The Original French Market Restaurant and Bar
The Original French Market Restaurant and Bar
Someone from this business manages this listing.
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1,665 reviews
#161 of 1,780 Restaurants in New Orleans$$ - $$$, American, Cajun & Creole, Vegetarian friendly+1 504-525-7879+ Add websiteImprove this listing
Hours
Sun
11:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Mon
11:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Tue
11:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Wed
11:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Thu
11:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Fri
11:00 AM - 11:00 PM
Sat
11:00 AM - 11:00 PM
What is Travelers’ Choice?
Tripadvisor gives a Travelers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travelers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
Ratings and reviews
RATINGS
Food
Service
Value
Atmosphere
Details
Someone from this business manages this listing.
Learn More
CUISINES
American, Cajun & Creole, Seafood
Special Diets
Vegetarian friendly, Gluten free options
Meals
Lunch, Dinner, Late Night
features
Does this restaurant offer highchairs for toddlers?
Details
About
Our story begins in the early 1940s when Sicilian immigrants Anthony Marullo Sr. and his wife Annie opened their first restaurant in Grand Isle, Louisiana, serving fish, crabs, shrimp, and oysters caught daily in the Gulf of Mexico. It was here that Anthony Marullo Jr. was born, and taught how to fish the waters that surrounded their barrier reef home. By 1965, the family was selling their fresh caught seafood in the French Market of New Orleans, and Anthony JR and his wife Barbara decided it was time to introduce Mamma Annie's dishes to the "Big Easy". Their Creole-style seafood and spicy dishes quickly gained popularity with locals and travelers alike and by 1975 had become a popular mainstay of New Orleans cuisine. Today, brothers, Jude & Anthony Marullo III continue the tradition of serving millions of people from around the world the same from scratch recipes that Annie and Anthony Sr. created almost 80 years ago.
CUISINES
American, Cajun & Creole, Seafood
Special Diets
Vegetarian friendly, Gluten free options
Meals
Lunch, Dinner, Late Night
FEATURES
Takeout, Outdoor Seating, Seating, Television, Highchairs Available, Wheelchair Accessible, Serves Alcohol, Full Bar, Accepts Credit Cards, Table Service, Live Music, Jazz Bar
Contribute
4.0
1,665 reviews
Excellent
763
Very good
499
Average
187
Poor
94
Terrible
122
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80237travel
Denver2134 contributions
Jan 2025 • solo
I had lunch here.
I ordered the shrimp cocktail as a starter and the blackened salmon as the main course.
The shrimp cocktail hit the spot, although the presentation was a little disappointing. There was almost no shrimp sauce. The salmon was cooked perfectly and the side of green beans was fresh and also perfectly cooked (sauteed). Portion size was generous. I asked for no starch (all main courses apparently include mashed potatoes) and they gave me extra green beans. That was appreciated.
The wine list is extremely limited. Only one chardonnay, Hess. Not the worst. Certainly drinkable, but not great.
I asked for water. Waitress responded, saying New Orleans city tap water is bad. She said she won't drink the water. So, I bought a bottle. I was then served a bottle of purified water. Really? If you're going to upsell water and charge for it, the water better be spring water or something better than purified water.
Service was mediocre. Getting drinks took forever. It seems like the waiter or waitress can't pour a glass of wine and serve it. Everyone, including the other tables, had to have a runner or bartender serve the drink. That made no sense. Some people didn't get their drink until the food was served. This seems to be one of those in-and-out places. They really flip the tables and the staff don't really let you linger at a table. As soon as I finished they dropped the check. Didn't ask if I wanted anything else -- dessert, coffee, or another drink.
When the check came and I pulled out my credit card, the waitress took the itemized copy of the receipt and only provided the post-credit card swipe receipt, which is an issue for anyone who tips on the pre-tax total. I don't know if it was intentional, but I've never seen a restaurant not provide an itemized receipt before.
All things considered, I would consider returning for the food. The service could be improved.
Written January 8, 2025
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Marshall B
Ferney-Voltaire5345 contributions
Feb 2024 • family
We had spent much of the afternoon stopping at restaurants to find out which restaurant would be serving boiled crawfish that evening. We even asked some restaurant staffers who were relaxing outside their restaurant whether they could recommend a place. They said that the problem was that the crawfish were too small for many restaurants in the center to carry them. But they were very helpful, giving us the name, directions and a telephone number for a place outside of the center. We were reluctant to travel too far (even though, as we found out later, the quoted price was less than half of what we eventually paid), but we were very happy to have found the original French Quarter market restaurant! We ordered 5 lbs of boiled crawfish for four people, and also a Swamp Platter (alligator, crawfish etouffee and shrimp creole). Very enjoyable experience.
Written January 12, 2025
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Kim W
Starkville69 contributions
Jan 2025 • family
Excellent meal on a cold night. The swamp platter had a wonderful trio including blackened alligator. The fried oysters were cooked to perfection, and the boiled shrimp with sausage, corn, and potatoes were seasoned just right. Love that you can watch them boil everything in the front of the store. Service was excellent. Highly recommend.
Written January 7, 2025
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Beth K
1 contribution
Jul 2023 • family
Our waitress was the only decent part of our visit. One son got a grilled chicken po boy that not only came on a hamburger bun, but the chicken breast looked like it had been on the floor all day. My husband and other son got the swamp platter, and ive never seen blackened allogator swimmimg in brown gravy. But my family was hungry, so they ate it. I, on the other hand, ordered crawfish etouffee. I took one bite, and knew it was spoiled. After the waitress took the plate away, the manager informs me that the dish won't be removed from the bill "just because you don't like it". I told her that it had been purposely over-priced to hide the fact that it was old and going bad. She said that everyone's tastes are different, and it would not be removed from the bill. So I paid $25 for a plate of rancid etouffee that I took one bite of. Place was dirty, bad food, bad attitudes from everyone but our waitress. Sure hope that young lady gets a job in a better place than this one.
Written July 8, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Mary B
1 contribution
Nov 2024 • family
Stopped in for appetizers to go. Alligator bites and hush puppies. Alligator bites were $18 and you got a teeny, little container. Waited 35 minutes for our order and had it eaten before our bill got there 10 minutes later. So...no to go for us. This is the 2nd time we've come here, and the first time was just as long of a wait. Neither times were busy. Never going again.
Written November 13, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Melissa C
Fayetteville140 contributions
May 2024 • couples
Not much for atmosphere but the food was great. You can smell the steamed crawfish from the street as they cook it in a huge pot just inside the front entrance-draws you in. Crawfish bisque was excellent. Blackened shrimp was great. Overall we agreed, after eating out for a week, this was one of the two best places we had eaten while visiting French Quarter.
Written May 5, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Mr H
2 contributions
Apr 2024 • couples
This is our third visit spanning over 20 years. Our first visit in 2003 was great. The food, including the crawfish, was very good and service was friendly and professional. We went again in ‘22 and this year and had a completely different experience. The service was performed by very young and inexperienced individuals, the entire restaurant had a dinghy and unkempt appearance and the food was mediocre or below at best. I had the crawfish on both occasions hoping for a repeat of the first experience, but they were disappointing. Many were very small and neither time properly prepared. The meat stuck to the shells making removal a tedious and unrewarding process. The rest rooms were also not being kept up with and devoid of essentials. To be fair both our last visits occurred during French quarter fest, but that does not excuse serving subpar crawfish, a specialty, many of which were too small to bother eating.
After leaving we went over to the stages around the old mint where we saw a catering company serving platers of crawfish considerably larger and by observation easy to remove from the shell.
Ce la vie, we will not try this once enjoyable spot again.
Written April 18, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Stacey B
Harrisonburg13 contributions
Jul 2023 • couples
We stopped in for dinner on a very hot night in July. The food was good (we had crab cakes, shrimp and grits, sausage gumbo with catfish), but the servers were poorly trained. We were seated and handed menus and then ignored for so long that we almost got up and walked out. Just before we made that choice, someone showed up and took our drink order. A different server took our food order, and she was very sweet, but never checked on us one time after we got our food. We eventually had to flag her down for our bill. While we sat there ignored, the staff were just hanging out in the corner doing nothing (well, not nothing...I watched one of them take multiple posed selfies in front of the bar, and another one of was eating a bag of Funyun's....really? Maybe give your staff a meal before their shift?). Another sad surprise was that the background music playing in this historic New Orleans restaurant was a radio station. A radio station with ads. We were sitting in New Orleans, the birthplace of Jazz, listening to ads on the radio. It was pretty sad, to be honest. SO, all that to say, don't expect much from the wait staff. Don't expect much ambiance. But the food was good.
Written July 28, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
wdblubie
Kansas City14 contributions
Mar 2024 • couples
We stopped in after a day of shopping and exploring in the rain! We were seated and served quickly. We recommend trying the bbq shrimp. The sauce is so delicious and they give you French bread to dip in it after enjoying the great shrimp!
Written March 18, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Adriano G
2 contributions
Nov 2023 • couples
It was the worst experience we've ever had in our lives, I've never been treated so badly in my life. The waiters served very poorly and were extremely rude. We politely went to complain, and they said we could leave, and immediately suspended our service and brought the bill without bringing all the orders. I've never seen this in my entire travel life, traveling to more than 60 countries.

Written November 11, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Eoin M
Ireland90 contributions
Mar 2022 • couples
While this is a famous restaurant located a few steps away from Jackson Square we were very impressed from the moment we walked in. Our food was absolutely to die for. As we are not big seafood fans we did not try the crawfish looked and smelled out of this world. I can confirm that their Jambalaya is one of the greatest tastes I have ever experienced. Staff were friendly and there was a busy upbeat and electric atmosphere. My only reason for not giving 5 stars is that I felt the prices were slightly high versus the portion size but in truth we probably should have just ordered more wonderful creole cuisine. Will definitely return on our next trip to NOLA
Written July 6, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
PTKeilPTKeil
Indianapolis122 contributions
Apr 2022 • couples
We have been coming here for years and they have the best charbroiled oysters, but tonight we ordered our typical crawfish and charbroiled oysters with dinner and they charged us $54 DOLLARS for ONE POUND of crablegs. We can get it for half of that in our home state of Indiana a thousand miles from the gulf and you have now lost our business when we have raved about you for years. That is straight up gouging. Good bye.
Written April 8, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Yellat72
Daytona Beach207 contributions
May 2021 • none
On a spur of the moment, we stopped in here. We ate here last time we were in town and enjoyed the atmosphere, and we like they have music to enjoy while dining. We went on a week day and it was not very crowded. Got plenty of food to eat for the money paid. My husband had the appetizer alligator bites, while I had the red beans & rice with sausage. Very good! It is the French Quarter, so the prices reflect the fact you are eating in a touristy area, but we did get enough to eat. We will go back again, just because we like to listen to the music while eating.
Our waiter was very good and attentive, however we had to get someone else's attention to get this waiter, because the waitress that sat us never came back and we waited for over 20 minutes before waving someone down. There was a decent crowd, but I would not say they were too busy to not be attentive.
Written May 13, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
SP526
Burke6 contributions
Aug 2024 • family
Came here for lunch a few weeks ago and the server added 100% of my bill as his tip. Since tip was included, I didn’t add anything extra. However, the server decided to put in his own amounting to the full charge of my bill. I tried calling and emailing the restaurant many times but received no answer. Please avoid this place so they don’t take money from you.
Written September 4, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Parama2018
Santa Clarita401 contributions
Apr 2023 • couples
Came here for lunch due to the good rating, The place was DIRTY.
The young hostess was very unprofessional, no Hello, or smiling face. She was on the cell phone at all time, threw the menus onto the table and walked away.
Waited for 15 minutes for the waitress to show up, we decided to order the boiled crawfish and a Jambalaya. It took 25 minutes for the crawfish order to came, it was OK,
The Jambalaya came with a scary looked (messy) and it was cold. Terrible.
Asked for the bill, came within minutes. It was quick. Love the billing service.
Written April 15, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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