Adolfo’s

Scam. Scam scam scam scam scam scam scam.
The food was good, but the oyster sauce is one of the biggest, most blatantly obvious scams I’ve ever seen in my life. Every staff member was laying it on as thick as possible, yelling across the bar to customers «yo get the oyster sauce,» ribbing each other about how great it was. Our waiter, of course, continued this hard-​sell of the off-​the-​menu sauce, neglecting to mention it would cost us an additional 30 bucks on our check. For sauce. He made it sound like it was just a sauce that could be swapped out with any of the others.
I don’t know how no one else on Unilocal has mentioned this. I think this scam may be going all the way to the top, possibly involving the President of the United States. Okay, I kid about that, but seriously, know that you will be paying $ 10 bucks a pop for some sauce if you decide to opt in.

Pretentious, dirty, cash only, overpriced. Told waitress that my companion couldn’t have dairy and made sure the fish was not cooked in butter, fish was delivered in a cream sauce. They didn’t care about the cream sauce and we were charged full price no offer to bring anything else, no offer to make it right, just took the plate away and dropped off bill. I ordered the fish with the famous ocean sauce, tasted like cream that’s about it, not special at all. One of the least enjoyable dinning experiences I have had in a very long time.

Get there early to get a seat! This place is tiny and people take their time eating. We sure did! Obviously a local hangout. Everyone in there seemed to know everyone else. There were several groups of friends taking their time eating and drinking and having fun so I’m sure this place gets backed up with waiting as the dinner hours progress. We got lucky and arrived early and were immediately seated. The ocean sauce is AMAZING. Like seriously I could drink it. Husband got 2 huge pork chops with the ocean sauce. I opted for the NY strip steak with butter mushroom sauce. Delicious as well but not like the ocean sauce. I have food allergies and couldn’t eat more than a taste but WOW! Made me want to risk getting sick!

Adolfo’s is in a fantastic location a safe distance away from Bourbon and close to some great live music and local hang-​outs. It is a small and intimate setting, and while we had to wait close to 90 minutes for a table, the downstairs area provided us with plenty of drinks, live music, and a friendly atmosphere.
The food was excellent — we really could not go wrong with anything we ordered. After several plates of mussels, which we thoroughly demolished, our meals came and were fantastic. The lamb was well-​cooked with sauce that really added to the flavor. The steak came with «ocean sauce», making it almost a surf and turf combo.
The best part about Adolfo’s really was the service. Isabel was one of the best waitresses that I have ever had — fun, knowledgeable, and just really cool. She provided us with phenomenal service and really went above and beyond by recommending some excellent places for nightlife, music, and food!
Great experience and I’ll certainly be back on my next visit!

This restaurant was recommended as a favourite. It started off well with being told we were 4^th on the list with a wait of 45 minutes. 2+ hours later we were still 4^th. Now, unless they had the slowest eating customers in the world, something else was going on. Maybe regulars were given priority which is understandable but tourists are the jam on top and should be treated accordingly.
Did enjoy the Apple Barrel downstairs where we waited, the music and the fun we had with other customers. Nicki behind the bar was lovely and chatted between serving.
Unfortunately, the restaurant was not fun. I ordered the mussels (recommended) and was given a plate of two thirds closed mussels. When I complained the waitress checked with the kitchen who seemed to think it was acceptable. After a bit of toing and froing eventually got a reduction in price. Not the waitress’s fault, she was great but deeply disappointed in a cook/​chef who serves closed mussels and thinks it is ok.
My friends were happy enough with their food but not particularly impressed.

Stumbled upon this little gem. Loved the rack of lamb and the hub’s stuffed flounder. Ocean sauce is a must. Don’t be in a rush and take your time to savor every bite and soak up the atmosphere. Impeccable service.

First of all, the food at Adolfo’s is always fabulous! In my opinion, one of the best meals in NOLA.
With that said, my group dined there last night as a party of 9. We were told we would have to wait a while and might have to sit at two tables. After nearly 2 hours, watching numerous groups of 4 and 5 being seated, we were finally seated. We were at two different tables next to each other so we were content. After what seemed an extremely long time to place our order the establishment asked one of our tables to move to accommodate a larger group. They did move, with hesitation. Still no food and having to ask for water several times, the establishment asked our friends to move AGAIN for the same reason. They politely declined.
As I said earlier, the food was delicious but took an incredibly long time. Many times longer than our other Adolfo’s experiences. We seemed invisible to our server as there were a group of young men she spent time focusing on their every need.
We will return to Adolfo’s but were deeply disappointed in our experience last night. The worst part is that we brought friends that had never been to Adolfo’s before. I’m not sure they will return.

Disappointed. After being seated it was more than 20 minutes to get the appetizer and over an hour to the main course. The oyster app was great! I had the grouper special with shrimp. The fish was over cooked and the shrimp had that previously frozen feel. My wife had the lamb special it was only ok. Certainly not $ 36 good.
Summary: service mediocre at best. Food was just ok but for the price seriously disappointed.

Wow Wow Wow. I almost missed out on this place because my friend told me it was italian and being from Jersey, I didn’t feel the need to try italian in NOLA. Thank God the alternate restaurant had an hour wait because we came back here and I died basically. We had the escargot and cannelloni filled with crabmeat and corn it was was the best thing ever. We shared our meal because it was a good size — the seabass in ocean sauce — STOP IT. Melt in your mouth good. And definitely used the bread to soak up that delicious sauce. Service was great, as soon as you walk in the door you can smell the food. Small intimate place.

This is one of the best New Orleans/​Italian style restaurant I have been to. I have been here twice so far and I had great experiences in both times!
It’s practically a house so it’s a pretty long wait. The first time I was there, we waited about 30 minutes and I was really being skeptical about it, but once we were seated, everything was just great!
The service was good. Our waitress was very nice and patient. She also gave us great recommendations!
Their mussel appetizer was amazing! Also, their ocean sauce which is made out of crawfish, shrimp and crabmeat is just phenomenal! You can request it to put on anything you like but I recommend the steak! Also, my friend tried their lamb rack and I tasted it and it was great!!!
If I am in the area again next time, I will definitely go back! It is really worth the wait!

I think the food is highly overrated, frankly. Had their recommended dish with ocean sauce, and it was honestly not nearly as tasty as I was expecting… creamy and bland.
If you’re the type of person who goes into an Italian restaurant and orders a fettuccine alfredo, you’ll probably like it.
Service was really quite nice though.

Buen secreto en Nola! Básicamente está arriba de un bar de jazz, que no fuimos pero que parecía muy copado. La atención es amable y dedicada, nuestra moza nos comentó todos los platos del día y convenció de uno de ellos. El lugar es pequeño y se llena así que es recomendable ir temprano. Dentro de toda la variedad de comida que hay en Nola, Adolfos ofrece la alternativa italiana que a mi personalmente me gustó mucho. Pedí los crepes de verdura, vinieron muy calientes y ricos!!! La porción me pareció abundante.
También hay pescados del día, la carta tiene mucho de pescado así que si te gusta, este es el lugar para eso.
Solo admiten efectivo, pero hay un cajero adentro mismo del lugar.

Great food and really good service. We came for my husband’s birthday and we were so pleased! I ordered the Chicken Brenda and he ordered the Steak with Ocean sauce.
It was fabulous! Really really incredible. The steak was amazing, just by itself — great flavor and cooked perfectly to temp (med rare). But the ocean sauce (shrimp, crawfish, and crab) was an amazing addition to the red meat. Highly recommend.
The chicken Brenda was an excellent dish too. Flavorful, spicy, and filling.
Super fantastic meal for us!!! Would definitely come again.

I had dinner here last night and wasn’t as impressed as the majority of other Unilocalers. I wouldn’t say it was a bad experience, but more on the mediocore side.
We started by walking through the bar (with live music) downstairs and were actually seated immediately, at the final open table. I love the décor of the restaurant, it’s very local and charming. Our watiress appeared very quickly and was friendly and peppy, a theme I’ve noticed with the staff at New Orleans restaurants.
I settled on the stuffed flounder dish with shrimp and other assorted goodies baked inside of it. I even paid extra for the famous «Ocean Sauce.» I also ordered a salad, with their own special vinagrette dressing.
The first thing to arrive was some garlic bread which were nothing of note. Of course, I won’t judge a place on that simple appetizer. The salad was a real dissapointment though. The veggies didn’t taste that fresh and the dressing wasn’t great.
I had very high hopes for the stuffed flounder and was really let down due to the cost ($ 36). While the fish didn’t taste awful, the sauce wasn’t that tasty and the only memorable thing about the food were the pieces of shrimp stuffed inside. They alone saved the rating for Adolfo’s to 3 stars.
I would not return here as I have heard of so many awesome eateries around the city. With the assortment of positive ratings, I’m thinking they must have just had a bad performance on my one meal.

Unfortunately, count me among those reviewers who were badly failed by Adolfo’s.
The mussels, I was told by the bartender downstairs (where, yes, it smells badly of vomit) were not to be missed. The waiter also pushed them. They were not fresh and had turned rubbery, like they’d been recooked to hide the not-​freshness. I have enjoyed mussels at many places and worked at a Belgian restaurant. I was not impressed.
Main course – on the rec of the server, I ordered the sea bass. Also not fresh and had a weird consistency. The sauce was OK, but who puts cheese on fish?! This place. They put it on nearly everything. I caught the server’s attention and told him I wasn’t happy with the dish. His reaction was quite snippy, and he was brusque with me for the rest of the night, including slamming down a glass of wine on the table, which meant losing a few ounces of it to the table. The bread was terrible, and stale. The side salad was just a few chunks of iceberg with a clump of icky salad dressing.
The replacement dish took a long time to come, but I was patient. It was chicken breast that had been heavily sauteed for a quarter-​century in oil and butter and resentment. I ate a few bites out of hunger, but this whole experience was a huge letdown.
I still tipped the guy (same name as a character from Lost) decently because I was in the business, and it takes a lot for me to give a poor tip. And at least he didn’t disappear or ignore me (as it seems happens here sometimes, per other reviews).
As some other reviewers have stated, they felt quite ill later. Thank God for immodium.

The plus first —
Really fresh fish prepared really great.
THE MINUSES:
Cash only — but they will take your card at the ATM (where I’m sure they are collecting some sort of fee) I love that the wait staff pushes that portable machine on clients. Doesn’t she know that the fees are insane? AND… I don’t like to use my ATM card out and about, security wise, that’s really stupid, it’s linked to your bank account — not like a credit card, and since my credit card number gets stolen at least once a year, no thanks.
Wines — Eh. nothing special, no options really. all house crap.
Salad — this comes with the fish, basically a denny’s side salad.
No reservations — and no tables unless you go really early.
Question to ask yourself — if you can deal with the negatives, the fish is worth it.

After getting tattoos across the street at Electric Ladyland Tattoo we were famished. Even though the wait was a bit long (about an hour), the food and service were top notch! My wife and I shared the stuffed trout with ocean sauce and a seafood pasta dish, OMG HEAVENLY! Nichole West was our server. She was so helpful and attentive to our needs (one of my friends is allergic to Gluten), that she made ordering easy. While taking a selfie of us at our table with satiated faces, Nichole walked up just in time to photo bomb us perfectly… we loved it!
The bands that played downstairs in the bar pumped out some incredible tunes that just added even more pleasure to this amazing meal. To experience true New Orleans night life, spend some time on Frenchman St.

Restaurant un peu décevant. Les plats sont loin du niveau des commentaires sur trip advisor. Nous avons commendé le poisson et le veau avec la sauce ocean. Cétait bon. Rien d’extraordinaire. On nous sert aussi en entrée du pain a l’ail (passable) et un plat de pâté assez fade. La sallecest tout de meme sympa et le restaurant tres bien placé. Le service était tres agréable.

Recommended by a local guide, hubby and I decided to try it since we have always preferred a «local spot» instead of commercial places. The rack of lamb was to die for and it’s tied with one of my favorite restaurant in Vegas (Hugo’s). Hubby said the grouper with the ocean’s sauce was one of the best fish entrée he has had.
Two tips :
1)It is a small restaurant on the 2^nd floor, so come early or be prepared to wait. 2) It is cash only, they have a ATM in the restaurant.

Without a doubt, I had the best meal of my entire life at Adolfo’s during Jazz Fest 2015. My boyfriend and I shared a cozy table and a bottle of delicious red wine. We had heard that the Ocean Sauce was fantastic — and it did not disappoint. Seriously, best meal of my life.
Be sure to grab drinks at the Apple Barrel bar below the restaurant while you wait for a table (the wait is usually long but it is oh so worth it). And definitely order the ocean sauce.

When we arrived in New Orleans, we met our house host and went through our loose itinerary with her. After she gave us recommendations on a true NOLA experience, the first restaurant on her list was Adolfo. And thank goodness it was.
She warned us that the space opens at 5pm and that we should get there relatively early because it’s a small dining room and it fills up quickly.
When we arrived at 530p, it was just about packed and we were able to snag a table.
Once seated, we ordered our meals. I ordered the grouper with a cream sauce topped with Crab meat and capers. The first bite to the last was amazing! I don’t think I have ever had anything close to comparison. If you do not go anywhere else in NOLA for a good meal, do yourself a huge favor and try Adolfo. You will not be disappointed.

A friend of mine asked me if I had ever been to Adolfo’s, and since I had never even heard of it, he insisted we check the place out. Well, when we got there, at 8:30, they weren’t seating anymore. That was a major bummer, especially because the place smelled SO good.
Take two: we stopped in after Krewe du Vieux, of all nights. Suggestion: if you want to try a restaurant on Frenchmen, do so during a major parade. There was no wait.
This cute little restaurant is pretty small and located right above the Apple Barrel bar. My friend had been raving about the place, so I was eager to try it.
Looking over the menu, everything sounded amazing, but I was in the mood for fish. I decided to get the Fish Renee, which is fish topped with oysters, spinach and sherry. It also had an amazing «ocean» sauce, which sounds a little «iffy», but was actually amazing. The fish (I think it was grouper) had A LOT of flavor and the sauce was delicious. I love oysters, but I found them a little weird with the fish. I think it was a texture thing and was more of a «me» issue than an issue with the dish itself.
One complaint: I think the only bathroom is downstairs in the bar area (if there is one upstairs, please correct me). I went downstairs to the bathroom, and in that little bit of time, they locked the door going back upstairs and since I had left my phone on the table, I had to really finagle my way back up there. i mean, I had to really convince these people that I was indeed dining upstairs and not just trying to sneak into the dining room. Always an adventure.
This cozy little place is perfect for a date and what I would call «essential» New Orleans. I will definitely be back.