The American Sector

For being in a museum this restaurant is great! We were not expecting to be able to order such intricate items and they were prepared quickly and very well. We had the Salmon BLT, a kids Hot Dog meal, kids chicken tenders meal and brisket. All of it was amazing and it wasn’t even that expensive!,

The atmosphere is great and it is a conveinent location for hungry museum explorers.

Overpriced. We went for the experience, and got dry sandwiches, cold fries, and no ambiance to speak of. I would not recommend it.

After exploring the exhibits at the WW2 Museum my wife, 5 year old son and I circled back to American Sector for lunch. We had the turkey, andouille, and alligator sausage gumbo, wedge salad and oyster po-​boy. Our son had something with french fries… can’t recall. The gumbo was really good, the salad was a little weird… no need for balsamic on a wedge, that just over complicates a very simple and delicious salad. The po-​boy was very good with just one complaint… the bread was toasted. There’s really no need to do this unless it wasn’t fresh and I don’t want to believe that’s the case. I really enjoyed the gumbo and would eat here again next time we visit the museum.

It’s always hit or miss here. Some dishes are really good. I had the shrimp and grits and they were very good plus it showed on bill cheaper than menu indicated. But, my husband got the fish and chips for $ 15. And they were bland fried fish and regular fries. Definitely for a non kid dish, this needed way more flavor especially since it was advertised as a Zaps potato chip coating. Man, use the seasoned chips! Or any seasoning. Also, they got rid of our favorite shrimp appetizers and replaced them with crab boil fritters which were basically $ 9 hush puppies.
I do like that this place is here but taken that on a Saturday evening on a busy weekend there were only 2 tables full in the whole place, I think the wow factor is missing.

Used to be great, now it’s nothing special. (Literally, they no longer have their legendary Bananas Foster milkshake.)
Menu is currently comprised of the standard «southern”/New Orleans food you’ve come to expect of every lame tourist trap restaurant in the CBD/​French Quarter/​Warehouse District.
Don’t know why this location is tagged «Lower Garden District» since the Museum and it’s property is in the «Warehouse District.»

I’ve heard mixed reviews from this place, but I can’t say a bad thing about it. I stopped in for a break of my WWII museum experience, and I’m so glad I did. I ordered from the small bites menu because I just wanted a little something to hold me over, and I still didn’t eat it all. I went with the Crab Boil Fritters. They were nothing short of amazing. All crab. No shell. A little explosion of corn here and there. It was divine really. They had six beers on tap, but I went with the local favorite, Abita Amber. I thought the prices were decent. The small plate was $ 9 and I think the beer was $ 5 or $ 6. In New Orleans, that’s to be expected with beer, personally. If you’re in the museum, I think it’s a great place to rest and grab a bite.

Really liked this. A cute bonus– the manager? Was dressed in a «costume» circa WW2. She had her hair styled like it would have been back in the day and even her stockings had seams. Just a nice touch. My husband had the gumbo (of course) and a shrimp Po Boy. He’s been on a gumbo crawl — trying it everywhere. He really liked it. His sandwich was great too. I had a salad to start and a turkey club. I haven’t had non processed turkey since November– it was roasted on site and delicious. One note– no Hellman’s mayo. Sorry but there is no other mayo in my book. The service was great as well. Definitely glad we came here.

First time here while in New Orleans visiting and visiting the WWII museum.
Friendly staff. Great southern, relaxing vibe.
We split the Oyster salad and it was fresh and delicious.

I have been contemplating this review ever since my last visit. My last visit was before a Mardi Gras parade, and it was fairly empty. Then again, it was early evening on a week night, so that could be a reason. I have been here in the past with visitors from out of town that I took to the museum before dining here, and this was a perfect option. This is right next to the WWII museum, and goes along with the theme of the late 1930’s to 1940’s. Huge open dining area in the front, basic cement type walls on the inside, high ceilings, warehouse feeling. Drinks and food were on the bit spendy side, but that is to be expected with the presentation. Parking is all paid parking, whether on the street or in nearby lots. It is within walking distance to quite a few other places, but I’m sure its primary customer base is from the museums. From what I understand, they do have special events here where you can have dinner and then see a WWII themed show amongst other events they host.
You can sit at the bar, a table, or café seating along the sides when you come in to eat. Or sit on the huge patio. The drinks are strong, so be careful. The food, the appetizers, everything was just perfect. The truffle fries were just the right amount of perfection this last visit. The crab cake is done just right and so was the seared tuna. Everything just sounded wonderful.
I do look forward to bringing visitors once more, though this will not be an everyday occasion to visit this, it will be one to cherish. This is perfect for out of town guests, or to use to impress any one. I would suggest this to others as well.

We went to the American Sector for lunch before visiting the World War II museum. I liked the contemporary feel of the restaurant with lots of natural light throughout. There are touches of the military theme but it’s not overdone. We enjoyed watching the old wartime video clips on the screens above the bar. I had the sector lemonade to drink off the specialty cocktail menu and it was delicious and refreshing. The gumbo of the day was turkey and andouille sausage. At first I hesitated because I usually prefer seafood gumbo but I’m so glad I ordered a bowl. It was my favorite gumbo of the whole trip to New Orleans. It was very hearty with a nice thick roux and most importantly it had that special spicy kick to the flavor that to me makes a great gumbo. I also ordered the crispy oyster «BLT» to round out my meal. The oysters and pork belly were perfectly cooked and I really liked the pairing with the sweetness of the tomato jam. My boyfriend ordered the toasted turkey club. It was a massive sandwich with a heaping amount of turkey. He said it tasted great although the size made it somewhat challenging to eat. The fries were good too and I loved the cute little basket they came in. Overall the American Sector was our favorite restaurant that we tried during our trip to New Orleans.

This is my go to happy hour when friends are in from out of town. Great selection of bar food and drinks. You can easily get 2 or 3 items to share. Great service. Next to WWII museum. I luv it for the outdoor patio (with heAters)

Terrible! Tastes were bland, and the food was hardly room temperature. The service was slow, and the host seemed to be slow also… not a good experience, BUT the manager apologized for everything and offered to take care of our tab, but we instead insisted to try some dessert on the house. It certainly saved them, as the dessert was AMAZING!

After a 4 hour drive to New Orleans on the way to the WWII Museum, went straight to the American Sector Restaurant to refuel before starting my tour. Layout is nice, open, and with a lot of windows. There’s a choice of café tables, booths, and bar seats. Bellied up to the bar and ordered a local draft and a chicken/​sausage gumbo. The bartender was prompt, courteous, and attentive. The gumbo bowl soon came– dark, rich, and great-​smelling. I was a tad hungry, so I wolfed down the soup. It was tasty, though. This is a café in a museum, so I didn’t expect a cheap deal. Beer, soup, tax, and tip came out close to $ 20. It was certainly convenient to refresh your body before starting or resuming your tour. Recommend and will repeat.

Awesome salmon bacon sandwich! So so so good must try. Atmosphere is fun cozy plus monorail photos of wwii make it all worth it.

American Sector has a history similar to that of the USA. When it started it was the scrappy newcomer to the NOLA happy hour scene, but they brought delicious duck wings, sliders, and meat pies to the table and people were happy sipping on ½ prices cocktails. For a time it was happiness and rainbows to the point where it seemed almost seemed too good to be true.
Apparently, it was, because over time the shine dulled and what was once a brilliant happy hour is now a pallid and content. For starters, there is no specials on starters, so the only real deal is on drinks. Luckily they still have a pretty decent beer selection, so if you’re in the neighborhood during happy hour it is worth stopping by.

Visited on a Saturday. Waitstaff was very knowledgeable about the menu and really good service. I had a shrimp po-​boy 4 out of 5. My oldest son had a burger, which was quite expensive at $ 14 he liked it very much. My youngest son ordered a Cobb Salad but they brought a House Salad. This was in less than 5 min. The greens were extremely bitter and some of the cherry tomatoes still had the leaves on them. My wife’s Fish and Chips was cold had to be sent back. While the new one was a little warmer the fish was horrible. The tartar sauce wasn’t good either. Don’t order it.

So I thought I would bring my boys down to New Orleans for some culture and because they’ve never been. Although the food took a little while, it was well worth the wait!
Boy #1 ordered the salmon po’boy, which has a delicious crust and he pretty much inhaled it. He is also known as Mr. Picky Pants.
Boy #2 ordered the short ribs, which came with tasty cheesy noodles, veggies, and btw the ribs were delicious!
I ordered the shrimp po’boy which was lightly breaded, the shrimp were large and very tasty.
All of our portions were large, and all of us left contentedly full and happy. We ate at the bar which had no wait as opposed to the 45 minute wait for a table. We all agreed to give five stars!!!

If you visit New Orleans, you HAVE to go to the WWII Museum. Just sayin.’ …and that will take you all day (or perhaps several days, as it did us) to see. Don’t waste your time leaving to go eat. You’ll do fine right there.
The American Sector gives you two options. Their main restaurant (reservations suggested) is across the street from the will-​call window. It has a decent menu with plenty of options. Most meals are on the large side, but it’s missing the charm it had several years ago when it could be mistaken for the «O» club on base. The drinks are fine, and the Shrimp and Gouda Grits (all I can speak for, as that’s what I had) are outstanding! While it’s a little pricey for what you get, you don’t ever have to leave the environs, and you can get right back to the museum after lunch.
On our second day, we didn’t fancy such a large meal, and so we opted for their «Soda Shoppe,» (on the corner, same side of the street as the will-​call). They are much smaller and more crowded, but with sandwiches and chili dogs (and beer if you want it). Much louder and somewhat cramped seating, but it isn’t pretentious, either. The dogs, by the way, were A-​OK.
Either choice is fine — it depends on what your appetite is, and whether you want finer dining or more of the feel of a juke joint. Enjoy!

The customer experience here is awful. We called ahead of time because I have a dietary restriction. Whoever answered the phone seemed unwilling to accommodate, but we asked to speak with the chef, who assured us it would be fine. Then, when we get there, I mention my dietary restriction to the waiter, who flatly says «no, we can’t do that.» We explain that we called ahead, so he sighs loudly and confers with another employee. He comes back disgruntled, and tells us that I can just have a side dish. Certainly not an ideal meal for me after a long day.
Okay, so maybe that was just a problem of miscommunication between the person who answered the phone, the waiter, and the chef. So they have the benefit of the doubt for now.
But then my friend, who had asked for a water before we ordered, still does not have water as our food comes out. She politely asks again for a water (without referring to the earlier request and without even hinting at waiter’s oversight), to which he replies with another loud sigh. The whole meal, we felt as though we were majorly inconveniencing the waiter with our presence.
Unfortunately, the check included a 20% gratuity because we were a large party. I was tempted to talk with the manager to have the gratuity dropped. But frankly, I just didn’t want to be in that establishment for any longer than I had to.
I’m not usually sensitive about customer service — as some of my other reviews will show, I actually like hole-​in-​the-​wall places with curt/​gruff staff. But the American Sector stepped up the discourteousness to unprecedented levels. Diners beware.

Who knew this eatery inside the WWII museum served such yummy food? The oyster salad with crumbled blue cheese was perfect for a late lunch after perusing the museum. The vinaigrette was tangy and sweet which went well with the oyster and blue cheese and butter lettuce. Cobb salad didn’t have hard boiled egg, so that was disappointing. The truffle garlic fries were soooo good!
Service was attentive but somewhat slow given we came after the lunch rush.

The food was good, there’s definitely better food in NOLA and the bartenders were great BUT our server Juan needs to make a career change. We had 11 family members celebrating a very special time with our Dad and having a good server could have enhanced our experience. Juan you basically suck, get a personality if you’re going to be in customer service industry.

Dear god don’t come here unless you have a lot of time to kill. We sat down at 1:50 waiter came around at 2 to put napkins down on our table for drinks. We ordered around 2:10.
I had the Cobb salad which was okay. I’m pretty sure I got half a cucumber on my plate. The ham was pretty good and the bacon was delicious. The open faced pot roast looked decent but there wasn’t a ton of meat.
My mom ordered the burger which was $ 14. She asked for it medium rare and received it well done. We requested another one and proceeded to wait 15 minutes. When it finally came out, the burger was raw in the center.
We saw our waiter three times. When he took our drink order, then our food order and then when he brought the bill.

The Shrimp and Gouda Grits here is the best thing I have eaten in Nawlins to date. Stupid good!!!

One of the best happy hours in the city is located in the WW2 Museum. The HH has good hours and it is 7-​days a week. Hopefully this does not change when the new renovations are completed. Good variety of small bites and also drinks. And it is a great environment. It is not a normal bar environment, but you are surrounded by one of the best museums in the country.

It’s changed owner /​operators, and it’s gone downhill.
Gone are the girls in pinup gear to greet and seat you with a smile, replaced by generically dressed people that pay you no mind.
Gone is the music of the 40s, replaced by generic Billy Joel-​heavy stations.
Gone are the $.75 duck wings and sliders, replaced by greasy fries & pizza-​type dishes for $ 4.50 a piece.
Gone are (some of) the local craft beers on tap, replaced by Bud Light and Miller Lite (and raised from $ 2.50 to $ 4 a pint to boot!)
The waitresses generally ignored me, despite the fact that I was one of only two or three tables there. I got the fries with debris, which were overly heavy and tasted really under cooked… and in fact I got pretty ill the next day, so I won’t trust them again. It was too salty, the fries were saggy, there was too much cheese, and that beef tasted raw. I spent the next afternoon in the toilet.
The cocktails are still excellent.
The formula beforehand was fantastic, and took advantage of the unique location to make something that was really special. Why the new operators took the best features of this place is just beyond me. I’m really sad that it’s gone.

I have been corrected. Elijah C offered this feedback on my review, «The American Sector was the name given to the area outside of the French Quarter in New Orleans where many Americans settled. The French Creoles resided on one side of Canal, and the Americans on the other, hence the name of the restaurant.»
Having been to Berlin, Germany, and having seen the former American Sector there («You are leaving the America Sector»), I naturally assumed that, in the context of a WWII museum and the American Sector caused by the vacuum of post-​WWII, that the American Sector referred to the one there in Berlin.
Having also been to the American Sector restaurant in New Orleans (amid the WWII Museum), I’m amazed that I didn’t pick up on this important aspect of New Orleans history.
I stand corrected.

Adorable outside seating. Blah menu of American food, but I won’t hold that against them, since they’re called «Stage Door Canteen, The American Sector».
Service was unenergetic and unfriendly. Cocktails were delicious.

Nice spot for a cold beer and quick snack while checking out the WWII Museum in New Orleans. Friendly service, and nice ambiance. It was a little chilly in there for me.
I had he crawfish fritters and they were delicious.
Nice beer selection.

Even after the switch from John Besh, I kept coming to American Sector because they had the same drink and food specials with $ 4 – 5 drinks and small plates until 7pm. The food was nothing special, but it was inexpensive, and the drinks are great.
Because apparently they can’t seem to get enough of changing things for their patrons, this past weekend they eliminated the happy hour food menu, so if you want to eat while enjoying their drinks, you have to pay full-​price for mediocre food. Unfortunately it’s just no longer worth it to go.

The service here is hit or miss. Mostly miss. I got lucky tonight at the bar and had a nice time. The crab cake with the fried avocado is delicious! The peacemaker dip is great until about half way through. It’s actually too much dip!
Drinks and meals are on the expensive side. Food isn’t as good since Besh left, but still one of the best happy hours in town!

I visited for the first time since the switch from John Besh to Centerplate. The menu is pretty small, which for me is good because I’m extremely indecisive when it comes to food — I love it all! There’s a nice outdoor seating option.
The server was nice and attentive. Unfortunately our dining experience had a rocky start. No worries though. I cannot begin to express the display of more than perfect customer service from the entire team — server, kitchen and manager. Not only did we get an apology and a redo on the plate from the server, the manager came out and expressed his sincerest apology along with the chef.
I’m not going to go into detail, but what the staff did to make up for the mishap far exceeded any expectations anyone could have ever had in this circumstance. It’s clear the staff of this restaurant cares about their patrons and wants to ensure a great experience and return. I’m grateful for everything the staff did and just because of it, I will likely go back.

I was surprised to read so many negative reviews. I’ve eaten here twice and we had great meals both times. For lunch I had the salmon BLT and it was amazing. The sandwich was HUGE and I shared it with my husband. The bacon and bread on the sandwich was amazing. There was also a generous piece of salmon that was cooked perfectly. My husband had gumbo that he liked.
We came back a few hours later for coffee and dessert to rest from walking around this great museum for hours and hours. This is truly a DON’T MISS MUSEUM. It makes the WWII era and history very clear and profound.
Back to food… I ordered the Whoopie Pie dessert. So pretty that I had to take a photo and post it. We really liked it here. I hope you will too. It’s a little expensive but we like to travel in style.

This place actually has one of the better happy hours in the city (strange for such a touristy place). They’ve changed it up a bit recently and started doing the standard 4 – 7.
1. $ 2.50 draft beer. Not a huge selection but that’s a better price than you’ll find pretty much anywhere else around there.
2. $ 4.00 appetizers. A few of these are enough for a small meal. Best is the BBQ chicken flatbread and the chili blue cheese fries. The loaded fries aren’t great :/​
3. $ 4.00 wine and cocktails. See #1.
Happy hours pretty good, the actual menu is ok and overpriced (though the bananas foster bread pudding is worth every cent). That paired with it being a pretty large tourist trap makes me only want to come here for a few beers and nibbles. 3 stars!