A Taste of New Orleans

This is the very first time that I went to Taste of New Orleans and I have to say that I wasn’t very impressed with this event. I basically came for the experience. I went with friends through VIA Park and Ride instead of finding parking which was a plus because they dropped us off right at the entrance. Now the venue– pretty small was not big at all. I didn’t like that there wasn’t too much space to sit at. You basically have to bring your own seats to sit. I was disappointed with the food selection. They didn’t have much to offer. But the foods that I tried were red beans and rice, which was good had a good amount of spice. I also tried beignets which was very hot when it came out, almost burnt my skin! I also tried fried twinkees which tasted like a strawberry short cake. For me when I go to a fiesta event I need to have a variety of food and that just didn’t do anything for me. But what I will give credit is the beer selection. Of course what’s fiesta without drinking?! It’s really not a fiesta event I would come back to. Great experience though.

First I am not a Fiesta novice. I haven’t been to TONO for years but my wife and I decided to try it. I think because it was raining off and on the crowds were way down yesterday. Easily found a free parking place at the Zoo around 11:30 AM. Did not have to wait for beer or food at any booth. I gave it three stars for the music and the large selection of beer. I was very unimpressed with the food. I love Cajun and Creole cuisine and this was not what I expected. Shrimp in a tin was salty and the breading had a sweet element in it. On one side of the theatre complex there is one small walking path with food vendors on both sides. I can see where this would get crowded quick. If you know the NIOSA layout picture the small street in Chinatown with some booths on both sides and that is TONO. Another problem is there are several booths which have gumbo and crawfish etouffe. Maybe I tried the wrong ones. Not that great or spicy. Boudin was bland. Jumbalaya was underwhelming. Shrimp brochette was ok. Pulled pork sandwich lacked flavor. The boiled crawfish wasn’t bad. I think they need more authentic items and sides. Desserts were really good cheesecake, pecan pie and funnel cake. No places to sit down and eat except for a couple of cheap plastic tables. I guess you should bring your own folding chairs and eat in the theatre. I can see where this would be ugly if it were hot and humid as there is very little shade. Pluses: Once the live music started it was good. Loved the second line parade. The portapotties were clean. The SAZA staff were friendly.

Viva Fiesta! And Bonjour to the Taste of New Orleans. On Friday my date and I kicked off our Fiesta Party and gladly participated in the Taste of New Orleans at the Sunken Garden as it was the only day over the next seven without rain.
The event began at 1700 and the crowds were already in full swing as we rode about looking for parking. The event parking lot was full but as luck would have it, the Zoo’s parking lot was open and as the early bird gets the worm, we zoomed in to snatch one of the last remaining spots. He paid our Entry fee of $ 15 each and stopped at the ticket booth to get our food and drink tickets. I must say I was a tad let down that there were roughly only 15 – 20 vendors many selling the same thing and some wet not ready to service customers.
In particular there were alcoholic beverages, masquerade booths, and a caricatures booth and food booths that served up alligator, ribs, seafood, jambalaya, crawfish, turkey legs, pies, boudin, beignets, snow cones and margaritas. Most prices averaged 6 – 8 tickets and the snow cones and a booth selling crab~seafood stew out of Louisiana stole the show. It was delicious, spicy and as Louisiana is on the bucket list, I knew that this dish represented the roots of the those in that area.
There was not much room to walk around and we eventually circled the food booths nearly 20 times. We sat and dined on our food but the sun was bearing down unforgivably. My snow cone provided some comfort but I couldn’t really enjoy it as someone’s Nasty cigarette smoke kept wafting into my mouth.
The band on stage kept us entertained and the Elite Air Force Honor Guard put on a show. They showed precision and dedication as they awed the crowds and small children. After a belly of stew and two stops at the snow cone stand we decided to depart as there wasn’t much else to see. I’m sure if you were into bands and jazz, this would be the place to be but it was too hot. there was seating in the stands so you could eat comfortably but I didn’t want crawfish juice running all over my clothes .
Not sure if I’d recommend but I’m glad to say I experienced it, perhaps the Oyster Bake next year or if I come again it would be later in the day but then we’d find no parking. It’s a Toss up.
Ms. Foodie

I give it 5 stars because it’s the only place I’ve been to in my 15 plus years living in SA where so many beautiful black and brown faces gather together to laugh, dance, eat, and socialize. I had never even heard of it until this year and I was telling everybody they had to go! I went all three days and each one more fun than the last. The shrimp in a pie tin and the oysters were so good. It was my first time trying alligator tail and I really think they duped me cause tasted like some dry chicken cutlets to me. Other than that it was quite a blast!

Parking — $ 10+ although there are random grassy areas that people were parking so we followed … hey, there wasn’t a «no parking» sign in sight, so may as well!
Entry — $ 15 per person
Food/​Drinks — $ 1 per ticket, cash only — there are ATM’s on location
Food — Louisiana favorites (the food was FANTASTIC and saved the evening for us) + carnival treats
Beer: go to the tent for your 21+ wristband; go to the stand for tix; go find your $ 8 beer
After 3 hours we were bored and out $ 60. I wouldn’t suggest this as a family event; there are some carnival rides but how many times are your kids going to want to ride the dinky spinny thing or bounce on the insanely small trampoline?
The food is crammed into one area with a narrow walk way. The beer stands are on either side of the «theater», same for ticket stands. Bathrooms are only on one side and ran out of TP by 5pm (when we arrived); lines were really long by the time we left, 8pm.
The same band performed for all 3 hours we were there and it got old REAL QUICK. They’d rotate the soloist which was nice but hearing the same beat, style, and melodies after that long I began to dislike the band (and I’m a jazz musician — dare I say!)
You can bring your own chair which is a nice option but I don’t know who can sit in that sun for that long; there’s no relief from heat at this event.
I can say I’ve been, I don’t plan on attending this event again. Not worth it for the money and time that we spent there.

Had a fantastic time yesterday at Taste of New Orleans! The fish sandwich at end of walkeay towards back was the best and I go for that every year! The crowd is great and grown up. The music was good and the port o pottys were extremely clean! Look forward to next year!!!

After doing numerous other Fiesta events (NIOSA, Webb, Market Square, etc) we decided to add an event to our roster no one had experienced before, and thus we ended up at Taste of New Orleans.
Apparently some of these other reviews are from Fiesta novices so let me tell you how it goes: 1) Get your tickets IN ADVANCE when possible. It’s faster. It’s cheaper. Don’t fault the event when you don’t plan ahead. 2) PARK AND RIDE. Oh my stars and garters, it’s wonderful. If you have a student ID it’s even cheaper. No parking nightmares, get dropped off and picked back up at the front doors of the event. No brain-​er. 3) Expect to spend money and wait in line, it’s Fiesta, after all. Now that we are finished with Fiesta 101, on to the event.
The three day event is held at the Sunken Gardens Theatre and has food, drinks, live music, and a few activities for the kids. Everything is done on a ticket system and ATM’s are located on site. Numerous booths line the back side of the Garden amphitheater and various vendors have their own special offerings to try. From cheesecake to turkey legs, gumbo and jambalaya, French bread and funnel cakes, this place has quite the wide variety. I was also quite impressed with the massive beer selections they were offering up! Shock top, Bud Light Lime, Bud Platinum, (several beers beyond the typical selections other events offer) as well as plenty of additional beers I didn’t mention here.
Bring an umbrella, get a good seat, and watch the various bands and musicians perform. Local radio stations serve as host and M.C. with popular hits played between sets that inspire some event goers to get up and bust some moves. In fact, the seating is one of the best things about this event. So many other events are all on your feet, walking, and shuffling, and fighting with the crowd (I’m looking at you NIOSA) but at Taste of NOLA you get a chance to sit with your friends, take in some great music, and just enjoy the atmosphere if you’d like. Win Win! :)
We went on a Sunday afternoon and it was great, not overly crowded, decent lines and such. As the day progressed, the crowd thickened, but that’s to be expected. All in All, it was a great addition to our Fiesta Tradition!

You either love Fiesta or you don’t. Expect to pay for parking & expect to wait in lines! I myself enjoy this event every year! The food was out of this world! Red beans & rice, fried alligator, gumbo!!! Yum! I even made room for some delicious bread pudding! I also love the music and the lively crowd! I even joined in on some of the line dancing! Overall, I had a great time!

Having missed this event last Fiesta, we decided to make it a priroity this year. I am glad to say that we at least tried it out, because this will not be an event on our itinerary for future Fiesta’s.
There was nothing special or wonderful about this event in comparison with other Fiesta events. I would have liked to see a lot more entertainment provided, especially for the children; more jazz, more shows, a hypnotist, face painting, a clown on stilts, more interactive activities, something, anything, etc. For being a «sunken garden theater» this place did not resemble any of the words in that description. There was probably about one row of seats in front of the stage and that was it. I can see this venue being great for a rock concert, but not an entertainment/​family event. As for the garden part, I understand why there is no real garden with flowers, because drunkies would probably just trample all over them anyway.
Basically you walk around this huge, grass-​less, dusty circle with a slew of little food and drink stands and people standing in the middle of the walk-​ways blocking traffic. There were hardly any children (which in my opinion was great) but I can see why since there was really nothing for them to do. On the plus side, there were a lot of police officers to make sure everyone at the event was in-​line and safe.
I always find it amusing when people gripe about admission and food prices. Fiesta only happens once a year, so if you need to save up some $$$ then start doing it early in the year! Or take out a loan or something! But seriously, it’s not even that big of a deal. If you think about it, in most cases the proceeds go towards some type of charitable cause and the coupons (for me) really seemed to have gone a pretty long way. Just to give you an idea for the type of food you will come across here, I had fried alligator on a stick and crawfish étouffée. At a specialty fare such as this one, I would have liked to see more regional dishes rather than your run of the mill fried cheesecakes and turkey legs, which you can get at practically any Fiesta-​sponsored event. Where was the gumbo, or the jambalaya? Give me some dirty rice, or some red beans, even a little bit of shrimp remoulade would have been great!
Overall, I am glad for the experience, but to be quite frank this event was a pretty big disappointment.

What’s with all the hate for A Taste of New Orleans? It’s too sunny? This is Texas y’all. No face-​painters? Really???
The Taste has got to be one of my favorite Fiesta events for mainly the reason why other reviewers disliked it. It’s a low-​key celebration of Cajun/​Creole with an accompanying jazz/​funk band. I just don’t understand what more people want for entertainment. What do you do at ANY Fiesta event? Listen to music, walk around and mingle and of course over-​indulge in food and drink. Check, check, checkity-​check son.
Anyway, ranting out of the way, the food here was delicious. All of it. I had some of Miss Jackie’s cajun meat pies, Where Y’ats Beignets, some gumbo, cajun stew and fried oysters. Don’t look at me like that, I wasn’t alone! To wash down all those carbs and cals, they had a beer booth that had Shocktop and Strawbeeritas (my two guilty pleasures!) Grabbed a seat in the theater and listened to the band play «Brick House» and some classic Jackson 5 tunes. How much better can an easy breezy Saturday be?

Definitely skip this Fiesta event and save your money for NIOSA or King William Fair.
The biggest issue, besides horrible parking, is the fact that the Sunken Garden Theater is no garden — it’s a giant dusty, scraggly dirt bowl. Come on, San Antonio! S.A. does a superb job with beautifying our city all over, except this location! I was pretty stunned at how bad it is.
The food was good, but there’s very little entertainment or activities. So you just end up walking around the dirt bowl, buying food and being bored. Definitely not worth the entrance price.
This event needs a new venue and a lot more effort put into entertainment and activities.

This was a bit of a disappointment.
We paid 12 bucks to get in, paid 11 bucks for parking… and then got to the park and there was nothing to do – we did eat — and I expect to pay for food — and I got a sandwich thingie for 8 bucks — and some water for 2 bucks a bottle — there was no shade, no real entertainment and in general, just people kinda walking around, but with nothing to do. They had a band playing a few covers and then some belly dancers — I don’t have kids, but didn’t seem like there would be anything for them to do.
My friend really wanted to go to have some seafood — but after all that I spent in money and time to get down there — I’d suggest that we just go to the restaurants and skip the event — 12 bucks to charge me to get into an area seems steep since I have to pay for everything in inside the park, with little entertainment, seating, or reasonable prices for water.

This is a nice Fiesta event in that it is low-​key, but it is almost TOO low-​key. I was bored after about 30 minutes. They have one small row of food items, two small drink booths, a VERY small kids play area, and then music. There is hardly any shade, which is a must during Fiesta, and the food is just so-​so. Not worth the money and the time/​effort to park.

Being a big Jazz fan I had high hopes for A Taste of New Orleans. I was really looking forward to having a good time, but that didn’t happen. I start my gripe with the parking, it was terrible. Traffic was back up from the Sunking Garden Theater entrance all to St. Mary’s and 281, and it was only 1 in the afternoon on a Sunday. I had no intentions of taking the Via park and ride, because the pick up points were too far from me. After going through 30 minutes of stop and go traffic we finally managed to get a paid parking spot for $ 5.
After that we walked what seem over a mile to the entrance gate. Luckily we bought our tickets in advance at HEB; otherwise it would’ve been another 20mins to enter the gate. Once at the gate the man collecting the passes seemed to have a problem with my oldest son (age 11) entering without a ticket he assumed my oldest was over 11. I stated to the man that my son was 11, and that the ZULU website says 12 and under are free. But, the man said kids 11 and under are free. He even asked my son his birthdate. I found this odd cause although my son is big for his age, and already has a small patch of peach fuzz on his upper lip he still has an innocent face of an 11 year old. Anyway the man let him in and I reminded him that the website needed to be updated.
Once inside the grounds of the Sunken Garden Theater I really started to get in the mood. I smelled some good food coming from the food booths, I heard some classic New Orleans jazz coming from the stage, but I also saw a lot of people baking their asses off cause there was very little shade. The center stage had no shade at all; I expected some of covered pavilion with seating. My mood begin to sour once we couldn’t find a decent place to sit away from the heat. There was a couple trees that had a crowd of people seeking shade, but that was it. Luckily we prepared with folding lawn chairs and umbrellas to somewhat enjoy the entertainment. We got some food tickets, and got some snow cones, beer and a bowl of gumbo. I thought the prices were reasonable, snow cones $ 4, beer $ 4, gumbo ranging from $ 6 to $ 8 dollars a bowl. After baking for over 2 hours that’s about all my kids could handle. It seemed like the heat really began to be unbearable for some people. I saw people hiding behind moon bounces, vendor trucks, and under 18 wheeler trailers seeking shade not very safe if you ask me. I wasn’t even in the mood to snap some pics to upload. So, we headed out without even trying some of the other good foods. Overall I was disappoint with my experience with A Taste of New Orleans. I’m sure at night the temps are much cooler, but I did not want mess around with a larger crowd. This event needs to relocated somewhere else. I give 2 stars for A Taste of New Orleans I’m just not feeling this Fiesta San Antonio event.