Napoleon House — Restaurant in New Orleans

Edit: Following on from the below review, you'll see the owners reached out, and I can truly say, hand on heart, they were so sad to read what had happened, as they pride themselves on exceptional hospitality.

Chris & Beth wanted to put this right, and asked if they could do that before we left New Orleans. It really meant a lot to us, and they created the most wonderful experience and put a lot of time and effort into this. They really care, a lot, and it shows how much they want their team to know this too. Thank you Chris for your time and thoughtfulness. We truly saw how much it means to you both to put people first and the strength of those values. Never change!

I've left the original review below and changed from 3 stars to 5. You took the time to put this right, and also go beyond. That deserves an update in my book. We will be back and will tell people to ask for you when they visit! Thank you. Your kindness went a long way.

Original Review: Amazing food and service by our table server (5 stars) can’t fault either of those two things. And the venue, really cool and came recommended.

But experience really spoilt by rude manager (1 star, barely), whose name I came to learn was Nate.

The 3 of us, myself, my husband and our 3 year old, were out celebrating 2 birthdays and a wedding anniversary.

Great time, until I was scolded by the manager, who had no kind words to say, or any form of welcome.

After our meal, we’d kindly asked our server for a small cake or similar with a candle, we wanted to enjoy the moment. She was fab and more than happy to organise. She brought out a cannoli with one small candle in. Our son stood on his chair and lent over his small area of the table to carefully blow out the candle (this was always going happen, he thought we were singing to him) in pure joy, he smiled and ate some of the treat off our spoon whilst still stood. We then asked him to sit down on the chair.

We went from one member of staff walking past remarking how cute he was, and how much of a nice time he was clearly having, to Nate walking past quite forcefully, rolling his sleeves up, not stopping, eye balling me with his eyes very widely open, and cross looking, and said loudly enough ‘I need you to make him sit down right now!!’ And continued to walk off. He appeared very displeased by us being there. There was no politeness, or interest in us as a family. Totally uncalled for.

No ‘hey, happy birthday, hope you guys are having a great time, thanks for choosing Napoleon’s, how are you guys?’ And by the way, cheers for asking your son to sit down. I’m all about keeping you safe and sound.

It was embarrassing, rude, quite aggressive in manner and tone, unexpected and unnecessary.

Our son had been quiet, polite and had stayed in his chair the whole meal, except once to have a drink. (Any parent with a 3 year old will tell you that it takes a lot of effort and constant unseen work from mum and dad to do) our son hadn’t once shouted, nor being silly, left the table, or done anything untoward.

It’s totally soured the experience. Social skills are invaluable and there was no sign of these from Nate, or any sign of him after that. In my own experience of restaurant managers they are the ones raising the atmosphere, welcoming paying customers, and creating a warm and happy environment.

The restaurant welcomes children. It was nice that everyone else had lovely comments to say, and very sad that in stark contrast there was a manager whose approach made us feel very uncomfortable, with no tolerance for a normal child. And who chose to scold a parent publicly and loud enough, when we genuinely pride ourselves on teaching our son to be polite, use his manners, and respectful. We take an active role parenting when out and about.

Really not cool. Needs to sort his manners out and social interaction skills. Sadly won’t return, despite the food being superb and the waiting staff far more helpful than who you...

Overall Thoughts: Napoleon House is a popular, charming spot at the heart of the French Quarter that serves all the delicious NOLA staples from Po’Boys to Jambalaya to Gumbo to Muffulettas. There was a line to get in at 12pm on Tuesday, but it moved quickly and we were in within 5-10 min. The service was friendly and exceptionally quick, probably to keep the line of hungry people flowing. The prices are reasonable too— we had this large, filling meal for ~$28 pp with tax and tip. The inside is pretty spacious, with both indoor and outdoor patio seating and is adorned with French decor.

Food I tried: Charcuterie Board (3.5/5): I wasn’t a fan of most of the cheese on this board, but we got it to try the alligator sausage, which honestly just tasted like a pretty standard pork sausage. I wouldn’t get this appetizer again if I return in the future.

Pimm’s Flight (4/5): This was mostly just sweet and juicy— the alcohol taste / strength was very mild. Although my cocktail palate isn’t very refined, all three drinks tasted pretty similar to me.

Creole Jambalaya (4.6/5): This jambalaya was really good and flavorful. The portion wasn’t very big, but the presentation was beautiful.

Hot Roast Beef Po’Boy (4.2/5): I liked the combination of textures— the roast beef was incredibly juicy and tender compared to the lightness, airiness, and flakiness of the bread. The bread is even more flaky than a traditional banh mi. Overall, it tasted good, but the city offers better po’boy options elsewhere.

Seafood Gumbo (4.3/5): The flavor was rich and delicious, and tasted amazing with bread.

Italian Muffuletta (4.8/5): This was my favorite dish here. The bread was SO soft, toasty, and slightly sweet— a perfect ratio of denseness and lightness. The taste and texture of the melted cheese took the sandwich to a new level and the cold cuts also had a bolder flavor when heated— giving the toasted muffuletta an edge over cold ones. I normally dislike ham and salami, but enjoyed it on this sandwich. I loved the crunch and saltiness of the pickled veggies too.

Chocolate Doberge Cake (4.3/5): This was a perfectly rich, decadent, and extremely moist chocolate cake. —

Price (relative to peers): 4.3/5 Food: 4.3/5 Ambience: 4.8/5 Service: 4.8/5 Overall...

I don't even know where to begin with my feelings on Napoleon House - I LOVE IT SO MUCH! We used NH for our destination wedding (both ceremony and reception). I was brave (and maybe semi crazy) and booked the venue completely sight unseen - I was totally reliant on all the pictures and videos that I could find online and honestly it exceeded my expectations on arrival. Upon reaching out for our initial inquiry, we were immediately connected with Karen and Beth that are honestly a dream team. These ladies are top tier professionals and had the answer to every tiny question we had. I felt so confident going into the wedding because of all the honesty and open communication we had in the months leading up to our date. They were able to provide sample floor plans and provide suggestions that truly made the day just flow perfectly. Their vendor recommendations were excellent and I truly relied on these connections to assemble an incredible team of vendors to help make our day complete. We had 80 guests at our wedding, and used the Rosa and Pietro Rooms upstairs. Per NH's suggestion, we did a second line between ceremony and reception so the staff could have room/time to flip the space. I was hesitant on doing this at first, but I cannot recommend doing this enough - it made the event that was already special, one for the memory books! I honestly am just so pleased with my experience and cannot sing enough great praises about the entire team at the NH who helped make this event run so seamlessly. Everyone at NH are tried and true professionals, genuinely lovely people to work with, and dedicated to delivering excellent service. Last but no least, the FOOD & DRINKS!!!! It was all so good and months later, I am still getting random messages from guests about how the turkey at NH was the best they've ever had. Overall, if you're thinking about NH for a wedding or event, you cannot go wrong! 10/10 recommend and I am confident you will be in...