Ursa Major

What are other reviewers thinking… This place reminds me of the story The Emperors New Clothes… Went in on a very slow night, lots of employees terrible service, the person who was our primary server was not to up to speed on the menus, avoided answering direct questions about the food.
Food… Well ok different, from the Chef’s experiences while going around the world, personally I think he better get back on the road and go to some bigger cities and learn some better recipes, the food is OK, maybe less
Pre paid reservations made me think I was going someplace important and vibrant, the place was a ghost town, no doubt they lost money serving us as we were the only ones there for most of our «dining experience » .
In thinking back, I wasted three hours of my life and a $ 100+
If you thinking of going here… Why not see what else is out there first and cross those restaurants off your list.
I am not going back.

I cannot speak to the quality of the food or drinks because we waited at the bar for over twenty minutes without being brought a menu or greeted by the bartender, despite our attempts of waiving, eye contact, etc.
We actually had so much time while we were not being served that I wound up looking around the place and finding a menu myself. We eventually just left. The one star rating is basically a solid round of applause for the owners of the place that were able to parlay the overpriced, underwhelming hipster hype of Bootys and transplant it into New Orleans’s new Dallas neighborhood: the Paramount.
Kudos to you for convincing people who still forget New Orleans neither should nor needs to charge San Francisco prices, that they can. $ 20 for a pork cutlet curry and $ 10 for a vegetable fritter appetizer. Brava!

I love this restaurant! Fantastic cocktail menu, amaaaaazing and eclectic menu and lovely, wonderful service every single time. I love to go for happy hour on weekdays and bring friends– who always leave impressed! It can be hard to find, but once you’re inside this place is STUNNING with amazing attention to detail. I hope this place thrives– NOLA needs more places like this.
Menu standouts: Dahl fritters, soba noodle salad, okonomiyaki, and any and all Thalis! Go with a group and share everything– you can try unique dishes and split the bill evenly so it’s a perfect night out! I’ve also heard great things about lunch, though I’ve yet to try it myself.
Cocktail wise at happy hour I love the shrubs, which the bartenders really know how to balance. The wine list is seriously something to behold– fantastic price points and selection.
I for reals love Ursa Major, yall. Glorious concept in a happening spot! And if it’s your time in the zodiac you get half off all cocktails tailored to your sign! December can’t come soon enough this Sagittarius will be there every night! YAS!

Stopped in for a bike event and it was great. I tried the house punch and it was strong and excellent. The fruit flavor and rum wasn’t too sweet and very tasty and refreshing. I really like the location and the ambiance except for the high ceilings that cause it very hard to hear the person next to you when its crowded.

Ursa Major is a great lunch spot! The day I went it was empty which cannot be because of the food. The food was so delicious! So many people I have talked to have never heard of this restaurant. UM should work harder to get the word out!
A friend and I went during lunch around noon. We split a salad which was great! We both had the ginger tea (my new fav) and they also offered other flavor infused teas. We ordered the meatball sub with pickled mangos and the fried chicken. These dishes were fantastic and I will be going back! Can’t wait to take my husband here for dinner! Ursa Major is a must try!

Mediocre lunch with slow service. Good space that looks appealing, is clean, and wasn’t overly loud, even for an open room. However, from the time we were seated to the time we left, it was at least an hour, which make it difficult to be a good lunch spot… definitely not going to get you in and out if you have a one hour lunch time slot. The place was empty also, except for one other table. Sandwich was bready, and the bread crumbled. Vegetarian option was too salty and quite inedible. Probably won’t try again for a few years.

Showed up around 8pm on a Thursday night. Immediately was taken back by the place’s peculiar menu and theme. I work no more than three blocks away but this place must be experienced at night to be appreciated. Progressive: vegetarians like myself and our carnivore counterparts will find the food delicious and unique. Fabulous service and eclectic drinks. A great, welcoming experience.

We took some friends here from out of town. The whole «pre-​pay to make a reservation» is stupid. When we got there the restaurant was empty except for 5 other people so a reservation was definitely not even necessary. It also created a very unfair splitting of the tab situation where we ended up paying around $ 100 and our friends paid $ 40. Then how do you tip? the service was good, but I hate being forced to pre-​tip when I don’t even know what I am walking in to. I think they are *hoping* you forget that you pre-​tipped and will double tip on the final bill. Sneaky.
Cocktails– 3 stars, pretty good but I’ve had better
Service– 4 stars, they were very warm, attentive, and friendly
Food– between 3 and 4 stars. My favorite was the soba noodle salad and manchurian meatballs. To be honest, the lunch menu looks better so maybe I will try it out for lunch.
Ambiance– Interesting. It was very industrial, with a lot of open space. The globe balls from the ceiling were cool but the excess chords/​string left hanging from them bothered me.
Get rid of the stupid pay-​to-​make-​a-​reservation and this place would be much better.

Firstly I will never go back to this restaurant because they required a charge of $ 20/​person to make a reservation and then included a 20% tip on top of that. And then they had the nerve to say there were no cancellations. Where do they think we are — in New York? We were the only table in the restaurant and I’m not the least surprised with that policy!
On the flip side, we had a very good waitress who really helped us get through the very complicated menu. The yogurt chicken and the green beans were very good; the curried lamb special was way too spicy-​the pickled eggplant put the spice level over the top.

See my full review on my blog The Homemade Chef.

The ambiance is awful inside with a cavernous industrial hard feel composed of concrete, metal and glass construction that also leads to terrible acoustics so that it gets so loud (with not that many people) it is hard to communicate with other humans or hear much of anything specifically. The food is interesting and they do have some unique spins on most menu items. The small portion sizes of most dishes really don’t justify the prices that are charged. For example the Llama burger at lunch is delicious but it isn’t one of the larger burgers in town and all it is served with is a very tiny side salad that is maybe two tablespoons worth of greens so this dish left me feeling quite hungry still. Overall it is worth one visit for the unique menu items but the terrible acoustics and small portion size for the price really will limit my desire for frequent visits.

Eclectic. Edgy atmosphere. A little noisy at first, since the location may cater to a fe high end local hotels. But definitely worth the visit if you’re looking for something uniquely not French Quarter but New Orleans.

Excellent! I was nervous because we only had about 40 minutes to eat before a concert, but they had us in and out in time!
First impressions: sleek and beautiful space with cool décor, a friendly vibe, pretty welcoming but not to the level of the «southern charm» restaurants out there. There were a couple of loud ladies at the bar, so be warned that the «industrial» feel which is so popular right now often leads to large echoing spaces. They were OK to deal with and didn’t ruin the night. It was a Monday around 6:30 so there were a few happy hour folks, and 2 – 3 other couples.
Our host and waiter were very nice and professional, waited on us but didn’t bug us. I had a Shade Court which was tasty — a bit sweeter than I normally prefer, but well done. I could have had about 5 more if I had time.
We were short on time so we ordered soba noodle salad, black honey glazed beef, crudo, and samusas, to come out whenever they were ready. We started with samusas, which were delicate and really quite nice. We then received the crudo, which was by far the best dish. The asian pear accented the fish without being overpowering, the fish was well cut, the acid was balanced, nice crunch… overall a real gem. Black honey glazed beef was good, although a bit heavy (3 starches?), which was fine given our other dishes. The soba noodle salad was the least exciting. It was exactly what you want and exactly what you expect. I guess it’s just a less interesting dish overall. I still loved it and the texture was great!
We finished off the dinner with a couple of glasses of champagne — didn’t ask for anything specific — which was prompt, decent, cheap, and a heavy pour. I appreciated that they didn’t try and screw us over with an expensive bottle, when my boyfriend really just wanted to top off a really good meal with a treat.
We left VERY happy and highly recommend it to anyone looking for something refreshing in the warehouse/​CBD area.

Mixed Bag
The proteins we’re great as we elected for the sesame beef small plate and the lamb large plate both of which were very good. The lamb wrapped in the nan bread and dipped in yogurt was pretty good. The fried sasumas were okay, really lacked seasoning. The cinnamon rice was so cinnamony that it dominated my palate for the next five minutes.
The waitstaff was great, as well as the maitre di. Water was refilled several times throughout the meal without request.
The atmosphere *for me was pretty bad, the celestial objects handing from the ceiling reminded my of large Christmas ornaments. The chairs were rather cheap and not very comfortable. The benchs were much better.
I commend Ursa Major for trying to provide something new and different in the New Orleans culinary scene. However I left with a feeling that they tried too hard to be nouveau and different.
The meal certainely was not poor but I much prefer it’s sistet restaurant Booty in the marighany.

First off, I have to say I love the space. The glowing orbs hanging from the ceiling are very cool. And although it’s a little cavernous, we don’t get that too often inside in New Orleans, so the novelty is nice.
But I hate the exterior building. Just awful. Feels like Houston. We don’t need buildings like this in New Orleans. It’s not very appealing to walk around, there’s nowhere to put a bike around the entire exterior of the building, and there’s hardly any indication that there’s a great restaurant inside the building unless you happen to be walking or biking by. The windows are tinted so it’s hard to see in, and there are not large and obvious signs to tell you it’s a restaurant. You’d never spot it while driving, and this seems like a building built for a driving culture, not a walking one. I think this might ultimately kill Ursa Major because no one will know it’s there.
I only had one dish, and although it was good, it wasn’t perfect. It was fried fish, properly cooked, in a good sauce (tamarind and curry), although it was unclear from the menu description that it would be battered fish. It was served with tatsoi, which is an Asian cabbage relative. Unfortunately it was relatively mature tatsoi, and they did not trim the stalks well, so they were fibrous and hard to eat (or even cut with a butter knife). I really dislike fibrous vegetables. Anyone who’s ever eaten undercooked ribs of kale or greens knows what I mean, and a lot of cooks just trim those off and throw them away because of how unenjoyable they are. That’s kind of what this was like. It was served with rice that was seasoned well and had a great flavor, but at the same time it was kind of a side of rice.
I will go back and update my review because they have a lot of interesting sounding things on the menu, and I’d like to try the cocktails, which also sounded good. I just hope the restaurant overcomes the limitations of its location to survive long enough for me to try more things.

Pros: great space in an area that needed more place like this. Interesting menu with great flavors — love the Soba noodle salad, the crudo, and the curry dish. The bar and dining room are well done with astrology theme blended into it in a unique way.
Con: probably the worse service and bartender I have had in a while. Had several glasses of wine — all pours were different size (all sub standard pours). My food came out at random times — server handed my a plate while looking away and talking to another customer and then just walks away. Had four small plates — wouldn’t clear a single plate — just pushes the empty plates to the side to serve next one. Guy next to me got so upset at service he tried to leave early but couldn’t be she over-​charge his card … It just got comical towards the end.
Sad that so many good restaurants in NOLA are not putting enough emphasis on training or hiring quality servers.

Came back for another dinner last Saturday. And, if possible, I love this place even more. I posted pics of everything we ate — and absolutely EVERYTHING was delicious. The curry was probably my favorite dish of all (and I am a self-​proclaimed curry snob as I lived on the curry mile for a year in Manchester, England). I cannot wait to go back to try the other half of their small plates menu. I also have yet to try one of their main entrees (I always get distracted by the awesome small plates). The only items I forgot to snap pics of were the desserts. We had the berries (done several ways — fried blackberries — amazing — and pickled blueberries, etc) and the DOUGHNUT! OMG the doughnut was my favorite — a must get.

Ursa Major is a breath of fresh in air in a neighborhood I would rarely venture to. The décor is fresh, unique, and has set the bar high for other establishments opening in the area. The Ursa team successfully executed a modern environment while maintaining a warm and inviting atmosphere.
The menu and the cocktails seamlessly marry with the zodiac themed space and create a most memorable experience. The cocktails were incredibly inventive and the flavor profiles were refreshing. They were a perfect compliment to the full, but not overwhelming offering of multicultural dishes that are sure to impress your palette.
I highly recommend checking out the restrooms while you’re visiting, you might learn something about your astrological love potential.

Prepare yourself for an overwhelmingly unique experience! I have lived in Chicago and Los Angeles and have never been anywhere like this before.
The amount of consideration and creativity that went into every single menu item is outstanding. The crudo, duck thali and Loa Mai Gui (I’m sure I just butchered that name but its sticky rice, egg, and homemade sriracha) were standouts among the many dishes we ordered.
The cocktails change with the zodiac signs so you’re always in for a fresh experience. I’m excited to watch this place grow!
Oh. and look up! :)

Where to start?! This place was amazing! From the ambiance and décor to the service and food it was 5 stars all around! There is nothing in Nola like this place! I was with a group of 6 and we basically ordered every small plate they had, some twice. No one in our party was disappointed. We also had 2 of the Thalis which are basically an entrée: protein, starch and veggie and most are offered as small plates too. We had the tofu one and the lamb. I wish I could remember the names of everything we tried. I know the bean salad was incredible, so tasty and also the shrimp fritters. So much flavor all around, every bite was something new and wonderful! The drinks at the moment are Gemini inspired and we each tried a different one. I can speak that the Urhar (? Spelling) was their tequila specially cocktail and it was delicious! I had 2!
The service was great, no new restaurant hiccups that we experienced and both the owners, GM, and bar manager stopped by and said hello to see how we were. The servers were truly insightful and helpful when navigating the menu.
You can really tell a lot of time, research and thought went into the concept, everything flows. The dishes and drinks all tie together. It makes you appreciate the effort.
I highly recommend this new gem, great location and perfect for groups (wait until you see the booths)! You won’t be disappointed.