilliant in everything they fashion upon your plate. Yes, I love to eat… but in order to accurately encompass all the delicious Rambla has to offer, I really should just post the menu here. If I could, I would probably just live on their Steak (what, Snake!?), Bacon Wrapped Dates, Spanish pork meatballs, & Chocolate Mousse. I was a skeptic, but the Flatbreads are to die for… Listen To Your Server! One time, I was munching on some Truffle-​Herb Pomme Frites and when that Garlic Aioli hit my lips… I may have actually moaned a-​loud.
If you’re lucky, the chef’s may even designate you guinea pig, dazzling your taste buds with their imaginative, inventive, nourishing experiments. Keep it up!

I’m usually easy to please but my experience at Rambla was terrible! The food wasn’t the WORST but the rest of the experience is enough for me to not return again. I would not recommend this place for a group of 5 or more. My group of 9 made a reservation and was seated right away at one of the gigantic square tables in the middle of the room. This is the most awkward seating arrangement I’ve ever had. You could only speak to the people sitting on either side of you and because of the arrangements in the middle of the table you couldn’t even see your friends on the other side of it. You also couldn’t hear anything because they had the bass pumped up so loud it sounded like we were standing outside a nightclub. So much for dining as a group.
I’ll admit I arrived on time while most of the party came in the next 10 minutes, two of which were a half hour late. I’m sure that can be really irritating for restaurants, I’ll give them a point. No worries though because they didn’t even take our drink orders until they arrived. I understand that a server may want to wait to take food orders when everyone has arrived but it was a weekend and we were ready to drink! Besides, it’s a tapas restaurant, the plates come out a different times, there’s no harm in ordering some plates right away and some later, right?
Our server was obviously in an altered state as evidenced by speaking rapidly/​slurred, spilling all of our drinks, and knocking into me several times. She did get all of our orders right, go girl! They did not knock off any money from the spilled drinks including half a glass of wine she poured out on the table… she almost wiped the entire spill onto my friends pants if she hadn’t been stopped.
The drink menu is weak and where’s the sangria? Also, they served one of my friends white wine in a champagne glass. It wasn’t busy, there were plenty of normal glasses to use.
I can only speak for the food I tried — the truffle fries were good, flavorful, and I loved the sauce it came with — can you go wrong with truffle? The patatas were alright, a little barbecue-​y/​spicy, they were well done so for those out there who love that you should order those. The potato flat bread was good, too but nothing to write home about. The only complaint from most of the group was that the plates were too small. Yes, I know, we’re at a tapas, but I’m taking that into consideration. The tuna plate was tiny! The three items I had were enough to share with another person though.
If I was in another city I’d think about giving this place another chance, maybe on a weeknight, with just one other person, but in a town with SUCH GOOD FOOD you have to make a good first impression to get people to come back.

Garlic aioli, although seemingly mayonnaisish (not a real word), was surprisingly delightful, especially paired with the truffle fries that I could not seem to get enough of.
I also tried bone marrow for the first time, and it was surprisingly delicious.
The detailed descriptions of some of the tapas dishes are a bit misleading and glorified.
I think the AC went out that day, so it was pretty darn warm in the place, but the location is conducive to hitting up other bars for drinks after feasting there.
Not the best place overall for tapas, but the atmosphere is inviting, and it’s an excellent place to chill and catch up with old friends.
Our waiter was a little nervous/​awkward that night, but ended up making the experience a little better with some decent convo by the end of the night.

We love Spanish tapas but had a mixed experience at Rambla’s.
The beet salad was mostly lettuce, light on the beets. It was OK. The crab and shrimp salad was really excellent as were the truffle fries, the highlight being the garlic aioli that accompanied them.
One item had to be sent back when the server «forgot» about my severe food allergies and the item arrived with blue cheese on it.
They were out of the white wine by the glass that I wanted, so the server suggested a special wine, usually not available by the glass. The wine arrived and it was obviously corked… cloudy, looked like pineapple juice, and smelled like wet books. I would think that anyone who knew anything about wine would have taken one look at it and never served it.
It wasn’t that the food wasn’t decent (it was pretty good,) but that the servers seemed not surprised nor apologetic at all to hear that we saw a giant rat run across the room and into the kitchen. I understand that New Orleans has rats (it’s time to set some traps), but that, mixed with the food allergy neglect and the cloudy wine made this a disastrous yet memorable dining experience.

A spanish style restaurant instead of tapas.
Food was delicious, Like the ambiance, but tapas portions are too big
] Real tapas are very small plates, served at the same time and you order many. Here they are normal appetizer sizes. .
Oh and the win menu — good wines but only a few that are «by the glass». The venue could be a good wine bar if they adjusted the concept of their wine and food. I miss good wine bars in this town

This was my second stay at the International House and first with the omnivore boyfriend. He was intrigued by the room service menu and, after having a few amazing drinks at Loa, we wandered over for dinner.
We didn’t have reservations but arrived super early and were seated with no problem or attitude. Justin was our server and he was friendly and provided recommendations. The omnivore graciously gave the vegan girlfriend disclosure. Justin advised us that it was no problem and that the chef would be happy to put together something special. (Several menu items can be veganized, but it would lose the character of the dish.) That was music to my ears. We also ordered a couple glasses of Cab, the duck and pork rillettes, and marrow bones. Yin and yang, right?
The rillettes came with an assortment of pickled vegetables, cherries, and a tasty blackberry mustard spread. I helped myself to the vegetables, but there are only so many pickled vegetables one can eat before burning out — and it’s not many.
Our dinners arrived. Justin brought out the bones and my artichoke stuffed tomato with «ugly dumplings» with a carrot and potato (?) hash topped with what appeared to be sprouts. I was pleased to be greeted by something that was thoughtfully prepared. The tomato seemed to have been wood grilled before being stuffed and was very flavorful. There was a small amount of artichoke in the tomato, but the majority was scattered around the plate with the ugly dumplings. I can’t guess at the composition of an ugly dumpling. They were soft and doughy, the consistency of uncooked vegan sausage. They were packed with herbs and had a fatty feel in the mouth. A bite of dumpling cut with the acidity of the tomato and the crunch of the artichoke heart was really fantastic. I would venture to say that the omnivore liked it better than his bones. (I can say with certainty that walking through the quarter two hours later, I was more comfortable than he.)
Justin kept a watchful eye on us and was appropriately attentive to our needs. Everything was timely and well orchestrated. I sent my thanks to the chef for his accommodation via Justin. I can’t speak for the service during heavy traffic or the more meat intensive menu items, but my experience was top notch.

So I haven’t actually eaten here yet, but last night we tried to go, forgetting about the fact they had a Spirited Dinner for Tales of the Cocktail, and therefore you couldn’t get in without a reservation for that event.
Although we were turned away at the door, it was a surprisingly pleasant interaction, because after we walked out the door the host came outside to give us suggestions for other places to go that didn’t have a spirited dinner going on. He suggested Luke, Herbsaint, and Domenica, which I thought was awesome, since places don’t always go above and beyond (much less send business to their competitors).
So, yeah, I was left with a great impression, and can’t wait to go back when we can actually get a table. The space is gorgeous — I’ve never even been inside until last night. It’s small, upscale, cozy, and seems like the perfect place for a date. Stay tuned for an update after I actually have a chance to eat here.

Rambla is one of our favorite restaurants in the city (it helps since we live one block away!) It consistently impresses us everytime we go. Reasons we love Rambla include:
1. Tapas style menu which gives us the option to mix and match what we’re in the mood for… we never leave feeling overly stuffed like many New Orleans restaurants. We like about 80% of the items on the menu and our favorites are the spicy almonds, beet salad, roasted fig/​blue cheese/​serrano ham flatbread pizza, pork meatballs, ugly dumplings, and patatas bravas. And you have to try the flan or churros for dessert!
2. Great ambiance and perfect for large group dinners if needed. The 2 large tables in the center of the restaurant can sit up to 16. We really love the way it’s decorated and goes with the entire International House Hotel theme of very modern yet comfortable.
3. Great staff. We’ve always been pleased with the service we get there. Max (GM) and Clayton do a fantastic job running the restaurant and make sure our dining experience is always top notch.
We’d recommend this restaurant to anyone in the city, especially those looking to try something different from the «traditional New Orleans style» restaurant that this city is full of. If you’re hungry, be sure to try the Chef’s Tasting which gives you a little bit of all their best dishes!

Today was the second time I’ve been to Rambla. I love charcuterie and tapas because most restaurants seem to blow all their interesting ideas on appetizers anyway so why not just have a whole menu of them?
The wait staff were competent, knowledgeable, and friendly both times, but each time was during lunch and sitting at the charcuterie bar with the restaurant mostly empty so I had almost undivided attention.
I try not to order anything generally prosaic, but opted to try the patatas bravas anyway. They came out and had a distinct appealing fragrance. Apparently they’re fried in soybean oil. The aioli was garlicky with just the right amount of heat.
The real star is their charcuterie selection. It’s all homemade (even the foie gras). I’ve had the hogshead cheese and the pork and duck rillettes. The hogshead wasn’t as spicy as I like but still had an excellent flavor and texture. The array of condiments was delicious. On the plate was: strawberry mustard, homemade pickles, homemade pickled cauliflower, red onions, and carrots, along with a bacon and onion marmalade. They all completed the main items using different combination of sweet, tart, and spicy.
I tend not to pay attention to overall atmosphere and concentrate on food, but the restaurant was extremely open with large tables in the middle. I’m not sure what the noise level would be on a busy night, but entire room seems to be hard surfaces. The vibrant modern décor makes for an enjoyable atmosphere.
Highly recommended.

hmmm… I forgot to review this place last summer. But maybe that’s because I had a totally forgettable meal. I think I enjoyed one of my tapas items… something with watermelon, can’t remember. Maybe if I knew I was heading to a bar scene with food, I wouldn’t have minded. The place was loud, loud, loud (or lively in Open Table parlance) and that made it hard to chat with my friends visiting from out of town.

Visited Rambla last night for a birthday. We were expecting 12 people but only 8 showed. The host was very pleasant and still sat us at a huge table in the middle of the restaurant even though the number of people didnt match the reservation. This was fine with us although the table was so large and the atmosphere was so loud, I couldn’t hear anything except the person next to me. I wish they had an 8 – 10 top that was smaller so the whole party could converse with each other.
The food was flavorful and interesting. I honestly didn’t know what most items were and used my phone to look them up. Thankfully so, b/​c I almost ordered some things that I would not have wanted. We had grilled artichoke, face bacon and duck with white beans. All were tasty but light. Don’t come here to get full unless you have a lot of money to spend.
Our biggest problem with the night was our server. She was extremely slow and forgetful. One person would get their drink while the rest would wait, even if we all ordered at the same time. My wife actually ordered 2 wines at once because it was taking the server so long to get back to our table. The busser asked if I wanted another drink and I said yes, but then my drink never came (it WAS on the bill though… that got fixed). Good thing we didn’t have our full party there, or we would still be waiting on a drink.
Overall, I enjoyed the food although it was hard to understand the menu because of the authenitic names and nature of the food. I’m not familiar with spanish cuisine and the waitress was too busy to offer us help with it. Luckilly in this day of technology I was able to look up anything I was curious about (I didn’t think it was rude because i couldn’t hear anyone else at my big ‘ol table anyway).

I’ve been to Rambla twice now, and both times the food was excellent. I love the small plates, which lets diners enjoy a little taste of a lot of different menu items. One of my favorites was the «Dater Tots» (though I’m pretty sure they had a different name on my first visit). This unique dish consists of bacon-​wrapped dates with blue cheese. Honestly-​I didn’t know if it would be good, but I like all three ingredients separately, so I decided to try it. WOW. Amazing. Other incredible tastes include the Patatas Bravas, and the flatbread options.
The atmosphere is designed for large groups to dine together. Several large, high tables are available, along with a few smaller booths. (Even the smaller booths seem quite large.) I definitely recommend Rambla to begin a night out with friends.

This is one of the best places I’ve been in a very long time! I’m a vegetarian and my husband is a meat-​lover so the small plates work well for us. Everything we had was absolutely delicious, and affordable, too.
We had perfectly-​made martinis, the service was spot-​on (prompt but not over-​the-​top) and I loved the set up. There are several large tables so this is the perfect place to bring a crowd. The tables tucked into corners also work well for a romantic spot where you can sit side-​by-​side.
For $ 60 we had two top-​shelf martinis and four plates. We left feeling very full and happy, even had leftovers.
Also, the swank bathroom is a nice perk!

Hmmm
1 star for getting the origin of the venue name correct (Las Ramblas de Barcelona)
1 star for having authentic named tapas
–3 stars for having «Sangria» with no fruit, prepared the same day
Simple, yet so poorly executed

Fun and delicious. Good for big groups! First time I went was back in the spring of 08 with eight other people. We got the chef’s special (mainly because we didn’t feel like reading through the menu since we had been at french quarter fest all day). The chef’s special includes a specific amount of tapas (I forgot how many) for a fixed price. It ended up being a lot of food! One of my friends actually asked if the server could bring some back to the kitchen or to other tables! ha. Anyway, the chef picks the tapas to send out (you can request more meat/​vegetarian/​seafood items), and you can also make requests for specific tapas off the menu to be included.
Have been back several times since and never disappointed.

After much anticipation, my friends decided to make the «August birthday celebrations» at Rambla. Going back and forth on the menu, our waiter suggested that we try the «Chef’s Special» which was a set of all the favorite dishes. Unbeknownst to us, there was a hefty bill adding up by the cashier in the back as soon as we said, «yes.»
Service was excellent. We actually met the manager, Clayton, when he was our waiter at Restaurant Cuvee for my other friend’s birthday in early March. He and our waiter at Rambla were pretty awesome. Glasses were never empty and we always had clean napkins. Our waiter even volunteered to be our photographer for 10 minutes after we finished dinner.
My problem was not in the service, but in the food. The Octopus tasted like rubber nubs with tomato paste, the Albondigas were unmemorable, and the Colorado lamb ribs were so spicy I had to spit them out. However, there were 1 or 2 noteworthy dishes. The Medjool Dates were delicious! I never thought I’d love smoked bacon-​wrapped stuffed dates that much! It would have been even more tasty paired with a bottle of white wine. The Roasted Pork Belly was also great, except that they were a tad chewy.
Cool and classy atmosphere with great service, but the food was a little disappointing.

I dined here a few months ago and while I surely appreciated their effort and fine service, I can say that I was mostly underwhelmed by the experience.
Had the Pastas Bravas, me without the aioli. Hate to say it, but Galvez Restaurant and Mimi’s in the Marigny does it better. The Tomato-​Onion Salad was nicely flavored and presented, rather small portion (but that’s expected). I’m pretty sure I had some other kind of appetizer, but my memory again fails me.
My companion and I asked if there was any way possible to veganize the paella, as the vegetarian paella at Galvez left me rather unsatisfied. The chef came out and explained he would try his darnedest, but he didn’t know how well he would fare considering he usually simmered the paellas in a seafood stock and would have to resort to water to accommodate our request. Huge kudos for that.
What resulted was pretty much the same olé’ same olé vegetarian paella. I think it was marginally better than Galvez, but lacking in flavor pizzazz. The vegetables were all very nicely cooked, fresh and varied but overall, mehhh.
So I probably wouldn’t venture into here again but maybe the non-​vegetarian fare is a little bit better?