Olivier's Creole Restaurant

08/18/2008 Posted by kibbles99

its funny, this place has gotten several non-5-star reviews, yet it "averages" to 5-stars! how is this possible!? ive noticed they advertise heavily on the site as well. anyway, this place is long gone -- it may have been good when the grandfather of the current chef was cooking, i dont know. but currently, its just bland, bland. tacky decor too. i think it gets by on unsuspecting tourists... definitely not a serious player in the nola dining scene.

Pros: in the quarter

Cons: not worth eating at

08/16/2008 Posted by cathie1

We dined at Olivier's for the first time last week. We were welcomed, seated, and treated to an absolutely wonderful experience. From the welcome at the front door to the good bye as we left, we were made to feel like old friends. The salad was crisp and fresh, each entre was so pleasing to look at, you almost didn't want to disturb the sight. (You get over that quickly when you taste!) There was a wonderful, non hurried pace that allowed you to truely enjoy the meal, the conversation, the beauty of quieter time. There is a romantic atmosphere in the high ceiling dining room with a beautiful staircase and tall windows with lace curtains. I was told there is additional seating on the second floor and they can accomodate large groups. What a wonderful place for a wedding reception. We are already making plans to return to New Orleans and we will make Olivier's our first dinner reservation.

07/20/2008 Posted by kevans4

We began the night pleasantly. We had a nice table and our server was kind, honest and helpful. He cooperated with us when we got a bad bottle of wine. Once you begin to look around you notice the small things. The decor was cheap, cheesy grapes painted on the walls. I am used to some poor service because I am young but I am willing to deal with problems as long as the food was good. We began our meal with the appetizers. The eggplant special, like a dark seafood roux over perfectly fried eggplant and Pecan fried oysters. The sauce with the oysters was a katsu BBQ sauce you find at any sushi place. They were both ok, so we were all trying to become more positive about the small problems with the evening. The house dressing was good, as we had read. The problem came when the main course was delivered. Each of the four people dining ordered a different dish but the only distinction on our plates were meat. The accompany rice was seasoned with probably herds de provence, very strong and not FRESH HERBS. The carrots were so sweet it was like having dessert with your meal. The sauce on the duck was not smooth or tasty. The Chicken with cheese sauce is a overly poorly seasoned chicken breast with overcooked mushrooms and straight cheese, not sauce. The pork medallions were closes to enjoyable but still simply mediocre. The one gumbo was basically the sauce we had over the eggplant appetizer. There was random asian ingredients used throughout the meal via special sauces and frying materials. I hate to give a bad review but I would never go back. I believe it is over priced and meant for tourist to have the illusion of a great New Orleans restaurant. i just hope others do not fall for it. As if he knew there was a problem our waiter brought us free dessert. It was too late, but I did not reflect that in his tip. The meal was a waste of the 200 bill. Please choose another great new orleans place to enjoy the town.

Pros: They fry food well but why to "gormet" for fried food.

Cons: The food is not up to the par set by other New Orleans Restaurants! Cheap decor.

03/07/2008 Posted by xstacee

This is our second visit to Olivier's and it was during the NBA All-Star and I have to say it was an escape that my husband I needed from all the chaos of the weekend. We were greeted by a warm host and sat immediately (we did have reservations). We started with the gumbo and a house salad with Olivier's home made dressing (PLEASE BEGIN SELLING IT!!!) and I could have gone home after those delights, Our entrees were inclusive of the Platter and the catfish specialty. The flavors were rich but never overpowering. The catfish was atop well seasoned potatoes and finished off with a light gravy that I would use on everything. I had the platter and my husband and I basically shared both dishes. It was just enough food for me to stop but I had to have some of their peach cobbler with a homemade whipped cream that, honestly, I wake up dreaming about, Just to ensure we were carried out in a wheel barrell, we had 2 cups of their rich, dark coffee. One of owners stopped by to check on our satisfaction and it added just the right touch to a splendid evening. BRAVO Olivier's, you will be a stop on our itinerary EVERYTIME we come to New Orleans. The McMullans

Pros: Food, ambience, service

Cons: parking

01/20/2008 Posted by kb1157

The best service I had while in New Orleans - The restaurant was more casual than I expected from viewing the website and menu; however, we had a great time. You must try the gumbo sampler (3 types of gumbo). My boyfriend had the roast duck and was impressed with the raspberry sauce. The bread pudding hits a home run! Better than my mom makes! Reservations aren't necessary, people were walking in off the street and were promptly seated. Fun little restaurant with great history.

Pros: Service

Cons: Decor/Ambience

01/14/2008 Posted by justforkixfornow

This was absolutely the best I have had in all of my trips to New Orleans! I started with the Eggplant Olivier which was absolutely fantastic! My mouth is watering just thinking about it again! The salad was a basic salad, but you wouldn't know it with the incredible dressing! Creole Garlic Herb Vineagrette, they need to bottle that stuff! For my entree I had the Honey Glazed Pork Tenderloins can you say OH MY GOD! They were soooooo good! The sauce was the perfect blend of sweet and spicy with hints of plum and mint and the pork tenderloin was so moist it melted in my mouth! Although I didn't think I could do anymore, I had to try their Homemade Bread Pudding and boy was I glad I did. It was fantastic and the sauce (a butter rum sauce), I could have put it in a cup and savored it!! The atmosphere was soft lit with table clothes and art and photography on the walls, and the service was perfect! My glass was never empty (did I mention the fantastic wine list?) All in all this is one place that you do not want to miss when going to New Orleans and they will be seeing me again every time I go to this wonderful city!!!!

Pros: Food, Service, Atmosphere

Cons: I don't live in New Orleans and I can't eat every meal there!!

12/10/2007 Posted by corinnetso

The concierge directed me here. She raved about the rabbit. I tried the rabbit, it wasn't good. The waiter was no help at all. I asked him for a wine recomendation and an entree recommendation. His response was, "depends on what you like." I like good food, and this wasn't it. I started with the gumbo soup. Very small bowl for $7.50 should be good right? 2 small pieces of seafood amidst some rice. Bread and butter: the bread was cold. Salad: just a pile of green lettuce with 1 cherry tomato. Rabbit: Dry, bland, not much meat. Coffee: very good. Decor: cheap and tacky. My bill was around $45 for one person.

Pros: Small, intimate, location

Cons: decor, food, service

11/27/2007 Posted by jazzy67

THE FOOD IS DELIGHTFUL WITH A SENSE OF FRESHNESS! THE EGGPLANT IS AWESOME AND I REALLY ENJOYED THEIR VERSION OF SHRIMP SCAMPI WITH A CREOLE TWIST. THE STAFF WAS VERY NICE AND CUSTOMER SERVICE WAS GREAT! THIS IS THE PERFECT PLACE TO EAT WHEN VISITING NEW ORLEANS.

Pros: SERVICE, FOOD

Cons: PARKING

02/23/2007 Posted by patmccroch

First off, the restaurant was a ghost town during mardi gras. We couldn't find reservations anywhere else, so we were grasping at straws. Unfortunately, we drew the Oliviers straw. I won't drag on about every detail, but from the overbearing head waiter, to the clumsy assistant waiter, to the luke warm food for most everyone in my party, to the tough bland gaunt rabbit. This experience was the worst I had in New Orleans during my 7 day stay for Mardi Gras '07. If you're heading to Olivers with a party, i suggest stopping by a hot dog vendor before you head in the door.

Pros: Tons of open reservations and good location

Cons: the food, the service, the food, and the service

02/09/2007 Posted by thibeaux

I have always loved Olivier's. I make at least a yearly trip to NO and Olivier's has always been a must-stop. To be fair, my mom is a longtime resident and had befriended Mr. Olivier before my first time down, so we get excellent service. The food was divine! The first time my friend tried their gumbo, tears came to her eyes - it was that good. Their gumbo and their fried oysters are among the foods I want as my last meal. The pecan breading on the oysters makes a wonderful flavor! Also, their garlic salad dressing is so good it's hard to imagine more tastes after it. I have never, ever been disappointed in their food and their prices are incredibly reasonable. Olivier's is a longtime standard - multiple generations of the family own and operate the restaurant. They are extremely friendly and gracious. This is one place I hope gets and stays back on their feet post-Katrina. If you want yummy, authentic, reasonably priced Creole from those who know it best, you must stop in at Olivier's!