Food mid and overpriced, service very lacking. Employees/servers acted put out we were even there. Find somewhere else.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 2
Service: 1
Èric Serra
Wednesday noon, asked to get an iced tea and some water for my wife planning to seat and get something to eat later on, and the bartender told me to get out of there in bad manners because i didn’t want any alcoholic drink nor cocktail. Seems that tourist are not welcome there.
Service: 1
Alan Funk
We ate here with my wife and 11 y/o son. Prices were reasonable for the French Quarter and they even had a kids menu. It wasn't very busy when we arrived. The service was friendly and quick. Good view of Jackson Square.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
Kathryn B
This is a cute cafe with a gorgeous view of the square and great vibe. However, the food is just ok. While I liked the crawfish pie, the jambalaya was average. There are better places for food, but the prices here are more competitive than them, so you just have to pick what you want.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 3
Edward Castle
wonderful service perfect location very unappetizing food bland and served cold
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 1
Service: 5
xhelan sylve
The crab cakes alone took my breath away. The service was lovely from start to finish, entrees were executed with love, and the view in Jackson Square is to die for. Highly recommend this restaurant for anyone who loves to eat and loves to people watch. We’ll be back!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Renee Clough
We ended up here by accident the first time when the place we were headed turned out to be further than we realized. I came back again a few days later. Both times the staff were friendly and prompt. The ceiling fans kept it at a pleasant temperature and the view of the square was great. I don't eat seafood so I especially appreciated that they didn't sneak it into dishes that didn't include it in the menu description.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Louis and Elaine
We find that the Cafe Pontalba has one of the best views of any cafe in New Orleans. Overlooking Jackson Square and the Cathedral is great on a nice day. The menu has many of New Orleans favorites and breakfast is served all day. It’s not gourmet but the food is good. They also have a full service cocktail bar with seating. The service is friendly and quick.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Heather Monahan
Cafe Pontalba is a terrific place to rest, eat, regroup and people-watch right next to Jackson Square. We took in the nearby square, St. Louis Cathedral, Faulkner House Books, French Market, Bourbon & Royal streets and met here for lunch. Perfectly situated, airy and open with cafe tables or at the bar. Tried the gator fritters, gumbo, salads and sandwiches. During Mardi Gras it might be a different story, but we had a lovely, relaxing lunch here.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 3
Anni Wilmot
Not officially gluten free, and they don't have a gf menu, but I chose a breakfast that was naturally gluten free, and was delicious!
Everytime we are in town we love getting breakfast here. I always get the steak and eggs and its always the best. We buy different seasonings here in the market every trip trying to replicate it back home 😅. Today we didn't make breakfast so tried the red beans and rice w/ sausage and I've had it so many different places and this place didn't disappoint.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Ethan G
Amazing food and really nice view of jackson square!
★☆☆☆☆ Absolutely Terrible Experience I rarely leave bad reviews, but this place truly deserves it. From the moment we walked in, the waitress was incredibly rude—no greeting, no smile, and acted like we were an inconvenience. It only got worse from there. The food? Disgusting. Cold, flavorless, and clearly not fresh. It felt like we were eating leftovers from a week ago. Honestly, I wouldn’t serve this to anyone, even for free. To top it all off, we paid a full bill for something that wasn’t even edible. Complete waste of time and money. Not worth even trying—do yourself a favor and eat anywhere else. This place shouldn’t even be in business.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Yunah
Had Rajun Cajun Pasta and Crabmeat stuffed mushrooms. Both were good, especially the pasta! Our server, Dan, was great.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Ragin Cajun Pasta, Crab Cakes
Garreth Collard
Live music outside made it a good experience, however the toilets are smelly and the for mediocre
Food mid and overpriced, service very lacking. Employees/servers acted put out we were even there. Find somewhere else.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 2
Service: 1
Wednesday noon, asked to get an iced tea and some water for my wife planning to seat and get something to eat later on, and the bartender told me to get out of there in bad manners because i didn’t want any alcoholic drink nor cocktail. Seems that tourist are not welcome there.
Service: 1
We ate here with my wife and 11 y/o son. Prices were reasonable for the French Quarter and they even had a kids menu. It wasn't very busy when we arrived. The service was friendly and quick. Good view of Jackson Square.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
This is a cute cafe with a gorgeous view of the square and great vibe. However, the food is just ok. While I liked the crawfish pie, the jambalaya was average. There are better places for food, but the prices here are more competitive than them, so you just have to pick what you want.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 3
wonderful service perfect location very unappetizing food bland and served cold
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 1
Service: 5
The crab cakes alone took my breath away. The service was lovely from start to finish, entrees were executed with love, and the view in Jackson Square is to die for. Highly recommend this restaurant for anyone who loves to eat and loves to people watch. We’ll be back!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
We ended up here by accident the first time when the place we were headed turned out to be further than we realized. I came back again a few days later. Both times the staff were friendly and prompt. The ceiling fans kept it at a pleasant temperature and the view of the square was great. I don't eat seafood so I especially appreciated that they didn't sneak it into dishes that didn't include it in the menu description.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
We find that the Cafe Pontalba has one of the best views of any cafe in New Orleans. Overlooking Jackson Square and the Cathedral is great on a nice day. The menu has many of New Orleans favorites and breakfast is served all day. It’s not gourmet but the food is good. They also have a full service cocktail bar with seating. The service is friendly and quick.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Cafe Pontalba is a terrific place to rest, eat, regroup and people-watch right next to Jackson Square. We took in the nearby square, St. Louis Cathedral, Faulkner House Books, French Market, Bourbon & Royal streets and met here for lunch. Perfectly situated, airy and open with cafe tables or at the bar. Tried the gator fritters, gumbo, salads and sandwiches. During Mardi Gras it might be a different story, but we had a lovely, relaxing lunch here.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 3
Not officially gluten free, and they don't have a gf menu, but I chose a breakfast that was naturally gluten free, and was delicious!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
Everytime we are in town we love getting breakfast here. I always get the steak and eggs and its always the best. We buy different seasonings here in the market every trip trying to replicate it back home 😅. Today we didn't make breakfast so tried the red beans and rice w/ sausage and I've had it so many different places and this place didn't disappoint.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Amazing food and really nice view of jackson square!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Crawfish Pie, Cajun Combination, Alligator
★☆☆☆☆ Absolutely Terrible Experience
I rarely leave bad reviews, but this place truly deserves it. From the moment we walked in, the waitress was incredibly rude—no greeting, no smile, and acted like we were an inconvenience. It only got worse from there.
The food? Disgusting. Cold, flavorless, and clearly not fresh. It felt like we were eating leftovers from a week ago. Honestly, I wouldn’t serve this to anyone, even for free.
To top it all off, we paid a full bill for something that wasn’t even edible. Complete waste of time and money. Not worth even trying—do yourself a favor and eat anywhere else. This place shouldn’t even be in business.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Had Rajun Cajun Pasta and Crabmeat stuffed mushrooms. Both were good, especially the pasta! Our server, Dan, was great.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Ragin Cajun Pasta, Crab Cakes
Live music outside made it a good experience, however the toilets are smelly and the for mediocre
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 2
Service: 3
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