Cafe Maspero

I found it while wandering and stopped in. If you’re looking for a good meal or even a snack and you don’t wish to spend a lot of money, this is a great place. I especially liked the gumbo. I went back 2 times during my 4 day trip.

Came in for lunch a while back and really wasn’t impressed. I had the trio platter including Red Beans & Rice, Creole Jambalaya, Chicken & Andouille Gumbo. All 3 dishes lacked fresh flavor and tasted as if they’d been reheated after sitting on the warmer the day before. There are really too many other choices in the French Quarter in my opinion.

Large portion for a great price. Got the club sandwich, and it exceeded my expectations. So big! Attentive service and laid back atmosphere. My new go-​to place when I’m hungry downtown!

This restaurant is located in the middle of the hustle and bustle of the French quarter.
On the day that we went, the service was incredibly slow after being seated. They were quick to get us to our table though. Upon being seated, I noticed that the table was very sticky and waited several minutes for someone to come by and complain about that.
Once we finally did get our table cleaned and our order in, we were finally relaxed enough to take in the scenery. The food was good though the staff was slow to coming back and check on us or refill our waters.
The architecture, as with most of New Orleans, is a beautifully old-​style renovated space with lots of windows and ceiling fans for air circulation.
Aside from the issues I had with the beginning parts of our visit here, I did enjoy what we had, the view, and atmosphere.
I would give this place one more chance to give it the benefit of the doubt.

Upon NOLA arrival, Dec. 22, 2015, hubby wanted a platter of fried seafood. He found it at Maspero’s, 601 Decatur.
I found everything quite ordinary. Loud, touristy, by the river. The waitstaff **very** busy but friendly.
Patrons next to us complained about their sticky table. Hello coastal dampness!
We decided to share the seafood platter of fish, oysters & calamari, which came accompanied by a salad that was pre-​prepared frozen iceberg w/​1 cherry tomato & tasteless dressing.
Hubby started w/​gumbo he found acceptable. I found it rather bland.
No wine list.
The platter was freshly fried seafood served with an abundance of OK fries on two gnarly pieces of wheat bread. We found the fried food actually quite tasty. Accompanying sauces were so-​so.
So, if you want a 2:00 snack, I’d say go for it!
Okay, as we went to leave my phone stuck to the table :)

On New Years Day we got in with a short wait. Service was slow but it was very busy. French Onion soup was perfect. The muffulettas were excellent. The place has a nice atmosphere. It is not a place for a quiet meal. Has a full bar but only a half dozen bar stools. I would certainly return to this restaurant in the future.

It’s unfortunate that as a visitor to the city, I chose to come here for my first dinner in town. My party was seated quickly, but our service was well below expectations for an only moderately filled diner.
The other reviews are correct in that the meals look like prison food. I waited around 10 minutes for ranch and by the time it came, the waiter even asked if I still needed it at all, which was disrespectful given the awful service. It was as if the other waiters knew we were getting terrible service as well, as they avoided eye contact and didn’t greet us on the way out, with no words or glances exchanged. We lacked napkins ALWAYS and never got asked for water refills for a table where everyone got water.
I was hoping that the 3-​star average (or so it is at the tjme of this writing) for this place would turn out to be one of the better scenarios, but I was wrong. I would look for other lunch or dinner places instead of here, especially if you’re new to the city or traveling like I am.
— Southern California visitor

Went here on Christmas Eve, as one of the few restaurants open. Didn’t do prior research but just decided to walk in. The possibility of a veggie muffuletta on the menu outside sealed the deal.
Place was decked up so pretty and the staff, very friendly. Wasn’t packed, so my husband had his doubts. Greeted by an extremely friendly waiter who went on to genuinely make sure we were doing ok through the course of the meal. He even acquiesced to cancel our dessert order, well into our dinner, since we’d underestimate the portion sizes. He didn’t look the least bit reluctant or upset, though I’m sure it was an inconvenience.
We got the French onion soup and veggie muffuletta. Such a yummy soup that gets a tad heavy on the cheese after the first few mouthfuls. There’s a deliciously baked bread sitting on top of the soup, that contains the warmth and soaks up the flavor beautifully. The veggie muffuletta was very interesting, made with carrot, beans, cabbage and — lo and behold — olive tapenade. Comes together to give a very unique taste profile that’s quite good. It’s bathed in oil though and the lack of a liquid/​saucy binding agent between the bread and the vegetables gets very overwhelming on the stomach. Never had a muffuletta before. So not sure if that’s how it is, or if it’s the vegetarian version, that in essence, makes it something that it isn’t meant to be. Was a good meal if you don’t mind the cheese-​butter-​oil overload. Ambience and service is 5star.
Strolling around the neighborhood the next day, we realized what a busy place it typically is! Good stuff.

I have been coming here for years. This is my go to place in NOLA. Not sure why some of the people rate the food as awful as I have never been disappointed. We came here on a trip with the family. I got the muffaletta and as usual it was great. My son who loves Red Beans and Rice cleaned his plate and he said they were great. Getting this from him is great compliment because he i very picky when it comes to red beans and rice. It was way too hot in here and as usual it was crowded. They did not have the $ 1 daiquiris they used to have or maybe they were $ 2 but they are no longer.
If you want a good meal and reasonable come to Café Maspero. Two thumbs up guys!

I’m really puzzled why we got recommendations from 3 different people raving about this place. In my opinion, if you could imagine Disney World had a New Orleans themed area with a restaurant it would be just like Café Maspero. I asked for some butter for my potato and the server gave me a plastic cup of melted margarine. She said they don’t have any real butter in the restaurant. The table we sat at was sticky. The food was edible and relatively cheap but there are so many good places to eat in New Orleans, why settle for just meh?

Six words: Good food, good service, no daiquris
I was just in New Orleans for vacation. I arrived in New Orleans (after a delayed flight) around 2pm on a Friday. My hotel room wasn’t ready so my friends and I asked the bellhop for a food recommendation while we were giving him our luggage to stow for a few hours. He asked what type of food. We responded: Good food, close by. And so he recommended Café Maspero, located at Decatur and Toulouse.
We walked right over from our hotel (about a 5 minute walk from Bourbon Street) and were seated immediately. Given that we were in New Orleans, in the French Quarter, we wanted to start with drinks. We tried to order the daiquiris ($ 4) but we were told «We’ve changed the menu. We don’t serve them anymore.» Our server then tried to sell us on the mixed drinks and the sangria but at twice the price and satisfying none of cravings, we passed and just ordered food.
I ordered the muffaletta (Ham, salami, and pastrami piled high on a seeded French bun topped with melted Swiss cheese and our famous olive salad, served with French fries), one friend ordered the oyster po’boy (oysters fried and served on a French bun, with French fries), and my other friend ordered the fish plate (Southern fried fish fillets topped with French fries, served with a small salad and your choice of dressing). All of us greatly enjoyed our meals and we all tried each others.
I can say that the fish plate was good and enormous. The fish was crispy but not too crispy, if you know what I mean. The oyster sandwich was interesting as none of us had eaten fried oysters before. The muffaletta truly hit the spot for me. I was craving protein and boy, did I get it. I only wish they had been a little lighter on the olive oil. I ended up using about a dozen napkins. Warning: don’t order this if you’re wearing something nice.
Overall, I would definitely recommend trying this spot. The food was great, the service was fast. I just wish they hadn’t tempted us with daiquiris. We weren’t the only ones who tried to order those — a few groups around us also tried and just ended up with water, despite the server’s hopes.

Really enjoyed the fried oyster poboy and the muffaletta Italian sandwich. Quick and quality service. Great spot for an in and out lunch.

Great service, cheap food (and large portions for the price), nice atmosphere, cheap wine and drinks!
Only reason it’s not a five star is the food was really good, but not great. It should be a four and a half star for that though.

Yuck the food here sucks. We went here on a recommendation from a local because the place we wanted to go to was closed for reno’s. If I could have taken my wasted time back from here I would.
I ordered the muffelatta, husband got the club sandwich, father in laws wife got the veggie muffelatta, and father in law got the shrimp sandwich. Everything was absolutely horrible except for the club sandwich. I only ordered the muffelatta based off of a tour guides recommendation that they were good. What a horrible decision on my end. Father in law finally said the following day the shrimp sandwich was poorly constructed and he could have done a better job at home. I seriously don’t know what’s so great about the muffelatta — it does have a lot of meat, but that’s about it.
Service was prompt — so no complaints there. My one star is strictly for the food, not the service.

Late September 2015, lunch
Wow. This was horrible… classic tourist trap.
I had the «jambalaya,» which was a stingy pile of rice with mean scraps of stuff. It was so chintzy, even the piece of baby popcorn shrimp was cut in half (how is this even possible?)
Thank heavens for the small portion, however! I ended up with the jambalaya because my Mom refused to eat it, saying «it smells like fish and it was heated in the microwave.» I was so hungry, I ate it anyway… but as soon as I took the last bite, I thought, «That probably wasn’t smart; I hope I don’t get sick.»
I dodged a hail of bullets and didn’t get sick… WINNING.
PS On the plus side, our server was very sweet and eager to please, if hard to find.

A buzzing spot in the French quarter area. About 3 – 4 blocks from the famous Bourbon Street. This is a nice spot to fuel up with food & drinks before or after exploring. Just about 2 blocks away you can hop on a carriage tour either just of the French quarter of the cemetery. Also, close by is Jackson Square where u can spot the talent of artists & musicians.
Services: our waitress Taylor greeted us with that Nola charm. She was knowledgeable of the menu and helped us narrow down our decision. Now after being served our meal, I think she got overwhelmed with the lunch rush. My friend asked for a glass of water and 20mins later Taylor still didn’t return. We end up asking another waitress.
Food: eh it was decent. like most meal in NOLA everything was filled and tasty. But this wouldn’t be my number 1 recommendation. I did however enjoy the drinks :-)

There are about 9 bazillion places to eat in New Orleans. Everyone says «eat here, go there, don’t miss» that it’s about impossible to decide. I knew that I didn’t want a chain — and looked at the menu on the door, then I looked at my husband’s face that had the «why don’t you want here» look on it — so we went in. I had the calamari plate — wonderfully cooked — not over done so that they were chewy — it was very nicely prepared. My husband ordered the seafood platter, which was very nice also.
The biggest surprise was the $ 3 Strawberry daquiri — it was 24 ounces! OMG. My pathetic little $ 6 margarita looked so sad next to it. So I had another.
I would recommend friends to give this a try!

It’s been years since I’d eaten at Café Maspero. My friends and I used to frequent it often during our college days. I’m so glad to report that nothing’s changed in almost 20 years. The roast beef po-​boys are still dripping with so much gravy that you can barely pick them up without them falling apart – And THAT’S the way I love them. Go ahead and bring me a fork, a knife, and a stack of napkins so i can finish my gravy soaked sandwich.
And amazingly they still do the sweet and delicious $ 1 strawberry daiquiris. Or you big spenders can throw down an extra buck and get the double! Ok, i can’t recall and it might have been $ 3, but its huge and delicious and it’s $ 3– you can’t beat it! You pay more than that for a small soda at the movies, lol.

Shared the seafood platter, not the one designed for two, still had plenty of food.
Delicious stuffed crab, fried catfish-​shrimp-​oysters. It was a really tasty lunch stop.

Café Maspero is right near the French Market in the French Quarter of New Orleans. We went for lunch our last day of our visit.
We were seated immediately and had a great view of people walking by on the street. The menu is similar to many of the lower end Cajun/​Creole restaurants in the French Quarter — Po-​Boys, Gumbo, Jambalaya, etc.
I had an Oyster Po-​Boy — fried oysters with lettuce, tomato and pickles on a french roll and a Coke. The others at our table got Muffalettas. I thought the Po-​Boy was okay. I had one earlier in the week at another restaurant that was much better. But, I do think if I’d reviewed this before eating at the other place, I would have been much more satisfied.
The service was very good. All-​in-​all, a good meal for a very good price.