Cafe Maspero — Restaurant in New Orleans

Café Maspero on Decatur street sits on the corner and opens up to both sides of the street. With all of the open air and the clear dining restrictions in place and being followed properly, there was no better choice for a nice meal to kick off our day in the Quarter. We were hoping to find some decent food to hold us over until we went out to dinner later that night, but we found much more than just decent food in this charming mainstay of The Big Easy.

This cool little spot offered a semi-open kitchen plan and fully visible bar area with many tables for dining in. We got lucky and caught a bit of a somewhat cooler morning in the middle of an otherwise sweltering hot week (if you have not been to New Orleans in July, do yourself a favor and avoid it like the plague) and the cross winds we were being hit with from being surrounded on two sides by open air was quite nice. I guess all that's left to do is order a breakfast beverage, right?

Chas decided to check out the validity of their Bloody Mary (as he often does) and Chuck went with "The Voodoo Doll". The Bloody Mary was quite good and the Voodoo Doll was a very sweet concoction of Rum, Banana Liqueur, Blue Curacao and fruit juices that was nice and light for an early day sipper, not to mention the layered colors were beautiful.

For our meals Chas decided to order "The Atchafalaya" and Chuck went with "The Big Breakfast". The Atchafalaya was definitely a New Orleans original and the first either of us had ever heard of this. It was a three-egg omelet that was stuffed with onions, bell peppers, crawfish stuffing, and then topped with crawfish etouffee. The flavor was very good on the etouffee and the stuffing. Strong Cajun taste, and exactly what you would hope to get when ordering this omelet. The Big Breakfast was very good and there are a few items that stood out in a major way. Firstly, with this breakfast you get a side of Jambalaya. That was one of the main selling points for Chuck because he loves jambalaya nearly as much as babies love their mama's.

What's more is that this jambalaya just happened to be very good. The layering of the flavors and the time and effort it takes to truly blend them was truly evident when tasting this. Secondly, the buttermilk biscuit that came with this meal was quite possibly the best either of us had ever tasted. That is saying a lot, we have had a lot of real home-made biscuits in our lives...but this was something else. That biscuit had us begging for sausage gravy. That biscuit had us begging for jam. That biscuit had us begging for all fried chicken establishments in this country to get with the program and step their game up. All that was left to do was pay the check and of course get some strawberry daiquiris for the road! Nothing like a nice sweet frozen drink with some spirits to tackle walking the quarter in a facemask.

We would really love to go back here once all of the insanity of the virus has ended and see how much energy and excitement surrounds this place. It was a really great meal and enjoyable time but we are willing to bet there is just so much life here when people are allowed to be out and in their element naturally What we can say though is from the solid drinks to the unique omelets to the killer biscuits there is zero doubt...Café Maspero -...

Muffuletta different now! Waitress sweet but …..?confused ! Hostess seemed angry and nasty.

We ordered Gumbo and traditional Muffuletta. Used to come here all the time when we lived here and the original sandwich Always came on a big round unique bread bun, Seeded and flavored . Now it’s like a hoagie/ poboy bun. Very very generous meat portions and delicious olive/ spread had not changed. But never expected the traditional Italian bread bun to change ?

The gumbo was served cold….awful!

My hubby ordered a draft beer and it was good. I ordered a water and a glass of house white wine.

The thing is: We were done with our meal before she brought water or drinks, (Even though we asked her 4 times for our drinks. ) Finally asked a busboy for water and he brought it. After we finished eating she brought the drinks and mine was a sparkling bubbly white in a Champagne flute. I told Her I asked for the the house white wines she said “that is the house white wine-It’s “Brut”. I said “Brut is Champagne “ and she looked very confused and just walked away….

My husbands beer was cold And good and cost $8 My wrong order cost $12

We know eating French fries aren’t good for you and will routinely substitute salad or veggies but, hey, when in NewOrleans , ya eat ALL the fried treats! And usually it is waaay too huge of a pile of yummy warm French fries and we try to not eat them all. So we accepted that the sandwiches came With French fries. I actually chuckled when I saw the large plate with the different appearing sandwich that was indeed stacked high with meat, but literally 8 small skinny wimpy fries, and a huge empty space on that side of the plate? That was fine with me as I shouldn’t eat more than two, but it was literally amusing in appearance.

No wonder they weren’t busy AT ALL. Nothing like the special treat we always had to wait in line (down the sidewalk ) before getting a table….. Famous New Orleans FOOD establishments should have basic service training for their employees. No other resturant there served cold food and such a small portion of the included side…..New Orleans is famous for decadent overindulgence of food ……🙈

First time I only tipped 15% at a sit down resturant.

Note: I just tried to edit and correct spelling of Muffuletta and spell check...

In 1971, the old place on Chartres Street changed. It became Café Maspero. Later, it moved here to 601 Decatur Street. Still, it draws both the locals and the tourists. They come for the Southern food—crawfish etouffee, red beans and rice, muffalettas.

As I settled onto the worn stool at the bar, my gaze lingered on the original wood, transported piece by piece to its new abode from its original location on Chartres Street. Each grain, etched with the passage of time, spoke volumes of the city's storied past. It anchored the space with an air of antiquity, preserving the soul of a bygone era amidst the hustle and bustle of the present.

The bartender, assuming the dual role of server, greeted me with a genial grin, his demeanor as welcoming as the embrace of an old friend. My departure from the customary cocktail selection, opting instead for a simple glass of sweetened iced tea, did little to dampen his enthusiasm as he accommodated my preference with practiced ease. Such was the charm of the Quarter—where deviations from the norm were embraced rather than frowned upon.

Before long, the aroma of jambalaya enveloped the room, a siren's call to the senses. Three heaping mounds of Creole jambalaya adorned with charred shrimp lay before me, a testament to the culinary prowess of the kitchen. The marriage of tender sausage, succulent chicken, and the holy trinity of bell peppers, onions, and celery yielded a symphony of flavors, each note resonating with the essence of the bayou. Yet, it was the delicate balance of seasoning that elevated the dish, coaxing forth its inherent complexity without succumbing to the tyranny of excess heat. With each forkful, I was transported on a journey through time and taste, a humble ode to the vibrant tapestry of...