Sara’s Bistro

Went to eat and closed until ??? for renovations.

Bought the groupon… Red wine was served chilled… they were out of most items on the menu… Fish of the day was a frozen deep fried cod fish (not local) with no taste and i needed to salt every bite in order for it to have a little flavor. service was slow and not friendly or apologetic about it. never again

I recently went here with a friend for an early dinner. The experience was just okay.
When I arrived I actually had to wait awhile. Although the place was pretty empty (only 3 tables occupied) it took the hostess/​waitress a while to come say hi and just sit us before anything else. That was a little uncomfortable just standing there in a pretty empty room for awhile.
The things I tried while there included the spring rolls and Cajun Fried Cornish Hen. The spring rolls were pretty tasty. For an appetizer it was a large portion size that I have no problems with. The Cajun Fried Cornish Hen was pretty good came with some potates and grilled vegetables. Everything was good but not in my opinion really so spectacular.
The location is really cute. Old School Nola restaurant feel and great intimate location for possible date nights.

Here is the full timeline of my experience at Sara’s Bistro. I posted a review on Facebook, and was called mean.
6:55 — Walk into the restaurant. I get excited. Definitely getting a Clancy’s Vibe from the place. Old chairs, cool uptown dining room feel to it. Sara’s has about 14 tables. 5 of them are seated. We have reservations for 5 people at 7. The couple in front of us inquires about a table for two. Waitress/​Hostess (as far as I can tell, there are only 3 people that work there. The waitress, the owner, and the chef) says she has to check the reservation book, and leaves them standing at the front while she seats us. In the subsequent 2 hours we sit there, only 3 more tables walk in.
7:15 — We finally get waters, and get 3 menus for 5 people. The waitress says she doesn’t know what happened to all the menus. My wife requests a wine list in the meantime.
7:20 — We get a wine list.
7:30 — We order a bottle of Malbec from the waitress.
7:35 — We get 2 more menus. Waitress asks us what wine we would like. We remind her of our previous request. We suggest we order appetizers. They’re out of their fig salad, but the waitress suggests a special beef noodle salad. I order that, my father in law asks what the dressing is. Waitress says she’ll find out. We’re getting a bit of a vibe, so we go ahead and let her know of our main course order. Two people at our table order lamb. The waitress doesn’t ask for a temperature. My wife asks about that, and the waitress says the chef doesn’t ask for a temperature on anything other than the steak. I think it’s a good idea to order steak instead.
7:55 — We get the wine. The waitress brings the bottle to the table already open. Whatever. We notice every table in the restaurant has gotten bread except us. The neighboring tables are starting to giggle at the level of service present at every table in the restaurant.
8:00 — 2 tables seated after we ordered have appetizers.
8:05 — Waitress comes back, tells my father in law that the chef isn’t making any more noodle salads. As she turns and starts walking away, I ask about mine. She says the same thing again, so I ask if I can change my appetizer order to the spring rolls.
8:10 — We’re out of wine. Waitress is ignoring us. I go to the bar and ask the waitress if we can kindly have another bottle of the same wine.
8:15 — She comes to the table says they’re out of that wine, and turns and starts walking away. I ask if she can bring the wine list, so we can pick a different bottle. She goes and grabs the wine list, tries dropping it and walking away immediately; I stop her and order a different Malbec. A guy walks in and starts asking the owner about having his rehearsal dinner at the restaurant the night before his wedding. I am silently concerned that they might miss the wedding.
8:20 — She comes back over to the table, and says the owner will be with us in a moment, turns and leaves. Doesn’t say why. Owner comes over and says the restaurant was sold way too many bottles of Malbec the night before, and suggests we switch to pinot or merlot. We order the Merlot. Whatever.
8:25 — Owner asks if we would like new glasses for our new bottle. We say yes, he starts busing the existing glasses that aren’t entirely empty. Lucy looks like someone stepped on her puppy when her glass is taken.
8:30 — A couple walks in, sits at an open two top table (there are still like 5 or 6 open). The owner comes over and tells them to get up and sit at the bar because they didn’t have a reservation. They are eventually sat at a different table.
8:35 — Still no bread. My father in law decides that he’s going to switch our burned out candle with a lit one at an open table. Like a hawk, the owner comes over and switches them back. He at least lights our candle, which then promptly goes out again.
8:45 — As we are counting out money to leave on the table for wine, our appetizers arrive. Kinda. Two of the four arrive. When we inquire about the remainder of the apps, we are told by the waitress the chef isn’t going to make them. I’m concerned about not getting all my entrees. We get up to start leaving. The owner and waitress don’t look surprised or shocked, apparently this is a commonplace occurrence. We leave money for the bottles of wine, and leave.
8:50 — As we walk outside, the guy from the two top that walked in right before us is smoking a cigarette. He says he’s the sous chef at Besh downtown. He was apologizing for the service we got. He also said he had ordered the lamb, and was pretty sure it was stewed beef. He tells us to come to Besh and he’d take care of us.
8:55 — We go to Hana around the corner, had great sushi and sake, and were out within 40 minutes.
Absolutely miserable experience. This restaurant is the purgatory of dining establishments. This restaurant failed on so many basic levels, I cringe that people use this in a sample of new Orleans restaurants.

Can I give a negative star! I walked out of this place. It was hot, my wine was a few days open and old, the samosas were ok, came quickly, but after that we waited 45 minutes and the poor server, who was all by herself, came to our table to tell us they no longer had the salad we ordered. Really! You couldn’t have told us that 45 minutes ago! We had a groupon, told them to bring us our check and redeemed the groupon and walked out before they brought out anything else. Horrible! Don’t go there. I was sitting at the table envisioning Gordon Ramsey tearing the place apart! Never again! Oh and they didn’t even have a bar tender!

Service is horrible and food is ok. I wouldn’t recommend spending your money here. The only good thing was the bread, wine and salad. we had a
certificate and we’ll never come back. The crab cheese cake was bad and the osso bucco was not the best. The table behind us sent back their duck and the owner came out and didn’t apologize, but instead tried to tell the customer that it was cooked for 8 hours and nothing was wrong with it. Isn’t the customer always right? My husband and I have worked in restaurants and are not too critical, but this was horrible. Service was pathetic, owners don’t care, and the chef can’t figure out a fusion to save his life! You don’t feel the love or get a good meal here… find another restaurant!

I found a groupon for this restaurant the other week and decided to use it yesterday for a «date night». We arrive around 8:30 and the place was completely empty except for one group in back room of the restaurant. An older lady took my groupon and let us choose from all of the empty tables. We sat down and was greeted by an unhappy waitress who took our drink order. She came back and we ordered two appetizers and our entrees. The appetizers, somosas and fried tofu came out fairly quickly. The samosas were good; the tofu was bland and dry. Because the sauces were somewhat spicy, my boyfriend and I drank through our water quickly but didn’t receive refills until much later.
After we ate our appetizers, we waited for almost half an hour before the table was cleared. We waited for another half an hour before our entrees came out. In a completely empty restaurant, we waited for AN HOUR for our main dishes. A man who appeared to be the owner came over to our table when the food was delivered to let us know «it’s worth the wait».
The tofu curry I had consisted of the same bland, dry and fried tofu we’d had as an appetizer. One the side was admittedly good mashed potatoes and about three items of vegetables. The vegetables were cold and tasted as though they’d been microwaved. This is curry! Curry should have vegetables! I was shocked at the meager portion size and lack of quality. I was waiting for an hour, after all.
My boyfriend ordered the cornish hen. The hen had very little meat, the same meager vegetables and a side of… bland potato salad? Really?
I have no idea how this restaurant is still around. We were openly agitated and ready to leave after we quickly (tried) to eat our main dishes. When a woman who seemed to maybe be another owner came over to ask how everything was, we told her we waited for far too long and we’d just like the check to leave. She apologized, brought the check, and made us wait for another 15 minutes before retrieving it. Worst service I’ve ever had.
She offered us a gift certificate to come back as an apology. I will NEVER come back to this place.

Went here with a friend a couple of weeks ago to use a Groupon coupon before it expired.
I probably never would have found or chosen this place on my own, but after having dined there I will return.
We began with a starter course, I had the vichyssoise, my partner had an app special which was described as a «Bulgogi beef Taco».
The vichyssoise was nice, very tasty, but with a little coarser texture than I am used to. Maybe they didn’t have a powerful enough robocoupe to really pulverize the potatoes.
The beef taco was amazing … Asian style stewed beef, served in wonton skin wrappers fried in a u-​shape to resemble a crispy taco, served on a bed of what I think was crispy kale. If you dine here and this app is offered as a special, GET IT !!!
Our main courses were excellent as well. I had the Korean style hanger steak, served with pickled daikon and puréed potatoes, and my dining partner had the lamb osso buco. Both were very good choices. The hanger steak came to the table perfectly cooked to the rare temperature I prefer, and his osso buco benefited from a long slow braise.
Al in all quite pleased, even more so by the value derived from using a Groupon offer!

We stopped in on a Saturday for dinner. We asked for one of the tables for two by the front windows so we could watch the people go by. The waitress came over with fresh bread & whipped herbal butter for to us to nibble on after she took our order. I started dinner with the Lobster & shrimp bisque. My wife had the fig and goat cheese salad to start. Both were good. For the main course I had the coconut gulf shrimp over flat noodles and green curry. I was a little surprised they left the heads and tails on. It made it a bit messy to eat. Oh, well… The taste made up for the inconvenience. My wife had the braised short ribs. She raved over them. Finally, dessert came, a champagne mousse made with local Pontchatoula strawberries. What a way to end a meal.
Service was good. They had a simple but effective wine list. Picking a wine for dinner wasn’t a problem. Zeenat, Sara’s Mother, came over to chat with us while we were waiting for the dessert. It was easy to find parking on the street right across from the restaurant.

My wife and I just came back from the wine pairing deal from Groupon and wanted to share our great experience with Sara’s Bistro. Its our new favorite restaurant. Our favorite dish was the short ribs. The servers were courteous, the food was excellent and the atmosphere was perfect for a quiet dinner with the wife.

My fiancé and I took advantage of a Travelzoo deal that entitled us to one appetizer, two main courses and a shared dessert. Since visiting the restaurant last Friday night for our monthly date night, I’m not certain how to describe our experience other than disappointingly awkward. I called to make a reservation a couple weeks prior and then followed-​up the day of to confirm, since I had not been called and mentioned our voucher. We arrived on time and I did not get the impression that they were expecting us, though luckily a table had just left, which was cleaned for us at their leisure as we waited at the bar. During that time we watched a drink in a martini glass sent back for being «awful» and found it odd that the bartender was also the person delivering the drinks to the tables.
The server was friendly, but not very knowledgeable about the menu, nor the promotion, as she seemed new and not thoroughly trained. When she was going over the specials, she looked nervous to bring out the piece of paper to read an item off the specials. Personally, I have no problem with waitstaff reading complex specials to me, rather than being forced to memorize them. The person that I assume was the owner was often seen lingering around the restaurant, talking to tables at odd times, and uncomfortably touching people on the back as they left the restaurant as if they were old friends. The other times he sat at the bar facing the restaurant and looking at his mobile phone while drinking a class of wine.
The bread was warm and nice, but the herb butter spread was definitely something that is out of a tub and not restaurant made. We were hungry, so it was acceptable considering. The appetizer we selected was a crab and artichoke cheesecake that was hardly edible, even though I love all the components. It was described as having crème fraîche, though I detected none, nor did either of us find a single piece of «lump crab meat» as it appeared to simply be imitation (white fish) if anything. Adding to these factors was the fact that it was not evenly heated with the base molten hot, the sides lukewarm and the centre cold; my guess is that it was microwaved. It could have benefited from some seasoning to make it more palatable, but there were no shakers on the tables. As we were struggling to eat this, the bartender delivered cocktails to the table next to us with the disclaimer «let me know if these taste right.» This made me glad that we were sticking to tea and water.
The entrée was the «shining star» as the only piece of our entire meal that was above average, as it was actually quite well prepared (the only thing that we ate which was prepared by an actual chef, I suspect). We both ordered the Fish of the Day, which was a mahi mahi with mashed potatoes, snow peas with a lobster sauce. It was perfectly cooked, the potatoes were homemade and snow peas nice and crunchy but my gosh the fish was SPICY. We were not expecting this as it had not been mentioned by the waitress, but it was thoroughly blackened. After the initial shock, it actually went quite well with the creamy sauce and potatoes, but it could have been a problem if we had an aversion to overly seasoned food. While we were enjoying this course, the owner bent over getting something out of a cabinet behind the table next to us, which was quite close for comfort to them I could sense from their expressions.
Dessert was also a let down and with my sweet tooth I have to contend that it was likely one of the only times in my life that I have left anything on the plate and in this case nearly half of it remained. The white chocolate bread pudding (that we were asked to decide upon when we ordered at the beginning) was horrible. Like the appetizer it was not heated properly, but also mushy and lacking any signs of white chocolate, though the out-​of-​the-​can caramel was so sweet that it made the concoction almost inedible. I suspect that a microwave was at play with this as well, since the texture was horrible overall. I was surprised that we were never asked if we wanted coffee, nor did my fiancé ever get his Iced Tea refill, though the waitress took away the glass with ¹⁄₃ remaining in it when she delivered the dessert.
About 15 minutes after we had pushed the plate to the side of the table, finished our waters, and had been waiting, the waitress returned to inquire whether we had received our bill yet. As we prepared to pay, I watched the owner actually follow guests outside talking and close the door in a young couple’s face that were also trying to leave. The stood their waiting to be able to get out, which was an awkward site. Luckily when it came time for us to make our exit, the owner had retreated to his glass of wine at the bar and we were able to leave without being put in the place of having to be honest about our experience.
Had we not had purchased this meal with a coupon, this review would have been only one star.

Went to Sara’s on Thursday night. Used a Groupon for the five course tasting menu paired with wine. Overall food was good and some dishes were excellent and wine pairings well matched with each course. We think to have paid full price for the meal at $ 170 for two plus tax and tip would have been expensive but for $ 85 plus tax and tip it was very good. As some other reviews mention, a few of the courses were substituted from the printed tasting menu. We had the spicy blue crab soup and this was outstanding. Lots of crab meat in with a Thai curry influence. Then the fig and chèvre salad was delicious. The coconut shrimp in our opinion were just ok. Not much flavor except spice. I was hoping to taste shrimp and coconut but a good dish nonetheless. Then the short ribs were superb, melt in your mouth and great flavor. Dessert was the mango and white chocolate cheesecake — wow it is perfection! Superb flavors, and definitely something to have next time!
We liked the «living room» feel of the place. It’s very comfortable and modern enough, fairly casual but upscale enough to make for a romantic dinner. Service was good. Not very friendly and yes, there was just one server for the entire place, but only 3 or 4 other tables were filled whilst we were there so it was ok. Could have been a problem if the place had been busy. After reading other reviews I would like to come back to try the lamb and the duck oh and of course more mango and white chocolate cheesecake! Finally parking — we were able to park right on the street outside.

The server had a great personality! Although he was 1 and ONLY server for everyone (about 9 tables) while the owner mingled and talked politics a total TURN-​OFF. Due to all this the food was slow to arrive and cold.
The food flavor was ok and spicy.
I will not crave this or return to eat again.
Overall overpriced.
As a health inspector: I found a hair in my meal, the server touched the water pitcher to everyone’s glass = contamination, the bathroom had NO hand soap.

My new favorite! I’ve eaten here 4 times in half as many weeks and I have never been disappointed in the least. The coconut shrimp is phenomenal and not at all what you would expect. It’s not overly sweet and perfectly spicy. I’m not a fan of sweets and usually skip dessert, but the mango and white chocolate cheesecake is so good I could eat the entire thing. The service is as good as it gets, and the waitstaff seems as excited as I am to be around all of this delicious food. I would eat dinner here every night if I could.

The tasting menu with wine pairing Groupon was a great deal for a lovely dinner. All five dishes were expertly prepared, and the favors were spot-​on. I loved the coconut shrimp (giant succulent head-​on shrimp in a subtle sauce) and my wife enjoyed the fig and goat cheese salad immensely. All of the wine pairings really complemented the courses as well. On top of the excellent edibles, the staff was extremely friendly and the chef himself came to our table, not only to talk about food but to give us recommendations about local music. A great experience all around.

It’s easy to find really awesome food in this city, but Sara’s is definitely my favorite so far. If you’re not sure what you feel like eating, this is a really great choice. Their menu includes everything from indian dishes like shrimp vindaloo to muscovy grilled duck breast (both are awesome). It’s a classy place with a nice, quiet atmosphere. Oh yeah… and the staff were extremely friendly on both occassions. 5 stars.

Groupon deal!
Location/​parking: great, easy parking. Only serve dinner 5:30 –onward tues-​sat.
Ambiance: ok, this looks like a shotgun house as you walk by, but don’t fret. You’re in the right place. And don’t be thrown off when you walk inside. The comfy, «I’m in a home» vibe continues.
Service: enthusiastic and ready with suggestions. But unobtrusive and undistracting also. Perfect!
Food: crawfish eggroll– really? Blend of Indian spices and creole ingredients. Just what I hoped for with this fusion.
Whitefish: on a bed of crab and basil cream sauce and jasmine rice. And with black bean/​corn salsa. Cream sauce was slightly distracting since too salty. Otherwise. Nice dish.
Come here to spice up and diversify your Indian indulgence. And for a comfy place that feels like home.

This was out first visit to this Indian fusion restaurant in Riverbend. Though not a «family» restaurant we were welcomed with our boys. We started with crispy crawfish eggrolls and samosas. Both were delicious and came with lovely sauces.
Then we had the Stilton salad and the mixed green salad with deep fried goat cheese. Both were good.
The highlight for me was the Oxford Lamb — slow cooked lamb with curry spices and basil. It was «close your eyes and moan» good. I’d have trouble going back and not ordering it again.
Zeke enjoyed his Saag Paneer but not as much as I did. The sauce is very similar to that of the lamb. Rachel’s Crab Bisque pleased her but I wasn’t crazy about it.
The waitress made very nice Cosmos as well.
We’ll look forward to a return visit!

The eggplant appetizer, mixed green salad with deep fried goat cheese and the mango cheesecake– oooooh yes. It’s Indian fusion cuisine and this curry-​like wasabi infused sauce with the salmon was delicious, the salmon itself was pretty good but once I finished the sauce I moved on to dessert!
The service is very friendly and great with pairing wines and the owner likes to come talk to customers all the time which is cool to see him that involved!
Ok, the thing that sucks and totally influences my review for Sara’s is the ambiance. It has a feel of someone’s grandmother’s living room… and not someone’s cool grandmother. Personal taste but I feel like the food served would better go with a more intimate and classy atmosphere.

Indian fusion. I like this place. You get a great vibe when you walk in. It is a small restaurant but the service is great. The staff is very helpful and majority of the time the chef will bring out your dishes himself.
Dishes to try:
Sesame Crusted Salmon, cooked right and real moist. I love a place that cooks fish right. The flavors blend real well and compliment each other.
Lamb Oxford: This is my favorite dish here. Slow cooked lamb with curry spices and basil. Full of rich great flavor.
Pork tenderlion w reduction sauce. The sauce is great and the pork is very moist.
Goat cheese salad: Mixed greens in a cherry vingerette dressing with fried goast cheese balls. So yummy!
Great place to bring a date, price are kind of high but worth a try.