The Grocery

Wow po’boys. This place should be on any «best po’boys in the city. It can defiantly hang along side any of the usual nominees and winners. Long, flaky French bread, juices pouring, dressed perfectly — hard not to finish the whole thing but that’s the only meal you’ll need for the day.

Pretty cool locals spot that’s been here for years. Tried them out awhile back and just now getting to my review. I was in need of a good Cuban sandwich and I heard they had one. Didn’t disappoint it wasn’t authentic but I can appreciate a good take on one.

We were on our way to a walking tour of the Garden District and were looking for a quick bite to eat. The Grocery is two short blocks from the Washington stop of the St. Charles street car. Ordered the Turkey Melt & the Grocery Club. Excellent sandwiches, reasonably priced, and a relaxing vibe. Definitely on our list for lunch times stops any time where’re in the Garden District.

Awesome sandwiches, helpful staff, generous portions, very enjoyable experience. Right off the st Charles streetcar line. The Creole corned beef was amazing. Very enjoyable experience. Worth the trip.

Very cool atmosphere, eating inside a little country grocery store. Great sandwiches!!!

In a quaint little house-​looking building is this gem of a sandwich shop. The pressed po’boys were excellent. Ranked in order of deliciousness (out of what we ordered) — Cuban, Muffaletta, hot roast beef w gravy, and the last one was a BBQ roast beef. The Cuban was amazing. I wanted more. The bread was perfectly toasted and the meat and cheese inside wonderfully smothered. The Muffaletta was pretty good although much too salty for my taste. The hot roast beef w gravy was messy to eat but pretty tasty. It falls apart completely and the taste was good but not memorable. The shop is great to stop by for a quick bite and the parking is easier to find than French quarters. The BBQ roast beef was actually pretty bad. Nobody in out group could eat more than w bite of it but the other sandwiches were good enough to make up for that one.

My only wish is that they were open later. The po’ boys and the Cuban sandwiches are damn good! Also given that I live a block away, it’s a good place to go buy a soda when you just wanna grab one by your house given that I’m in a dead zone for little places where I can buy stuff. Although I wonder if the Red Zone is open yet on Washington. Anyhow, they have a lot of chips and snacks to choose from and everyone is super nice. If you’re relatively short like me then you might have to try a little harder to get noticed over the very high counter. HA

Our first stop on our recent trip to Nola. Hungry from our flight we stopped in at this local spot near our hotel on St. Charles Ave.
Housed in an old storefront, The Grocery is a cool place for some homemade sandwiches. I had the Cubano pressed sandwich and F had the pressed Muffulatta. Both were yumm. Nice low key vibe, nothing fancy, but if I lived nearby, I would eat here often.
At the table next to us they ordered milkshakes that look sooo good. Next time…

What’s the deal with guys and sandwiches anyway? Well, The Grocery is one of those delis that is indeed packed with sandwich lovers. The Grocery is located in the Garden District on Saint Charles, where the picturesque houses of New Orleans are. Under large oak trees and sandwiched between residential houses and scattered shops, The Grocery was a former pharmacy in the 1800’s. This deli has been around for over ten years now, and well, is a placed well loved by locals.
It is bustling during lunch hours, and for good reason. Their service is friendly, sanwiches are delicious, boasting a large variety from po-​boys to paninis, a large selection of sodas, and even dessert. Its casual, un-​updated ambience with an old-​time feel really has this place feeling like what New Orleans did even decades ago. I’ve realized my love for corned beef, and so I got the Creole Corned Beef (9.25). Toasted bread and delicious meat, the sandwich was exactly what I was craving — a hot sandwich with flavor and character. I’m not sure if the creole coleslaw was just different and unexpected, but a part of me wished it was dressed with the classic toppings. Either way, it was a delicious sandwich, and I will be back for more!

Wonderful muffuletta! The bread is toasted and pressed, just enough olives, not over powering and enough for two! Much Better than Central Market. The gumbo was full of chicken and sausage. Very nice folks! Highly recommend!

Exceptional pressed sandwiches! They will also adjust your sandwich order based on request. Can’t go wrong with any of the pressed sandwich! I have to make a stop here every time I come into New Orleans.
There is no seating except for a couple of small tables outside. It’s truly a place to pick up your sandwiches for take-​away.
Great poboys just don’t expect anything more than a small grocery store setting.

While visiting family in New Orleans, we stopped into the Grocery not once, but twice. The window and inside menu prominently advertise shakes and floats. When we went to order both on our first visit we were told they were not doing them as it was too busy. The man behind the counter was rude enough about it that we decided to pass on the rest of our order as well.
We actually figured this must have been a fluke and tried again this afternoon. Went in to no line and very few customers in the shop and as we once again looked at the 3′ sign listing shake and float offerings were told again, by the same man, «No ice cream». We asked if they were out and he said he was not getting ice cream out — just not doing it. Again, he was incredibly rude.
So while I would love to give a review of the actual food, all I can comment on at this time is the shockingly poor service. With so many other amazing places in New Orleans that want and appreciate your business, there’s no chance I’ll be giving The Grocery a third try.

Had the best chicken sausage gumbo this poor Yankee has ever had! My friend had the Muffuletta, and I introduced him to Abita beer. If I lived here, I would eat here a couple times a week, if not every day. SO GOID!

Hello po’boys.
After aimlessly wondering around the lovely Garden district, we stumbled upon the Grocery for some po’boys. After ordering an Abita Purple haze, I decided on the grilled shrimp and fried green tomato po’boy served with a zesty remoulade and whoa was it awesome. First off my shrimp were huge and perfectly grilled. Next, the bread was really fantastic. Soft in the middle and a little crunchy on the outside. Perfect.
If you find yourself needing a po’boy in the garden district, absolutely stop at the Grocery!

The Grocery is a nice offering in a sea of nothing much. While strolling through the garden district, we got hungry and thought this would be good stop for lunch. It was. The food took forever and the place was empty so I can’t imagine what it must be like when it’s busy. Were the sandwiches good? Based on the all the reviews I was definitely expecting something mind blowing which it wasn’t but it was good enough. It’s not a destination place, just a quick stop if you are in the hood. I will say that the gumbo was great, nice and spicy, not too thick but it tore me a new butthole about 10 minutes later. You have been warned.

This is a local sandwich shop that is truly a great find! It is a small and hidden corner establishment with festive colors and neat wall art. I took the trolley which drops you off right in front and even got reassurance from the trolley cart driver that this is a local gem! Had me the pressed mufaletta which was loaded with quality cold cut meat and gooey swiss cheese and layered with a diced olive salad… And they had these bottled lemonades that are bursting with flavor. Great find without a doubt!!!

So admittedly, my ALL TIME FAVORITE sandwich place in NOLA is Stein’s but sometimes you just can’t beat the Grocery – it just has a little extra… what’s the word… grease?
Go with someone else and get the Cuban and the Creole Corned beef so you can have half of each. Grab a bag of Zapp’s and a cold Abita. Welcome to sandwich heaven.

As the sign says, «Not Really a Grocery Just Good Food». Instead, it’s a funky little deli-​style sandwich shop NOLA-​style on St. Charles near Washington. We had come here a couple of years ago when stopping in New Orleans, and since we were in the neighborhood, decided to visit it again.
This not-​a-​grocery features friendly service and tasty creations. As we sat there, most of the customers (a) seemed to be regulars, and (b) were ordering take out. This is probably just as well, as the dining area is quite small and could get packed quickly. This same dining area is festooned with colorful artwork and even more colorful sayings.
I had a muffuletta sandwich, and my wife had the special: a «cajun roast beef» sandwich. Both are large portions and tasty. In particular, I had part of the muffuletta days later, and it held up like a champ. The pressed baguette bread they use for the sandwiches is great. A friend had a shrimp salad, and the shrimps were more plump and generous than you have any right to expect from a sandwich shop.
Although friendly, be warned the service is sloooow. But then again, they make the sandwiches from scratch when you order, and this is NOLA. They are pretty up front about it, though. A colorful sign above the counter proclaims: «If you get your food in 15 minutes it’s a miracle». Although somewhat confusingly, another sign below the first states «miracles happen.»
It didn’t happen for us, however, as it took a good 20+ minutes to get it. But it was worth it, and there’s plenty of atmosphere to soak up in the meantime. If you are in a fired-​up hurry, calling in advance is probably the solution.
The signs themselves are mainly for vibe, I think, since there are a lot of strange contradictory messages. In the front is a sign for shrimp po’boys — which they don’t serve. :)
All in all, a great experience and somewhere we’ll be returning to when we are in the area.

GREAT VIBE: actually an uncharacteristically clean NOLA funk;
AFFORDABLE! Most offerings under $ 10, my splittable sandwich and cola: $ 11!
THE CUBAN MIX WAS CLOYINGLY NASTY: but then I should have known better…
I lived in Key West much of the last 3 years & became a Cuban Mix fanatic, especially those served at the venerable El Siboney or that classic hole-​in-​the-​wall Sandy’s Café & Launderette. What puzzles me though, is how mainland restaurants consistently screw-​up this «dummy proof» recipe: thickly sliced (not shaved) ham & pork roast, generous slabs of a strong Swiss cheese, dill (not sweet) pickles & a big slather of humble yellow mustard on both sides. Optimally Cuban bread is used (kind of a cross between a pretzel roll & hollowed-​out Leidenheimer) then pressed until the insides are gooey & the crust crispy. But even more importantly is what is absolutely NEVER included: mayonnaise, spicy or Dijon mustard, jalapenos, lettuce, onions or tomatoes. At the Grocery I can overlook using French, but where it went wrong was the shaved ham (the roast was indiscernable), bland cheese, lame sweet pickles & tart creole mustard. Still, this was my misstep. I’ll be back for that pimiento cheeseburger!
FYI: BEST CUBAN MIX FOR THE MASSES: Café Versailles at the Miami Airport, $ 8!

I am always on the lookout for great Cuban Sandwiches. When I read that this place had a great version, I headed over during my lunch break.
The location is very easy to find, and parking was very easy. Inside the store has several tables, and coolers along the wall. I ordered a Cuban at the counter and waited for my sandwich.
The sandwich was decent, but not wonderful. While the sandwich was pressed, and the cheese melted, it seemed more like a regular ham sandwich than a traditional Cuban. I am not sure what it was lacking (maybe more pickles or mustard), but I was not impressed.
One item that did impress me was the fact that they carried Elmer’s chee-​weez. The bag of baked green onion hat I got to go with my sandwich reminded me of my childhood.
In summary, the location is pretty cool, but I found the sandwich to just be OK.
Note: This is one of the craziest bathrooms in the city. Located in the rear of the place, the bathroom had such a low ceiling, I had to hunch over. Granted, I am much taller than most humans, but I’d avoid it unless you have to.