Not giving 5 stars because all we had were a few beers and burgers and reserve the last star for a full experience. However, it was great. First restaurant meal since pandemic started. We chose to sit outside which was comfortable and shaded on an extremely hot day. Beer and water were cold, service was great and the burger was excellent. read more

Nora Lee's - Outdoor seating under a personal gazebo - Cajun/Creole Near Me - New Castle, Delaware

Nice enough spot but service staff not very attentive with a limited drink menu and if you're looking for authentic New Orleans Fare, keep looking. Blackened, yes but not New Orleans. read more

The food is amazing and the staff is awesome! Their drinks, appetizers and entrees are so authentic and SO good! Highly recommend!!!

The food is the best I've had outside of New Orleans. Staff is very friendly and professional. Service is excellent. I highly recommend eating here. read more

Gross, just gross. There aren't many times in my life I would consider a meal inedible, but this was one. $23 before tax and tip JUST for the "house salad with a protein of crawfish". I had 4 bites, couldn't continue, and still had to pay for my "meal". I was told the crawfish would be sautéed in a BBQ sauce and it would compliment the salad. The crawfish was undoubtedly sitting in the freezer beforehand. It was drowning in BBQ sauce so each bite was a spoonful of overly sweet and salty sauce with a chewy bit in the middle. The salad was little more than garnish that became a wilted layer of lettuce at the base of a bowl of said BBQ sauce and chewy bits. I looked around the room at other dishes and saw that this BBQ sauce was slathered over each. The meal took a long time to arrive. There was dried up food under the table from who knows when. I'm getting nauseous just thinking about it. read more

Great food, awesome place! Can't find anything remotely close to good Cajun cuisine... Highly recommend the BBQ crawfish and jalapeño appetizer. Very spicy and just decadent! read more

Amazing Service-Wow! The 'local' dishes on the menu are spectacular. Just the right amount of spice.. Do NOT order a steak here (other choices in the area that are much better--this isn't a steak house). read more

Instead of bashing this place, which has been kicked down enough due to Covid and the local govt, Let me attempt to offer some constructive direction. Nora Lees has an amazing atmosphere. It screams sexy, inviting, and has the right amount of lure. I WANT to be in there, IF they... Hire a chef. This may seem like a big expense, but it will only trickle down positively and encourage overall sales growth. As of now, your food is just plain unacceptable. It's either bland or overly executed. Super sweet or aggressively salty. It needs direction. It doesn't even meet the minimal standards that your menu descriptions present. Train the staff on basic dos and don'ts. This includes the implementation of a basic standard operating procedure. It's common for guests to experience a lack of coherence here. Bar staff MIA, servers working beyond their means, no real manager around. Guests looking all over for this and that..Not cool. Own your business. Reciprocate your customers with value, and lure us back in. Provide us with the confidence that our dollar will earn us a decent product. As of now, it's a one sided deal. We pay, you don't deliver. Horrible business model. read more

Well, I went here for some quick takeout while in the area based off of some family members' recommendations and... that was the biggest waste of money I've ever spent. For $60+ I expected a lot of food and great food and received neither. Got a blackened catfish and alligator jambalaya that was solid, but for the price, half the size it should have been. Also got some hush puppies that were over fried and lacking flavor entirely. Ordered a side blackened crab cake, which was one of the most vile things I've ever tasted. A crab cake should absolutely never be bitter. To make matters worse a 15% automatic tip was applied to my takeout order without my knowledge. I understand times are tough, but a mandatory tip applied will forever be a 1 star review for me for any location. A tip is earned, not expected. Suffice to say I will never be coming back and I wish I could chargeback this transaction on my credit card in all honesty. Update: Got food poisoning from the food a few hours later. Would really appreciate if someone from the establishment would reach out to refund this meal. Editing again for visibility: I decided to call to try to receive a refund and was met with a manager who refused to listen whatsoever and proceeded to hang up on me whilst explaining the situation. Upon calling back she hung up yet again. I called to try to get this resolved and was met with the manager then proceeding to tell me she was calling the sheriff on me who proceeded to berate me and side with the restaurant. Stay away at all costs, not only will you get food poisoning here, but the manager will go out of their way to harass you and ask to "provide proof". Guess I should've saved all of my bowel movements in the 15 hours I had food poisoning from them to be able to "provide proof" and get my money back. read more

Best bread pudding I've ever had. I want to go back just for dessert. I ordered the blackened catfish. It was also very good but very saucy, which made it too heavy for me. The service was good for being under staffed. They did the best they could. read more

Literally everything here is insanely delicious. The cocktails were incredible. The food was out of this world bursting with flavor. I was struggling to find good food in Delaware so a friend recommended this place. I will eat here every time I travel to Delaware now. And the customer service was 5 star. read more

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Food was good. Their lunch menu just doesn't have any of the things we really wanted to try. May go back sometime.

We had a very new waitress who truly did not know what she was doing. I wish someone was helping her in order to make our experience better. We waited an hour for our food and one meal did not arrive until we inquired about it 15-20 mins after 4 of us were served. No one checked on us and we had to search for her to get our bill. It was too expensive for it not to be lovely experience. I will not be back. read more

Would have liked to give it a five-star review. But just couldn't. We had a reservation, which was great because on this busy Saturday, the place filled up quickly. The staff was very friendly upon entering. The decor is fun, with colorful Mardi-gras themes. Seating was nicely spaced, even in the post-social distancing era, o that even when busy, walking around wasn't hard. Upon arriving and sitting at our table, the server brought out water and bread, and after giving us some time to read the menu came out and asked about our appetizers. We ordered three, and then immediately after, asked her if she wanted to take our entree orders as well. She hesitated, seeming unsure, and since one person at our table was still deciding, we told her that's fine, she could come back in a few minutes. This was a mistake. She never came back. At one point someone else came to fill up our water glasses, and no one ever brought more bread. Which became important when we waited 65 minutes AFTER our arrival (yes, one hour and five minutes) before our appetizers were brought out. Not only that, but the kitchen staff brought them out, not our server, so we STILL could not place our entree order! My appetizer, crawfish tails in a spicy bourbon sauce over rice, was delicious: the sauce blended the sweetness of the bourbon with just enough of a spicy pepper kick. There were plenty of small crawfish tails mixed in. I shared it with others at the table: all enjoyed it. Another diner enjoyed the crabby pretzel appetizer as well and the whole table tried that and liked it as well. AFTER we had finished our appetizers and still hadn't heard from the waitress, we were literally on the verge of finding anyone and asking for our check and leaving half full. But finally, the server came back and asked if we were ready to order entrees. Honestly, about half of us would have been content to leave at that point, having had a tasty appetizer, but still somewhat hungry. But someone started to order, so we all did as well. Our entrees were delivered at a normal time, aside from the fact that we ordered them 80 minutes after ordering the appetizers. They were delicious. I ordered the blackened scallops, which were served with spicy cream sauce, along with hush puppies and mashed potatoes. The scallops were very well executed. Tender despite having been blacked, they melted in my mouth. The sauce complemented them quite well. The mashed potatoes were very well done as well. The hush puppies were a little dry and slightly overdone. Overall my meal was delicious. Two others at the table enjoyed steaks as much as I enjoyed my scallops. Another thought the fried chicken and catfish jambalaya was good, but not great. I didn't taste his, so I will not factor that into the review, but passing it along. Another party at the table had the crab cake entree and said they were delicious, but again, having not tasted them, I will repeat this as anecdotal. Overall, the food was delicious. There was no part of my meal I didn't enjoy (aside from the hush puppies, and I'm not going to let that affect my overall score). The prices are a little high, but that is expected with this level of quality. It is far from a value restaurant. And the overall atmosphere, being in New Castle is gorgeous and adds to the experience. If not for the service, it would definitely have been five stars. But the wait, with no explanation or communication, almost had me pull it down to 3. That said, I couldn't let the one (though large) negative pull down such high level of food and a lovely decor. So four stars it is. I will return if I'm in the area. read more

Nora Lee's - Blackened scallops, mashed potatoes and hush puppies. - Cajun/Creole Near Me - New Castle, Delaware

The service was ok but the food was not good. The crawfish appetizer was cold and was way too sweet. My fish sandwich was mushy and I paid extra to have tomato added and there was one little piece of tomato. The only thing that was good were the drinks. We wont be back. read more

Great service and excellent food. Prices are very good for the amount of food portions. Been there a few times and have never had a bad experience. read more

I was a fan of Nora Lee's when dining there for the first time. They have great cosmopolitan flavors! We ordered the crawfish appetizer, and I ordered the meatloaf for my entree, which were all very good! They also have a nice Nola theme/decorations inside the restaurant. read more

Oooooo baby!! Taste is what you get when you come to this special old city spot. The vibe in here is unlike most. I love the dim setting and weekends with the small band jamming in the back of the room. The food is the only food in old city you should spend your money on. Their unique New Orleans style food is just like your there. The Pierogies with those onions.... The bourbon shrimp or Cajun tuna. I could basically read off 1/2 to 3/4 of the menu you should try. They always have a revolving door of great specials. Oh did I mention the beard and the unbelievable homemade butter! Bring your beads and easy lift shirt because your going big easy here. read more

The decor hasn't changed since they opened years ago. The menu is basically the same as well except the prices are significantly higher and the quality is significantly lower! Very disappointed! I think they really need a trained chef who knows Cajun/creole/southern cuisine. read more

I had a horrible experience at this establishment. The manager had an extremely rude attitude and zero customer service. I do not recommend anything with chicken. It was extremely dry, lacked flavor and presentation could have been better. I was looking forward to my experience but was let down and they tried to force me to pay for things I didn't eat, didn't come out right, and didn't offer any substitution/ replacement options. read more

Great food, drinks, and atmosphere. Homey, as if family made the food during a holiday.

I had a FOOD POISONING after having a dinner at Nora Lee. A dinner that started out to be a good experience turned out to be a DISASTER. On Friday night we had a dinner at Nora Lee. I ordered Lobster Ravioli ($41.99) and the rest of the party ordered Jambalaya. Luckily we didn't share our food as otherwise everyone else would also get sick. In the same evening around midnight, I started feeling sick. I feel nauseous and bloated. Thirty minutes later I found myself having diarrhea and vomiting 6 times throughout the night. I couldn't sleep at all because my body was shivering and the urge to vomit was up to my chest. I knew for sure that I had FOOD POISONING. The next day, I called the restaurant and asked to speak to the MANAGER. She told me her name is Whitney. I explained my situation and said that the restaurant should be more careful in handling food, so other customers do not go through this awful experience. I NEVER asked for my money back. I was shocked that she felt so OFFENDED and told me that food poisoning ONLY HAPPENED after 24-48 hours, so whatever I experienced must be from somewhere else. My husband is a physician and I told her that her statement is not true. Her response is she's been a manager for a long time and has been facing this kind of situation very often, so she knows that she's talking about. She also asked if I go to the hospital. I said what I experienced is not life-threatening and thankfully the vomit and diarrhea only last for one night. She insisted that my dinner at Nora Lee had nothing to do with my Food Poisoning, and HANG UP THE PHONE. This is a very sad and infuriating response from a Manager of a busy restaurant. I was going to give this place a second chance, but after receiving a nasty response, it's no way that I, my whole family, friends and acquaintances would step into this place ever again. Also, here is a quote that I copy-pasted from the CDC.Gov website about food poisoning: "Some germs make you sick within a few hours after you swallow them. Others may take a few days to make you sick. This list provides the symptoms, when symptoms begin, and common food sources for germs that cause food poisoning. The germs are listed in order of how quickly symptoms begin. Vibrio Symptoms begin 2 to 48 hours after exposure: Watery diarrhea, nausea, stomach cramps, vomiting, fever, chills Common food sources: Raw or undercooked shellfish." I also just read a review from another customer who also had food poisoning and received a similar response from the manager. I should have read the reviews before trying out this place because it looks like the food poisoning issue has been a pattern that happened in this restaurant and they way they handle this issue has not changed. read more

My husband and I came here on Saturday night and we had to get out within the hour to be somewhere but it was able to be done! The service was quick and the staff was super friendly and informative. The decor of this place is SO fun by the way. I wish I had more time to take it all in but again, we were in a rush. I ordered the 'BLACKENED ALLIGATOR SAUSAGE' which was served over rice, topped with Creole tomato sauce then topped with creole mustard. It was really good. There is a local cajun restaurant by me and I do think there's is better, but it was still quite good! I also got the 'Chicken Sausage Gumbo' which I personally didn't really care for. My husband ordered the 'SAUTÉED PIEROGIES & ONIONS' which was cheddar potato Pierogies sautéed with onions and Cajun spice. He LOVES pierogies and this was very different than any others he's had before but he enjoyed them. He also got the 'Crawfish Bistro' which he loved as well. I wish we had more time because I would have loved to get dessert but we were in a pinch. Overall, good food and good service! read more

Went here on Saturday evening with a 8:30 reservation. Showed up a little early and they seated us promptly! I can not say enough great things about this place. The atmosphere was very cool, very "NOLA" in my opinion. You walk in, and you certainly get that New Orleans feel. The wait staff was very attentive. The restaurant was setup nicely to meet "covid" standards (if that matters to you). We had a pretty intimate setup ourselves, separated from other tables by long black curtains. It was quite nice. We started with drinks, more specifically the Orange Creamsicle slushies. These things, simply put, were amazing!!!! They were certainly not shy of alcohol! Definitely recommend! Next up, dinner. We ordered the andouille meatloaf and the cashew bourbon chicken. The meatloaf was delicious. Nice and moist, loads of flavor! Would certainly order again! The cashew bourbon chicken was very good as well! Great flavor, little bit of heat that hits you after it hits your lips. Highly recommend! Lastly, came dessert. We ordered an Almond Joy cheesecake, and a cannoli, or what we thought was one cannoli. To our surprise, it was actually two huge cannolis. Now, I would never associate a cajun restaurant with a cannoli, but this was hands down a top 3 cannoli that I've ever experienced! These things took up about half the plate, drizzled with chocolate syrup and powdered sugar. The filling was delicious. I really felt like dessert stole the show this night! I would have no issues returning just for dessert/drinks! I look forward to returning here and trying some of the other entrees. Would definitely recommend this place to others! I thank Nora Lee's for the awesome experience, and for making our night one that we will remember for a long time! read more

I've tried Nora Lee's twice and both times were fairly disappointing. This first time I went to Nora Lee's was a few months ago with my mom and brother who really like their food. I had the hazelnut crab cakes, sweet potatoes and a vegetable. The taste was definitely not to my liking, way to sweet but cooked to perfection. The coconut shrimp were amazing but my ravioli was also very sweet. I decided to give it another try yesterday for my mother's birthday and my mother and I were extremely disappointed. Her crab cakes and vegetables came out burned to a crisp and the veggies were way over cooked and charred. I had the coconut shrimp figuring I couldn't go wrong with them and they were way over cooked, along with the hard hush puppies. My mashed potatoes were excellent. The waitress was very nice, courteous and patient. I don't think I'm up to giving Nora Lee's another try and that sucks because I love the location and the concept. read more

I called an audible while I was on my way to Jessop's Tavern which is my usual go to when passing through Wilmington and decided to try Nora Lee's instead which was a few doors down. I absolutely LOVE Cajun food. I love the flavors. I love the soul that they put into it. So I was excited to try this. The ambiance of the place was great and had a seat at the bar which served mostly local brews. So far so good. I ordered gumbo and jambalaya. Two Cajun staples. The bowl of gumbo came and I immediately noticed it wasn't your average gumbo. In fact it was missing some of the key traditional ingredients found in true Cajun gumbo. First was that it wasn't made with a traditional roux. The second was the absence of okra. And third was absolutely no andouille sausage. It was "so so" but not what I expected. When the jambalaya arrived (5 mins after the gumbo) my heart really sank. It was a huge bowl with waaaaaaay too much going on. Loaded with peppers, tomato sauce, onions and celery. The four shrimp were good sized, but the chicken was tiny bits of precooked and severely overcooked pieces. There was absolutely minimal sausage (but couldn't tell if it was andouille because they were also tiny) and no okra. Not sure if I'll be back. I'd give it a 2.5 because of the ambiance and maybe there are other things on the menu that may be alright. But if you advertise Cajun, the staples have to hit. These didn't for me. Sorry. read more

The ambiance is everything , my boyfriend and I were there for Mother's Day dinner. The food was excellent we got the blackened catfish and crab cakes . The bread with Cajun butter and the Mac and cheese balls were good too . The cocktails were also great ! The server was attentive and so kind . We will definitely be back ! read more

Ok, never in my wildest dreams would I have thought that I'd find a place like this. The decor was fabulous, the atmosphere was electric. That's not even the best part. The food was so delicious. But delicious isn't even the right word. I'm going to dig deep into my vocabulary and find words to describe how the chef put every bit of his or hers heart and soul into the each bite that I took. The fresh baked bread with the Cajun butter, made in house.... I mean , could live on that bread and water for the rest of my days... Anyway, my chicken dish was lovely. My husband and felt like we just got off a plane in Louisiana. So if you save some room for desert, try the Death by Chocolate with the homemade chocolate fudge sauce..... I can't wait to eat there again. read more

Whitney the manager is the most unprofessional manger I have ever encountered. Our entrees took 3 hours to arrive. We canceled the order in an effort to leave. Whitney approached the table after the waitress brought our check with the items removed and began yelling at us and not allowing us to complete a sentence. She then called the police. Whitney stated that we must pay for food we never received. Police said this was ridiculous. Whitney and owner yelled at us repeatedly. In the end, police had our side and the owner was even rude to them. The food that did make it to the table was bland, over saturated with oil, and unseasoned. If you're looking for a long wait, mediocre food that you may not even receive, and a side of calling the police, this is the restaurant for you! read more

Place is ok. BUT Inconsistently nice server. Wrong food served. Rude and inconsiderate manager. Definitely will not return.

Usually the food I get from here is delicious. However tonight, I think they rried to pull the wool over my eyes. I ordered what I usually order & it was very unappetizing. My gumbo was dry & flavorless. The gumbo & my wings taste like they were from yesterday. I'm very disappointed read more

Our 2nd visit here was November 29th, and again they were out of bread. I question if they actually do have bread here. It's a good thing we weren't in a hurry because it took almost 1/2 hour to get someone to wait on us, and forever to get our food. RJ ordered crab cakes and I ordered scallops. Both were very overcooked, borderline burned. The bananas foster dessert was the best thing about our meal. This was a disappointing visit, and no longer on my list of places to go, especially when we can go down the street for better service, good that's not burnt, and bread. read more

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What a great surprise! We came here to go to Jessop's down the street. We mostly wanted to try some of the import beers as the food I just ok. They had a 2 hour wait so we wandered into Nora Lees. The food is excellent!! We sat at the bar and service has been good but the food is excellent!! We will be coming back soon. Great experience! read more

The best Creole food north of Louisiana 20 years ago the New Orleans Cafe closed its doors in Media and I thought the only way I would ever taste food that good again was to go back to Bourbon St but Nora Lees is the lob Cafe I far a new name but the Food I'd just as good As it ever was read more

Excellent destination for amazing food. I have been going here for 10 years and Mary and her crew never disappoint. Everything on the menu is delicious but my favorites are Cajun Chicken Nachos, Cap'n Crunch Chicken Fingers, and Blackened Chicken entree. Also for Happy Hour they have specials like a Filet Mignon burger that is incredible. The owner Mary makes all the desserts as well, my favorite is Death by Chocolate. Staff are all always friendly and welcoming. Cannot recommend highly enough! I tell everyone I can to visit Nora Lee's, they are the closest thing to authentic New Orleans cuisine I've ever experienced! read more

Nora Lee's - Nora Lee's in Historic New Castle - Cajun/Creole Near Me - New Castle, Delaware

Always great food and atmosphere. We have been here multiple times and always had a good time. Check out when the have live music.

We went there for lunch. We started with pierogies. You can tell they weren't homemade but that's expected. The sauce and sautéed red onions were cooked perfectly. We also had the alligator sausage over rice. Nice and spicy and peppers cooked perfectly. Got the creole mustard on the side that added a nice sweetness. I got the blackened catfish sandwich. Catfish was tender and not too spice. Fries hand cut Piping hot. He got the fried oyster poboy. Nice and crispy. Sweet potato fries were ok. Took awhile to get out entrees but we weren't in a rush. Waitress was friendly. Old fashioned was delicious. But they did run out of sweet and sour for my Long Island but bartender did her best to improvise. Overall making plans to go back soon. read more

Nora Lee's - Blackened catfish sandwich - Cajun/Creole Near Me - New Castle, Delaware

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Nora Lee's is a hidden gem...I was pleasantly surprised by the amazing flavors of the food, atmosphere and service. I usally always take pictures of my food but this time I yoattly forgot. My friends and I were in a deep conversation when the food came out. I had the chicken and shrimp poboy...I took one bite next thing I new it was all gone. I loved the heat it was sweet and spicy...and the roll was soft but not held up well. I can't wait to return to try other dishes. read more

I love cajun food and along with NYC, New Orleans is probably my top city in the USA for food. I applaud Nora Lee's for bringing some NOLA flavor to New Castle. I have dined at Nora Lee's three times. The most recent was yesterday for Lunch. The catfish sandwich was excellent. The homemade chips were very good. The Jambalaya is not something I'd order again. There is no "absolute right" way to make the dish and you'll find different variations. Nora's Jambalaya is on the sweeter side. It's a deep, dark, murky color. I like a brighter, redder, spicier Jambalaya. This was somewhat unpleasant to look at. It was more sweet than spicy... and the onion, green pepper, celery was too dominant. I guess what I am saying is, I don't think it came together well. On other occasions, I have had blackened catfish and the oyster po'boy. I think they did these meals pretty well. The service was very good. We had a terrific young waiter named Wayne. He was very helpful and pleasant. I have had the chance to order a few different things from the menu now and I find the food to be good. Not so good that I can't wait to go back and order again. I understand the idea that if something is working well, then don't mess with it too much. Nora Lee's seems to have changed very little over the past few years. I think that it's in need of a little reinvigoration. I found the lunch menu to be lacking a bit. I couldn't easily find something I really wanted for lunch. Nothing was featured or really stood out. read more

I found this place from a TikTok review.. @delilahshonte We ordered the Cajun Chicken nachos as our Appetizer. I sent them back because it was extremely greasy.The acai berry cosmopolitan is delicious according to my partner! The star of the dining experience was the GUMBO! Oh my goodness it's so delicious and flavorful. read more

Nora Lee's - Cajun/Creole Near Me - New Castle, Delaware

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