Iconic Stop For Any Bar Crawl in NOLA! SITREP The drinks are wonderfully tasty and strong: my usual Rum & Cokes and Jack & Cokes choices were full-on fantastic here! And being centrally located in downtown New Orleans, this spot is a great location for everyone to get together and meet at for Bar Craw Madness! A SALOON IS BORN Originally founded by three (3) brothers - John, William and Charles Ernst - Ernst Café has been locally owned and operated for more than 100 years, and Ernst Café is a premier saloon meeting the needs of customers with a touch of fun & "nostalgic class". From the civil war, through prohibition, and up to today, this location has always managed to be a successful place of business and is an icon New Orleans history. It's history is a tapestry of great American commerce: * Built in 1851-52 by Evariste Blanc, the building where Ernst Café is now located is an iconic pre-civil war architecture in the warehouse district. * In 1859, Schneider & Wise Grocers occupied the building and also used it as a private residence, because at that time the building had two separate addresses. * In 1902, Schneider & Wise sold the building to the Ernst brothers since they wanted to open a Saloon. And the rest is history as Ernst Cafe has fully become a historical tradition in NOLA. HISTORICAL HICCUPS And what about that floor tile decor, eh? http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/ernst-cafe-new-orleans?select=kZncMwyYtyuz4C_8la9Ubw#kZncMwyYtyuz4C_8la9Ubw SWASTIKA - OR ACTUALLY "REVERSE"-SWASTIKA, TO BE FAIR And yet it should be noted the floor tiles were placed here at the dawn of the 20th Century in 1902 when der Fuehrer was still a teenager before the rise of National Socialism and the subsequent perversion of this symbol: the mosaic tile floor actually depicts the ancient "Symbol For Peace" dating back more than 10,000 years. As Ernst Cafe shares, "It can be found in many places around the world such as; the gates of the Great Wall of China, the Pyramids in Egypt, and ancient Aztec Indian sites." The American Indians also used it. In fact, I actually found it at the "Mission of the Sacred Heart" near Coeur d'Alene, Idaho where the icon is a symbol of peace for Native Americans on their treaty items, such as this peace belt from the early 1800s: http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/the-mission-of-the-sacred-heart-cataldo?select=O6tVFPJ0GN-cldHkbDNu8w#O6tVFPJ0GN-cldHkbDNu8w Ce la vie. THE LOWDOWN Ernst Cafe is a fantastic stop on any trek through NOLA. Prepare to have your mind *BLOWN* by the most amazing crafted cocktail drinks - and by some crazy twists on historical icons. ;) read more

There I was admiring the tile floors, not really noticing that there are a hella lotta swastikas up in there... I took a pic, commented that I loved the floors and uploaded. Within seconds I had a bunch of comments, "Hitler's clubhouse" and the like. Mea Culpa. I then noticed the plaque to the side explaining the original peaceful meaning of the swastika. I'm not saying it's right or wrong. But I had to deal with all of this before I even had a drink. Food/Drink: I didn't try more than a couple fries here (which are very, very delicious as fries often are), and had several glasses of red wine, a Pinot Noir, if I recall correctly, which at $8 bucks a glass seems kind of steep considering the bartender who seemed on the whole clueless about what reds they had. Never a good sign. I wasn't sure if I'd be served days old swill or what. It was definitely decent. Not $8 decent considering I could stop in a nice hotel bar nearby and pay around the same. I dig the overall old timey pub atmosphere, with all the tin and tiles and wood. The crowd, well, I can't really place my finger on any kind of "type" per se. I saw a decent variety of ages and locals and tourists alike. Definitely an after work kind of vibe going. Verdict? If in the Fulton St. area, I wouldn't *not* stop in here on a Friday night... Especially considering the alternatives a little ways up in the Warehouse District. *shudder* But I wouldn't go out of my way to come here either. read more

Ernst Cafe - Tile floors. I'm obsessed!! - Cajun/Creole Near Me - New Orleans, Louisiana

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Completely indifferent attitude from bartenders working on Wednesday evening (younger gentleman with longer hair, and older gentleman with shorter hair). Younger bartender was sure to give free drinks to his friend/sister/GF? TBH, experience was such a joke I thought there was a prank going on. So many better places where you will be made to feel remotely welcome, without the musty bar smell and crappy service. read more

I have visited this place 3 tomes within the last 2 weeks. Each time I've been there, the service has been really unacceptable. I have been ignored. I have been handled. I have been lied to. And mostly, there's always an attitude when being approached. To add insult to injury, I've just discovered there's swatiskas on the tile floor. This pretty much covers their entire floor. I guess that's a subliminal message. I received it loud and clear!!! I will make sure my colleagues, family, and friends are made aware NOT to visit this obnoxious and racist establishment. read more

Ernst Cafe - Swatiskas throughout Ernst Cafe - Cajun/Creole Near Me - New Orleans, Louisiana

Great red beans and rice. Reasonably priced for New Orleans. Will definitely go again when in the area.

A New Orleans classic bar and restaurant. They have one of the best outside dining patios in the Crescent City. Primarily known by the locals and the service industry regulars. They have a great selection of very cold bottled beers. The tile on the floor is a classic orgirinal from the early 1900's. read more

Ernst Cafe - and Comfort Room - Cajun/Creole Near Me - New Orleans, Louisiana

Great local spot for great food and drinks! Enjoyed the crab cakes, burgers and po boys! read more

Ernst Cafe - Crab cake - Cajun/Creole Near Me - New Orleans, Louisiana

Food was fantastic! Tina and Stephanie both were very helpful when we couldn't decide was to have. Great service. We had to go back a 2nd time. read more

Great food with great prices! Generous portion of shrimp. Nice patio sitting. We came upon this restaurant by accident and after spending a lot of money on other restaurant this was a refreshing change because it was good food at great prices. The shrimp was delicious. Highly recommend read more

Will definitely come back when we visit again. Amazing service. Although seating is confusing as first.. we were attended to quickly. Amazing food and enjoyed the drinks! read more

Ernst Cafe - Gumbo & Fried Shrimp was so yummy. - Cajun/Creole Near Me - New Orleans, Louisiana

Great atmosphere, Stevie was awesome behind the bar!!!Great prices! The creole nachos were perfect!

To be fair, I didn't eat anything here. Asked a person at the entrance to see the menu, and she seemed annoyed that I asked. I still walked in, only to realize the floor decor. Did not feel safe, so I walked out. No thank you! read more

Ernst Cafe - Cajun/Creole Near Me - New Orleans, Louisiana

The food was good and the host was amazing. I would return to the Resturant again. The bar is amazing with many different drinks. We order chicken strips, wraps, and fried tomatoes. Come eat and drink here.. read more

Ernst Cafe - Cajun/Creole Near Me - New Orleans, Louisiana

Passing through and wanted to eat some Cajun fare! After looking at multiple places we decided on Ernst Cafe. The service was awesome, our server was Lisa and she was attentive, sweet and very helpful. Now the food.....there was absolutely nothing on the table that was not delicious! I ordered the crab cakes (which I wish I had about a bucket loaf more) my daughter had the tenders and fries also amazing!! My boyfriend and his brother both had the jambalaya one had chicken and the other had chicken and shrimp. The chicken was moist and delicious, the shrimp was perfect even the dang coleslaw we'd good!! This place is awesome and made us wish we didn't live 8 hours away!!! We will definitely be back should we find ourselves in the area!! read more

This place was super close to our hotel so we decided to stop in. In a time where lots of places were closed, take out only or modified hours they seemed to have the best availability. $1 beer! Yes people- in NOLA were I routinely paid $4 fir a Diet Coke they had amazing drink prices. The plebe was very clean, socially distanced tables and staff wearing masks which made us feel comfortable dining in. Our server was attentive and friendly, great service. The owner ( or maybe manager?) passed by numerous times and he was always smiling and said hello. It's nice to see staff that seem happy to be there rather than sitting around playing on their phones. If you are in town and looking for a casual place to grab a beer and a burger I definitely recommend. read more

We walked in it states to sit your self saw 3 employees they acknowledge us we waited for them about 20 min and they never came we ended up leaving we got no service read more

Our server was Landry. He was the absolute best. Super friendly. Enjoyed the day sitting outside.

Ernst Cafe is just around the hotel we stayed at. During our stay , We would come here to start out our day having a few beers , and would stop by at the end of the day for more drinks. All the staff ,servers and bartender are very friendly. The food is pretty good, the drinks are made well and the beers are so cheap!!! I noticed that most people, men and women , end up singing and dancing after a few drinks here...including us! Can't wait to go back to New Orleans and hang out here. read more

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This place was around the corner from where we stayed at and I'm so glad we came here. The food was FANTASTIC! The waiter was very nice and I wish I would've asked for his name again to mention him on here. The jambalaya was *chef kiss*, the fries were delicious, and the pork mac and cheese was BOMB!!! Highly recommend coming here!! read more

Ernst Cafe - Burnt Ends BBQ Pork Mac n Cheese - Cajun/Creole Near Me - New Orleans, Louisiana

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So good I came back twice. Perfectly located near the Cambria Hotel in the warehouse district this little gem hit the spot. The waitress was the bomb on her first day! She was attentive and made sure we had what we needed before we could ask. The etouffeé was delicious, red beans and rice was good, and the chicken sandwich was good as well. All in all I'd come back! Portions sizes are large. read more

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This place is awesome. Bucks 25 beers and awesome bar food. The servers are incredible. There was four of us that came in with a good attitude and were treated as such. Watched several groups of crazy dance moms, rip the staff and still expect good service. We will be back and hopefully not with dance teams. By the way, Happy Birthday Stephanie! read more

Excellent service...Virginia is a hard working bartender, we never had a empty drink. I wish I could give 100 stars. You got to love $2 beers. read more

Ernst Cafe - Cajun/Creole Near Me - New Orleans, Louisiana

Ate lunch on Saturday 8/12 while killing time waiting for our rooms at Harrah's to be available. There were 4 of us and we got the debris fries, burnt ends pulled pork, salad and shrimp platter. Our service was just ok but it is the dead bug in our salad greens that has me leaving a 1 star. The pulled pork sandwitch was unimpressive as there were no burnt ends. But the real problem came while eating the salad along side the pork sandwich, as we discovered a dead bug in the greens. We immediately got the waitresses attention and she was rather casual about the bug, and didn't know how to respond. We had to ask what other side dishes we could receive as she was tongue tied. Since we ordered the debris fries, plus received another plate of fries due to a mix up in our order, we had no interest in a french fry side dish and finally we asked her to bring fried pickles, which she didn't think she'd be able to substitute as the pickles weren't a side. A really remarkable response after we had just shown her a dead bug in our meal. But I'm not sure why we asked for the fried pickles as everyone at the table had lost our appetites after discovering the dead bug. We picked at our food after that and then were surprised when we received our bill and they hadn't made any adjustment for our pork plate salad meal. Horrible experience dining at this restaurant and poor customer service that a manager or supervisor didn't come to our table and apologize for the dead bug. read more

Really cool spot to watch the NCAAT games and you can't beat the $1.25 beers! Staff was friendly and beers were cold!

Waited 1.5 for food! The food was ok but over priced! The mix drinks was over priced, but the beer was cheap!

We sat upstairs outside and let me tell you it was amazing. We got to sit there enjoy a great meal and just people watch as they were setting up for a parade. Our server Brittany was amazing as she was very busy she never skipped a beat. We will definitely be back soon when back in town. read more

We tried to eat here on a recommendation. There were 2 times that one of the servers was rude. We let the first time slide but when it happened a 2nd time, we decided to take our business somewhere else. Not sure why the server was that way, maybe he was having a bad night. We were just not in the mood to walk on egg shells tonight with that server. We went to another place close by and had an awesome evening. Something servers should realize, their attitude can spill over to customers. read more

This is what people I guess call a hole in the wall. This is the second time we've eaten here and service and food has always been good. There does tend to be some transients hanging around but I've never seen them bother anyone. Go here it's worth it. Eat inside if you have social anxiety. read more

This place is a joke...walked into self seating...very awkward. Sat down and waited 10 minutes and no one came. Walked right back out and the majority of the employees were chillin outside cutting up with each other. Walked across the street to a great meal at Grand Isle. read more

A surprisingly nice selection of foods for a convention center. Better than most of the convention centers I have been to. Note: no cash transactions anymore read more

Y'all we walked in went straight to the bar Sara and the other lady were so nice and southern lol I felt like I knew them I ordered boudin balls and a taste of New Orleans it's a bunch of rice and roux dishes and I ate it all !!!! Umm idk I love this lil place its it's not uptight at all slough I love a napkin and baby silverware this is nola and it's Mardi Gras read more

Ernst Cafe - Taste of New Orleans - Cajun/Creole Near Me - New Orleans, Louisiana

Went there with my daughters on a Saturday night. I thought yelp said they had vegetarian options and they really didn't. We got 2 burgers that were more than adequate. The buns were on the stale side and the fries were cold, dry and flavorless. The vegetarian had to get kids mac and cheese which she said was good but a very small portion. Server was pleasant enough. read more

Great meal and service until it got time to tab out. Then took forever and a day. Would go back one time to try it despite the slow service.

Stopped by here for lunch one day with my sister during our trip to NOLA. It was pretty good and decently priced! Our food came out super fast and our waitress was nice. I had the nachos and my sister had the jambalaya. Both of them were really good and the portions were a nice size! read more

We came to Ernst Cafe after walking our dogs in Barkcus. They were so welcomed and everything was delicious from the Mardi Gras Mai Tai to the hamburger steak and pulled pork sandwich. Also the Cajun Nachos are a must have. The Ersnt team from the server Stephanie and manager Allison were so helpful and very good.our girl Sunny was right at home. read more

Saturday October 1, 2:00pm Waited 15 minutes at a table and no one came to serve us. Waiters came to serve tables after us but didn't acknowledge us. Went to the bar and the bartender said I had to order food at the table. Waited another 10 minutes and walked to a restaurant across the street. Came back and the waiter assigned to our table began hassling us and cursing us out for leaving. read more

Absolutely horrible service. We ordered the nachos because it was suggested and the server really hyped it up so of course it sounded good. My guy has a STRICT dietary restriction of pork but the server failed to tell us the main ingredient of PORK. I asked for a substitute of chicken & told her about his religious restriction when the food came and the server told us we would still have to pay for the pork nachos. EXCUSE ME??? We did not touch or eat the nachos so pay for them for the hell what??? She said they would have to pay for them if we didn't and that we should have looked at the menu. Like? Tf. You suggested it and told us every freaking ingredient EXCEPT for the pork part. This place has ZERO respect for religion and customer service. I'm so DISGUSTED at how we were treated. read more

Definitely a good place to eat if you're on a budget. We enjoyed the catfish platter. I would have given 5 stars, but I wasn't "wow'd" with the food and all my food was touching and I don't care for that (see photos). Overall we had a good lunch and Lisa our server was great! read more

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Very good food, drinks, and service! They have $1.25 beers and a nice outdoor seating area with TVs and good service. read more

Ernst Cafe - Fried pickles - Very good and very large quantity!! - Cajun/Creole Near Me - New Orleans, Louisiana

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Great location. Nice seating outside. Do not come for the food or service. Not for kids. Says sit anywhere and a server will come to you. No. Finally asked bartender if i could order from him. He got a server. Ordered gumbo and a kid's grilled shrimp. Shrimp was good. Fries were cold. No rice for gumbo and the chicken in the gumbo was burnt and not soaked in the roux. Server nowhere so asked the bartender for rice. Got crunchy cold rice. My child ate a little of it. Good atmosphere but will never be back. First bad meal in New Orleans. So disappointed. Oh and no sausage in gumbo either. read more