Tomas Bistro

My wife and I stumbled upon this little bistro on Chop. It’s beautifully decorated and lighted in a romantic way. The menu was diverse, offering seafood, chops, lamb, steaks and salads. I had the grouper over Cajun potatoes and my wife had the crawfish & cream-​cheese crape and midi salad. The food was incredible! The servings were large and plated appealingly. Price was very affordable (we were worried since the prices were not showing on the menu posted outside the door). Dinner for two with wine ran about $ 70. Compared to other spots this would be on the lower end price point for comparable finer dining establishments in the area. We HIGHLY recommend!!!

We had a good (but not great) experience at Tomas for dinner. We dined there on a Wednesday night and were the only patrons for about an hour. In such a large open restaurant it just was odd. Nothing the restaurant could have done but it was still awkward.
We too had the Groupon and found the explanation confusing. It’s essentially $ 80 off of your bill but they way it was explained sounded like the $ 80 had to be broken down by appetizer, entrée, and dessert.
The restaurant is pretty old school and I guess that means it has to be dark/​dimly lit inside.
They had the crab and brie soup as the soup of the day and we both started with that for our appetizer. It was one of the best soups I’ve ever had. Deliciously creamy and succulent. Yum! The downside? A cup of the soup was $ 14 which we didn’t find out until the check came. Even for awesome soup, that seems a bit out of line.
For my entrée I got the rabbit. For what was described on the menu as a creole mustard chardonnay demi-​glacé, I though the sauce was really thick. It was very rich and seemed to over power the rabbit. The green beans were perfect and buttery. The spatzel seemed too wet and mushy. Didn’t have much flavor.
We ended with the White Chocolate Bread pudding. It seemed to be underdone as it wasn’t standing up as well as some of the pictures posted here. Nevertheless, how can you go wrong? The bourbon sauce was just perfect.
The service was good, but in an empty restaurant, it should be.
I fine experience at Tomas but in a city full of culinary excellence, I would probably go elsewhere next time.

My bf and I had a very lovely, quiet dinner here a couple nights ago. We had been wanting to try, so I purchased a Groupon, and the experience did not disappoint. The interior is historically beautiful and bigger than I imagined. Our server was very attentive and helpful through the ordering process.
We ordered the veal sweetbreads for our app– I personally am usually not a huge sweetbread fan, but these were amazing with the sauce they’re served in. I had the chicken pontalba entrée and my bf had the Venison Short Loin Geniévre, both were delicious. For dessert, we shared the white chocolate bread pudding, which was so delicious!
Great atmosphere, excellent service, and amazing food: will definitely return.

The entire experience was simply amazing. Veal sweetbreads are a must try… The sauce itself was delicious. The duck entrée is also worthy of seconds.
The staff very courteous and made our experience pleasant.
The building itself is full of history
Definitely a place I would visit again

Tomas Bistro is good, VERY good! We had Christmas Eve reservations at 5:45, 15 minutes after they opened. We were two minutes late and the restaurant already had a nice crowd. This is when we experienced the one bad situation at Tomas Bistro. With many open tables, we were seated by the hostess at a two-​topper that was very small in space, partially due to the individual who was seated in the accompanying table at an angle next to ours. The only way I could sit in the table without making the accompanying diner move was to move my chair out partially into the walkway which would make it difficult for the wait-​people.
We were quite surprised to be seated like that and probably should have said something, but we are quite passive. Our waiter, Ian, came over and said «you can’t sit here, let’s find another table». He moved us to a two topper that had ample space around it. Ian immediately was high on our list! As the night progressed, we saw what Ian meant as the Bistro was very well-​staffed, obviously anticipating a very busy evening.
We ordered two appetizers, the scallops and the goat cheese and crawdad crepes. We were shocked how good they were.
We had a bottle of wine. Surprise, we weren’t taken advantage by outrageous pricing!
Our entrée that we split, which we were NOT charged an extra fee for splitting an entrée, was fantastic (the pecan-​crusted drum).
I am not a bread l eater, but what was served was tremendous. Ian, our waiter, brought us a second basket without us requesting such.
We lived in Las Vegas for many years. We ate at some of the best establishments in the world. Tomas Bistro was just as good as any we have dined at. Ian, our waiter, was better than most of the servers we have experienced over the years, definitely top 5!
We split the pecan-​crusted drum, no additional charge! (Way to go Tomas Bistro!) The appetizers were fantastic, would love to get them again at the bar. We got the daily dessert special, mainly because you wanted to get one last taste of what Tomas had to offer. We were not disappointed.
This has to be said as I worked as a waitperson many years ago and experienced how many people treat service industry workers. Besides Ian being a great server, the entire restaurant staff was exceptional. Our water glasses never went below half-​full. Nobody tired to rush us by grabbing our plate when it looked like we were finished, even on a very busy night. The management has done a great job.
It was a fantastic experience at reasonable prices, especially considering the quality of the food. In a city with great eating establishments, Tomas Bistro is our new favorite New Orleans restaurant. Great job by everyone!

The perfect venue for a romantic getaway in the Big Easy! The atmosphere is superb and only beat by the overly caring staff. Our beyond-​exceptional server, Kim, helped us identify the best items for our tastes and made our 7^th wedding anniversary dinner a night to remember. We can’t wait to go back!

Had a lovely dinner here at Tomas Bistro. Bought a Groupon because I love trying new places for cheap and this was definitely worth it.
Located across the street next to Emeril’s. Reservations were for 10pm on a Friday night and it wasn’t too busy. They close at 11pm. We were seated by James, who was our waiter/​manager and he was fantastic! Great customer service all night.
We started off with drinks and appetizers. BF had Old Fashioned Pecan. It was very strong. I’m a wuss when it comes to drinks and this Bourbon drink left a bad after taste in my mouth that alcoholics would love! Lol I’m good! Also ordered an Amaretto Pineapple and that was good. James put a black cherry in the bottom of the drink and it was really good.
We had the Veal Sweet breads and that was super yummy! I’ve had Sweetbreads at Patois and I almost put Sweetbreads on my ban list because it wasn’t good but at Tomas Bistro, Sweetbreads totally redeemed itself! The sauce was amazing. I would come back here just for this. They also give you warm sesame bread and butter to start you off.
Turtle Soup was good. They offer you a splash of Brandy to go on top.
I ordered the Soft Shell Crab with purple potatoes and squash spaghetti and this dish was delectable. I’ve never had soft shell crab before so it was kind of unusual for me to eat the whole crab but you get kinda used to it. It was nothing like I’ve ever had before. I’m glad I ordered it.
BF got the Pecan crusted Drum. He said it was good but he expected more of a crunch from the crust. But all in all it was good.
We basically only ate half of our dinner entrée because they give you so much. So we boxed it up and took it to-​go.
For dessert we had the strawberry crêpe which to me was just okay. Nothing to write home about. You can tell it came from the fridge/​freezer. It didn’t taste fresh. It was a crêpe rolled up with strawberry cream inside drizzled with chocolate. Just okaay. James was nice enough to bring us some chocolate dessert wine that tasted better than the crepes. Awfully nice of him.
James was nice enough to give us a little tour to check out the Event/​Reception room. I love the ambience of this restaurant. It made a lovely romantic evening with my gorgeous hot date!

This lovely little bistro gets 5 stars from me for a few reasons:
1. Accommodation: This place has some space. We were in town for a bachelorette party with 13 ladies and they easily housed our party with room to spare.
2. Staff/​Service: Our service was on point. I have no complaints about the timeliness of delivery or attentiveness.
In addition, our server had no qualms about splitting the bills 13 WAYS! After working in the service industry, I know that can get a little confusing especially when you have special requests like «um can you split hers amongst the 12 of us? K thanks!»
High Five to our waiter who handled that like a pro and never made us feel like we were doing him a disservice.
Also, the bartender saved my evening and happily charged my phone for me while we enjoyed our meal.
3. FOOD: Oh the food. My girlfriend and I shared the oyster appetizer and it was the perfect portion, calming my appetite until our food arrived, lightly breaded, not heavy or greasy. We also elected to split the special that night which was sea bass, paired with spaghetti squash and some kind of magical mashed potato side that blew my mind. I was boozing all day so pardon my lack of detail in my description, but basically everything was moan worthy.
Love it! Cheers.
PS: If you’re headed to this place on foot trying to use google maps, don’t.

Great for date night
Date night for my wife’s pre-​birthday trip to New Orleans. Good ambience, superior service and superb food. Baked Rock bass followed a great crab cake appetizer. My wife had the lamb and was very satisfied. The location is convient to the hotel’s on the French Quarter though they may actually be considered part of the warehouse district. Love it!

The food and service were excellent. My girlfriend and I have a Groupon which was still around $ 80. We stayed within the bounds of the Groupon but still ended up having a much higher bill than expected. I realize this isn’t necessarily the kind of place you go to save money. But…
The filet was perfectly cooked and although simple in the preparation, was fantastic. I feel a bit like we were cheated on our bill. It seemed that our drinks for double charged. I really couldn’t say if it was an accident or if it was to make up for the reduced price of the Groupon. I left aggravated and if it weren’t for the billing experience I would have added another star.

Food is absolutely delicious and our waitress was great! We have become quite regulars there. I feel like this place is sort of a hidden gem of the CBD area. I have been here quite a few times now, and the dishes that I have tried so far are all good. They have the best White Chocolate Bread Pudding in town, in my opinion. The reason that I waited so long to write a review of this place is because in the past, the service was «so so», but in our most recent visit, our waitress, Kim, was just great!!!

What a fantastic little spot! Fellow Unilocaler Jeff C. suggested that we try this place and since I had heard a lot of good things about it, I was down.
This cozy little restaurant on Tchoupitoulas is the perfect spot for a date night or a celebration. We made reservations for 8, and although we were a few minutes late, we were seated immediately upon arrival. We were given our menus and we ordered some wine. Looking over the menu, I immediately knew what I wanted. I have been on quite the grits kick lately, so when I saw that they offered catfish and grits, I knew that was the dish for me.
As a starter we decided to get the scallops, which were pan seared with butter, lemon, croutons and capers. I’m normally not a HUGE fan of scallops (it’s a texture thing), but I am always willing to try food that I haven’t liked before prepared in a different way. My experiment paid off because these scallops were delicious. They were flavorful and I really liked them a lot. The capers and butter created a nice sauce for them and I didn’t think about the texture once!
Next came the catfish and grits. Check out my picture– this dish was just beautiful. The catfish was crispy and fried to perfection and the grits were nice and firm and not watery at all. The smoothness of the grits was a perfect compliment to the fish and I was sure to get a little bit of both in every bite. I really can’t say enough about this part of the meal and I was beside myself happy.
Finally, we really decided to indulge and we treated ourselves to the chocolate mousse. This delicious concoction of whipped light chocolate came in a small chocolate shell bowl. The mousse was delectable and light and was the perfect conclusion to the meal. I also liked the presentation. I posted a picture– it really is a work of art.
The staff was very attentive the entire time and was quick to refill the wine glasses and clear the plates when necessary. I was really very pleased with the entire experience and I think that Tomas Bistro might be one of my new favorite dinner spots in the city.
I would absolutely go back and I am now hungry for more catfish and grits.

Everything was Delicious!
Scallops were unreal!
Crab and Brie soup was delectable!
Crab Au Gratin was out of this world!
The service was superb and the drinks were refreshing!
Don’t skip this place! You will not regret it!

This restaurant is absolutely beautiful. The food at my friend’s wedding last night was delicious. There was a bartender named Anthony who was very good at his job. Overall, I think it makes for a really nice wedding venue. I would like to come back for dinner one day soon and order off their regular menu.

It’s been nearly 24 hours since my experience at Tomas Bistro and I’m honestly still in a state of euphoria. I would have to rocket this pleasure palace to the top of my list of «must try» in New Orleans. When choosing a restaurant to celebrate an important milestone birthday, one must choose wisely. Especially in the New Orleans CBD where there are an abundance of restaurants to pick from. Not only do you have to think about the food, what type of atmosphere you’re looking for, and you’ve definitely got to consider parking. Tomas Bistro has it all! Amazing food, delightful atmosphere, and valet parking at an unbelievably reasonable price.
My family and I arrived and were told we could choose where we would like to sit, and so we decided to sit near the front door. Our waiter arrives at the table and being the eccentric person that I can’t help being I recognize a face from the past. Just so happens both my brother and I went to high school with this particular waiter, and believe me when I say that was a lifetime ago, but let’s not go there. He was an excellent waiter and took very good care of us throughout our meal.
And onto the meal… To begin we were interested in a bottle of white wine, but not sure exactly which to order. The waiter recommended Macon-​Villages which is a Chardonnay, and may I say it’s excellent! He let us taste the wine before we purchased the bottle which was very helpful. A few of the notable items we ordered were lobster brie soup, goat cheese stuffed crepes topped with crawfish sauce, duck Julia, and a special entrée of the day which was trout topped with jumbo lump crab meat and paired with purple mashed potatoes and spaghetti squash. One item that really stood out for me was the lobster brie soup. I’m not exaggerating when I say it’s a little bowl of pure bliss. It was a special soup for the evening, so they don’t always have it. If your there, and it’s available, don’t pass it up.
In between courses and conversation we asked the hostess about the restaurant and learned it’s been open about two years and also learned the same owner also owns two of the restaurants directly across the street. Not too long after we asked the owner happened to walk in, and just so happens we were at «his» table. Apparently he usually comes in to eat and always sits where we happened to be dining. Low and behold he comes to our table! By this point we are already very content and have thoroughly enjoyed our meals. My mom goes on to tell him how much we have enjoyed everything, and we are there celebrating my birthday. With no hesitation he looks at me and asks me if I enjoy champagne. I say «Yes Sir I do». He had glasses of champagne sent over to us and took care to talk to the chef to prepare dessert for all of us to celebrate properly. It was such an unexpected and kind gesture. It really topped off a very memorable evening and a wonderful birthday celebration.

We were visiting NOLA for my birthday and this was one of the places we had my birthday dinner. I had bought a Groupon a while back. Based on the reviews on Unilocal,I had to try this place out. Boy was I pleasently surprised!
It was a small walk from our hotel in the French Quarter. Our server, Stephen, was amazing! He was very attentive as well as helpful. He gave us tips on where to go check out live jazz music as well as where to eat on my actual birthday.
We ordered the Jumbo Diver Scallops Grenobloise which was juicy and delicious. It came with 3 scallops– I wish there was more! I ordered the Roast Rack of Lamb and the hubby ordered the Veal Oscar. I enjoyed my lamb– it was cooked the way I like (medium-​rare) and the sauce went well with the mashed potatoes. I got to try my husband’s Oscar Veal and that was amazing! I’ve only had veal a couple of times in my life and the way Tomas prepared it was amazing. He loved it so much he wouldn’t stop raving about it the next day. If I go back, I will have to order the veal for myself.
If you get a chance, come check out Tomas Bistro– with or without a Groupon. It was worth it! I will have to go back next time I’m in NOLA.

Tomas Bistro is a restaurant. In addition to the restaurant is a reception hall that can be used for private affairs. This review is relative to that place and it is called The Gallery.
This past weekend a very lovely young couple held their Wedding Reception at The Gallery. This was my first visit to this part of the building that has served as a restaurant for quite some time.
The Gallery can be entered from the restaurant or from the side street off Tchoupitoulas St. We entered through the restaurant and were escorted to the reception area. I mentioned that because this was the start of our very professional service by all staff members throughout the night.
The Gallery is beautiful with exposed wood and bricks from a structure constructed a long time ago. The hall is large and very accommodating for a sit down affair. And there was still room for dancing. The outer room to the main hall allowed for an easy flow of guests to the carving station and other food selections.
The Roast Beef was delicious with traditional sauces to Jazz it up along with fresh rolls. The Shrimp and Grits were very tasty and flavorful. And being pass around on trays were delectable selections of Fried Eggplant Sticks with a Tangy Sauce, Smoked Salmon with a Mousse on a Sesame Crostini, and a Beef Carpaccio on thin bread with a garlic flavor that was yummy.
For a large gathering of about a hundred people the food was served hot and there was no shortage of anything. The selections that were presented along with the carving station and the shrimp and grits were all tasty and flavorful. With out of town guests for the wedding it was a very nice exposure for them of some very good New Orleans food.
And on a side note the restrooms was nearby, well stocked, and as clean as you would want in a restaurant.
The owner was present throughout the night ensuring that all went well. The location, history of the building, professional staff, along with food that made your taste buds happy has me rating my experience a Five Star.
This place has my Seal of Approval!

C’EST SI BON
Maybe c’est si bon is not strong enough… then how about c’est excellent ! With some guidance from Giovanni our server, we ordered the following to be shared between myself and Yu-​go:
Jumbo Diver Scallops Grenobloise — Pan seared with brown butter, lemon, croutons and capers… Yu-​go left nothing for the dishwasher
Champagne Lobster Bisque– Soup Du Jour… rich, thick in flavor till the last spoonful.
Salad Midi — Champagne marinated vine ripe tomatoes, fresh basil, avocado and goat cheese… fit for royalty.
Roast Rack of Lamb — medium per recommendation of Giovanni our server. Accompanied with Creole mashed potatoes, tomato Provencal, Dijon and oregano sauce… Yu-​go went to heaven with the very first bite.
Executive Chef — Guy D. Sockrider, C E.C., kiss on both cheeks and the forehead for an incredible job… and any medal in my husband’s cigar box to you too!
Incredible meal. We’ll be back looking for you Giovanni.

I admit it, I had a Groupon, or it wouldn’t have been a place we’d normally try. It’s more upscale and pricier than we typically like. But it was Valentines Day so we splurged. And I’m glad we did!
The restaurant has intimate ambiance and is great for date night. The food was wonderful and dessert was the highlight. Please order the white chocolate bread pudding. I’ll be dreaming about it for weeks! *drooling
These factors alone would not have us coming back IF not for Neel, the most amazing server ever! He was so friendly, knowledgeable about New Orleans and even gave us a tour of the restaurant! Actually the entire staff, from the hostess to the bus boys, were incredible! We will be back based on customer service alone. If you want to really enjoy your experience at Tomas, ask for Neel!

Complements to the chef! Glad we found this gem on Groupon while visiting the New Orleans CBD area.
We made our reservation a few days in advance and came in on a wet chilly Sunday night. We were seated immediately and our server Neel greeted us promptly. We told him about the groupon and he was happy to fill us in on the details.
We stared with the Pecan Old Fashioned and a glass of Rock-​Vine cab. The old fashioned was a nice tasty twist from the usual and my vino was delish!
Our groupon deal was for an app, 2 entrees, and a dessert. We started with the Crawfish Crepes filled with light fluffy goat cheese and topped with an amazing crawfish sauce. No kidding around hands down best Eva!!!
For the entrees, I chose the Duck Julia and my bf had the Rack of Lamb (additional $ 5.00 charge). Both were phenomenal! Meats were cooked to perfection, tender and ohh so juicy! Both of us could not stop looking and each other with mouths full saying Mmmmm!!!
The dessert round, we had the Bread Pudding and an after dinner drink the Ciao Bella. They were both delightful!
Service was top notch! Ask for Neel! Ambiance is dark and romantic with a rustic feel. Parking looks limited to street parking and I didn’t see valet but walked from our near by hotel so I wouldn’t really know.
I am glad we found this deal and would recommend to anyone! Happy Eating’s!