This was a nice place to grab a drink - it's an old spot - but the food just wasn't anything to write home about. On the other hand, it's one of the relatively few places in the business district where the kitchen stays open late, so if you want to save yourself a hike to the French Quarter, it'll do. read more

Love this place! Great happy hour prices and ample seating outdoors. Really fun for a group of friends to all enjoy each other's conversations. The neighborhood is really cute too, great for people watching! read more

Great little place on the corner that is open until 7 am. We were wandering back to the hotel from the casino and decided to grab one more drink. We left 3 or 4 hours later... read more

After reading some reviews of this place I wasn't sure if I should go or not. Well I went and it was great! Service was great! Our bartender Rocky was attentive and kept checking on our party. I enjoyed the music and clean restrooms. I ordered a burger and it was cooked correctly. The fried green tomatoes has shrimp and it was delicious. read more

Nice bar on the fringe of the CBD, catering mostly to the after work crowd. They usually have snacks out on a platter. Outside seating is nice when the weather's cool. This is a good spot for a blind date to begin, or to meet an internet friend for the first time. read more

My dads friends family use to own this place.. I've been coming here since I was a young.. It's not the same as it use to be, but I still like it... It's really an old piece of New Orleans... No drink specials on the weekends but not sure about weekends.. The food is pretty awesome by the way.. Oh and try some video poker while you are there.. read more

I went to Ernst Cafe Saturday, June 26, 2021 and I was extremely appalled as this restaurant was mentioned by my hotel concierge. Upon me and my party entering the server Rodney greeted us as he was unhappy with his job. We sat down and he gave us waters and we ordered food. He didn't come to check on us for now 20 minutes. My parties food came out and my food had not came out yet and I only got gumbo. I noticed that 2 tables that came after me ordered the same thing I ordered and they got all of their food now 35 minutes and I had not gotten my food. Finally it comes the gumbo was truly horrible. Visiting New Orleans it was truly bad. Throughout this time I heard this male downing the cooks and staff. Making reference as they messed up again and he was clearly annoyed. I was extremely shocked to know that this was the voice of the Manager Chris. WOW... my friend rice and chicken came out and the rice was cold. We informed the Rodney and we heard the manager Chris say put it in the microwave. This is simply deplorable to have a manager clearly sounding annoyed and allowing customers to hear thus. My friend told him it's ok he doesn't want it as he didn't want microwaved food. Chris defends his response saying he wasn't talking about the rice. He comes to the table and says do you want anything else sarcastically. My friend at this wanted nothing else from this place. Chris states well I'm just being real and walks off. I am a Manager for Marriott Headquarters and to know that a business this close to so many hotels has a manager who downs employees, no service recovery, speaks negativity in front of customers and obviously the team doesn't respect him and I see why. I immediately informed 5 of the surrounding hotels to never recommend this place to no one. Only great note. Keyonna who was not our server spoke to us gave eye contact and was smiling. Rodney our server needs more training on how to serve with passion but I understand looking at the leadership. Chris really ruins the name and brand for such a historical restaurant. It's important to never allow someone to leave unhappy as you never know who you are serving. read more

Good place to watch a game. Much better than Mannings which is right across the street. The food here is above average. I had the Oyster poboy with fries and the bread pudding for dessert which was fantastic. Service was awesome as well. read more

Eh after trying two different PoBoy's I'm not real impressed. Maybe some of their other menu items can make up for it? We had the Ernster and the roast beef with the Ernster being the roast beef with fried shrimp on it basically. They were ok just not something I would give as a recommendation to try for a taste of NOLA. read more

The service was impeccable. The staff went out of there way to be accommodating and make sure everyone was comfortable. The food was pretty damn good as well. Good job folks! read more

On my last day of the conference, I stopped there for lunch on my way back to the hotel. I must say I had a very good shrimp poboy with fries. It had the right amount of shrimp and it was dressed just right. With so many good restaurants in NOLA, your hard pressed to pick one. If you are at the convention center, stop by, you will not be disappointed. read more

Our group ended up here one night during our NOLA trip after we couldn't get a table without a wait at other restaurants nearby. The cafe has outdoor seating which was great option for those who want to enjoy the weather. I was a bit disappointed that they didn't have any beers on tap, but they had a decent selection of bottles. My main gripe was with how long it took for us to get our food. We were a group of six, but it took over and hour and a half for us to get our food. Our server did give us notice that they were making a fresh batch of rice and that it would take a while, but still seems a bit excessive. At least we had a couple beers to pass the time. When we did get our food everyone seemed to be satisfied. I enjoyed my crawfish etouffee which was quite flavorful, well seasoned and had a good amount of crawfish. If I were ever in town again I would be willing to give it another chance, in hopes that the wait isn't an issue again. read more

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

Ernst Cafe is great. The staff is a lot of fun and offered great recommendations. We were in town for a week and by the end if the week they knew us. The chef special today was blackened catfish was cooked perfectly. The burgers were awesome too. read more

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Service was great! We ordered the gumbo, shrimp creole and fried green tomatoes. It was all very good. The only suggestion I would make is that they toast the bread! read more

Wow, the Ernster Po Boy is amazing. I was not hungover but if I were, the Ernster would take good care of that. Roast Beef, fried shrimp on the best bread ever, fully dressed of course. Glad we found this place read more

The place was busy, but I was a little disappointed with how cold my fries were when I got them. My burger was also not cooked to the temperature I requested. Given how long it took to get the food however, I didn't send it back to the kitchen. The drink I got was pretty strong though, so that makes up for a little bit read more

What an amazing place we happened upon. Mike the bartender was wonderful.... Full of knowledge about the history of the establishment and knows how to make a gr8 drink. The crab cakes are AMAZING! I don't usually do reviews but this place definitely deserves every bit of it. read more

This was horrible from start to finish. While I have an appreciation for the fact that it was New Years Day, we were one of the first in the door and not only did we have to flag down a waiter for attention, we waited over an hour for subpar food. Others around us ordered after we did and got their food then finished it before ours arrived. The wait staff had no idea who had what section, we all waited 15-20 minutes for drinks and 45+ minutes for food (eggs and potatoes- so nothing complicated). Food was basic, atmosphere was chaotic and the server had no idea what he was doing. Total waste of time. read more

While attending a conference, we asked the hotel's valets for a good lunch recommendation and they suggested this place and said its enjoyed by locals and visitors. It was a nice day so we say outside in the patio. Service was friendly but a little slow at times. For lunch I had the ernster sandwich. It had a pot roast style beef, fried oysters, and lettuce and tomato on a roll. I added Swiss cheese. The sandwich was excellent! The beef was juicy and nicely seasoned. The oysters added a nice little crunch. The bread makes the sandwich. It's very good! The sandwich came with a side, and I selected a Caesar salad. The dressing was good and the croutons seemed to be made in house with the same yummy bread! My friend had the crawfish étouffée which he also said was very good but probably would get a side salad next time in order to feel full I would recommend this place if you're trying to escape the hotel restaurant lunches read more

Good times had by all !! Service wasn't what I expected but I don't think they were prepared for the crowds. Beer was cold my chicken sandwich was good the waffle fries could have used some more cooking and I didnt expec to have and chase down the server to pay. But I would go back. read more

Terrible service, food took way to long for type of restaurant. When we asked what was taking so long waitress argued with us. In the end we waited over 45 minutes and left without eating. read more

AMAZING FOOD!!! I got the boss chicken tenders ( fried ) and it was amazing. I got a lot of tenders and 2 sauces! The fries were amazing and it was an overall great experience read more

Cute little cafe, we stopped by for brunch and drinks. Right off the bat when we were trying to pick a table for 4, a waitress with long black hair came with a skunk face and said those tables were reserved, so we pointed at another table, and all she replied was "reserved" like okay then point us to a table that's not reserved then? She ended up being our server, and we were not pleased with her service. Food came out shortly and she kept the beers coming but she had an attitude the whole time. 4 stars because the food was good and we enjoyed the lady with with very short hair and large pink earrings, she was fun! read more

I visited Ernst Cafe on July 22, 2017 for brunch with my Father. The food and drinks were good and the Server was friendly. My problem reared its ugly head at the end of the visit. First, my Father and I chose to sit outside and we were approached by an older African American woman (possibly residentially challenged) requesting food. My Father agreed to buy a sandwich and she proceeded to sit at our table to wait for our Server to return. Our Server returns but stops dead in her tracks when she sees the woman and immediately tells her she needs to leave! So my Father and I assume she has been a nuisance in the past. Our Server leaves with the words " I'll have my Manager come out." So the woman is still sitting there staring at us and us staring at her, awkward right? Then out of nowhere, the woman becomes IRATE, gets up and just starts cursing. I actually thought the interaction would make a turn for the worst at some point, luckily she continued on her way. Secondly, during the awkward staring contest, I observed through my Capital One app I was charged an additional $9.00 which is a 20% tip. I questioned the Server and she had no idea what was going on and advised me what was on the receipt should have been what I was charged, clearly, this ideal situation did NOT occur. The Server left to retrieve her Manager and he explained the bank places this weird hold on my card and it will fall off at a later date. Unfortunately I have never experienced this and never heard of this explanation given AFTER you have received a service. My suggestion is, use cash if you decide to visit and don't sit outside . For the venue, if a Guest decides to use a credit card/ debit card, you should probably advise them of the possible weird hold so in turn it doesn't seem like a scam because it's exactly what I was thinking. read more

Great Creole Shrimp. Our waittress was great too. We showed up with a group of 3 adults and 8 kids. Couldn't eat inside, but they accomodated us kindly outdoors. It was raining, but being under the awning was just perfect. The only complaint in our group was the chicken strips. One kid loved them and another hated them. I think they were just "different" than other restaraunt chicken strips. These looked hand battered and seasoned. read more

Better than good food. Solid beer selection and a fun staff. The atmosphere is gritty enough to give you a New Orleans experience. Well worth the visit. read more

Dive bar type of place. Good beer prizes, friendly staff. They have a few tv screens. The location is nice.

I was expecting better based on the reviews, but the service started slow and they were out of oysters. My shrimp poboy was nothing special, but my wife really enjoyed the crab cakes. read more

Great food and staff. Staff was extremely friendly and offered us tons of information about the area and its history. The bartender was very personable and came to our table to offer advice on the different drinks available. Will definitely go back when in town! read more

Maybe Sunday not the best day to go. The Waffle fries were great, but I think the oysters on the Ernst sandwich came out of the freezer pre breaded. Beer cold, so it was refreshing after the heat read more

African Americans /brown people stay away from this restaurant. I paid $5.00 for 18 songs in Juke Box. The bartender unplugged the jukebox and played his rock cd.. Do not spend your money where they don't want you . The Manager was informed about it and said there's nothing he could do about it. read more

Great late night spot. Great bartenders. Simple but fun. Did not try the food...next time.

Terrible bartender, 20+ years, I can easily run circles around. Not being cocky but guy said what, I gave my drink order, never acknowledge me. Other bartender ask then he said I ordered from him so she yelled at me about double ordering. Acknowledge YOUR CUSTOMERS MORON. CAN'T HANDLE STRESS GET OUT OF THE BUSINESS.... read more

Great food!! The shrimp po boy is beyond satisfying!! Couldn't even get close to finishing!!! The gumbo is also very tasty!! The environment was very casual and chill!! Quick and prompt service!! Highly recommend for anyone looking for a quick bite in the area and don't wanna wait for a table to open up or pay an arm and a leg for some great southern food!! read more

Gumbo was delish!! Added some Cajun seasoning on top..but I like it spicy. Will be back...

Food looked awesome on the plate, but tasted just ok. Staff was not the least bit attentive. We were not greeted when we came in and had to ask a waitress if we could sit at a dirty table which she did clean right away. We then sat there for a very long time before she came back to take our order. We sat for much longer before she brought our drinks. Other waitresses walking by would not acknowledge you and our waitress was nowhere to be seen except when she finally brought the drinks and food. Would not eat here again . read more

OMG AMAZIMG!!! great service and amazing food! found our new spot! :) my daughter is in love with the shrimp!

All I had was the Pim's Cup drink and the fried green tomato appetizer and they were both absolutely amazing, full of flavor and exactly what I wanted, BUT the real treat was their wonderful waitress, Grace, she was the most pleasant and helpful person I have met on my trip to New Orleans. She made the experience 110 times better. read more

It only took me two days to find some good gumbo and étouffée in New Orleans. The gold was great and the service was timely and extremely friendly. The liquor selection was great and this smaller restaurant/bar had a better selection than some of the bars on bourbon street. Highly recommend and will come back on next visit. read more

Well the menu certainly looks good, and i'd like to praise their offerings, but when you walk in about 8pm on a Saturday night, and are told the kitchen is closed, and the bar tender just shrugs when you ask about the hours posted on their website... Really? Just change your website, it doesn't have to be 100% accurate, but it's not even in the right ballpark. So, call ahead, ask if the kitchen is open before wasting your time making the trip. read more