Toast Gretna — Restaurant in Gretna

For a weary family with kids (or just a tourist) that is visiting New Orleans, Toast Gretna is a welcome change to chain restaurants and tourist traps.

I found Toast Gretna while searching for a "mom and pop", family owned "breakfast restaurant" that was not part of a national chain.

Located on the south side of the Mississippi River, and only 10-15 minutes from the French Quarter, Toast Gretna has an unassuming facade which might cause one to pass this gem of a restaurant by. However, once inside you are greeted by a friendly hostess, a colorful mural, and welcoming atmosphere.

My buddy and I had been enjoying the sights and sounds of the French Quarter for two days, (including dining the night before at one of New Orleans' most famous family owned restaurants) and were looking for something different, so when the hostess told us the wait would be about 45 minutes, and that we could wait on the patio if we wished, we decided to wait.

The patio turned out to be a covered seating area, a full-service bar (which was doing a lively business at 11:00 AM with a variety of brunch cocktails) and a large play area for kids. The patio was busy with activity from kids playing chess to kids on the playground, to adults enjoying the morning and pleasant conversation.

My buddy and I looked at the menu while waiting so when we were finally seated, we would be ready to order. He ordered an omelette with gruyere and fine herbs with spicy sausage, and I ordered an omelette with crawfish, creamed spinach, and gruyere with ratatouille for my side.

Our food was served quickly and with little delay, which was unexpected based on the number of people in the dining areas. Our server was attentive and took very good care of us. Our breakfast was excellent. It looked so good I almost forgot to take photos.

My buddy and I agreed that our breakfast was the single best meal we had enjoyed during our visit to New Orleans. I made a point to go back to the kitchen area to commend the staff on a well-prepared meal before leaving.

While not food related, this next part is important to ladies and mothers with children. The restrooms were very clean! The restaurant was clean and well maintained. The playground was...

Very rude and unprofessional staff. I understand that restaurant gets busy especially on Sunday. However for a person with us in a wheel chair, one hostess told us we could wait in one spot when anyone got rude while telling us we couldn’t because I told her I could t hear her over the mound noise and that she would leave to speak up. We were then told that we couldn’t wait where the hostess told us to wait and that we were blocking the area for the servers to get what they needed. While trying to move out of the way a server came up and said you have to move I need to make coffee. I told her I was trying to move and that it’s difficult with her not letting me move the wheelchair out of her way and that I was working it to give me a minute. Then I got the snide remark well I said excuse me! This place is easily accessible for ADA persons! It has done the bare minimum to meet the Requirements for ADA.

When asked were to wait we were told in the back area which we could not get to down stairs with a wheelchair, that we would have to go back outside and around to the back of the building to get there. Asked if we could side the other door on the front on the building that was accessible for a wheelchair and was told no. Not two minutes later they promptly opened the very same door for a man with a baby stroller. Very unsettling that they will open a door for a baby stroller but not for someone that actually really needs access in a wheelchair. Absolutely...

We were really looking forward to eating at this location because we really enjoy the food at the Toast in Gentilly and heard the outdoor seating area at the Gretna location was spacious/family friendly. We put our name on the waiting list and requested outdoor seating (was not comfortable eating indoors with our baby). We drove to the restaurant and were told by the hostess that it would take another 20 minutes for outdoor seating. After receiving a text informing us that our table was ready, we loaded our baby into her stroller but were not able to bring her inside (the ramp ends in front of a set of steps you have to walk up to enter the restaurant - how is this ADA compliant?). My brother walked in and was told by the hostess that she gave our table away because we didn’t show up within their grace period (hard to believe because we were parked in front of Toast and responded within a minute of receiving the text that our table was ready). The only seating available was indoors, which was not acceptable because we specifically requested outdoor seating. The hostess then said we would need to wait another 20 minutes for outdoor seating. Meanwhile I was with my 3 week old niece who was starting to overheat in her stroller outside. We asked to speak to the manager who was equally unhelpful. She didn’t care that a newborn was overheating outside and restated what the hostess said. Terrible management, terrible front of house service. Highly...