One of the best places we ate at during our trip! The service was amazing -- all 3 servers we had were super friendly and attentive. We ordered the shrimp and grits and the étouffée, and both were sooo good. Honestly 10/10. Everything was full of flavor and absolutely hit the spot. Definitely one of our favorite meals from the trip and a place I'd totally come back to! read more

Zesty Creole - Cajun/Creole Near Me - New Orleans, Louisiana

Zesty's had some really good food, but the overall experience was a little mixed. The bread pudding was definitely the highlight of the meal--it was absolutely amazing! The fried alligator was also really good, and the dipping sauces made it even better. The fish was cooked perfectly, and the potatoes were delicious too. The restaurant itself is pretty small, but I liked the cozy booths. The only downside was the service. It felt a little confusing because it was slow at times, but then our food came out pretty quickly. Overall, the food was great, but the service and overall experience could have been a little more consistent. read more

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True rating: 4.5 The gumbo was great, given it was my first time having it. The gator bites were a curveball and surely exceeded my expectations. Docked for: Service was slow (for me). No true attention to customers. Sitting for over 20 minutes and no order taken. read more

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I didn't think anything of this restaurant when I walked by it (close to our hotel, non-descript from the exterior) but when I researched into the best jambalaya...Zesty Creole came up! So we decided to give it a try. We only had 30 minutes before our tour, but the food came out quick! The seafood jambalaya was well-seasoned (but not enough sausage, shrimp, and chicken) and the accompanying biscuit was perfectly buttery flaky goodness. The biscuits and gravy was flavorfully delicious (make sure to ask for sausage and extra gravy). Used a combination of Tabasco and Crystal hot sauce which is already on every table. The service was a little slow and very curt but the restaurant was full at 11:45am on a Thursday. Lively atmosphere. 2 big screen TVs. And a full bar with ample seating. I was torn between giving this place 3 or 4 stars, but at the end of the day, I'm always looking for amazing service. read more

It's located right in the tourist trap section but has great reviews. Gumbo was terrific Biscuit was superb Jambalaya was good (not great) Etouffee was weak and flavorless The waitstaff was nice but it's not a place I will repeat. read more

Zesty Creole - Hurricane - Cajun/Creole Near Me - New Orleans, Louisiana

Wanted some good Cajun food and this place didn't disappoint at all. I'm not a huge fan of fried green tomatoes but this was outstanding and very memorable. Got the appetizer sampler and the Nola sampler and both were great. There's not one thing I can even gripe about because it was all outstanding and our service was outstanding because the waitress was very kind and on very efficient read more

Zesty Creole - Cajun/Creole Near Me - New Orleans, Louisiana

We were immediately seated at Zesty Creole and our server was amazing. He was so quick to get us drinks. The restaurant was quiet but full of people. I think everyone was too busy eating because it smelled amazing as soon as we walked in. We took a few minutes to decide and he answered all of our questions. My friend got the veggie burger and fries. I decided on the Cup Crawfish Étouffée and the Zesty Combo which includes Gator bites, boudin balls, fried green tomatoes and crawfish hushpuppies. It came with three different sauces. All the items were delicious. I don't even really like fried green tomatoes and I thought they were great. The crawfish étouffée was so flavorful. I couldn't finish any of my food because of the generous portions. I would definitely go back the next time I am in New Orleans. read more

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Have you ever gotten a food coma 20 min into your meal?! Yeah, the crab cakes and gumbo (not pictured) had me so stuffed. I was expecting tiny appetizer portions but they were not playing around here. Gumbo: A cup full of gumbo gave me a warm welcome to NoLa. This hearty stew has various protein: chicken, shrimp, and sausage! You can't forget the holy trinity too.. onion, celery, and bell peppers. Each spoonful was a delicious surprise. Crab cakes: These were my absolute FAV. Not greasy or too bread-y. The crab and breading made the perfect pair and the remoulade reminded me of a fancier version of In N Out animal style sauce. Don't get me started on the green tomatoes! Apparently they are more acidic than red tomatoes but I couldn't tell due to the fried breading and rich remoulade. read more

Zesty Creole - crab cakes with fried green tomatoes - Cajun/Creole Near Me - New Orleans, Louisiana

On a rainy night, not in Georgia, but in New Orleans, Louisiana, I was going to a private party in the French Quarter where I knew that I wouldn't be able to eat much of the wonderful food because I am gluten intolerant. I was hungry and had interacted before I went to New Orleans with a person connected to the Zesty Creole. This restaurant got good reviews, but I was a little skeptical because it was on Canal which generally caterers more to tourists. I sat at the bar and had a wonderful conversation. A gentleman who came in next to me told me he had eaten at this restaurant five consecutive nights. That was rather intense, but we shared a conversation about music and I ordered one of my favorite dishes in New Orleans, which is gluten-free: SHRIMP + GRITS cheese grits topped with grilled shrimp and creole sauce, but without the fresh buttermilk biscuit. I was apprehensive because I've always had the cheesy type grits and these came with the wonderful grilled shrimp resting comfortably atop a pillow of grits rimmed by a zesty marinara sauce. I really don't know how comfortably the shrimp were resting, but I was surprised at each bite by the zesty sauce combined with the grits. This was very tasty as each bite was somehow unexpected. One would think after eating half of this very large bowl that I would get used to this style of prep for the grits but my taste buds were startled at each bite, touched for the very first time by this combination of flavors. Startled or not by this flavor mashup, I enjoyed it and finished my bowl clean even without the buttermilk biscuit that I couldn't eat. My meal was Creole and zesty, so well done Zesty Creole. read more

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Diner like atmosphere. A lot of options from breakfast, lunch and dinner. I was in a rush to eat, I was going to get take out but my food came out quickly. I ordered a cup of coffee & eggs sandwich. All very tasty. Excellent customer service! read more

Zesty Creole - Menu - Cajun/Creole Near Me - New Orleans, Louisiana

Zesty Creole is a nice place to have a quick bite along Canal Street. I ordered the shrimp and grits, which came with a biscuit as well, the biscuit was relatively fresh, and the grits were decent once you mixed in the some of the spicy creole sauce. The shrimp were absolutely delicious and gave them a 5 star in my boat; grilled to perfection with a hint of garlic, I could eat a whole plate of them. Definitely recommend stopping by as they have a very diverse menu. read more

Zesty Creole - Biscuit - Cajun/Creole Near Me - New Orleans, Louisiana

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My expectations were a bit high based off yelp reviews but truthfully it was "just okay". Coffee was watered down (our first cup of the day) and they only had cheesy grits....so you had no other option but to have that if you're in the mood for grits. Place was not busy and seems great for big groups. It's your typical diner ambiance with a bit of a funky smell. If you can get past that, then you'll be fine. I had the breakfast platter (bacon) and my wife had catfish and grits (cheesy grits since that's all they had) read more

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This was our first time in NOLA and we were on day one just walking around and we were hungry!!! We couldn't think straight and just walked into zesty! We saw the menu they have posted on the window and were like crab cake eggs Benedict? Bet we're coming in here. I was surprised how fast we go sat down because how busy it was! Our waitress was sweet we didn't talk to her much though she was really busy so we just went with whatever called out to us the most on the menu. The only thing annoying was the people sitting behind us they sat there with finished plates and kept YAPPPPPINGGGGG gahhh it was so annoying. But other than that pretty good. read more

Zesty Creole - Crab cake eggs Benedict - Cajun/Creole Near Me - New Orleans, Louisiana

So much food we had to ask for take out containers. Our server was excellent. She knew we needed lots of water for the creole items we ordered and continuously refilled our cups. Such a popular place glad we got a table right away. There was a nice mural on the left wall and pretty light fixtures on the right side. read more

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The Highlights Taste of NOLA: If you're indecisive like me or just want the full experience, get this. It's a great sampler of jambalaya, red beans and rice, and gumbo. Shrimp and Grits: Definitely lives up to the hype. Wasn't too greasy or grainy and paired really well with the tomato-like sauce lining the bottom of the plate. Gumbo: It wasn't over-salted like many tourist spots. It was packed with a generous amount of meat and deep, developed flavor. Will definitely be back! read more

Zesty Creole - Shrimp and grits - Cajun/Creole Near Me - New Orleans, Louisiana

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Everything was so good we might be back tomorrow! Pretty busy for dinner but lots of seating, so we were seated right away. Amazing service and our food came out only a couple minutes after ordering! Would recommend everything we ordered: - Taste of NOLA: great tasting menu of jambalaya, beans, and gumbo. Really liked the fried green tomato and biscuit that came with it! Really filling, big fan. - Shrimp and grits: saw lots of good reviews and for good reason. Not too greasy like other grits I've tried, and really touches your soul. - Gumbo: generous amounts of meats in the gumbo, and isn't too salty like other spots. Enjoyed this a lot. Will definitely be back if I come to New Orleans again! read more

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First, the service was great and the beer nice and cold. I love shrimp and grits but Zesty's dish just didn't wow me. The shrimp had some nice seasoning but the dish overall just didn't have robust flavor. I'd come back to try other dishes but wouldn't order the shrimp and grits again. read more

Zesty Creole - Shrimp and Grits - Cajun/Creole Near Me - New Orleans, Louisiana

BL: shrimp creole must try. (I don't give 5 stars often) Place isn't ideal for large groups, lots of small tables, perfect for 2 and a few larger tables. Staff is friendly and prompt! The shrimp creole though... Wow! I haven't had something this tasty in a while - shrimp was good size, grilled to a little char and flavorful. The creole (never had before) is tomato based, saucey with a small kick and paired well with the rice and I used the biscuit to wipe the plate clean! Friend had gumbo and she said it was good. I tasted a small spoonful and thought it was good but I was too preoccupied with my dish. read more

Zesty Creole - Shrimp creole (Gumbo in the back) - Cajun/Creole Near Me - New Orleans, Louisiana

Service was great. Food was delicious and hot! Husband will dream of the Gumbo when we get back home. He had the catfish po boy- bread was soft and catfish flakey and well seasoned. I enjoyed the fried green tomatoes and vegetarian red beans and rice. I know there are a lot of places to try but we might be back for seconds another day! read more

Zesty Creole - Catfish Po Boy- two large pieces of fish! He did not finish it - Cajun/Creole Near Me - New Orleans, Louisiana

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This is a great restaurant for hearty creole food. I walked in around 5:30pm on a Saturday without a reservation and was able to get seated right away. The inside is very casual and there's big TVs playing sports on. Our waiter was friendly and gave us recommendations on what to order. The crawfish étouffée was a standout entree. It had great flavor and lots of big, juicy pieces of crawfish tail. The taste of NOLA was perfect for getting to try a bit of all the popular creole dishes. The red beans and jambalaya were comforting with just a slight kick. I also loved the fried green tomatoes. The gumbo was just ok, in my opinion, and could have benefited from a bit more spice. read more

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Not a bad place to get breakfast. The location is great! And the prices aren't too terrible. The server was very nice but forgot to put our order in so we had to wait a very long time for our food. The food itself was decent, definitely not the best I've had but solid. read more

Zesty Creole - Cajun/Creole Near Me - New Orleans, Louisiana

I felt rush, but fast service, great atmosphere, server talks fast, but he gave me great options since I am in New Orleans. I got the alligator breakfast. And a hot and steamy, buttery biscuit- this is a totally OMG- and a great black REGULAR coffee- wow I am so happy. Come over to zesty creole read more

The Jambalaya was fantastic, not the best I've ever had but definitely worth trying. The homemade biscuit was amazing. We had a small wait but we went in on a Saturday around 8:30PM so it was warranted. The service was great and we loved the ambiance in the restaurant. Would recommend! read more

Zesty Creole - Jambalaya - Cajun/Creole Near Me - New Orleans, Louisiana

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Zesty Creole was... fine. And by fine, I mean technically edible. The atmosphere has a "hasn't been wiped down since the Obama administration" kind of energy. Less cozy Creole, more slightly dirty roadside diner that smells like it almost had character at one point. Service was adequate. Everyone was polite enough, but I was expecting some Cajun warmth or Southern charm. Instead, the staff all had strong Eastern European accents, which really added a fascinating "New Orleans by way of Ukraine" twist to the experience. The food was aggressively average. This is entry-level Creole cuisine with safe seasoning, dated presentation, and zero soul. Nothing bad, nothing memorable. It tasted like Creole food designed by a corporate focus group. If Ruby Tuesday's ever rolls out a "Bayou Night" menu, this is exactly what it would taste like. Bottom line: if you're starving and this is the closest place with an open door, you'll survive. If you're looking for a meal you'll talk about later, this ain't it. read more

Zesty Creole - Cajun/Creole Near Me - New Orleans, Louisiana

I was in the south and was craving some good Cajun flavor so I decided to try this place! Overall if I could give this place a 4.5 I would. To start the ambience of the place is of a laid back mom and pop. The staff was very friendly with multiple people greeting me within minutes of coming inside. I sat down and told the lady I was feeling a bit of everything and she recommended the creole omelet with the biscuit and gravy as a side and I really wanted some red beans and rice as well so I ordered that. Overall all the food was really good, red beans and rice was fire. Worth 11$? I don't think so. That's the big thing that knocked down the star ranking all this food was $42. I think you could likely find some food that's better priced. I'd come back, but if they raised the prices likely wouldn't order much. read more

Zesty Creole - Creole Omelette with a biscuit and grits - Cajun/Creole Near Me - New Orleans, Louisiana

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The garlic bread was amazing! Overall, the food was well-seasoned and a great choice if you're looking for something consistent and satisfying. The service was attentive and friendly, and we were in and out at a reasonable time. The place was clean, though it does get pretty crowded since it's in the city. read more

Zesty Creole - Cup etouffee - Cajun/Creole Near Me - New Orleans, Louisiana

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We stopped at this spot while on vacation after reading good reviews but were unfortunately disappointed with the overall experience. We ordered the Taste of NOLA but found it to be fairly bland. We suspect the fried green tomatoes were frozen as they did not have a fresh, made-in-house flavor. We also ordered onion rings and felt they were also previously frozen. The restaurant aesthetic and ambiance could use some help - cool but then in the back you can clearly see a brightly-lit industrial kitchen where they get drinks. It greatly contrasts the rest of the restaurant and kills the vibe. I think the place would look much better if they covered that up. The only redeeming factor was that the service was all-around good. That being said, would not come here again. read more

Looks like a basic diner, albeit with a bar. Very good, personable service. Stopped here for breakfast, very convenient for where we were staying and were very pleasantly surprised. I had the green tomato/spinach benedict and it was one of the best benedicts I've ever had. The hollandaise sauce was especially tasty, there were unique toppings...not sure what they were, possibly capers and pickled onions. There was a sprinkling of a mild chili sauce on the rim of the plate which was a nice add. (Don't trust my guesses). Came back a second time to enjoy it again, unlike any benedict I've had before. Partner had veggie omelet which was good and enjoyed without the unique touches I enjoyed on the benedict. The hash browns were perfectly good on both our visits. Definitely would return. read more

I don't normally have great breakfast experiences but this place was very very, very, very good. The place is clean and lively with a full menu and a full alcohol menu although I should've had a bloody Mary I decided to just go coffee with the zesty creole omelette, which was perfect. I'm so used to getting big orders that I thought I was gonna be disappointed, but this was perfectly balanced with cheese grits and a great omelette fresh with ingredients and a biscuit. I felt completely satisfied, which is nice and not over full. This place has been in business for about three years. They're open seven days a week and Eva in the picture was very sweet and conscientious of my needs, which is a great characteristic for a person serving you in a restaurant and I wish more people did that. This is located right on Canal Street and it's literally 2/10 of a mile from my hotel so I will be coming here every day while I'm here for jazz fest. read more

Right on Canal St, this trendy little spot is just fine. The food was tasty, no complaints there. The service was friendly and courteous. The gumbo was good, the Shrimp & Grits was better. The chicken pasta was also good. I feel it was a tad overpriced, but the portion size was nice. Very touristy, but that's what you get on Canal st. read more

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Sooo many good options here I would definitely recommend to get a taste of lots of different New Orleans food. I got the seafood gumbo which was great, but my friend got the shrimp creole that I was really into. The flavor and more spice really drew me to it along with the jambalaya. We of course had to try the alligator bites that I was pleasantly surprised by and loved the sauce. read more

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Came here for some gumbo to go. The bartender was friendly as I waited! The gumbo was good, but could definitely use more flavor and protein in it for the price point! Overall, a decent place if you are looking for dinner, but think there are better options out there. read more

Zesty Creole - Cajun/Creole Near Me - New Orleans, Louisiana

The service is fast moving and friendly, the vibe casual but efficient, and the food is wonderful. I went for brunch, but from the look of the lunch platters I saw flying past, I'll need to go back for lunch or dinner. My Zesty Seafood Omelette was the perfect NOLA day starter. The omelette itself was full of shrimp, studded with bell pepper, tomato, cheese, and good stuff. I asked for crispy hash browns and they got them just right, and the big hot biscuit was heavenly. I liked the sense I got that all the employees were working as a team to make it all work as smoothly as possible on a busy morning. Even when the place was packed, every newcomer was greeted and taken care of, and seated customers were never neglected. read more

Zesty Creole - Fabulous Seafood Omelette - Cajun/Creole Near Me - New Orleans, Louisiana

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First of all the remoulde sauce that comes with a hush puppies is so so so so so good! And them crawfish hush puppies were literally DELICIOUS!!!! --gotta order that here FOR SURE!! Every single thing that we ordered was fresh and tasty and HOT (temperature wise)! I would say that I wish that the chicken sandwich had a punch--but that marination in the chicken itself?? YUM! I just ordered another remoulade sauce to add to my sandwich and it was PERFECT! If you're looking for a spot to quickly get some delicious food, this is the place to go! Service is very fast and spot on and ambience such as people, chilling and eating their (delicious) food! read more

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I enjoyed my meal. I had a cup of gumbo, a combo platter, and an espresso martini. My total was $56.50. The food was good and filling. The catfish was well-seasoned and the martini was very tasty. We had one server, but he came and went so we had two other servers dropping our food and taking drink orders. The decor was cute; like an old-school diner. It wasn't the most up-to- date but it was cute. it was right off Canal Street, so not hard to find and we were seated right away. I'd come here again if I were in New Orleans. read more

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Although it was a Friday night and the line was out the door to get in, we were seated in less than 10 mins. We had excellent fast wait service and again although it was a Friday night and packed we received our food quickly. The food was excellent and fairly priced. Definitely an amazing place for Cajun/creole cuisine. We had catfish and shrimp poboys with fries. Boudin balls, gator bites, fried green tomatoes and bignets. Everything was excellent!!!! I would highly recommend the Zesty Creole if you are looking for great food. read more

Made a quick stop while we were walking around here to grab lunch. The service was good, and the food took a decent amount of time to come out. The hush puppies were the best thing on the menu in my opinion! I got a combo platter, and I wasn't a huge fan. The jambalaya was good, but a little over seasoned. The gumbo was not as good as others I had in New Orleans, and the beans were okay. The biscuit was also just fine. Overall, this was fine for a quick lunch, but if you're visiting from out of town, I would look into other places to try New Orleans Classics. read more

Zesty Creole - Cajun/Creole Near Me - New Orleans, Louisiana

We came here to get some traditional Creole food. There were some dishes that could have been better. The shrimp and grits: shrimp was really good, but the grits were just okay. The étouffée was tasty, but we had better at other shops. The po' boy sandwich was the best thing that we ordered. The service was quick and friendly and the atmosphere was welcoming and clean. read more

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Due to our flight, we did not plan ahead for what to eat in New Orleans. Therefore, we somewhat stumbled into Zesty Creole later in the evening for a small meal of sorts as we were getting a bit tired. This was on our list before arriving because they have a signature veggie red beans and rice. This is quite similar to what we see in Indian cuisine (Rajma). We were on the hunt for authentic cuisine (specially Vegetarian) in Nola, so found this in our research. This was super tasty. Not really heavy, but tasty and hearty enough. We split it between the both of us. Also, this arrived pretty fast so we were impressed. Place is pretty simple - not elegant, but plenty of people were here. Clearly it's because of the great food. read more

Zesty Creole - Veggie red beans and rice - Cajun/Creole Near Me - New Orleans, Louisiana

We stopped by zesty creole for a quick bite during our trip to New Orleans! The service was quick and friendly. The prices were on par with other restaurants in the area. The portions were large so our table shared a few dishes. We liked the house sauce that came with the onion rings. The food was fresh, but the flavors and textures were not a personal favorite. read more

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