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Recommended Reviews - The Louisiana
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I'll probably come back here but it'll be more in the hope of seeing the very pretty waitress than it will be for the food or drink. The food was okay but in no means special and the service could have been a lot faster. I was here on a Thursday evening, early enough for it not to be busy and quickly ordered a starter before I had decided on a main course. The staff seemed to forget that I still hadn't placed my main order and I sat at the bar trying some of the beers on offer. Probably three quarters of an hour or even a full hour had gone by and I had to grab someone to take my order. And to ask how much longer my starter would take. The restaurant was quite busy at this time but considering I had ordered the starter when there was a handful of people there, I couldn't understand the delay. Maybe they don't start prepping the starter until you've ordered a main? Overall, the service was friendly, there are a couple of unusual beers on offer, the food is not special, and the bartender did not inspire me to try a cocktail (I was sitting at the bar watching him making them). It's worth a visit, but don't get your hopes up.

Ok... where to start.... This is a new place in Haarlem and officially will open on the 5th of september. My wife found it via one of the expat pages and we decided to give it a try for a date night. Little did we know that we were not with just the two of us this evening, but somehow Murphy tagged along also..... It started when we arrived at the place and told the waitress that we had made a reservation which they could not find. Not knowing how this would work out, we decided to accept their offer to have one of their cocktails on the house and wait at the bar while they would find a solution. After a couple of minutes (we did not even finish the very nice cocktail), they found another couple who was willing to share their table. After looking at the menu, we decided to go for a burger and a crab. After some time my burger arrived, but 10 minutes after the burger arrived, the crab still did not arrive. They apologized and the owner of the place told us they would take it off the bill right away (which was shocking to me because I never ever heard that being offered before in Holland...) They also offered another drink on the house if we wanted. After the crab finally arrived, the owner was very helpful with explaining my wife how to best eat it and helped her crush the claws. After a wonderful dinner (both the crab as well as the burger were really good), we asked for the bill and did notice that the crab was indeed removed. However, we also saw that there were two portions of fries added, which struck us as weird since the menu stated the fries were included with both the burger and the crab. The waitress told us that this was not the case, but had to agree with us after getting the menu and reading through it :) So they went back again to the computer system and also deducted the fries from the bill. At this point, the owner really felt bad for us since pretty much everything had gone wrong all evening long and he came to our table with three shots of tequila-coffee and drank the shot together with us and apologized for everything that happened to us. He agreed that Murphy was sitting at our table also :) All in all, we had a wonderful evening and really loved the food. I also liked the comment of the owner after he helped my wife with the crab: note that this is a crab shack and not a star restaurant: things might/can/will be dirty :) In most restaurants in Holland, there would not be any solutions at all for mistakes in the service. At this place, every problem that happened to us during this one evening was solved in a very quick and great way! I loved the food, but even more than that, I loved the service we got at this place!

As an American who has been to New Orleans, it's always interesting to see how others view American cuisine. To be fair, we didn't have alcoholic drinks because we are with our kids. But we heard many people rave about the drinks. We tried two dishes, the Denver steak, which was a tasty cut of meat but it was overpowered by the intense charcoal grill taste on the outside. Their interpretation of fried chicken is the equivalent of chicken fingers: boneless nuggets of fried chicken. It's not exactly what a Southerner would call a fried chicken dinner. But it tasted good.
4 years ago
The flaming hurricane is a must for the taste, the show, & your Insta! The Smoked Negroni and Old Fashion are definitely worth it! The 1 lb Lobster was slightly overcooked, but the flavor was good, duck fat fries great, and the oyster & waffles were a welcomed addition the meal. The live jazz was an unexpected treat! While the food, cocktails, & staff were great the desserts were awful by Dutch & American standards. Surprised there were no beignets on the menu. Especially considering the pecan pie was not good. Put that $7 to better use and get an after dinner cocktail! read more
8 years ago
It was the weekend before Fat Tuesday and so 3 of us expat Americans and an expat Brit decided to come here on a Saturday and celebrate. Getting here is an easy walk from the train station, but I was running late so took the bus and that was super quick too as there were 3 buses with a stop near to this restaurant. Our server was great - he made me an off the menu cocktail when I told him the flavor profile of what I like to drink. Food wise, I ended up getting the Gumbo (cause when in Louisiana, right!?) while two of my dining companions got the ribs (I was eyeing this too) and a burger rounded up the last person on our table. We also got chips and that came in a sharing bowl rather than individual serving portions which was a bit weird. My gumbo was really delicious but it only came with two pieces of shrimp! Admittedly they were big shrimp, but I still would have liked some more. Lots of chicken and then a decent amount of sausage rounded up the gumbo. I also had a taste of the ribs and those were bone meltingly tender with a fabulous sweet and tangy glaze. Both the boys gobbled their plates up. We were pretty full up after that meal, so didn't get any dessert and to be honest, none of the very Americana dessert menu items appealed to us. Another time I might order a milkshake tho' cause those flavors looked interesting. Cost wise, between the 4 of us (and we all ordered drinks) the total was €114 (rounded up) so just under €30 per person, which is decent considering alcoholic drinks were involved and we all know the mark-up on those! Loved the loo signage - go check it out but OMG the actual stall size was super small and uncomfortable. The barstool seats on our high top table too were massively uncomfortable! I'd have stayed longer except for my bum protesting about the hardness of the seating. Lots of purple colored lights, to invoke that Mardi Gras mood I guess, and so all my photos have that tinge, however want to assure folks reading this review that no purple looking food was consumed on the night! So overall, it's a 4 star, but the food and service are a solid 5! Yelp 56/ 2019 read more
The food was so good here last night. The food just keeps getting better and better. I came in here last night with some friends from California and they loved it! The atmosphere, food, drinks, and the whole positive vibe was on point. Definitely a wonderful spot to get your grub on. I look forward to coming back soon! read more
I'll probably come back here but it'll be more in the hope of seeing the very pretty waitress than it will be for the food or drink. The food was okay but in no means special and the service could have been a lot faster. I was here on a Thursday evening, early enough for it not to be busy and quickly ordered a starter before I had decided on a main course. The staff seemed to forget that I still hadn't placed my main order and I sat at the bar trying some of the beers on offer. Probably three quarters of an hour or even a full hour had gone by and I had to grab someone to take my order. And to ask how much longer my starter would take. The restaurant was quite busy at this time but considering I had ordered the starter when there was a handful of people there, I couldn't understand the delay. Maybe they don't start prepping the starter until you've ordered a main? Overall, the service was friendly, there are a couple of unusual beers on offer, the food is not special, and the bartender did not inspire me to try a cocktail (I was sitting at the bar watching him making them). It's worth a visit, but don't get your hopes up. read more
Ok... where to start.... This is a new place in Haarlem and officially will open on the 5th of september. My wife found it via one of the expat pages and we decided to give it a try for a date night. Little did we know that we were not with just the two of us this evening, but somehow Murphy tagged along also..... It started when we arrived at the place and told the waitress that we had made a reservation which they could not find. Not knowing how this would work out, we decided to accept their offer to have one of their cocktails on the house and wait at the bar while they would find a solution. After a couple of minutes (we did not even finish the very nice cocktail), they found another couple who was willing to share their table. After looking at the menu, we decided to go for a burger and a crab. After some time my burger arrived, but 10 minutes after the burger arrived, the crab still did not arrive. They apologized and the owner of the place told us they would take it off the bill right away (which was shocking to me because I never ever heard that being offered before in Holland...) They also offered another drink on the house if we wanted. After the crab finally arrived, the owner was very helpful with explaining my wife how to best eat it and helped her crush the claws. After a wonderful dinner (both the crab as well as the burger were really good), we asked for the bill and did notice that the crab was indeed removed. However, we also saw that there were two portions of fries added, which struck us as weird since the menu stated the fries were included with both the burger and the crab. The waitress told us that this was not the case, but had to agree with us after getting the menu and reading through it :) So they went back again to the computer system and also deducted the fries from the bill. At this point, the owner really felt bad for us since pretty much everything had gone wrong all evening long and he came to our table with three shots of tequila-coffee and drank the shot together with us and apologized for everything that happened to us. He agreed that Murphy was sitting at our table also :) All in all, we had a wonderful evening and really loved the food. I also liked the comment of the owner after he helped my wife with the crab: note that this is a crab shack and not a star restaurant: things might/can/will be dirty :) In most restaurants in Holland, there would not be any solutions at all for mistakes in the service. At this place, every problem that happened to us during this one evening was solved in a very quick and great way! I loved the food, but even more than that, I loved the service we got at this place! read more
8 years ago
As an American who has been to New Orleans, it's always interesting to see how others view American cuisine. To be fair, we didn't have alcoholic drinks because we are with our kids. But we heard many people rave about the drinks. We tried two dishes, the Denver steak, which was a tasty cut of meat but it was overpowered by the intense charcoal grill taste on the outside. Their interpretation of fried chicken is the equivalent of chicken fingers: boneless nuggets of fried chicken. It's not exactly what a Southerner would call a fried chicken dinner. But it tasted good. read more
I believe it is the only Cajun/Louisiana restaurant in the Netherlands. So if you want to try Gumbo or Jambalaya THIS is the place. Also impressed by their King Crab, Snow Crab, Soft shell Crab etc.. The mixed starter is a recommendation to dive in the tastes this restaurant offers. Have been there twice last month and I suspect we will visit many more times in the near future. read more
I'm impressed. The menu: some nice Southern American style dishes, lots of cocktails, and craft beer. The owner came over to talk to us and told us all about the concept and was nice to hear how enthusiastic he was about the place. The Louisiana also turns into a place to go out after dinnertime, they regularly have events and sometime even live music. I had jambalaya which was pretty good. For a starter, the homemade hushpuppies were quite nice. The cocktails, wow, far more pages of these to pick from than the food. We both went with a mint julep and decided to talk in old south southern accents while drinking them, seemed to fit perfectly. Finally for desert I had a peach milkshake that included one full shot of bourbon. Yum! I'm going back here for sure and next time will try the lobster. read more
Not impressed the place is closed at 2pm when opening hours are from 12noon... Please update your opening hours. I walked all this way to have a burger now I'm left cold and hungry read more
9 years ago
A go to place in Haarlem for fresh seafood and American flavours. The drink menu is pleasantly long and intriguingly descriptive
Had a really great meal here, and the owner and staff were really helpful and friendly. I'm hoping to come back and work my way through the rest of the menu, the cocktails alone will blow your mind! read more
11 years ago
Very well done. Fantastic cocktials and authentic cajun food, made even more soecial by the friendly and efficient service. Great taste of bayou home! read more
10 years ago
Had a great time! Flew in from Maui, Hawaii, USA, mad our reservations on line, didn't need them, we went on a slow night. The owner came to our table and welcomed us, we talked about surfing and big waves in Hawaii, he also bought us a round of drinks! The food was excellent! The owner was very personable and welcoming, we will be back. We visit Haarlem twice a year! Aloha read more
More info about The Louisiana
Zijlstraat 21
2011 TJ Haarlem
The Netherlands
Directions
023-2004973
Call Now
Visit Website
http://www.thelouisiana.nl
Full menu
Hours
What time does The Louisiana open?
The Louisiana opens at 5:30 PM on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Sunday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
What time does The Louisiana close?
The Louisiana closes at 12:00 AM (Next day) on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Sunday.The Louisiana closes at 1:00 AM (Next day) on Thursday.The Louisiana closes at 3:00 AM (Next day) on Friday and Saturday.
Mon-Wed, Sun 5:30 PM - 12:00 AM (Next day)Thu 5:30 PM - 1:00 AM (Next day)Fri-Sat 5:30 PM - 3:00 AM (Next day)
Payment methods
Does The Louisiana take Bitcoin?
No, The Louisiana does not take Bitcoin.
Food & Alcohol
Does The Louisiana have catering options?
No, The Louisiana does not have catering options.
Does The Louisiana serve alcohol?
Yes, The Louisiana serves alcohol. Full Bar
Indoor Amenities
Does The Louisiana allow dogs?
Yes, The Louisiana allows dogs.
Does The Louisiana have TVs?
Yes, The Louisiana has TVs.
Outdoor Amenities
Does The Louisiana have outdoor seating?
Yes, The Louisiana has outdoor seating options.
Does The Louisiana have parking?
Yes, The Louisiana has parking options.
Other Amenities
Does The Louisiana have free WiFi?
Yes, The Louisiana has free WiFi.
From the Business
Specialties
New Orleans is a melting pot of African, French, Caribbean and American cultures. Which reveals itself in a highly versatile kitchen. Our specialty? Lobster. The greatest shellfish for an affordable price. But we also love to spoil you with beautiful Cajun, Creole and Soul food bites. Accompanied by Craft Beers, a wide range of Whiskeys and other moonshine, excellent Wines and a monthly changed assortment of expert prepared Cocktails. Let The Louisiana Lobstershack inspire you to order something else than just a beer or a glass of wine. We come from a tradition of excellent bartending, being crazy about cocktails , baristi by nature to serve great coffee, and crazy for any whiskey that deserves to carry the name. And sure, we have expert selected wines, tasted and approved by our sommelier Milton Verseput of Sommos.
Meet the Business Owner: Fausto A.
Fausto Albers started his Bar career over 15 years ago in Haarlem, in Café Koops. As the fastest student Rolf could have, he evolved into a perfect host, combining skills with hospitality. Fausto left Haarlem for London, only to set up a succesfull cocktail catering company in 2007. His passion for New Orleans culture led him back to Haarlem. Finding the right partners was easy. Finding the right customers will be a matter of time. Starting with you.
The Louisiana Reviews in Other Languages
Review Highlights - The Louisiana
“For a starter, the homemade hushpuppies were quite nice.”
Mentioned in 2 reviews
Why does Yelp recommend reviews?
1 review that is not currently recommended
The reviews below are not factored into the business's overall star rating.
9 years ago
Awesome place with cajun style dishes, lobster, crab, craft beers, usa wines and cocktails. Cool staff with knowledge and skills. Also follow them on facebook to join them at there crazy cool party's every few months! read more























































