Almasgoof Restaurant — Restaurant in Louisiana

The food is really good, and the service is as well. I'd been meaning to get out here for a long time, but finally made the short trip from my home in the city to this restaurant.

I'm half Persian, so I'm used to that sort of food. The last time I had Iraqi food was at a restaurant in Vancouver years ago. So I wasn't very familiar with what to get here. Like Persian restaurants, the names of dishes are in English but they're phonetic translations of foreign terms so it can be a bit difficult if you're not familiar.

The lady who seated me was super nice and made a recommendation of the fish. I was interested in that, but was inclined towards kebab since I grew up eating koobideh. She steered me towards the fish and I had no regrets.

It comes out split and grilled, and I was just going to dig in and pull the meat from between the bones. My Cajun half is ashamed here, but the lady serving and hosting saw me struggling and offered to show me how to debone the fish. It was super simple, and I was embarrassed for myself, but appreciated the assist.

Anyway, the fish was excellent. Cooked perfectly. The charred parts with the marinade and spices were great and better mixed in with the well cooked fish. The rice that came on the side was perfectly cooked as well, but different than I expected. I'm used to like saffron and sumac, but this was yellow rice with a hint of cinnamon or something.

I was also served the lentil soup, which was a very pleasant surprise. I'd never had that before. There was something about the spice in it that I couldn't quite put my finger on, but it is excellent. The soup itself was just thick enough to feel substantial without feeling like a meal, and whatever spices are in there are perfect. Man I wish I could put my finger on it.

The one thing in common with Persian restaurants is the hot tea. I had a little cup before and after the meal and it was perfect. Which reminds me of the setting. It isn't exactly fast casual, it is more of a sit down place with some traditional booths on the back wall. Some places in town are like the Iraqi restaurant I went to in Vancouver, where they're primarily focused on takeaway so there isn't much focus on seating for dining. This is different. Good setting for dining in.

Bottom line is they have great food and nice people. I'd recommend this place to my friends. It will also be nice to return and try...

First time having Iraqi food and our first time in NOLA. The food standouts were the pompano fish and Iraqi salad. Both were outstanding with lots of flavor. The hummus, dipping bread and beef kabobs were nothing special.

Unfortunately, service was unacceptable and one in our party was ready to walk out. The female owner/family member who seated us and who made initial contact with us was openly rude with her comments when we began asking questions about the menu. She basically stated she wanted to explain the menu when all members of the party were present as she did not want to repeat herself. When asked about substitutions, she said “I already said it was ok.” And you better believe there was no smile on her face and her tone was quite rude. It also took her forever to get our drink order. Her attitude changed when our family who lived in NOLA arrived on the premises as she recognized their faces. She was friendly towards them. At the conclusion of dinner while we were paying the check, she stated “if you intend to buy the pre-boxed desserts, let me know before I total up the ticket because I don’t want to have to redo it.” Really? Needless to say, no dessert for us. We however, have to give credit where credit is due…..her husband/owner was her complete opposite, being friendly, personable and extremely welcoming. He even offered us a piece of chocolate when we walked outside the restaurant.

Just want to forewarn future customers. If you’re going for the food, that’s fine but don’t expect any...

There is no zero star otherwise I would have given that. We regret to dine in this restaurant on the day of Eid Al Fitr. We had searched for a place which offers Lamb and Chicken Mandi in New Orleans. We got this place in search results. We went and had ordered a Lamb Shank Mandi, A Chicken Mandi and a Buffet. Chicken was smelling rotten. We had thought that it was the smell of specific signature spice. But after reaching home whole family had stomach upset followed abdominal discomfort, pain and diarrhea the following day. Food was served cold as if it was alrrady prepared for previous day iftar. Mandi rice is not tasty and the quantity is super low not enough for one person. Buffet is buffet for name shake and lady is controlling the quantity of the food and not allowing to take the item whice very rarely tasty (Sheesh kebab which was the only tasted good in buffet but was very cold). There are other better Halal restaurants in NOLA and we will never visit again this place Also price is not proportional to the quantity...