Ye Olde College Inn

My wife and I love this place — we stop in for dinner every time we’re in town. I always have the Crawfish Delacroix — wonderful crawfish etouffe over a nice piece of white fish. The crawfish remoulade with fried green tomatoes is my favorite appetizer. The gumbo is wonderful.
I love the feel of the place too — it is very much a neighborhood restaurant, rather than a tourist destination. If you want really good food in a cool atmosphere, give it a try.

The Poboy just seems like a necessary step when you come to visit New Orleans. And what better po boy to try but one that has received notoriety?
Ye Olde College Inn happened to be only a few minutes from the apartment that I was staying at, so it was very lucky for me. The place looks kind of small but is much larger on the inside. We were immediately seated, and given menus, but we already knew what we wanted to order.
We decided to share the crawfish macaroni and cheese ($ 12), as well as the fried green tomato and shrimp remoulade Poboy ($ 16). The sandwich was huge so we got it split between the two of us and that was more than enough.
I honestly did not know that shrimp remoulade was supposed to be cold, but the surprise was rather nice. The baguette was crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside, and the fried green tomatoes provided a nice and crisp little touch to the sandwich.
I did not care too much for the crawfish macaroni and cheese. The noodles were al dente, but they were little under seasoned. The crawfish was quite abundant though and I did enjoy the creamy sauce.
Our charming waiter insisted that I try the fried bread pudding ($ 7), and though I was a little full, I did get it to go. He even came by to show me the proper method for pouring the rum sauce over the bread pudding, and that it had to be eaten in the next 25 minutes for the optimal taste. I took his warning to heart, and got a second wind by the time we made it back to the apartment. The bread pudding was crispy on the outside, and so soft and moist on the inside. Absolutely delicious, and I don’t even like raisins!
I suggest trying this place at least once, and I’d be happy to try the other entrées on the menu. Next time I might even go bowling.

Had the seafood gumbo and shrimp remoulade for dinner. Gumbo wasn’t hot or tasty and the remoulade was odd. Served over fried green tomatoes, so the cold shrimp and warm tomatoes were not compatible. We were seated upstairs (hadn’t even realized there was an upstairs) and though the table was comfortable, there wasn’t enough room for the server to maneuver. Consequently, we had to stand up and walk our dirty dishes to him and to receive our drinks and food. Not a great experience.

This place probably has one of the best Mac n cheese I have ever eaten! It blew my mind. Now on to everything else. We ordered a cheese plate that included 3 cheeses (don’t remember the kind) and 2 meats (prosciutto & salami). I wish it would have came with toast or cracker. All was good though. For dinner we orders the lemon pepper Chicken, puppy drum (special), and a sprout salad. All was perfectly cooked and everyone enjoyed. Finally peach cobbler à la mode and fried poor-​boy bread pudding for dessert. Amazing!

It was even better than I remembered it, from when I used to go, when I was younger.
The new décor is very nice and wide open. The bar is large and roomy. LSU was playing, on the TV.
Our waiter, Jimmy, was exceptional. Really great waiter and a great guy. He took great care of us, even our friend that has multiple food allergies was accommodated.
We had to get to Rock n Bowl, so we skipped dessert. All 5 of us loved our meals.
BBQ Shrimp-​I was told was incredible.
The wedge salad looked great and my friend loved it. She had shrimp and oysters added.
The Crabmeat La Maison was extremely yummy.
The fish was Drum, for the night we were there.
Our friend, who got the fish of the day meal loved it. And, we loved the fish special; there were beets, crab, cranberries, with the fish. The flavor explosion was a treat.

Fried Bread Pudding AMAZING !
better than any anywhere
Don’t worry about the calories… just try it once and I’M confident you will agree

Great place! We had a party of 5 and everyone was very happy with this choice. The menu is mostly seafood, but there are some very good non-​seafood alternatives such as the Carrolton Chop which was delicious. The shrimp and grits was another popular and delicious dish.

1. go in the kitchen and read the sign over the oven and be inspired:
«ANYTHING YOU VIVIDLY IMAGINE,
ARDENTLY DESIRE, SINCERELY BELIEVE,
AND ENTHUSIASTICALLY ACT UPON,
MUST, ABSOLUTELY MUST, COME TO PASS.»
2. best food in New Orleans and the whole country
3. at the end of your meal you will give the chefs a standing ovation
4. talk to the locals at the bar
5. Revel that you are alive and can eat here

The special seafood gumbo was absolutely delicious! I would definitely eat here again! The charcuterie & cheese board had a nice assortment and was excellent as well. My fresh blueberry mojito really put me over the moon, yum!

I’ve been here a few times, and I’ve never been disappointed. We went again on a Saturday night. I had a blueberry mojito, which was super strong, but delicious. Our server, Jimmy, was knowledgeable and very personable. He swayed me when I couldn’t decide what to eat.
We started with the crawfish mac and cheese. I’m not a big crawfish person, but fiancé is. He thought it was fantastic. I picked out the crawfish and then also thought it was fantastic :) I had a baked potato soup; he had a gumbo. I wasn’t impressed by the gumbo. It was a little bland. A bit of salt may have helped. My soup was really good.
My entrée was the beef short ribs. Jimmy was right; it was like pot roast on steroids. It was fork tender and covered in gravy. Mashed potatoes and brussels sprouts (cooked in bacon) were phenomenal. Fiancé had some fish dish with corn and crabmeat. I don’t eat seafood, so I wasn’t really paying attention. He said it was good though. We ended with the fried bread pudding. Words cannot describe. Amazing.
I’ll definitely be back!

I was really hoping for more from this place. I’ve tried ti 3 times and never once come close to being satisfied. I’m done. Service is always pretty crappy, but that’s not a deal breaker for me. Every po-​boy I’ve had has been not worth half of what I paid for it. I wouldn’t recommend eating there.
This lanes are also some of the worst in the city. If you’re gonna go bowling, go to a real alley.

We discovered Ye Olde College Inn one evening when we weren’t in the mood to go to the French Quarter, or even down to Magazine Street. We know that there are a lot of gems in the less-​frequented tourist spots in NOLA, but we really lucked out to find this place.
We both had the chef’s special, which was some sort of fish concoction over a bed of fresh vegetables. It was mind-​blowingly delicious; so much so that we were tempted to lick our plates (no, we didn’t … but yes, we thought about it).
Our waiter was absolutely delightful; well-​humored, full of interesting little tidbits about the history of the area and he kept our water glasses full.

New Orleans has a lot of its own peculiarities, such as giving directions as towards the river or towards the lake. The same is true for businesses and restaurants, often described as «before the storm,» or «after the storm,» a reference to Katrina.
Ye Olde College Inn, before the storm, had been around since 1933, serving cocktails and localized favorites like po-​boys, chicken or pork chops smothered in gravy, and the like. It had a very regular group of customers for its consistent cuisine and reliability.
In 2003, local entrepreneur (Rock n’ Bowl) John Blancher purchased the restaurant, and gently starting to shape it to his vision, restaurantus interruptus came along with Katrina, which put three feet of water in the restaurant.
Undeterred, Blancher was able to reopen for limited service after a few months, in another property, 30 feet west of the original, and he hasn’t missed a beat (or meal) since.
Ye Old College Inn of today not only features the local favorites, but has also considerably amped up its menu with creative cuisine and locally sourced ingredients.
The nite I visited they were offering a special hamburger, ground in-​house from beef tenderloins, capped with seared fois gras and gold leaf, along with fresh-​cut fries. It was superb, as was the service.
If you’re visiting New Orleans, you can hit the restaurant via a pleasure journey on the St. Charles/​Carrolton streetcar from the Quarter or Garden District.

A friend and I decided to go here since neither of us had been — we figured, hey, it’s kind of a local institution; we should give it a shot. Well, that shot ended up costing $ 30 for a cocktail, a salad, and some french fries. The cocktail? Fine. The salad? Meh. The fries? Okay. I don’t need to be paying that kind of money for average food and drinks.
The one thing I will say is that our server was excellent: very polite, attentive, and patient as we looked over the menu and asked questions. Too bad the food wasn’t as good as the service!

Loved this place. We had my sister’s 40^th birthday and they could not be more accommodating and nice. The food is the best I has in New Orleans. The Shrimp and Grits were amazing. They also have great PoBoys and fresh salads from their own farm.
I am so excited they opened one in the airport so I can have one more meal before our trip is over.

I had perhaps one of the best meals… ever!
Visiting NO on business and was looking to find a great local spot away from the «Pottersville» («Its a Wonderful Life» reference ;-) that is The French Quarter.
The app special of shrimp and grits rounds (fritters) were served over a (waitress-​described) ratatouille in a white sauce that was superb and made me want to lick the plate clean. I keep a list of the best dishes I’ve ever eaten and this one has now been added to that list. Entrée was almost as good… a special of red fish with shrimp, oyster mushrooms, charred tomato and potato veggie hash. It was perfectly cooked with a light, smoky taste.
The atmosphere was casual and comfortable and clearly had lots of natives. Our server, Megan, was so pleasant and friendly, and extremely knowledgeable about the menu.
This was truly an outstanding experience. Loved it!

Upon entry, we were met with a lot of other folks who thought it would be fun to dine here. So there we stood after checking in. The wait was only about 20 minutes. Not too bad.
The restaurant is nice. It’s much different than I expected with a name like Ye Olde College Inn. Fancier. It’s also a lot more expensive than I imagined. Regardless, the food was great, but I doubt we’ll go back. There are too many other places in this city that have as good or better food for a fraction of the cost.

I made my first visit to YOCI last night with my girlfriend and another couple and I will DEFINITELY be back. So good!
Girlfriend knows some of the chefs, who hooked us up with a comped appetizer and dessert, making the meal that much better. The grilled flatbread app featured oxtail and was delicious. The table also shared some fried oysters (topped with blue cheese!) and BBQ shrimp. Both fantastic. The sauce accompanying the shrimp was thick, creamy, and not to be wasted. Good thing it was served with some toasty French bread for dipping. For my main course I had the hamburger steak, which was topped with sauteed onions and brown gravy. Huge portion so I’ve got some left over for dinner tonight too. And finally, don’t leave without sampling the fried bread pudding.
Bonus: Giant Jenga outside the front door. Check out the pic.
People keep asking me what my favorite restaurant is in NOLA and I’ve never had an answer. If my next few visits to YOCI are as good as last night’s, I’ll have a response ready in the future.

There is really nothing left of the old Ye Olde College Inn now except maybe the po boys. This is now a farm to table focused establishment that is doing great fresh food. I’m a big fan of farm to table but this place just isn’t the Ye Olde College Inn anymore so I’d rather they just change the name. I miss the classic old school NOLA neighborhood family joint dive that Ye Olde College Inn used to be and now its just become mostly a fancy food dining joint. I’m a fan of fancy food dining and farm to table but I miss the food and ambiance that Ye Olde College Inn used to provide as there just isn’t anything else like it anymore in this area of New Orleans. They just need to rename this joint Farm to Table Inn and then reopen Ye Olde College Inn nearby with the classic menu.
New version: small high quality portions, nice preparation, high prices, mediocre to bad service.
Olde version: huge portions, expert preparation, cheap prices, excellent to outstanding service.
That could all probably sum up a lot of things in NOLA these days between the old and new of things.
Before Katrina I used to eat at Ye Olde College Inn several times a week. After Katrina with the restaurant evolving to what it is now I’ve evolved to eat there around once every 5 years. The current food is very good but its more special occasion food and not the joint I used to be able to grab a good quick affordable lunch at or splurge to feast on a gigantic seafood platter (they don’t even do lunch or a seafood platter anymore). For special occasions the ambiance here doesn’t work well for me so I’m usually heading to Commander’s, Clancy’s, Arnaud’s or Galatoire’s for the most part. I just have a hard time fitting the niche of what this place has become into my dining rotation unless I happen to be going to Rock and Bowl.

I hadn’t been to the Inn since they moved to the new building… for those counting at home, that means I hadn’t been in almost a decade.
I do think the «new» space (when a restaurant has been around since 1933, then the 8 year old building is still new) is really airy and attractive and clean.
The menu is really different but that’s a good thing. BUT I think they try to be fancy for fancy sake and miss there mark. I brought a couple of out of towners here on Saturday night and the wait was 45 minutes around 8 pm. Really I know better.
I started with a special appetizer, since our server was really soft spoken and the restaurant can be lively, I think I misunderstood. I thought I was getting a bruschetta type dish, but ended up with grilled cheese, sort of. It was brieoch bread and the brie and strawberries were not of a quantity to stand up to it. Plus I’m not really sure what the greens and egg were doing there. Although the egg was perfectly poached. My entrée was the appetizer portion of the crawfish mac-​n-​cheese which would have been much better without the truffle oil which was a bit heavy handed.
My dining companions loved their dishes the redfish delacroix and the remoulade poboy. Plus the folks next to us raved about their porkchop and hamburger steak dinners.