Wayfare

Definitely a great happy hour joint. Nice, comfy, and cozy place. Great lightning. Great service. Maybe because it was happy hour, but the host was so nice and friendly and welcomed me to sit at the bar participate in the hour special or he would find me a seat and I can hurry up and get service! Amazing staff and the host recognized everyone that walked in. My drink was delicious! I love a great Margarita with sugar on the rim! Lol! My bartender was really nice and friendly. She made sure I was doing good and she asked how the margarita taste and everything. I love when bartenders still stick to the original ingredients of a beverage but still manage to put their own little twist on things! I really have no complaints. I see some appetizers I’m interested in like this «MACARONI, cheese, and bacon casserole». Sounds so good. But I really just came for a drink and to get a feel for the place since it is my first time here! This place didn’t disappoint and o will definitely be back. Especially because happy hour is over with at 6

I recently visited this place on an early Saturday evening for drinks and dinner. There are a lot of options on Freret street and I’ve dined at most of them and wanted to try a new place. The place was spacious and if you’ve dined at similar restaurants along this strip, at peak times the noise level can be difficult. The service was very friendly and my dining partner and I had a few of the cocktails. I’m a cocktail fan/​snob and I like simple drinks that are well balanced. Many of the cocktails on the menu are vodka cocktails, which for true cocktail fans, this might be a turn off. The Cucumber Cooler had a lot of ingredients and while it was refreshing, it didn’t have much overall flavor. The base was Hendrik’s gin with club soda, simple syrup and cranberry juice. I chose an Aperol Spritz afterwards which I enjoyed: Aperol, club soda, twist of lemon, perfect! The menu has a lot of great options that are sharable and reasonably priced. The star of the evening was our shared gnocchi with sweet potato purée. It was very good. Overall I had a good experience but with so many similar dining options available in New Orleans and especially along this street, this is hard to stand out as something I would return to.

I have worked in the industry for a few years and I have never seen worse service by a manager/​owner. I would never recommend this restaurant to anyone. My boyfriend received a gift card for Wayfare and we were very excited for a date night out. Our server was great but once it came time to pay the bill the gift card service was down and thus we could not pay via gift card. Instead of apologizing for the mishap the manager proceeded to accuse us of lying and trying to eat for free. We had to leave the $ 75 gift card with the restaurant for our $ 40 meal and left after being scolded and chastised by the manager. We wrote an email to the owner who was defensive and would not upfront apologize. We called the gift card company and they told us the restaurant’s system was down. We went back to retrieve the gift card (which had been charged for our meal) and despite recognizing us in the restaurant, the owner would not come over and apologize. This was the worst service I have ever experienced.

Can’t speak for the food. Hubby and I just wanted a snack with our drinks but they were out of meat pies. Great drinks good service

We went for breakfast and I got the croque madame which I definitely recommend. Toasted ham sandwich with melted cheese on top of the bread with a fried egg on top of that. Delish.
My fiancée got the chicken and biscuits which she also liked but she thought the biscuit was kind of dense (but she also recognizes that it might be because she got the gravy on the side). However she thought the grits were some of the best she ever had.
The show stealer was the bread pudding beignets or deep fried bread pudding which is what it really was. That sauce, amazing. The whole dish, it just worked. If we lived in NOLA, we’d be regulars here.

Been many times. Drinks are great and the food has always been killer. The chicken biscuit during brunch is amazing and way too big. Also get the bread pudding beignets

By the look of this menu, it seemed like a promising Gastropub. This is our favorite type of restaurant, but we were pretty disappointed. The duck fat fries were soggy; the spicy mayo dip was the best part about these. The Brussels sprouts were also soggy and sopped in oil, not much flavor; again, the spicy mayo saved these. The chicken on the Waldorf salad was just boiled shredded chicken with no flavor. The rest of the salad was alright. The staff were very friendly and the drinks were great. I think they have great intention but don’t know how to execute the «Gastro» in Gastropub.

Great meal, great friends, great place. Atmosphere is bangin. Freret street = phenom. If you know what I’m sayin. Our meal was forty dollhairs but I ain’t complainin! Also the brussel sprouts were like angels wings. DELICIOSO!!!

This place was wonderful. I wish I could remember her name but our waitress was on her A+ game last Saturday night. They make their own a fresh cut potato chips which is definitely something you need to order, they are delicious! Our sandwiches and kebabs were all cooked and made perfectly and were greatly enjoyed. We love everything.

Had Wine and Brussel Sprouts @happyhour for less than $ 10! Brussel Sprouts were amazing!!! (The portion is pretty big!)

1^st NOLA block review! New Orleans is an amazing culinary city!
THE AMBIANCE:
I was in town to celebrate two (2) friends’ birthdays and ready for the NOLA shenanigans! Before dinner reservations at Superior Seafood & Oyster Bar we stopped at Wayfare to grab a drink and an appetizer. Wayfare is a cute, wooden furniture wine bar. There is a bar on the left and seating on the right. We sat at a long high table in the middle of the venue.
THE FOOD:
We decided to share the Wayfare Pommes Frites (fried in duck fat and served with house-​made chili pepper aioli, $ 9) and the Calamari (flash-​fried with pickled banana peppers, red onion & jalapeño served with a cebollita aioli, $ 10). We were excited about duck fat fries but the fries were disappointing! They honestly tasted like regular french fries. The aoili was tasty. On the other hand, I would recommend the calamari. It was tasty, fried well, and the red onion and jalapenos gave the plate a bitter-​sweet-​heat. The sauce on the side was amazing. It was great!
THE TIPS:
Street parking. Service was slow.

Alright so this was the second time my husband and I have been brought to Wayfare by a friend who is a local. My husband made a great observation while we were there: «Is there anything bad on this menu!?» Doesn’t seem that way! We enjoyed The Knuckle and Media Dia with a side of mac’n’cheese and we were not disappointed. Paired with a gin & tonic and Wayfare margarita, it was a dinner fit for royalty. Love the atmosphere, casual but sophisticated. The servers and bartenders are very friendly. Will definitely be visiting again, and definitely recommend for lunch or dinner.

wayfare:
artichoke and oyster soup: broth way too cold, oysters way too hot. too much artichoke. the bread served with the soup was both rock hard and doughy at the same time; something I equate to frozen garlic bread kept in your freezer from a softball team’s fundraiser.
the calamari was heavy on the breading. the aoili was inedible. I’m not pleased with the ratio of rings to zoidberg mouths, and the pickled onions and jalapeños were an afterthought that didn’t need to be there. If they were meant to cut the breading, it didn’t work. The huge portions were daunting, especially for appetizers; had the food been good, I would have welcomed the mass amount of food, but it… well, it wasn’t.
bartenders and staff leave a lot to be desired. the one girl seemed taken aback when I tried to order from her and the manager/​expeditor was either new, over his head, had new kitchen staff, or just plain needs to get some. (Dude, we can all hear you.) From the look of it, the kitchen is mostly chicks, which is awesome, and these bad ass girls were taking a lot of substitutions, so there is that going for wayfare, which is nice.
I’m not thrilled with the giant placemat set before me after I ordered. I may have been raised in a farm town, but I was not born in a barn. The exposed wood is beautiful; kitchen is surprisingly small. The music playing over the speakers somehow feels disjointed to whatever the theme of this place is. Same goes for the odd basketball game on ESPN on the two tvs at the bar.
Unfortunately for me, I won’t be coming back. There was too much wrong with the food, the service, and I just didn’t feel welcomed. The first time I tried to come here they had a wine event going on for a sorority, so if any part of that sounds like you might enjoy it, maybe this place is for you. It isn’t for me, ²⁄₅.

I got the beet salad. It was really yummy. I was disappointed though that their Mac n cheese had meat in it (why do people do that?!) because the photos on here looked so good. #vegetarianptoblems :/​
Atmosphere was cool. Not crowded at all on a Sunday afternoon. They had drink specials, but I stuck with water.

Wayfare is so cute! I recently went for a first date and was pleasantly surprised. At first I thought, ok sandwiches for dinner is kinda lame, but Wayfare was a nice, quiet and intimate setting. We went on a weeknight and it wasn’t busy, though he did may a reservation. There are icicle lights lining the windows so the mood was slightly romantic, but still casual.
We made it in time for their happy hour, which ends at 7pm. They had cocktail, beer, and wine specials. And the fries are also on happy hour. They have a fairly large selection of drinks, but I was in the mood for wine and ordered a glass of the Malbec. He got the Moscow mule which came in a cute copper mug, but I didn’t get to try it.
We shared the fries and mac and cheese. The fries were thickly cut and came in a basket with an interesting sauce. I think it was sriracha mayo. I thought it tasted strange at first, but it grew on me and ended up complementing the thick fries well. I was really excited about the mac and cheese, but was underwhelmed. It was too dry for my liking. It’s baked, with lots of bread crumbs cooked on top. Maybe it was the type of cheese that caught me off guard. I don’t know what it was.
I had the BL (fg)T sandwich, since I had read good reviews. I really liked the flavor. The fried green (fg) tomato is a nice touch. I put the pickles into the sandwich, which balanced out the flavors. The bacon and fried tomato can get a little heavy, it was nice to have the pickles to lighten it up. The sandwiches come with very thin fried potato slices/chips.They may be over fried, but I really liked the texture.
Previous reviews had complained about service, but we didn’t have any problems. Our waitress didn’t check in on us much, but we were pretty low maintenance. Overall, average food and nice ambience. I’d definitely come back and would recommend it for a first date.

We love everything at Wayfare! The food, cocktails, atmosphere, and service is great! The French toast, chicken biscuits, and quiche specials are amazing!

Great service! Nice staff. Ordered the Ginger-​Acai martini. For those who like ginger, it is a must!
Mac n cheese for the win! !!! It is a must! Definutely on my list of good mac n cheese.

This is my third time coming here and so far, I have only been here for lunch and food are great. I have also noticed that they have a good variety of kids menu, which mean I will bring my kid here next time when I am in the area!
Service is nice and friendly. Quality of food is also good too. Their sandwiches are the best with great quality ingredients. However, it’s a little pricey but it’s worth the try once a while.

This building looks like it is big, but it doesn’t really have that many seats. On a Friday lunch we had to wait about 20 minutes for a seat (which really cuts into the lunch hour) and then service was a tad slow. All three of us ordered iced teas and mom and I opted for the Chicken Parm sliders while the sister got the Fried BLT. Each entrée came with a side salad which was a surprise.
I didn’t get to sample the friend BLT b/​c it had onions on it (ewwwwwwww) but my sister seemed to enjoy it.
We also opted to order the Kurobuta Mac & Cheese to split amongst the three of us and it was delicious!
If the service was a bit quicker, it would be great. I asked for my check once the food came… and the check didn’t come until way after I was done eating.
I also thought it was weird that my sister got her sandwich first… then 5 mins later I got my sliders… then 5 mins later mom got her sliders…
Who does that?

You know that type of restaurant that when you walk in, you know it is your kind of place? Wayfare is my kind of place.
I had lunch one Wednesday with two friends. We arrived shortly after 11 am and were seated immediately. The restaurant was clean and comfortable. I happened to have a great view of Freret St. and felt like I was in a prime location.
The server was dressed casually, befitting the environment, yet provided impeccable service. He made recommendations when asked, and did not try to do that pushy up-​sale thing.
I’m not sure how to describe the menu. There were some items I had never heard of. This could be off putting to some people I suppose, However, the smell convinced me anything would be good.
I settled on some vegetarian sliders, I am not a vegetarian, and my mind was blown by how good they were. The chips were very good. The tea was fresh, and I never had to ask for a refill. By the time we left, the restaurant was full. The relaxed satisfaction on every face was classic New Orleans.
I would be willing to walk 3 or 4 blocks in 40 degree weather to eat here, and lets face it, I wouldn’t do that for food that didn’t make me want to eat it again and again and again. If you are in the mood for some freshly prepared food with a creative twist, be adventurous and take a chance. Ill be waiting for you to thank me.