The Original Pierre Maspero’s

I came to New Orleans on a 4 day work trip and everyone gave us suggestions. We found this place and it looked cool inside. We decided to try it. I had the Jambalaya and it was the better of the 2 I had while visiting. Our waiter was great and funny and helpful, drinks were tasty. I would recommend this place to anyone visiting.

Came him for brunch with a party of 6. Got seated right away. We live in Houston but I grew up in Baton Rouge and use to work in New Orleans.
Pros: staff was great, our waitress for very friendly.
I had the Cajun omelet I like it. The have a full bar, and several got the mimosas. They were playing good music… And it wasn’t to loud. Price was about average for the French quarter. Me and my wife had 2 entrees, two mimosas, one Coke, and an appetizer for $ 58.
Cons: friend had the roast beef po boy and didn’t care for it.
I really liked this place. Would recommend it and would come back again.

After taking in the sights and sounds of the French Quarter we decided it was time for dinner. We wanted to stay with locally themed cuisine and after checking out a few menus of restaurants in our vicinity we decided to go with Pierre Masperos. The restaurant has tons of history and the ambiance reflects it. After being seated our jovial waitress Shelly recommended a few local dishes off the menu and some of her personal favorites. We eventually settled on the Seafood Pot Pie and Crab Cake Maspero, the portions were just right and the taste was good. Compared to some other local dishes we tried at other restaurants the taste wasn’t distinct.
Taste ⁴⁄₅
Menu ⁴⁄₅
Service ⁵⁄₅

The pistollettes were one of my favorite dishes on my whole trip. Cheese sauce. Bread. Crawfish. Yes a million times! I know I will be craving this when I get back home. The French onion soup was also tasty. I will make sure and come again when I’m back!

If you are forced to dine in the French Quarter, there are certainly worse places to eat. Perhaps it’s that I had been spoiled eating at deeply local spots during my time in New Orleans and had effectively avoided the tourist dominated restaurants of this area. However, I found the cuisine at Pierre Maspero’s to be nothing more than a beginner’s version of what visitors expect when they think of New Orleans food culture.
The menu at Maspero’s is quite extensive. You can look at this from a couple of angles — on the one hand, variety is good and can make finding a restaurant for a large group quite easy. On the other hand, to me, it signals that there is no specialty or defining dish that sets the restaurant apart from its competitors. In the case of my visit, when I came with a group of over ten, the variety was a very good thing. The food, overall, was just okay. I went for the crab cakes, which came served atop a bed of greens and vegetables. There wasn’t a whole lot of crab meat to speak of in the dish, as it felt dominated by breading. It was topped with quite a bit of sauce, a sort of creole mayo. Again, the essence of the dish was lost here because of all the extras that really didn’t need to be there. When presenting seafood in any form, it is the fish, or in this case the crab, that must be the centerpiece, not all of the things on and around it.
The highest marks for Maspero’s goes to its staff. Our waiter was exceptional — she was attentive, friendly, knowledgeable, and super patient with our group. It is no easy feat to wait on a loud, and moderately drunk, group of visitors from the Northeast. However, the Maspero’s staff handled us with grace. The restaurant itself is quite beautiful, with the building dating back to the 1700’s. I will not say that I was overly disappointed by my experience at Maspero’s, because I walked away feeling full and well served. However, there wasn’t anything about the food that stood out to me.

This was my boyfriend and I’s first time in New Orleans and we had absolutely no idea where we should go to get some amazing Louisiana cuisine. A local directed is to Pierre Masperos and man, let me tell ya. This was the best meal I’ve had in a longgg time.
We a started our meal off with their blueberry mojito and some fried alligator (this was my first time having either) and I already knew we were about to have an amazing meal. I ended up getting the shrimp gumbo, which was a little out of my comfort zone, after our waitress Shelly recommended it to us and it was the best decision I ever made. The lady really knows her stuff. She talked me out of the touristy dish and into something that I didn’t even know I would love.
I would highly recommend The Original Pierre Masperos to anyone who is looking for a delicious meal in NOLA. Hive five to the amazing staff!

Good food! Could update bathrooms… but overall clean and great service! When I first walked in, the old cheese smell through me off, but I’m glad we decided to stay because the food was definitely worth it.

Exceptional service. Chris our waiter was great. Just off the plane, starving and they got us going with food before we ordered our drinks. Notified us about the free appetizer with a check-​in as well.
Had the ham n cheese PO boy, was perfect. Partner had a mufaletta, was good but not great
Definitely recommend

Went to lunch at this place with a friend. Got the fried green tomatoes, the sampler and the roast beef po boy.
The setting was kind of depressing and our waiter looked like he was fed up with life. Obviously this effected the service which was poor at best.
The fried green tomatoes were not crispy and smothered with lots of sauce to hide the inadequacy of the dish. Luckily thanks to Unilocal,it was free.
The po boy was terrible. It looked like slop from a pig pen was hastily thrown upon week old lettuce and tomato on the stale bread. The fries were soggy and only half cooked.
The jambalaya in the sampler was alright, the other two had little to no taste.
When expressing our disappointment about the po boy with only one bite in it, we received an indifferent remark from our depressed waiter. We were not asked if we wanted something else (I wouldn’t have taken the chance with something else) or given a discount of any kind. 5 min and $ 30 later we left this fine establishment still hungry yet with no appetite.
This place was our last stop on New Orleans and put a rather somber end to a good vacation. Thanks guys.

Stop here for lunch on our recent trip to NO. Wanted to traditional NO food, and we got it! Tried a number of dishes (I think the waitress thought we were crazy for ordering so much). Everything was great, but the Crab Cakes were my favorite and a must have if you enjoy crab! Unlike many places, they were not loaded down with breadcrumbs!
Staff and very friendly and attentive. Would definitely go back again!

Really bummed about this one because of all the great reviews they got. Not a single one of our dishes were stand outs. We ordered the fried green tomatoes with shrimp and the portion was tiny with minimal flavor. For $ 10 I expect more the. Two cut up tomatoes and some shrimp. Then the jambalaya that I’m almost positive came out of a zatarans box I could have made it better at home. The sampler my friend said was okay. Overall nothing exciting or even that appetizing. Also do not order any sides they are hugely overpriced for the portions you get

This is our new favorite restaurant in New Orleans!!! Shelly was our server and not only was she awesome at what she does, she has the greatest personality! More importantly, she gave us the perfect recommendations for our taste. Everything… and 8
Mean every this… Was awesome. Alligator (our first time tasting), red fish, grits as a did, saturated spinach, beer, martini and the poor boy. The bread pudding was so good that the mister loved it! He never eats breakfast pudding! Will be back when we visit New Orleans!!!

IMOO, this place deserves a pat on the back. Its a rarity to find a place that we both enjoyed so much to go back again the next day. The best of the lot. Our waitress was the best in business, she was handling so many tabled but was super courteous and gave us recommendations that we went with.
I had the Mississippi Fireant Imperial Red Ale on her suggestion and I really enjoyed. We ordered a appetizer (Fried green tomatoes) but that never came since the waitress made a mistake in not placing the order. Given that we waited for sometime before being seated, we had a chance to decide on what we wanted. Blackened red drum with Chess Grits and Seafood Pot Pie. We usually eat half our portions and swap. For the first time, we were hesitating to swap them. Both of us liked it a lot. The shrimp and the grits were heavenly. This place serves the best Shrimp and Grits.
Our waitress realized her mistake and she ordered a dessert on the house. And, the dessert was as good as the entrees.
We loved the experience, we came back again. We were not disappointed at all.
Bottomline: BEST GRITS !

It’s is after a very long time we are dining in a place where we truly enjoyed every morsel of food we were served. As most places in NOLA the staff were very friendly. Our waitress was great in recommending drinks and food for us. My husband had a local beer & I had the cucumber cooler. It was great… so refreshing & it set the right tone for our Christmas dinner. We had ordered the fried green tomatoes for appetizers, but our waitress forgot to put the order in. So we started out with the entrees directly. Blackened red drum with cheesy grits & sauteed veggies. Living in NC I’ve tasted a lot of grits, but boy this was good!!! Not too buttery just the right amount of cheese… it simply melted in my mouth. The fish was so nicely seared. I simply loved the combination. My husband had ordered the seafood pot pie, which was more like a inside out version of traditional pot pies. In my opinion, the biscuit could have been better… however I loved the sauce. The shrimp… oh my! It was cooked so darn well! It was THE BEST cooked shrimp I’ve tasted. Finally the waitress brought us dessert on the house for missing out appetizer order :)
Overall we loved our experience here and would definitely go back again!

We ordered a spinach and artichoke dip. The sides were burnt as was one of the slices of bread. It took forever to arrive.
The seafood pitolettes was awesome. I had it as my meal and was filling and the sauce was so good.
The blackened jambalaya was delicious. The rice was not at all dry and the meat was very juicy.
The place was super loud and bar like in volume. The waiter was prompt on refills.

We arrive without a reservation, and we’re seated immediately. It was very loud while we were there, the TV was almost full blast. It could be related to the fact there was a Saints game on.
We use the Unilocal checking deal and got a free appetizer, it took abnormally long for the appetizer come out, but once the kitchen started bringing stuff out, it just kept coming, and our meals stomped on the end of our appetizers.
The blackened chicken jambalaya tasted wonderful, and the drink refills were timely. If you can get past the large noise level, I would recommend this restaurant.

We used Unilocal to find this place while wandering through the Quarter looking for a dining spot for our group of 7. We had just arrived in NOLA and were anxious for some delicious local fare. This place did not disappoint! Not only was the food some of the best we had during our visit but the service and time it took to get our food were amazing! Shelly made us feel welcome and was extremely knowledgeable about the menu. Of particular mention for us were the Pistolettes and the Shrimp and Grits, the best we had! We almost made a repeat visit it was that good. This is one restaurant in NOLA you MUST try — incredible
food, service, and value. And ask for Shelly!

Fried green tomatoes topped with shrimp remulade, crab cakes, shrimp and grits. It did seem like night of the living dead in there and the staff seemed shaken not stirred, but our waitress was friendly and her service was timely and our food was delicious so who can complain, not me. I had the crab cake appetizer, they were good, not signature dish fall down on the floor good, but good. I had the fried green tomatoes, now those were real good, the shrimp remulade on top was delightful, light and tasty. Those shrimp and grits, I could write a sonnet. Cheesy, buttery, a little tangyness, shrimp playfully floating in the delicate butter broth and a random cherry tomato to cut through what may not be a cloying but is certainly a decadent sauce.
I think those grits will be revisited, but probably in the light of day.

*** 4 ½ stars ***
Came here for a bridesmaid brunch the morning of my friend’s wedding. The reservation we had booked at another restaurant fell through and we had to scramble to find a place at the last minute on a Saturday morning. After walking around for over half an hour, we were so glad we ended up here!!! Our waitress was lovely and super peppy! As for the food and drinks, they made the best Bellini I’ve ever had! If you check in on Unilocal,you get a free appetizer. We chose the fried green tomatoes and they were to die for! They were served with shrimp on a bed of lettuce and drizzled with a delicious creamy dressing! I could have devoured the entire thing and I think the other bridesmaids felt the same way as well! For my entrée I ordered the biscuits and gravy with sides of cheesy grits and sausage. All were scrumptious but especially the cheesy grits! I’m drooling just thinking about them!

Make sure you check in on Unilocal!We got a free appetizer with the purchase of two entrees! I recommend getting the Shrimp Pistolettes. Very good sauce. Only two portions though. Little shrimp sandwiches basically.
Beautiful inside. Loud restaurant. Not too big of a place which is probably why they stick so many tables in a small space. Historic restaurant, which is what we were looking for. We were seating at a six top table even though we were just two people, which helped separate us from the noise a bit and gave us more space. Thanks for that!
The server was a bit quick and impersonal. He did his job and quickly cleaned plates and refilled water glasses, but always seemed like he was Ina rush to do something else. A little more personality and time with the table would have been nice to add to our experience there. I think he treated us as your typical tourist, but if you are proud of your city and your restaurant, you should treat us as family, not strangers.
Our entrees:
Crescent City Sampler: three small bowls of each dish. Only the Crawfish Étouffée was favored by my friend.
Shrimp and Grits: choose it based on recommendations oh Unilocal,but wasn’t really impressed. They gave you a lot of shrimp, but the texture and blandness of the grits was weird and the sauce was just a little bit off. Not my favorite shrimp and grits. I expected more.