Costera — Restaurant in New Orleans

Absolutely unacceptable management and customer care.

This dining experience was to celebrate a birthday and we chose this restaurant for it's appealing Reveillon menu and high ratings. While the food was generally good, the response to an incident that occurred during our dining experience was wholly unacceptable.

We had informed the restaurant in advance that one of our guests had a gluten allergy (the birthday guest) and were offered a gluten-free menu upon arrival. At the restaurant, we then inquired about the Reveillon menu and asked if that could accommodate a gluten-free guest and were assured by our server that yes, it could. However one of the first dishes served was coated in breadcrumbs and our gluten-free guest was not alerted to this in advance and did not discover it until after consuming a significant portion of this dish. We informed the manager of the error and explained that our gluten-free guest would be ill for the next few days as a result of the restaurant's mistake. The manager brought out a gluten-free replacement of that dish and we were subsequently informed throughout the remainder of the dinner if dishes were or were not gluten-free.

However, at the completion of the meal, the bill was brought to the table with NOTHING removed and no compensation offered for the grievous error. This was a significant bill including the meals and alcoholic beverages of 6 guests, with certainly enough room to offer an appropriate compensation without major loss to the restaurant. Given that the restaurant's error would aggravate a dining guest's medical condition and cause the guest physical pain and illness as a direct result, it was shocking that this guest's meal was not automatically removed from the bill.

The manager then came over and asked us if he could do something and I told him to make it better. He then asked how he could do this and I suggested that the birthday guest's dinner and alcohol be removed from the bill. I thought this a reasonable request given the significance of the mistake, and the fact that we were having to show the restaurant how to take care of their guests since the manager did not make the appropriate call to start. The manager then had the AUDACITY to shove the bill back at me and say "Absolutely not, leave whatever scathing review you want and I trust you will not be back." He then also went on to say he was sorry there was a "miscommunication," despite the fact we had made it very clear from the beginning that this guest had a serious gluten allergy. In the end a glass of wine and champagne were removed.

To the hostess' credit, she did come over and check to see what had happened and we were able to explain that the entire situation, compounded by the manager's unacceptable response and rudeness, was not how guests should be treated. Thankfully we still enjoyed our evening overall, but our gluten-free guest will begin suffering later this evening, as is typical of gluten allergies, and will continue to do so for several days.

Where Costera erred this evening was by failing their primary responsibility to their guests when working within the food and hospitality industry: take care of your guests. This was not a dish served at the wrong temperature or a meal the guest did not order, this was an ignorance of a FOOD ALLERGY and the lack of concern when realizing the mistake. A food allergy can cost a guest their life and diners place trust in restaurants and their servers to respect their needs and requests. This guest never should have been made to pay for food that will cause her pain and suffering. When that choice was not initially made by the restaurant, it should have been accepted without question when asked by the guest and certainly NEVER met with rudeness or dismissal by the staff. Shame on Costera for choosing a manager that views guests as dispensable. To the manager- you're right, you’ve given us every reason to be sure we won’t be back. This restaurant and its guests...

We were so excited for our first reveillon dinner experience - in NOLA! We deliberated over all of our restaurant options and finally settled on Costera. We were not disappointed - or hungry - when we left!

We booked a reservation (we went early when they opened; I don't think a reservation is really necessary between 1600 and 1700, but it filled up quickly after 1700 so I would advise making a reservation after that point). Costera is in a good location where you can find safe street parking at no cost that's close to the restaurant. Prices were comparable to most nicer restaurants downtown who are also doing reveillon options. We paid about $170 for 2 people (including tip).

Do note that if you want to do the reveillon dinner, it is family style so everyone at the table will have to do it. You can, of course, order other things off the menu, but you'll be paying for everyone in your group to do the reveillon.

Now for the food: AMAZING. For their reveillon, you don't make any choices; the chef curates your menu and it's kind of a surprise what comes out. There is a menu posted online on some third-party websites, but what were served was slightly different. We personally loved the surprise - gave us a chance to try foods we may not have otherwise chosen. And we didn't realize that each of the first 3 courses came with multiple dishes for us to taste and share. Everything was amazing.

If you're not doing the reveillon dinner, order their charred romaine. I know it sounds weird, and I probably wouldn't have chosen it myself, but it was seriously my favorite dish of the night. Every dish was phenomenal - flavorful, cooked to perfection, the right temperature, plates beautifully.

Attached are photos of some of our food. Regretfully, I didn't get photos of our MAIN course...just started chowing down too fast! But the main course was a red fish (red snapper?) and wilted broccoli.

Also, I will add that their staff were highly attentive (without being annoying), very friendly and polite, and overall provided fantastic service. They really made the whole experience even better. And we did show our proof of vaccination at the front desk for those who will...

Fancy and casual restaurant that serves some delicious food. Get the family style tasting (I had it at dinner time) if you love to try new foods and a little bit of everything on the menu. The terres major steak and seafood paella was some of the best I've ever had.

Food I got the tasting with my table of 8 and had an amazing experience. There were so many different kinds of food coming left and right that I just couldn't keep up with pictures (sorry only pic I took was of the paella, which would you look at that!!) All the food was delicious and came in appropriate portions. I especially want to give recognition to the steak and paella. The steak was cooked perfectly so that it was juicy and would just melt in your mouth. The seafood paella had TONS of seafood in it and the shrimp were GIGANTIC. They just lay the seafood on a bed of rice and it goes well together. There was so much food that we about 1/5 of the paella was leftover.

Atmosphere The interior is very nice and has a fancy feeling to it. But the vibe was still casual enough that you could wear shorts and a t-shirt. It's the kind of place that I would want to bring my girlfriend on a date on for a special kind of occasion.

Pricing A more expensive restaurant than I'm used to but every dollar was worth it. The food was amazing like I said in the food section above.

Service Excellent service. Food came out much quicker than I had anticipated and the waiters would explain which each dish was. Staff was very friendly and nice to joke around with.

Other I had Ubered here from my hotel but there might be street parking around. I heard that the ice cream shop next door...