Antoine's Restaurant

09/26/2008 Posted by amosbrown

I lived in NOLA for awhile, so I've been to most of the restaurants and had some amazing meals. I ordered the oysters rockefeller (for which they are known for inventing) and the pampano pontchartrain. I've had much better oysters in new orleans and they were over cooked and not good at all. The fish was over cooked, cold and bland. The service was also horribly slow even though the restaurant was empty. Maybe people have figured out this place is certainly not worth the price and stopped coming. If you want a fancy meal go anywhere but here. Lastly, there were plenty of tourists there in jean shorts and sandals.

Pros: very historic building, great wine selection

Cons: very overpriced for quality of food, very slow service

08/06/2008 Posted by djdiva

THIS WAS A JOKE! Went to New Orleans for a romantic get-away and Sat night (8/2/2008) was sapposed to be our romantic dinner at a famous place. We made reservations for 8:00 pm and arrived on time. We where seated in the second room that looked like a huge ball room with loads of pictures on the walls. I was very excited to be here seeing that Anthony Bordain suggested this place on "No Reservations" It took us 15 mins to get someone to get us water, bread anything!! We had to flag down the manger to ask him for our waiter.. He was truly sorry and offered dessert but that really didnt do much for the rest of the experiance... The waiter finally got to the table and wasnt the best in my book.. We orderd wine on which he didnt offer any suggestions, didnt offer any specials for the eve, and left or table to tend to another table with more people. We got our apps (oysters rock & escargot) the ROCK was OK>>> and my B-F was not too happy with the snails.. He has had better in other places and other countries.... We ordered fish and mine was good his was BLAND AND SOMEWHAT TOUGH. I asked for a sauce with mushrooms and butter and came back with mushroom caps. The ving. dressing was beyond bland!! And the waiter didnt really take care of us. The back waitress was great she deserves the tip. getting the Cherries Jub. that was ok if you like cherries and a gallon of brandy and ice cream.. ALL in ALL dont waste your time and MONEY this was a big ol fat JOKE!! REALLY! If you wanna pay 30 bux for a piece of fish then go somewhere where you can get more for that! Shame on you Antoines you need to close your doors already there should be enough bad reviews for you to shape up or SHIP OUT!!

Pros: non that i can think of!

Cons: price, amibiance, service, food!!

05/19/2008 Posted by samsigphi

While steeped in history, the food was bland, overpriced, and about as interesting as watching insects eat it for you. My friends and I were in New Orleans for my birthday, and 28 of us ate in a private dining room. Service was good, but nothing special when you're dropping $4k at a restaurant. Most of the entrees lacked any sort of spices. Better ingredients could be found at any grocery store including Piggly Wiggly. Even if we dropped $10 dollars a person, as opposed to the $120, I still would have thought everything to be subpar, but ok. Taking into consideration the cost, I would call it a rip off. Grab some po' boys for 7 bucks and you've got yourself a better meal.

Pros: History, Name, Private Room

Cons: Value, Price, Flavor, Food, Balcony blocked off, the fact mcdonalds has better food

03/19/2008 Posted by mjc11

Once upon a time, a long time ago, this was the place to stand in line for (reservations or not), but not any more. Antoine’s has enjoyed its time of fame and now should close its door because now it's a shame. It was $$$$$ down the drain, the seafood was forgettable and the service secondary. The One and only high light was the Alaskan cream pie (and I needed it to cleanse my palate).

Pros: Everyone knowns where it's at.

Cons: Not getting what you paid $$$$ for.

01/25/2008 Posted by tavs211

My boyfriend and I went in February '07 and now, nearly February '08, when I'm getting around to the review, I still remember the deliciousness of the Chateaubriand and the delightful Omelette Alaska Antoine (Baked Alaska)! We are big fans of chateaubriand (who wouldn't be?) and it was amazing here! The dessert for two was more like dessert for four or five and we couldn't finish it (although we sure tried) but we were still incredibly satisfied with the whole meal. Antoine's Restaurant has been around so long for obvious reasons! The food was delightfully memorable and the staff was fine dining New Orleans charm. Being able to dine there more frequently is on our list of considerations for making a move down to the Big Easy!!

Pros: Everything

Cons: Pricey, but still worth it

12/22/2007 Posted by susanhiller

We were three well-dressed middle-aged people accustomed to good food and good restaurants around the world; we booked a table in advance and were shown to something in the back room, no charm or style discernible. I suspect many of the rave reviews for Antoine's are either phony or written by people who dont know anything about food, because honestly, this place surely has seen better days! The waiter forgot to bring bread and knew absolutely nothing about food or wine. We speak French well and he didnt. My husband has worked in the wine trade, so was not taken in by his hyped-up suggestions. Shrimp remoulade-- shrimps overcooked, remoulade sauce very pedstrian, could have come out of a bottle, served in a very unattractive way on a flat plate of shredded iceberg lettuce. Beef tips -- extremely peculiar: soggy, floppy, and smothered under a truly disgusting sauce. Inedible. My dessert was nice. My two friends said their fish dishes were tired and overcooked. All in all, a memorably terrible meal.

Pros: Historic

Cons: Terrible at any price.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful

12/21/2007 Posted by washoebob

Obviously this place provides an inconsistent experience. When we went there expecting an above average experience, we were disappointed in almost every way. First we were shown to a table in what appeared to be a hallway, although there were several empty tables. From there on, the service was indifferent—we had to grovel for bread (in New Orleans?). The menu did not offer much and if there were any specials we certainly were not informed (not that our waiter spent much time with us). We all tried to order “signature” dishes which all were disappointing. My fish was at least a day over the hill and not really edible. One of us ordered a beef dish, which was covered with thick and unappetizing gravy. The potatoes were good and the desert was excellent. We enjoyed the wine and each other’s company but the quality of the food could be compared to what is available in the average diner in say, Newark. Given its reputation and some very positive reviews written here I can only surmise that this place has a split personality. Personally, I do not plan to role the dice again.

Pros: location

Cons: most everything

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful

12/19/2007 Posted by davidfooddog

Like Galatoire's & Brennan's, Antoine's has a great reputation. It is supposed to be a first class restaurant but it fails miserably. The menu is lacking in all subtlety and interest, and the quality of the actual cooking is even worse. Oysters Rockerfeller - oysters seriously overcooked, spinach unpleasantly like cheap cream of spinach soup & just only warm! Snails: I like snails but these were rubbery, overcooked & the sauce was, frankly, disgusting. My wife had shrimp remoulade on a bed of, well, shredded supermarket lettuce. The main courses were even worse. Two of us had overcooked Pompano & one had really awful beef. None of us was able to eat more than around a third of the dinner. We live in London, England where the food is very good indeed - & also absurdly expensive - but we lived in New Orleans 45 years ago when we were young & poor & fantasized about eating at Antoine's. Don't do it! This was, by far, the worst & most expensive food we ate in a week in the city. Eat at much cheaper restaurants (Acme, Red Fish) where the food is much, much better.

Pros: It's a famous restaurant

Cons: The food is awful

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful

05/29/2007 Posted by sstanley

Our first trip back to NO after the Strom, my husband and I were looking forward to experiencing some of the fining dining the city has to offer. Antoine’s was top of the list but was VERY disappointed and ultimately walked out before ordering. We had 9:00PM reservations on Friday, May 25th. We stood in the entry for several minutes before being acknowledged. We were sat at a table with no linens or place settings then ignored for nearly 10 minutes. No water, no silverware, no cocktails, nothing. Frustrated, I went to the front desk and asked if we could have our table sat and perhaps order a beverage. A bus person (maybe waiter?) came to our table, snatched two settings from a table near by, set them on our table and walked off. 15-20 minutes and still no water, no cocktails, but we have silverware. Progress. Then two nice men in suits stopped and asked if our waiter had stop by. We said "no". Within a couple of minutes our waiter flew by with a hand full of desserts, said he needed to serve them but would be back. 20+ minutes have passed. The waiter came back, told us the specials. Said if we wanted to order Lobster Thermidor, we'd better hurry since the kitchen was trying to close. He also said if we wanted a steak cooked more than medium rare, we would probably want it cut in half to save time. At this point, I'm feeling as though I have imposed on a relative at a late hour. If memory serves me correctly, I called the week before and MADE RESERVATIONS!!!! Now the last straw..... we were finally served a loaf of bread wrapped in a white linen napkin and I think at this point we have water. When I went to unwrap the bread in the napkin, it was filthy with what looked like tomato sauce. That was it. We got up without ordering and left. After many years of going to New Orleans, I was looking forward to dining at Antoine's. I was speechless and appalled at the service. Shame on you, Antoine’s.

1 out of 2 people found this review helpful

02/28/2007 Posted by jaymaygm

The legenday Antoine's says it all for fine dining in the U.S. It's only been around for over a hundred years. It was near the last day of our visit to N.O. and we were wearing shorts, it was late in the afternoon, and we stopped to look at the menu posted outside. The proprieter, Bernard R. Guste, himself, stepped out the doorway, and welcomed us in. It was almost empty, since it was late in the afternoon. Never mind our shorts, they were dressy, he seated us at a most elegant table, with those famous mirrors on all sides. The menu of course was in classic French, with English descriptions. Of course we started with the Classic Oyster Rockefellar, created by Antoine's for a very special customer(?). There's nothing like the original. I had a bowl of the Gumbo Creole, like nothing I've had anywhere, period. My partner ordered Potage Alligator w/Sherry. Oh goodness! At this point, money was no object, just keep bringing it on. My entree was Homard Thermidor/Lobster Thermidor($38.00), and my compaion had Bouillabaisse a 'la Louisiane. Both were out of this world. And to finish this feast off, it was Baked Alaska. The formal service, wine pairings were the best. Do I need my head checked out, no I need to save my money for my next visit to Antoine's. Five Stars!

Pros: Nation's Oldest Classic French/Creole Restaurant! Five Stars!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful