Did some research and found this little gem for lunch. It was was very packed but we were seated promptly. We got the pimento cheese plate to sample which was really great. The house made pickles are super! It was a delicious sampler. I got the small catfish platter which was really yummy. The catfish was tender and piping hot. The fries were house made and crisp. We also tried a bowl of the gumbo and that was tasty. The pimento cheese Mac and cheese was super creamy and flavorful. All and all it was a wonderful meal and I was happy I picked this spot. read more

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Decided to visit this spot since other spots had a 2 hour wait. We were seated immediately and they put together a table for 8 right away. Customer service started off amazing but got terrible towards the end. Our waitress seemed to have a attitude and kept disappearing. The food was mediocre..but the skin on that chicken.... NICE!!!! I have to be honest and say I expected more from New Orleans but it wasn't terrible. read more

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Will not seat you until entire party is present Promptly greeted, Service was excellent, friendly, able to articulate menu quite easily. Multiple tables, nothing too fancy, but has everything you need. Pimento cheese plate has pickled squash, pickle, cucumbers, deviled, eggs, , like those crackers with Prometo cheese excellent special tonight included soy sauce, mushrooms, all great appetizers all home made I believe PO Boy shrimp and roasted pork, extremely tasteful,, delicious fries are crispy and tasty. Coleslaw substituted for fries and lightly creamy with vinegar taste. It was excellent. Dessert tonight Peach Pecan Crumble pie ok not much flavor for my taste Grapefruit ice Box Pie which is like a lemon meringue, but grapefruit instead excellent, light , delicious read more

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Great food, friendly service. Freret Street is a nice area to visit. We had a lovely brunch with tasty cocktails.

We visited the High Hat Cafe in October and while we had about a 30 min wait on a Sunday midday, the staff was friendly and attentive. We ordered the hurricane and it was the best hurricane we've had and was quite strong! We also ordered the shrimp Poboy and the greens. Let me tell you the greens were the best greens I've ever have. You must order them! The Poboy was great too. Definitely will be back for those greens and some cornbread soon. read more

High Hat Cafe - The best hurricane! - Southern Near Me - New Orleans, Louisiana

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Not good for groups. We came in the afternoon, so the place was empty but they would not seat our group of 8 until everyone was there. Odd they had us standing at the door of an empty restaurant instead of just letting us sit. I would have understood if there was a line to get in, but at that time of day there was hardly anyone in the place. We ordered pimento cheese app, some Poboys, catfish, and a few of the daily special items. The food is ok - mediocre. The highlight is their house pimento cheese and pickles. They do not split checks but accept multiple payments. This makes it more difficult for a group to pay. read more

This was a first time visit to High Hat Cafe, but it is definitely the first of many more visits to come! I selected the restaurant to start my wife's Mother's Day with a nice brunch. Although the restaurant was very busy, we were seated at a nice table with a window view without a wait. Our waitress came over quickly with water and cutlery, and commenced to review the menu. We decided to start with the White Sangria which was simply amazing. It had a slightly sweet taste, with a slightly spicy finish. For our meal, I ordered the barbecue bacon burger (everything is incredible when bacon is added) that was accompanied by fresh cut fries. The thick burger was cooked to perfection (medium well), then topped with a few strips of crispy bacon, lettuce and tomato. The bottom portion of the bun had a dollop of barbecue sauce that was delicious. Folks, my plate didn't need washed when I finished my meal! My wife had the cornmeal pancakes which were 3 fluffy pancakes with crispy edges....yes, I "sampled" them (ROTFL). The plate was completed with scrambled eggs. She substituted okra and tomatoes for the bacon....who does that? I don't eat okra, but she gave the okra and tomatoes high marks. If you're in the Freret Street area and hungry, stop in the High Hat Cafe. Deliciousness and satisfaction awaits you! read more

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Service was great but the food was highly disappointing. I had the Shrimp PoBoy and fries. The fries were good, somewhat typical so no complaints there but the shrimp were so overcooked they had the driest and most rubbery texture. The place was clean but definitely not good for large groups (anything over 4 people). read more

I've been going to HH for many years, and while my visits are spaced out at times, each visit reminds me why I enjoy coming here. The quality of food and portions remains high. The cocktails are top notch and the service is neighborhood friendly. My last visit was post brunch, after working my own shift and I was really craving soup but I got suckered in by the Reuben and fries. Killer ranch too! Totally satiated with intentions to return sooner than later. read more

High Hat Cafe - Southern Near Me - New Orleans, Louisiana

This is a goto venue for us. Service is brisk and efficient but still personable. Food is always good, not great, for great just spend 150. Plus, but not hear. No reservations which makes it problematic for us but we've rarely had to wait long. read more

Our friends, the hubs and I came here for our last night in New Orleans and what an amazing end to our trip. We started with the hush puppies with extra butter on the side. I've never eaten hush puppies with butter as they are already fried but man is that good. We moved into po boys for all of us. The hubs and I split a fried oyster and a fried catfish po boy. The oyster one had more flavor and was my favorite. For sides I did the sweet potato salad and black eyed peas. The sweet potato salad was an awesome spin on a classic and the black eyed peas were absolutely packed with so much depth of flavor. I ate every last bit of everything and then waddled right on out the door. Service was unbelievably friendly and the staff really seemed to enjoy each other. Our friend got up sold by our server to add cheese and bacon to his fries and the restaurant team knew we'd gotten their servers favorite fries all said with affection and love. If we lived here, this would be a regular visit. read more

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Long wait but a great local spot. Believe them when they say to get their specialty.

My Wife wanted Mac and cheese and boy did they deliver best we ever had, seafood platter was great with a lemonade. The coleslaw contrasted the flavors of the plate well. read more

High Hat Cafe - Sea food platter with Mac and cheese. - Southern Near Me - New Orleans, Louisiana

Still bringing it at High Hat. Last night highlights: cocktails: Cecil's bourbon and the Cameron's Kick were perfect while the Ruby Slipper and Vieux Carre satisfied as always. So crispy and scrumptious catfish basket and pimento cheese tray. My latest trip to the Big Easy is already successful--thanks High Hat! read more

High Hat Cafe - Never pass on High Hat cocktails - Southern Near Me - New Orleans, Louisiana

Good food. Great drinks Nice staff. Laid back ambience. A must if you're in NOLA for sure!!! read more

Real talk my mouth is watering thinking about this meal 2 weeks later. We were in from BR for the day and my husband's beloved Company Burger was closed (apparently Tuesdays are an off day, who knew?). We walked to Bearcat and there was a wait, so one of our fellow patrons waiting in line suggested High Hat down the street and the Oyster Remoulade poboy... WHAT?! So off we went to the wait-free High Hat. High Hat is a cute little diner with a seating area and a bar. Family friendly, and it was lively for a Tuesday lunch. Right off the bat, the service was quick and friendly with a suggestion for the hibiscus tea which was AMAZING and confirmation of my Oyster Remoulade poboy pick. My husband got the burger. I added pimento mac as a side, because why not? Holy shit y'all. This poboy. The oysters were huge and served hot with this creamy, slightly spicy remoulade on top between 2 slices of REAL French bread with lettuce and tomato. It was a little messy but massively delicious and worth a little mess. I devoured every last juicy bite. I tried the pimento Mac and it was rich and full of flavor but had to bring it home after eating that entire poboy. My husband really enjoyed the burger and even put it up against his beloved Company Burger...this is a BIG DEAL. Needless to say, next time we're in the area we'll be returning. read more

My family and me visited New Orleans for Mardi Gras during the weekend of Feb. 2-4. We stayed at an airbnb nearby. As it was downpouring on 2/3, we chose to eat close by. High Hat had some really good reviews so we chose to check it out. Parking was easy to find and we only had to wait about 15 minutes to be seated for a party of 7. The restaurant was pretty packed for a Saturday night during Mardi Gras and we figured it was mostly locals there. I ordered the Po Boy catfish grilled with fries and a side of pimento grits. It did take quite a while for our food to come but we noticed that a lot of the tables that sat before us were also waiting for their orders. We didn't mind the wait BUT I will say that our waitress was nowhere to be found after she took our order. When I got my food, I didn't receive the fries with my order and reminded the waitress. I wasn't upset or mad, just thought she misunderstood that I still wanted fries with my order and not replaced it with the grits. After she left to get the fries, the hostess came to me and very rudely told me that they were short staffed and that I would have to wait. She needs to check her attitude, period. I had no complaints until she stepped in. After my fries arrived, we NEVER saw the waitress again. In fact, all the other wait staff were very good at checking in on their tables around us (which we noticed). The food was good but I was completely soured by the experience of our waitress and that very rude hostess. I can forgive the wait for the food if the restaurant is packed but not the lack of effort from the waitress or the rudeness of the host. read more

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During COVID this place was a savior. Simple food like burgers, Cuban sandwiches with fries never tasted so good. Always a great standby for a day or night you just can't decide what you want. Some great daily specials as well. Service during COVID was take out only. Pleasant staff taking the orders. Since COVID it's a nice comfortable environment and the staff makes you feel right at home. read more

Wife and I both ordered the burger and I also ordered gumbo. Gumbo was ok. Little bland. Burgers were good. Housemade pickles, fresh tomatoes - wife loved them, nice toasted bun. Made for a solid burger. Server was pleasant. Cool old school diner feeling. read more

Delish! We passed by here the other night, and it was covered with people, so we knew we had to try it. The smoked fish appetizer was very good. The bbq chicken sandwich was good, and the fried oyster po-boy was one of the best I had in NOLA. This meal was a great way to end our trip. read more

High Hat, what happened to you? We have enjoyed your food very much on several occasions...until today. Your usually high quality comfort food with a touch of creativity was bland, cold, poor quality and sparse. Our party of two walked out thinking our $75.00 tab was the biggest rip off we have experienced on any of our many, many trips to New Orleans. Others must feel the same as you had lots of empty tables. read more

Wow this place was packed on a Monday night! There is a reason the locals make this a go to place! I hate to let the tourists know about this southern comfort food. The ambience is traditional NOLA circa 50s and not much has changed and that makes this a real southern gem! I had Satsuma meringue pie .... This tasted like an orange push up !!! Summer in December! read more

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Mary Catherine is the sweetest wait person! The WATERMELON LUMP CRAB is to die for! My friend enjoyed the shrimp creole! And the garlic green beans are excellent! The chocolate and CREOLE CREAM CHEESE oh my goodness! Okay read more

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G-d yes, I recommend this place. Whenever I'm in Nola, I have to eat here, and the drinks are fantastic, too. The floor is gorgeous and the ambiance is great. The people who work here have always been kind and courteous. I can't wait to go back! read more

Good place for lunch! We love coming here and I love sitting outside when we can because it's in a cute, small area, especially with covid going on. Service here is always great and attentive. The last time we visited, they were trying to keep a contact tracing list in case anyone contracted covid there but they had everyone using the same pen, which seemed a little counter intuitive but we followed along anyways. I had the Caesar salad with the high hat burger while my husband got the catfish plate with the fries and hushpuppies. The catfish and hushpuppies were good but the fries for both of us were not up to par from their usual. I love the high hat burger but beware, it is a very oily/greasy burger mostly because of the pimento cheese on it. Still delicious, just a bit messy. Would come here again anytime. read more

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Dining at High Hat Café was a phenomenal experience! My wife and I visited for dinner this past weekend and ordered the BBQ Gulf Shrimp appetizer and the Fried Catfish Basket. The shrimp was fantastic and a must order! Large tender meaty shrimp were marinated in a rich, briny and flavorful sauce and paired with lightly toasted bread perfect for dipping. The catfish, which is the restaurant's specialty, was some of the best I have had. Flakey tender fish was surrounded by a perfectly crisp seasoned breading and paired with soft savory salty fries and warm soft hush puppies. The restaurant's selection of local craft beers on tap goes perfectly with the food. High Hat Café is a must visit in New Orleans. read more

High Hat Cafe - BBQ Gulf Shrimp - Southern Near Me - New Orleans, Louisiana

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Great atmosphere and really good food The burgers are big and delicious. Our server was attentive and very good read more

Rueben sandwich is to die for! Friendly service and generous portions. Drinks are good too.

This is always a joy to experience. The food is beyond delicious. Service was a bit slow this go around but the staff is always friendly. read more

Yes! Try the house made ginger ale, the sweet potato salad, and the grilled catfish. Delicious. When I write grilled, I mean grilled the way a diner grills a burger. So good. And I do NOT like catfish - except here and Mittendorf's. read more

The Good: This place has the look and feel of your standard Southern Diner (if there is such a thing as "standard" in Southern diners) that you can find all over most of the South. I tried the pimento cheese burger with fries and the burger tasted exactly like one you would grill yourself on an outdoor grill. The best things about the burger were that it used a good bun and I got it dressed and the veggies were extremely fresh. The fries were very good and perfectly done with a nice crisp outside. They had some interesting blackboard specials and drinks listed. They also have a very large bar that you can sit and eat at and that is one of my favorite spots to sit when dining solo. Since my first visit years ago I have made several follow up visits and they really have gotten their seafood specials down to an excellent level. They have plenty of other specials but I find the seafood ones to be really top notch. The burgers here have also gotten much better over time as well. The Bad from when they first opened: The menu was pretty small when they first started and they had a really limited selection of sides. I love meat and veggie plates but I don't like fatback or bacon in my veggies and half or more of the few veggies on the menu seemed to have that in them. Another bad aspect with the side veggies is you only get a choice of one with your meal and almost every other place across the South I've eaten in places like this you always have a choice of at least 2 or more veggies. I observed other people's food and other than the sandwiches and burgers they didn't look all that great--just ok. The service was also a tad bit slow on getting refills on my drink. More recently: The food has improved substantially form when they first opened however they still don't do a traditional meat and three Southern Style meal here although they easily could but instead you are getting a meat and one or maybe a meat and two. The Ugly from back when they opened years ago: The price for my burger and iced tea came to $14.82 (before tip which these days that would be a great value) so that was (back in those better days) a mighty expensive lunch for just a burger! I could have gone to Yo Mama's (sadly long closed now) or La Petite Grocery and gotten better food at that price. There is also considerable sticker shock (which seems to have become the norm for new places opening recently) with the price of beer on the menu set at $6 and that price for an Abita Amber is outrageous for Freret Street and all of Uptown (and this was years ago when they first opened). Now as inflation has gone insane along with the rest of the world the prices here haven't gone up as much as many other places so what seemed to be crazy prices when this joint first opened now seem way more reasonable. Overall they do have some great food here and what used to be high prices has become the new normal so this joint isn't as overpriced as it used to be when it first opened. My video review of High Hat is here: https://youtu.be/7EpRPGLr_oA read more

Exceptional service and great burgers. This is the place to stop by if you've had a sip or two, and need to "soak it up" We left super satisfied. I'd have to say the burger we had would be in my top 5. Honestly, you wouldn't expect it... the space is not super nice, but it's clean, quaint and welcoming. More of a diner vibe. I'd be back... were stuffed lol. Couldn't even eat everything. You get a lot of food for a low price. read more

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Just had the best traditional New Year's Day dinner of ham, collard greens, black-eyed peas, and cornbread - all were flawless and tasty. read more

High Hat Cafe - Southern Near Me - New Orleans, Louisiana

Greeting was so friendly. Ordered the red beans and rice with fried chicken and it was so good. Just like momma made it. Boudin cake was also delicious. read more

High Hat Cafe - Red beans rice - Southern Near Me - New Orleans, Louisiana

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Tried this casual neighborhood spot while visiting New Orleans. I'm glad I wasn't extremely hungry. Pros: We didn't have to wait long to be seated. The cup of gumbo I ordered came quickly, as did the ginger lemonade. I was able to finish my beverage and gumbo, and even order another beverage while feigning patience, though my hunger increased incrementally. It was 27 minutes before my friend's sandwich and my salad were served. The only reason we didn't leave before the food finally arrived, was because our server seemed to genuinely care that we were waiting for an unreasonable amount of time without any explanation AND because neither of us had enough cash to quietly leave on the table to cover the soup and lemonade. The grilled shrimp on my salad (a plate of crisp Romaine lettuce with several shreds of carrots) was very good. There was a bit of service recovery offered by our server and the host who brought me more salad dressing & additional vegetable for my salad. I won't return. read more

Oh my goodness! It's another 5-star YUM! I'm visiting this robust town with friends from Wilmington for a conference. Long story short, we needed delicious food close by and we found it in the High Hat Cafe. I'm enjoying a flavorful dark meat and andouille gumbo. Delish with a kick! My friends all enjoyed their fare - a to die for Reuben, a shrimp po boy, a pickle plate with pimento cheese and a Caesar salad with shrimp. Come visit and have a cucumber mint lemonade. You'll be so happy you did! I promise! The food, the service and the ambience... all 5 stars! read more

Nine years since my first review and they still got me hooked. I've NEVER had bad food, a bad drink, nor bad service here. Not one miss. It's always a good, go-to lunch option. I have finally started trying things other than the catfish here and there lol. I still get the catfish platter, I just order other things on the side haha. The mac & cheese is a constant too because you can't stray from perfection. I've tried the gumbo recently and it was good. The fried chicken was delicious. I've also recently become hooked on the rosemary ginger lemonade. I mean so hooked I have one while dining and take one to go every time. I have no shame about it either. All of their seasonal lemonades are good, but that rosemary ginger is something special. I really hope they spin the block on that watermelon crab salad I had last summer too. That's a winner. It's always a little crowd in there. Sometimes you'll catch a wait time during the lunch rush. It's always cute and cozy. read more

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We came up with a party of four and were quoted 5 minutes. They let us stand outside for 20 minutes while the entire time they had five tops available they refused to seat us at. Coming up on 30 minutes, they finally seated us (5 tops were still empty). Service didn't improve when we sat down either. Mediocre at best food--but the crappiness of the service makes this a hard no. AVOID! read more

Friggin' amazing! We had a few hours before we had to leave town to head home and so we tried High Hat because the reviews were good and we'd gotten a look at it from the outside since we were staying in the area. So we tried it and it far exceeded our expectations and we think it is actually under reviewed for how fantastic it is. What a gem! Three of us (two adults and one picky teenager) had lunch including: 4 piece fried chicken, half a smoked roasted chicken, pimento cheese grits, red beans n rice, a basket of corn bread, a kids hamburger, and fries. All we're fantastic but the stars were: fried chicken which I gotta say was perhaps a top five fried chicken in my life and I'm 50 years old and am from Georgia. Perfect amount of batter with a bit of cornmeal. All pieces were crispy on the outside and moist on the inside. Smoked roasted chicken was also amazing. My wife kinda drives me nuts usually on smoked meats and cheese because she "doesn't like smoked food" and so she surprised me when she ordered this and even more when she loved it. It had a subtle but refined and effective amount of smokiness. Super moist and delish. Grits were also a top 5 in my life and I grew up eating grits of all flavors and types. These grits had a nice bite and rustic consistency and were far from the bleached and over processed grits that some places serve. The amount of cheese in them was perfect by being flavorful but not overloaded or greasy. And to top it off, literally, they had a nice crispy broiled crispy top of pimento cheese on top. Bam! Corn bread was also so tasty and the restraint on sugar proved that the folks at High Hat are pros. It's sad to me how almost all cornbread these days is super sweet and might as well be called corn cake. The cornmeal flavor shines when the sugar is left out and this was a prime example. We couldn't finish it all so we took leftovers in to-go boxes and gobbled up the remains on our second connecting flight home. Everything about this place was special and fantastic. From the delish food to the nice guy (the owner?) that greeted and sat us to the locals eating next to us, the decor, the house hot sauce and vinegar pepper sauce, and our friendly attentive waitress (that I overheard had moved to Nola from Wisconsin a year or so ago and seems to have fit into the Nola culture wonderfully). We ate at lots of good places on this trip from fancy seafood joints to slick bistros but this was my fave. Comfort and southern food that pleases but doesn't make you feel like too much a pig. We'll be back someday fo sho! read more

High Hat Cafe - Fried chicken, pimento cheese grits, smoked chicken - Southern Near Me - New Orleans, Louisiana

Just moved out here and am exploring all of Uptown. I stumbled across this place after seeing a line outside the door at 11:10am. I figured, if there's a line, it must be good! Sat at the bar since I was dining alone. The place filled up quickly, and their team hustled! I enjoyed the chicken, waffles and eggs. So yummy! read more

High Hat Cafe - Chicken, Waffles and Eggs- brunch - Southern Near Me - New Orleans, Louisiana