SoBou

I went to SoBou on my trip to NOLA for my birthday. We went for lunch and although there was nothing bad about our meal, there wasn’t anything amazing either. The server was nice and she did bring my wife and I a shot to celebrate on the house. We ordered the Tuna Cones which was tasty but a very small portion (Reoccurring Theme). The Pork Belly Steamed Bun was tasty and we had the Crawfish Taco. Again both were great but not very filling. We ended up paying $ 45 for very little and that was a shame. For $ 45, I would want more!

Great place to grab a cocktail away from Bourbon Street. Bartenders are very knowledgeable and the on-​menu cocktails are good, but I also recommend getting one of your old favorites made by their staff — their old fashioned was better than most!

So 4 orders of yellow fin tuna cones later… :)
Seriously, you have to try those cones. Absolutely out of this world amazing!
I had their crispy whole bass which was one of the best whole fried fish I’ve had that wasn’t doused in asian chili sauce. I was expecting it to have a cajun or creole kick but I was pleasantly surprised. Definitely a place I would recommend over and over again.

Their chicken and shrimp gumbo is delicious. If you happen to go in during a rain storm, catch their yummy 2 for 1 cocktails at the bar. Their portions are a little on the small side but everything was very tasty and the staff make the experience very enjoyable.

A modern and very thoughtfully decorated restaurant. They have at least five rooms for dining, each with its own theme. Great appetizers and drinks, but the entrees were a little hit or miss (mostly miss).
Their brunch looks amazing, but it’s only on Sundays! We went on a Saturday and were sad to have missed it.
RESERVATIONS
Made online about a week in advance for Saturday lunch. They had plenty of spots; I was easily able to push it back the night before.
COST
$ 127.65 before tip: 3 starters, 3 cocktails, a couple teas/​coffees, 2 small entrees, 1 large entrée.
MUST-​HAVES
Foie gras burger was the best dish we had by far. The Yellowfin Tuna Cones were a unique experience, but I didn’t think they were amazing. The Sweet Potato Beignets were good too.
COCKTAILS
* Cannonball (jasmine tea infused black magic rum, coconut, lime, fernet. $ 12) — 3 stars
I usually like cocktails that have tea components, and the coconut + lime made it sound very intriguing. however, I didn’t find this very well balanced, and, as a lightweight, thought this was a bit strong. I ended up swapping with my boyfriend who ordered the Screwjack, and he liked the Cannonball much more.
* Screwjack (jameson caskmate, hoodoo chicory liqueur, housemate cold brew coffee, cream. $ 12) — 4 stars
A great drink if you like a sweet drink, and especially if you like coffee. This is like a light dessert smoothie, very tasty, but also pretty light on the alcohol.
SMALL BITES
* Yellowfin Tuna Cones (pineapples ceviche & basil avocado ice cream. $ 8 for two) — 3 stars
Worth getting only for the unique experience of eating ice cream and raw fish out of an ice cream cone. Otherwise, it’s a bit odd to start the meal with ice cream, and even odder that the sweet ice cream is over raw fish. I didn’t think the fish was very fresh nor the ceviche anything special. Logistically, your life will be easier if you take off the paper covering at the bottom of the cone *before* you dig in.
* Sweet Potato Beignets (foie gras fondue & chicory coffee ganache. $ 12) — 4 stars
Besides the ganache, these were savory, and that made them very unique. They were soft and moist, a good variation on the classic beignet.
SOUPS & SANDWICHES
* Gumbo du jour (rick stock slow cooked w/​fresh regional ingredients. $ 8) — 2.5 stars
This didn’t seem to be very fresh, and the flavors were a bit plain.
* Spring Lamb Poboy (5 pepper mustard infused lamb heart, fresh cherry tomatoes, pickled easter radish, zesty dill tzatziki sauce. $ 12) — 2 stars
My friend thought the lamb was undercooked (it was pink in the middle) and sent this back. The server explained it’s meant to be cooked this way, but was still understanding in sending this back. From the couple bites my friend had, the sandwich was not that great otherwise.
* Crispy soft shell crawfish taco (ecuadorian inspired ingredients, avocado & tomato ceviche, hard boiled egg & ahi blanco. $ 9) — 3 stars
This was ok, but I wasn’t overly impressed. The tortilla was a bit stale, the egg didn’t quite fit in, and the breading on the crawfish was a bit thick & hard.
BIG BITES
* Foie Gras Burger (sunny side up egg, duck bacon & foie fondue, brioche bun w/​foie gras ice cream & root beer float. $ 24) — 4.5 stars
By far the best dish! This was super rich, the bun perfectly toasted, the patty juicy and full of flavor.

Awesome place and nice service
We had the sweet potato beignets and they were lovely. Followed by pineapple shrimps to die for. Gumbo was also awesome! We will be back for sure!!!

Went here while staying at the W — prolly wouldn’t have gone in if we hadn’t been but glad we did. Trendy looking place with so many glass bottles on the wall, had to wonder how they keep it clean and dust free. Anyhow, our server Alex was attentive and made good suggestions. We just had small bites and a drink. Of course the hub had to try the Rowdy Hawaiian cocktail which he said was excellent — supposed to be a version of the Royal Hawaiian? We tried the ceviche — so different. Looked like ice cream cone. Had avocado ice cream on it. It was interesting. French fries with okra mayo. Couldn’t really taste the okra but it was good mayo. And had the boudin balls which was excellent with an awesome mustard. Just liked not being with the duper sloppy drunk bourbon st crowd and liked being in a nice place with attentive service. Would def go here again for drinks and pupus.

Three words: Sweet. Potato. Beignets.
After spending the morning on a 2-​hour walking tour, my boyfriend and I were famished for lunch. Upon reading Catalina T.‘s review for SoBou, we knew we had found our lunchtime spot. It’s situated right in the middle of the French Quarter and has a cool, hip ambiance. We were drawn by the mention of 25 cent martinis with the purchase of an entrée. Side note: This isn’t an all-​you-​can-​drink establishment. You’re allowed 3 martinis per entrée, and since we split an entrée together, we were to only order 3.
We started off with the Sweet Potato Beignets and ordered the 2-​order entrée combo with shrimp gumbo and the SoBou burger. Let me just say the sweet potato beignets are truly a bite of heaven. The outside is nice and crispy while the inside is dense and chewy with a lightly sweet flavor. That foie gras fondue and chicory coffee ganache the beignets were dressed in was just out of this world!
Although the 2-​order entrée lunch was enough for my boyfriend and I to share, it was definitely on the small side. The gumbo was pretty tasty as was the SoBou burger, which was smaller than a McDonald’s cheeseburger. The 25 cent martinis are a steal of a deal, though if you’re not really into strong tasting drinks like myself, you may find yourself only having one.

Are you looking for a typical French Quarter experience — live music, cheap drinks, gritty ambiance? Then go to Bourbon Street. If you want well-​crafted cocktails with friendly bartenders — this is the spot! Sobou is W Hotel meets New Orleans — a nice way to mix things up with you’d like a break from the hectic streets and a really delicious cocktail in a fabulous glass.
The bartenders make great drinks and great conversation. We loved the Honey Nut Cherrios cocktail — it was like breakfast and dessert and a drink all in one! I’m just sorry I didn’t get to take advantage of the weekday 25¢ martini specials! I’ll definitely go back next time I’m in the area!

We came here for happy hour. SoBou is a really trendy joint. It’s upscale but the vibe is laid back.
There are different areas throughout the building. The bar, and about three different seating areas for dinner/​etc. Each one is decorated different. A very unique place. Come for happy hour, have the punch!

Wow! Words escape me when describing my amazing experience.
Fantastic service from Kelsey who balanced expertise, patience, and kindness when helping our table of 8. She, by far, was the best server we’ve had in 4 days while visiting NOLA.
Amazing food! Order anything. Fresh, hot, and tasty!
Great décor with a casual environment!
Go here!
PS — Give Kelsey a Yellow Fin Tuna Cone. She deserves that and a fat ass raise!!!

Good food & service. 3.5 stars
Really like the décor and the feel of the place. We ordered a bunch of appetizers, a couple of small bites and a couple of big bites. I enjoyed everything I tried, except the sweet potato beignets with Fou gras. Just not my thing but others loved it. I loved the fried Boudin Balls, gumbo, shrimp skewers (even the grilled pineapple base was delicious) and the tacos. All very unique and tasty.
Two downsides. The noise level is almost unbearable. In a party of six I had to almost yell to speak to the person across the table on the far side. Our server was very polite and diligent, but his body odor was disgusting. Management needs to figure out a solution for that.
Every other table had 3 beer taps in the middle an I assume you could pull your own beer from the taps.
I would go again during off hours as the food warrants a repeat trip.

The food is good but definitely not your typical New Orleans flair. I would say if anyone from the West Coast was visiting– this restaurant will remind you of home.
Ambiance is super cool– love how this place is decorated. You will definitely open your mouth in awe at the décor. Moving along to actual dinner– the food is really good and definitely has a healthy twist.
We started with the sweet potato beignets, shrimp & tasso pinchos, and the boudin balls. I cannot speak on behalf of the boudin balls, and half of the pinchos– but it does not matter because my favorite of the appetizers was the beignets. Absolutely delicious– wish I had the whole plate to myself. Would definitely recommend getting these if you make a stop at SoBou.
For the main course, we just shared the whole gulf fish. Probably one of the tastiest fish I have ever had in my life. It was a lot of work eating it because of the bones and what not– but worth. If you come with friends or family that love fish, I would highly recommend getting the fish because it was absolutely delicious and definitely one of my favorite items from New Orleans.
Service is slow– typical of the South. Our waitress tried her best to accommodate to our impatience but it is what it is.
Come to SoBou if you needed a healthier, modern take on NOLA cuisine. I will admit– I probably would not make this my first stop if I had realized how similar it was to places like home. But it was still really delicious and deserves some attention.

Came for dinner but only stayed for a drink. The modern front and back dining rooms are roomy and very nicely designed, with lots of backlit clear glass bottles. However, that’s where the pleasant story ends.
The cocktails were small and not very well conceived. The server was apparently somewhat disoriented (possibly intoxicated) and sloppy. She did not know the menu. The menu itself should be much better-​conceived than it is, considering this is part of the same group as the wonderful Commander’s Palace.
We paid for our drinks and left for a nice dinner elsewhere. Starwood needs to think about the level of service at its food and beverage outlets (this is in the W French Quarter Hotel). This place fails on all levels except its appearance.

It was nice to have unique tapas on our last night in NOLA instead of the typical fried seafood.
We wanted a light meal so we shared:
Sunset in the Courtyard Cocktail (El Jimador reposado tequila, Solerno blood orange liqueur, citrus, house made pomegranate syrup and your own SoBou sunglasses!)-Perfectly executed cocktail, not too sweet. The sunglasses are a nice souvenir!
Yellowfin Tuna Cones (pineapple ceviche and basil avocado ice cream)-The ice cream was sweet but it actually worked really well. The cones were very tiny, though.
Pork Cracklin’ (crispy pork skin)-so addicting, I could have had 100 of these
The Fries (pickled okra mayo)-These tasted homemade, for a change. Very crispy.
SoBou Burger (caramelized onions, pepper jack cheese, okra mayo)-basic burger
Overall unique selection of food but tiny portions with no-​so-​tiny prices.
Definitely expect a light meal here or you’ll be spending a lot of money.

After what seems like hours of exploring, I arrived at SoBou for a much needed lunch. Place is beautiful to look at, nice modern feel which feels a little out of place in this area of the French Quarter.
Started with a sazerac, this cocktail was well balanced and apparently is a New Orleans specialty, I’ve had a sazerac before and this one more than met the expectations.
They have a nice lunch special of a gumbo du jour and SoBou burger which is very pocket friendly. The gumbo was wild mushroom and chicken topped with mashed potatoes and was amazing, the mushrooms were very earthy and the broth was well seasoned. Chicken was a nice extra and made for an outstanding dish.
SoBou burger was tasty as well, it is slider side but a quality choice of ground beef that makes for a juicy and filling burger
One odd thing I’m not in love with is how they handle credit card transactions, they bring the credit card machine to the table and you settle your tab including the tip portion with the waitress standing right in front of you which can make for an awkward situation. There was no issue with me because the waitress was very good but I could imagine it be very weird under some circumstances.
Great lunch deal and worth a visit.

Hmmmm… all the dishes perhaps with the exception of 1 – 2 had something off about it (and the exceptions are the appetizers). The restaurant ambiance was on point — low lighting, sophisticated decorations. But food-​wise…
==FOOD ORDERED==
1. Pork cracklings $ 1 (⁴⁄₅ stars): For $ 1, this is the best deal of the night. Great snack to go with beer/​drinks, the fried pork skin is crunchy, fresh and fattily delicious.
2. Boudin Balls $ 4 (³⁄₅ stars): Not bad, but I had better ones at multiple restaurants in New Orleans already.
3. Crispy Oyster & Caviar Taco $ 8 (³⁄₅ stars);
Ingredients: Louisiana oysters, Cajun caviar & Crystal hot sauce aioli
I only had a bite of these tacos since it was my friend’s order. They tasted OK, nothing stood out but nothing was bad. Average tasting tacos. It is not spicy (the hot sauce is sweet).
4. Dirty Duck & Mirlton Bread Pudding $ 8 (²⁄₅ stars);
Ingredients: pulled duck leg confit, foie gras nibbles & jalapeño cornbread with foie gras fondue & bourbon old fashioned duck sauce
Duck is my favorite meat. But I couldn’t even really taste the flavor of duck meat here as the entire dish is covered with a weird combination of sauces. Rather than jalepeno, because it wasn’t spicy at all (seeds taken out) it tasted more like the duck was wrapped in a large green bell pepper. Everything put together was just too sweet for my liking :(
5. Crispy Confit Pig Ears $ 7 (²⁄₅ stars);
Ingredients: ghost pepper spiced red bean purée, grilled green onion & Steen’s molasses gastrique
Hmmm… so I’m usually used to eating Taiwanese pig ears that are slightly chewy/​tendon-​y with chili oil drenched on top. When I had it here, the pig ears are dried out almost like dried squid, and don’t believe the «ghost pepper spiced red bean purée» description — if there were any hints of ghost pepper I didn’t taste it. It’s completely 100% unspicy. Not a fan of this dish as it’s way too bland.
6. Gumbo $ 8 (²⁄₅ stars): Ehhhh. So salty! Holy crap, it was like drinking salt soup. We mentioned the issue with the gumbo with the waitress towards the end of the meal but her response was kind of abrupt — «Oh… I guess I could take those off the bill.» No, we’d rather not if you «guess» you’ll take it off… that’s just awkward.
==ALCOHOLIC DRINKS==
These were good. At least they got the drinks down. Yay.
==PRICING==
Pretty cheaply priced for a higher end restaurant. With everything it came out to $ 115 pre-​tip, for five people.
==OVERALL==
Sad to say, this is one of the few spots in NOLA that I wouldn’t be back for. I had a good time because I was on a fantastic vacation with my friends, but the restaurant itself lacked that wow factor to have me coming back for a next time.

Very eclectic menu with pairings of flavors that you wouldn’t normally see. Of course they still had some Cajun/​creole favorites like boudin balls and gumbo though.
This place is tapas style so grab some friends and try a little bit of everything! I got the gumbo, quail dish, snapper dish, boudin balls, and duck bread pudding. My personal favorites were the boudin balls, quail, and gumbo. The duck bread pudding had too much sweetness for a savory dish in my opinion. The boudin balls were absolutely amazing and the quail was tender with a great bbq type sauce.
This place can be on the pricier side, especially for smaller portions than you would probably want, but the variety and quality of flavors did make up for that a bit. Cool atmosphere with tables that have beers on tap in the middle of the table!

On NYE and NY, they serve only their holiday menu so we were a little bummed when we couldn’t get our foie gras burger and alligator sausage! This is easily one of the prettiest restaurants in NOLA and is just a block away from Bourbon St if you want to get away from the noise and immerse yourself into a more classy atmosphere.
Dirty Duck & Miruton Bread Pudding basically looked like a green ball with some stuffing in it that stuck together and tasted delicious. The listed ingredients include pulled duck leg confit, jalapeño corn bread, foie gras fondue & bourbon old fashioned duck sauce. I don’t know if it had all those ingredients but I would order it again. It was a lukewarm dish that delighted the taste buds.
Black eyed peas & lobster mac & cheese was a small dish but provided the perfect amount of indulgence so you could save your stomach for the main course.
Meyer lemon lacquered skin on red snapper like all other fishes had some delicious sauce on top and we slayed that fish within 10 minutes with its savory purees and marmalade dressings.
The crowd was also wonderful and kind. We sat at the bar and everyone talked to each other like we had seen each other before.

This was the best meal I have had in the French Quarter and for that matter anywhere since our trip to Montréal 2 and ½ years ago. I should also point out I live in San Francisco which is no slouch when it comes to fine dining. I’d go as far as saying I would fly from SFO just to eat here! We went here twice. Both times Shelby was our server and she is AMAZING. Totally made our night giving us other restaurant suggestions, menu highlights, and comparing dinning in other cities and the different cultures. She is a true foodie and knows her stuff.
Everything here is good. We tried ²⁄₃ of the small plates and a couple mains. Rather than review it all here are the best items:
Two Dishes you NEED to order:
— Yellow Fin Tune Cones: Just order this! So good we ordered it twice! It is avocado ice cream meets sweet salty meets pineapple meets sweet meets tuna. It is the most unique dish I’ve had in a long, long time.
— Sweet Potato Beignets: So fantastic especially the sauce. I don’t know how they do it; they are incredible! If we were comparing modes of transportation and Cade Du Mont was a Toyota this would be the private jet or helicopter with rolls royce engines. This is the luxury version of a beignet.
Three Drinks you NEED to order:
— Cannonball: rum, coconut, lime, and some sort of Italian apéritif. Excellent and unique cocktail.
— Fear No Fate: Buffalo Trace bourbon, Carpano Antica, Dolin dry, balsamic shrub excellent not too strong or sweet.
— Purslane: Redemption rye whisky, Giffard peach liqueur, Averna, bitters. Very unique, a little sweet but still excellent. Great digestive drink.
Those three were the ones that stood out. We also had several other drinks such as an egg white bourbon concoction that wasn’t on the menu and a coffee rum warm drink that was made just for us.
The atmosphere is modern and unique, I don’t know why anyone would not be giving this place 5 full stars. It is high end well made fantastic food. Sure the prices are high, but you get what you pay for. 3 Muses is also the same sort of price, as was Café Amelie both of which couldn’t hold a candle to SoBou. Well 3 Muses was actually a close second but more so winning for live music and drinks. The food here is creative and unique something you don’t find many places.