Le Bayou Restaurant & Oyster Bar — Restaurant in New Orleans

Down here on Bourbon Street, history doesn’t just sit quietly in a museum. It leans against a light post with a drink in one hand and a half-shucked oyster in the other. And There’s a place down here that’s lived more lives than most folks you’ll ever meet.

It started off simple enough—a family home back in 1880, a place where the Jean Vattier clan laid their heads, probably thinking they’d found themselves a nice, quiet corner of the Quarter to live out their days. But New Orleans don’t do quiet, and by 1944, that prim and proper home had reinvented itself as Stormy’s Casino Royale, a burlesque joint where a woman named Evangeline the Oyster Girl made her name doing Lord-knows-what with shellfish, leaving a legacy scandalous enough to fog up a priest’s reading glasses.

Then came Al Hirt’s, a jazz club so full of brass and bourbon-soaked revelry that the walls probably still hum with the echoes of a trumpet solo. From 1962 to 1983, this was where the sound of the city lived, where the music spilled into the streets and wrapped around your ribs, making sure you felt it in your bones before you even knew what hit you.

But even the best songs have to end, and when the jazz died down, the food took center stage. First with 5 O’Clock Grill, then with Cajun Cabin, where the gumbo was rich, the music was loud, and the only rule was to eat good and dance like you meant it.

And now? Now Le Bayou Restaurant and Oyster Bar is still doing it, still keeping the Quarter fed, still making sure nobody walks past without at least thinking about pulling up a chair. And if you know what’s good for you, you’ll sit down and order the Asian Cajun Oysters.

Now, listen—this ain’t your standard half-shell situation. This is what happens when the Gulf meets the Far East, when brine and fire shake hands and decide to make something better. Six oysters, fresh as sin, sitting pretty on the half shell, but they ain’t alone. They’re topped with pickled jalapeño, sharp and fiery enough to wake up whatever part of your soul has been sleepin’ too long, and then hit with citrus ponzu, a sauce so bright and sharp it practically makes your mouth tune itself to a higher frequency. It’s a bite that don’t ask permission—it just takes over. And that’s the thing about Le Bayou Oyster Bar - it ain’t some fussy, dressed-up, tourist-trap version of New Orleans. It’s the real deal.

It’s history, it’s music, it’s food that don’t just fill you up but gets into you, the kind of meal that reminds you why you’re here.

So if you’re walking down Bourbon, and you catch a whiff of something that stops you dead in your tracks—follow it. Chances are, it’s leading you right to Le Bayou Oyster Bar, right to a table, right to a plate of oysters that’ll make you wonder why you ever ate ‘em any...

Ok. I hate this. I went here because we were able to get out of the rain here and get seats at a counter without reservations (a couple of other places were full, or reservation only) on New Year's Eve. It's loud, had college football on the TV'S and cheering patrons. I know, it's New Year's Eve....expect loud, obnoxious people. That being said, our server, Tootie, was a sweet, polite professional. Obviously used to dealing with this type of environment. I didn't expect much in the taste department, but I was TOTALLY wrong! THE FOOD: We started with an appetizer of Gator Traps. Panko-breaded alligator and jalapeno cheese stuffing, deep fried with sweet corn rounds. Came with 2 sauces. The gator traps had great bite and flavor, and both sauces were above average. For my entree, I got The Debris..Two burger patties smothered with roast beef debris, pepper jack cheese, grilled onions and mushrooms on a brioche bun. Tater tots on the side. The Tater tots were fantastic, but hey, deep fried potatoes in any form are fantastic! The Debris was a taste surprise to me. I took the top of the bun off so I didn't fill up on carbs so early in the evening (7 pm). The bottom of the bun was too soggy to pick up any way. I cut it up and ate it with a fork and knife. The roast beef debris was peppery and plentiful and tasty. The burgers were great, too. Apps and entree I give 5 stars for taste. The girl who would be my girlfriend had the Buffalo Shrimp Salad. They were ok with a substitute buffalo chicken with the shrimp, and the girl loved it. She was really satisfied with it. Overall, food fantastic. There was a glitch when a patron was throwing his arms around behind us and knocked a server carrying drinks into the girl who would be my girlfriend and got her a little wet. Not the servers fault. I'm going to give 4 stars overall. The bill was kind of high for 2 cans of Miller Lite, 2 Chardonnay's, 2 entrees and an app ($75. Plus tip) The men's room has 1 stall, and was only...

We were strolling down Bourbon Street looking for something a little less dive-y than all the daiquiri and pizza joints (not that there is anything wrong with that- just not what we were looking for) when we came across this restaurant. Honestly, we had been eating seafood for a week and I was hoping for something a little different and the host/hawker at the door was like “give us a try- we do have some other options!” And I acquiesced. I am SO glad I did. In the end, still ordered seafood because the Napoleon Shrimp and Grits sounded unique and delicious and I was absolutely correct. Hands down, the best shrimp and grits I have ever had. The fried green tomato adds this extra texture and flavor that is so special. And the Cajun cream sauce? Insane. My husband had the chargrilled oysters, which we discovered on our trip to New Orleans is the best way to ever have oysters. I don’t normally like oysters at all- can’t make myself even eat them, but he insisted I try and I could not believe how good they were! Kind of like escargot but a much nicer texture. He also had the Taste of the Bayou sampler and chose to have all 4. He had something similar at Acme Oyster last night and liked it way better from here. It all tasted really fresh. The drinks were good, as well, though they were out of a couple of the things I wanted to try. We couldn’t do dessert because we were too full. It was a little more than we spent for other meals, but reasonable for the quality. I would absolutely eat here again if we return to...