My experience with Chez Nous was disappointing, particularly given the importance of the occasion…read moreand the expectations I had based on the restaurant's reputation.
I was referred to Chez Nous by a friend from New Orleans when I was looking for a caterer for my son's medical school graduation celebration. We expected about 30 guests, most of whom were coming from out of town and were excited to experience New Orleans food. The initial communication with the owner was good. I received an extensive menu, reviewed the options with my son, who considers himself a "foodie," and we ultimately agreed on a menu that included tea sandwiches, smothered turnip greens, grillades, cheese grits, baked brie, bourbon-and-brown-sugar ham with buttermilk biscuits, hummingbird cake, and spinach salad.
A couple of months before the celebration, my brother and his wife joined me in New Orleans for Match Day. While we were there, we stopped by Chez Nous to introduce ourselves and make sure everything was on track. Unfortunately, the reception by Ben, the owner was very cold and made us feel as though we were intruding rather than welcome guests. I chose to give the owner the benefit of the doubt and assumed it was simply a bad day. With the graduation only about 45 days away, I also decided not to start over with another caterer.
We confirmed delivery for May 16, 2026, at 2:00 p.m. On the day of the celebration, I had someone at the house by noon to receive the food. The caterer actually arrived around 1:00 p.m., which was earlier than expected, and I appreciated that.
Unfortunately, the food itself was a major disappointment.
Several dishes--including the greens, grillades, and cheese grits--were excessively salty. The tea sandwiches and biscuits were dry. The baked brie with fresh fruit was good, but the spinach salad was not prepared as requested. I specifically asked for the feta to be served on the side because we had a vegan guest, but the feta was mixed throughout the salad.
The biggest disappointment was the hummingbird cake. It was essentially inedible. The cake appeared to be a sheet cake with an extremely thick layer of icing, while the cake itself was so soggy that it appeared underbaked. No one ate it, and we ultimately had to throw it away the following day.
After the celebration, I contacted the owner to express my concerns about the quality of the food. I never received a response. I also found it surprising that no one from Chez Nous followed up afterward to ask how the food or service had been. Given that this was an important milestone for my son and a significant catering order, I expected at least some acknowledgment or concern when I expressed my dissatisfaction.
I recognize that every business can have an off day, and I generally try to give people the benefit of the doubt. I was also particularly surprised by my experience because Chez Nous has many positive reviews. Unfortunately, my experience did not live up to those expectations.
I will give three stars solely because the food arrived earlier than the agreed-upon delivery time. However, the quality of much of the food, the failure to accommodate the dietary request, the disappointing cake, and most importantly, the lack of any response to my concerns left me very disappointed.
This was supposed to be a memorable celebration of my son's tremendous accomplishment. I wanted to provide our family and guests with a wonderful New Orleans culinary experience. Sadly, the catering experience became one of the few negative aspects of an otherwise wonderful graduation weekend.