Origen Bistro — Restaurant in New Orleans

I was excited to try this new restaurant in the Bywater, I never had Venezuelan food. I was happily surprised and enjoyed the flavor of each dish. The flavors really popped. I ordered the the shredded meat arepas which came with three versions, shredded beef, shredded chicken, and white cheese. They were delicious. For my main entree I ordered pabellón criollo. This dish was the same type of shredded beef as the arepas, served with flavorful white rice grilled plantains and black beans. Together these created a great bite full of great flavor. I tried their old-fashioned and they had a twist on it with lime and it was delightful.

My only complaint is the shredded beef for my entree was barely warm almost cold, I didn’t say anything because I wasn’t sure if that’s how it may have been served in Venezuela. After looking up online, it said Venezuelan shredded beef should be served hot. If I’m wrong please tell me in your response. This is the reason for four stars other than that it would’ve been a five star experience. The temperature difference made it an odd bite. I recommend this place the food has great flavor and the menu has options you won’t find anywhere else.

I will definitely try Origen again, the brunch menu looks new and interesting.I will let them know about the shredded beef for my entree, not being hot. Restaurant is very nicely decorated, and the service was great. Welcome to the Bywater. I wish you much success.

Extra: They have beer, wine, bourbon, and whiskey, rum and tequila available. I also heard the sangria was great, but they didn’t have any that day.

The beer is local. I was hoping they had a Venezuelan beer that...

Very unassuming restaurant from the outside, it's almost a shock to see how beautiful it is inside. We had early reservations on a Friday and were their only guests when we arrived. We picked our seats and went over their menus. I ordered a damm good beer in the Daura lager. The waiter gave us his suggestions and we ordered the queso de mano, parrilla origen and tuna caribe. The queso was similar to burrata or a fresh warm mozzarella. Not quite as soft as burrata but really tasty. The tuna was so good, and almost had an Indian butter chicken sauce flavor to me. We were surprised how big a portion it was, and cooked rare like we prefer. There was so much that we couldn't finish it, and it almost tasted better the next day. The ribeye was somewhat a disappointment as everything else was so flavorful. I'm not a huge fan of that cut and probably should've gone with the flank steak instead. It wasn't bad, and cooked perfectly, but only had salt and pepper for seasoning? The sides were all outstanding too. Really good black beans, maduros, and the best yuca fries I've ever had. I do wish they had a little more variety in their sides as they're starch heavy. The house made hot sauce is slapping. Almost like a giardiniera with pickled veggies and peppers. They need a bigger spoon to serve it with because I was pouring it on everything. If they bottle it, I'll buy it. Service was attentive and pleasant and we wanted for nothing. They also have lunch and brunch options that I'm excited to...

First Visit Disappointment on Valentine’s Day

Today was our first time at this restaurant, and we chose to dine here on Valentine’s Day to celebrate with a nice dinner at this Bistro restaurant. Unfortunately, it was far from what we expected.

It all started when we were seated at a table in the corner, right next to where the staff enters their storage/service area. It was an unpleasant spot for dining, with constant foot traffic, staff picking up drinks, and people coming in and out the entire time. We sat down at 7:05 PM, but our order wasn’t taken until 7:35 PM.

The food came out relatively quickly, which we appreciated, especially on such a busy night. However, the drinks were a major disappointment. For a restaurant that presents itself as high-end (as reflected in its pricing), we were shocked to receive a $15 cocktail in a disposable plastic cup—completely out of place for an establishment of this level.

Our server never once checked on us throughout the night to ask if we were doing okay or if we needed anything. I had to get up personally to ask for napkins. There were also mix-ups with our orders, among other details that showed a lack of attention to service.

In the end, we decided to ask for the check and left to have drinks elsewhere. The staff simply said, “Sorry, I hope we can provide you with better service next time.” We were left disappointed by such poor customer service.

The food was great, the drinks were nothing special, but the service needs a lot of...