Cafe Nola Defuniak

It’s a really nice building…. But the food terrible … the service was almost nonexistent and the prices very misleading.. beignets are good tho

Great food! Great atmosphere!

What a great find! Great atmosphere, great music and great food! We stopped here for a late lunch while traveling and are SO glad we went a little out of the way to this gem!

Really cute place.

Service was fine.

Food wasn’t great. Two out of the four dishes we received was edible. The other two, weren’t. The cook in the back, who I assume was the younger, tall man maybe isn’t really a cook- please go over the recipes! And the service would have been ok but they didn’t look to see what was wrong with the dishes not eaten.

The etouffe was a blasphemy to NOLA cooking. Being a native Houstonian, and reminiscing on many trips to New Orleans made just to go enjoy the food out there, it made me super sad and disappointed at what was being served here. Crawfish etouffee is one of my very favorite dishes!

I was so looking forward to eating here. I should have went across the street to the new Vietnamese Pho place. Sadly even the beignets that were very kindly offered were burnt, and the dough was sour, clearly past its prime.

I’m sure this used to be a great restaurant judging by its decor and ambiance. But someone that actually knows how to cook, and actually understands Cajun flavors should be overseeing this place. Because it has a lot of potential, and it would be sad to have food come out like this for other weary travelers (we’d been on the road for 9 hours since 5 am, and finally stopped to have a “nice” meal). Really really not good. Hope it gets fixed, for their sake, and the diner’s sake.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 2

Service: 4

Extremely rude cook.
We went there to possibly uses it for our rehearsal dinner. We were told it would be about 40 minutes for them to set up for dinner. ( nothing on their website say anything about times for dinner). In fact the had a food inspection going on that they lied about. The cook came out screaming about why all the customers were in the place. After the 3rd time I comforted him telling him why we were in the place. He then started getting mouthy, until I shut him down.
NEVER EAT IN THIS PLACE
I’m going do do my best to close this place down.

Absolutely phenomenal!! We were looking for a nice place off the beaten path for a delicious dinner and we found more than we bargained for with cafe nola!! We ordered the captains sampler platter (fried) and it was to die for!! The shrimp was meaty and not overloaded with breading or overcooked. They were perfect! But the caviat to the meal was the insanely perfect fried bread pudding with fresh whipped cream! OMG like my granny made it but FRIED!! That brings a whole new element to Devine bread pudding! We will be back! 10/10 would highly recommend!! ? Thanks for the amazing dinner! We splurge every now and then from our keto diet and this is where we will splurge from now on!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Come prepared to take food home! The garlic parm wings were very crisp on the outside and so juicy on the inside (we shared and not a nibble left). The po-boys with a side were enough to feed at least 2 more ppl. Great prices, and servers were attentive. We have followed Ernie for over 10 years. Bring back the hog wings and watch ppl. line up to get in!

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 5

Service: 5

Rajun Cajun burger, Cajun beef tacos, and etouffee all delicious.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Crawfish Etouffee, Fries

A very cool atmosphere that definitely makes you think you've stepped into NOLA. The chef was so kind and friendly, came over to everyone to introduce himself. And he does a local series on YouTube! The food especially is a 10/10. I can't explain it in the way it truly deserves. We had gumbo, shrimp and grits, and the mahi sandwich. The shrimp and grits, wow! The red sauce is phenomenal, and there's no way to really describe how much we enjoyed it. Not acidic but full of flavor. The gumbo was better than the many we've had in NOLA. And the mahi sandwich was large, perfectly crispy and full of sweet corn flavor. The bread with butter alone is perfection, soft inside and crispy outside with a creamy butter. Highly recommend, even if you're a bit further away from Defuniak, if you're in the panhandle it's just a quick hop off 10 to get here-- you won't regret it!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Mahi Sandwich, Shrimp and Grits, Beignets

We just happened upon this place but will definitely be back next we're in area! Everything was superb! Thanks for an awesome dining experience!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Crawfish Etouffee, House Salad, Fried Shrimp, Shrimp and Grits, Beignets

Awesome place with some really delicious eats, and great service. Everything we ordered was amazing and we will definitely return. Captains platter and blackened shrimp platter and all drinks were fresh and flavorful. Best crawfish tails I've had yet, blackened shrimp was my favorite. And the side of loaded potato salad was surprisingly good. Keep up the great work!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Redfish, Fries, Shrimp and Grits, Tropicana Shrimp & Grits, Beignets, Boudin Balls

Nasty and burnt food & place reeks of smoke. Was okay back in the day but now it's not! Even my shrimp was soggy and breading was nasty and my hush puppies were burnt. Also couldn't even put a fork in them. Can't believe the waitress didn't even care that she brought that burnt
nasty food to our table!

Atmosphere: 1

Food: 1

Service: 1

Horrible & nasty! Not only did they remove the unique chairs & put in cheap uncomfortable auditorium chairs ruining the atmosphere but our appetizers and main meal was burnt! Wish I could post pictures to show how burnt it was horrible! The worst part not even the waitress cared she brought our food out burnt! She did nothing to fix it. What was supposed to be fried shrimp was anything but! They was soggy and nasty & nasty breading & my hush puppies was so burnt I couldn't even stick a fork in them. Don't know what happened to this restaurant because it was good but not now and we will NEVER be back! Keep in mind also they expensive. So save your money. Go someplace where they appreciate their customers.

Atmosphere: 1

Food: 1

Service: 1

Recommended dishes: Gator Bites, Fried Shrimp, Cheese Grits

Great Service! Great food and drinks!
We have lived in the area for 10 years and we have been missing out! We will definitely be back!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Wonderful food and the service was top notch, will be returning.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Shrimp and Grits, Beignets