The Delmar Restaurant & Lounge

Great place. Friendly bartenders, some of the cheaper prices in the area, lack of drunk college students and good fries, with a nice smattering of good live music.

This place is fucking trash! The food, service and overall experience sucked! I will never eat, nor will I encourage anyone to eat here! It is a waste of time and money!

Sunday evenings aren’t exactly known for being exciting, but that’s all about to change. Get to Delmar Lounge between 8pm to 10pm on a Sunday and check out Downstereo, an awesome 3-​person jazz/​funk band. There’s no vocals — just drums, bass, and an organ. If you’re not tapping your toes and bobbing your head when these guys are playing, you probably don’t have a pulse. Most of the tables get filled up a little after 9 so get there early. There is no cover to get in.
And while you’re there grooving, munch on some of the awesome appetizers. I went for the crawfish-​stuffed mushroom caps (4 caps for $ 5) and the smoked wings w/​mango-​chile glaze ($ 6 for 6 – 7 wings). Both of these were excellent. The wings were some of the best I’ve had, and the mushroom caps were mouthfuls of deliciousness.
Spice up your Sundays with a trip to Delmar Lounge, you won’t regret it.

This place used to be one of my favorite hangouts. I loved the food, the djs and the diverse crowd. It’s fun to make friends with random older people and/​or run into local musicians from time to time.
Unfortunately a couple years ago they changed the menu and I hate everything on the new menu. They used to have the absolutely BEST artichoke/​spinach dip as well as a really good selection of vegetarian and vegan dishes. Now everything is cajun! Yuck.
I’ve gone a few times earlier in the evening and the place seemed totally different than it does at 1 a.m. This was a quiet dinner crowd of middle aged couples and groups. In the evening though it’s a loud party so come prepared to dance, drink, and meet strangers.
On the downside it gets super smoky so if you can’t stand cigarettes don’t come here. Also the bathrooms are always trashed, usually 1 of the stalls isn’t working and they are always out of TP and paper towels and soap.

This place has a nice menu of cajan themed dishes. The food isn’t the healthiest, but it has always tasted good. The place leans more towards the bar side than restaurant and this means there is always a lingering smell of smoke. They do have some outdoor seating available when the weather is nice.

Came here for dinner with the bf. Didn’t like the fact that smoking was allowed at the bar. The smell wafted into the non-​smoking section, which annoyed me. The food was great. The fried basa was one of my fave dishes. The sweet potato fritters were awesome! We came here about 6, & there weren’t tooo many people. The desserts were freaking good! I had shitloads of foodgasms here. Cajun food is known for using a lot of butter. So, this place is worth cheating on your diet. The flavors were spot on. This place reminded me of a little cajun place in Mississippi. The ambience was great! I loved the paintings in the non-​smoking section. Service was great.

We came in here after Zoo Jams for dinner around 8:30pm. It was dimly lit and smelled faintly of smoke. There was a band setting up in the front and a few tables held an eclectic crowd of hipsters and older jazz fans.
The waitress came and took our order – she was friendly and the food – surprisingly – sounded really good from the menu descriptions. We started with a spinach artichoke dip and then people ordered, burgers, mac and cheese, chicken sandwiches, rice and beans and a tilapia dish.
The food took forever and as we waited the place started to fill up with folks waiting to hear the band. Finally our appetizer arrived and boy was it a disappointment. Frozen spinach mixed with cream cheese. No flavor. This was par for the course as the rest of our dishes came out bland and boring and the macaroni and cheese was disgustingly made with cheap cheese of the Velveeta family.
I was about to complain about the food when the music started – which was GREAT! May I suggest NEVER going here for food (or if you do not intend to wash the cigarette smoke from your hair that night). If, however, you want a cocktail and some great Jazz on a weeknight this is an ideal hangout.

So disappointing. We went late afternoon, so the smoking wasn’t an issue, although there was a lingering stale smoke smell. We arrived to find the front door propped open on a VERY hot day. We were seated in the back room-(non-smoking) and ordered. The iced tea was some strange brew, and was NOT cold. We waited for at least 20 minutes for our salads. We were the only people in the place.
When the food came, it was passable, but not as warm as it should have been, and thanks to the open door, we shared the company of a persistent fly. The whole place was dingy; ripped seats, grimy floors, etc.
I can’t see why I would return.

We went here for the first time last night, a Sunday. It was about 6 PM and the place was dead. The bartender was also the waiter. The place really looks like a dump and our table, a sort of booth, wobbled badly. They didn’t have ice tea available (!), so I got a cola. My husband had a beer. well, I guess people mostly drink alcohol here, but we went for food mainly. I was worried that maybe they didn’t even have a cook on duty, since the place was so dead and there was no wait staff apparent.
However, menus were proffered, so we figured they would have food to go with it. The salad was served without crackers or bread. But the salad was delicious – the chopped salad. My husband had crawfish bisque, and he liked it.
They mention cajun food is a specialty. The menu is definitely not the run of the mill. Our entrees came out soon after the salad/​soup. I had the Southern fried chicken breast (a real, bone-​in breast) with smashed potatoes/​white gravy and a huge mound of fresh grilled vegies. My husband had the fried bass on sauteed spiniach with beans and rice. I tasted the fish and spinach, and they were very good, but the rice/​beans turned me off.
Mine was delicious. I loved it all, but I couldn’t eat all the potatoes and vegies, there was so much. The fish was also first-​rate, with tons of beans and rice and spinach, that he couldn’t finish. Again, no bread, but there was also a cute little biscuit on the plate that was very good.
I didn’t see any desserts on the menu, and nothing was offered, so I guess they don’t have desserts.
As we were about to leave, musicians were bringing in their stuff, so we missed the live music because we didin’t want to hang around. Like I say, it is dumpy, but if you want to have some good, different food, this is a great place for that. With a few little extra touches, it could be a 4-​star because the food is so good.

I love this place on Sunday nights. Great dj’s spinning old school ’90’s, but they have the WORST staff ever. Bartenders and servers, absolutely horrible.

This was a surprise to me but I did enjoy being here and would like to go back. It’s more a smokey bar than a restaurant, or at least it was on the day I went. Only one table with a few people (about 6pm on a Thursday), me at the end of the bar, with one other person at the bar … a couple of more people as I was eating. The guy behind the bar was very friendly (Tony?) and when I mentioned I plan on eating at the Thai place next time he was able to say they have lots of good food there to try (I wasn’t so sure, didn’t seem like much from the outside, but I should know better).
As I have mentioned before, I learned from someone awhile ago to always ask what is popular … and here, among others, it was the Buffalo meatloaf. So, they have an interesting menu of real meals, not bar food and why not try it?
This was in fact, bison meatloaf, served on some mashed potatoes, with a side of white gravy (very good plain gravy btw), and a vegetable medley (as one friend said, why is it always a medley …). Price was reasonable and the food was great … not sure it could rise to a 5 star but I kinda like the smokey bar atmosphere sometimes … why it reminds me of Beretta I don’t know … maybe the smoke, maybe décor … but if you like that type of thing, you should like The Delmar.

My friends alerted me that Delmar Lounge has a new a chef. Their menu has changed to what I’m going to call «New Southern.» In other words, it’s a lot of familiar southern dishes, some with a few modern twists.
My compliments to the management for getting some new talent in the kitchen. It makes a WORLD of difference. From a culinary standpoint, it’s a completely different place. Three stars worth of difference, in fact.
I, of course, had to partake of the Beer Braised Ox-​tails: falling-​off-​the-​bone delicious! However, the grits, I have to say, were underseasoned. The biscuits and gravy were also a highlight for me. Big enough to share with someone. I am not a fan of the whole fried okra (I prefer it to be sliced), but it was cooked well. The sweet potato fritters were pretty tasty. Everything I tasted from my half a dozen co-​diners’ dishes were good, if not great. I must go back and try the gumbo.
Thank you, Delmar.
I will be singing your praises from now on.

This review is based upon dinner alone. No jazz on Sunday nights, at least not this Sunday night.
We arrived about 7:15 and not much was going on, but then it was a Sunday night. As time went on it appeared that more regulars started coming in.
I was just not impressed with the food. I’m told they have redone the menu and it reads really well, but not so good in the delivery.
First of all, the shrimp and sausage gumbo was good. But the rest of the food we had seemed to have been cooked earlier and just reheated. Maybe a Sunday night thing? I had the fried buttermilk chicken (the half order is plenty, by the way) and the chicken had clearly not just come from the fryer. It was covered in a hard shell from over breading and then reheating. The mashed potatoes and gravy was good. He had the red beans and rice which were dry and clearly warmed over. Not bad, mind you, but not really good either — they would have been better if reheated in a little chicken broth.
Service was good and everyone seemed friendly.
I will definitely give them a second try on a different night of the week. I’m sure it’s a great spot to hear jazz.

This is the Thursday-​Saturday jazz lounge and the first bar heading east with a 3 AM liqueur license in the area.
At 2 AM, I walk up I look through the window. This late the place is packed with mostly college kids drinking PBR cans and martinis. They are all dressed to impress each other. I have been here earlier and they have the «hipsters crowd» listening to jazz.
They did have an old school burly door guy charging a three buck cover. I hate covers with no drink special, but this place I understand.
The vibe is jazz early and progressively more urban-​fusion as the clock switches to AM. The décor has has a few rips in the nice back and red pleather seats now, but still has plenty of attitude.
The waitress had the cool «I am not taking your sh#t» smirk. I liked her.
This place was a nice switch from uninteresting nightclubs I have visited lately.
(This is definitely a smoking bar)
Added 4÷2−
I have been back after midnight on a Sunday, they have a DJ mixing retro rock and some punk from mostly the 90’s. Changed how I thought of the place.

I had my first Martini at the Delmar Lounge. It was a chocolate martini that my friends insisted I try on my birthday. It was delicious! I also had my first gin & tonic here. I’ll never forget how my friend told me that she loved them because they tasted like Christmas trees. She was right and now, whenever I drink a gin & tonic, I think of this place.
This is one of those places that made me feel like an actress in a Clark Gable movie — Martini in one hand, cigarette in the other, and a gentleman ready to light it for me. It may not have been the classiest place I’ve ever been to, but the sentimental value alone is enough for me.

(In reading the previous reviews, I’m wondering if this place changed hands recently. Many of the items listed were not on the menu, and no one referenced the unique food we found here.)
I came to see a friend perform with a jazz group, and was originally not planning to eat when I read the previous reviews. However, I was completely shocked when I saw the menu. I’m from Mississippi originally, and I was excited to see dish after dish straight out of the Deep South. It turned out to be excellent Southern gourmet food. Our table enjoyed the fried okra; my wife, who is from the Gulf Coast and is a bit of a gumbo snob, thought the gumbo was excellent. Besides, it’s the only place around I know of where you can get a chicken and waffle entrée!

Yea there’s a cover charge, but hey, the place is open until 3 A.M.
I don’t know about the food as I have never tried it. But I can say that it’s a great place to hang out with friends until early morning while enjoying reasonably priced drinks and good live music.
And believe me, I am sensitive to the plight of the disadvantaged, but I wish someone would do something about those same two homeless people who are ALWAYS outside of Delmar Lounge asking for money.

DO NOT order the Cesar salad on a date unless you are out with someone who has a garlic bulb fetish. Then you’re safe. With that said, it still may have been the best Cesar salad I’ve ever had.
My only real complaint about the *dining* at the Delmar Lounge is the lack of vegetarian options. The only meatless entrée I noticed was a mushroom stuffed ravioli i.e. slug stuffed ravioli. (My biggest dining out pet peeve is that most places give vegetarians a great big mushroom and expect to get their dicks sucked off for it because they have a meatless option. *stab*).
Don’t get me wrong. I love the Delmar Lounge. The crowd is at-​ease, and diverse. Lots of smiling faces. Comfy booths. Pretty much all you could want in a lounge. The draft beer selection tingles my special spot a little.
They don’t always have a cover and it’s a measly few dollars for the musicians who are entertaining the junt. I, personally, MUCH rather cough up a couple bucks than listen to someone eles’ idea of lounge music. *full. body. shiver.* It can be a little smoky, but it’s an f-​ing BAR! Get over it or go to your grandma’s.

I’m a fan of the Delmar, mainly because I can walk home from it and not having to worry about driving while intoxicated and also because it’s just over the City line, which means they’re open till 3am. I’m not a fan of the Delmar because they always charge a cover to get in, no matter if there’s live music or not.
I know they serve dinner, and I remember them before they were a late-​night lounge and were called, among other things, Grateful Grille, and Painted Plates. But I digress. I’ve yet to go to the Delmar for a meal, so this review does not touch on the food aspect at all.
The drinks are reasonably priced, and they’re usually a pretty decent-​sized crowd. This is especially true around 1:30am when the crowds from the Loop bars stroll in. They have a make-​shift dance floor around the live-​music area, which is nice when you want to dance, but not so nice when you’re trying to leave and have to push through groups of people dancing like maniacs.

I’ve been going here for years just to listen to the music. They have fantastic artists playing awesome jazz.
I love the retro feel of the place. Red vinyl covering the booths and the seats at the bar, sleek black tables and floors, funky martini selection with original names. I used to go for the food, but the menu has since changed and my favorite dishes are no longer available. Sigh.
I might grab a hummus plate, though. That never fails to satisfy. You need something to wash down the martinis anyway.