Red Fish Grill — Restaurant in New Orleans

A Night to Remember in the French Quarter:

Location: Right in our hotel - couldn't have been more convenient! Server: Ike (absolute legend!)

The Experience

Last night's dinner at Red Fish Grill was absolutely amazing! Being located right in our hotel made the decision easy, but the food quality made it unforgettable. This place truly captures what New Orleans dining is all about.

What I Ordered:

Alligator Sausage & Seafood Gumbo ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ I'll be honest - I've never tried alligator before, so I was a bit nervous. But wow, was I pleasantly surprised! You honestly couldn't even tell it was alligator. The meat blended perfectly with the Louisiana shrimp in this incredible rich, dark roux. The "holy trinity" vegetables and green onion rice made it a complete, comforting dish that really showcased authentic Creole cooking.

Crispy Fried Catfish with Shrimp Étouffée ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Here's where I made a small tactical error - the étouffée sauce was quite similar to my gumbo, so the flavors didn't vary as much as I would have liked. Next time I'd definitely switch it up and try something different for the second course. That said, the catfish was perfectly crispy and the shrimp étouffée was delicious - just a bit repetitive after the gumbo.

Strawberry Doberge Cake ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ What a perfect way to end the meal! This classic New Orleans dessert was everything I hoped for - light, sweet, and the perfect finale to an amazing dinner.

Drinks That Hit the Spot:

The margaritas here are seriously good - definitely don't skip them! I also tried the Bourbon Streetcar which was fantastic. Their cocktail game is strong, and it's clear they put thought into both classic and creative options.

Service That Made the Night:

Can we talk about Ike?! This guy was absolutely incredible - full of energy and excitement that was genuinely contagious. He made the whole experience so much more enjoyable with his enthusiasm. Service like this is what turns a good meal into a memorable night out.

My Honest Take:

The food was amazing, the location couldn't have been more convenient (seriously, being right in our hotel was perfect), and the service was top-notch. My only regret is ordering two dishes with similar sauces - but that's on me, not the restaurant!

Would I go back? In a heartbeat! Next time I'll be smarter about mixing up my selections to get more variety in flavors.

Bottom line: If you're staying in the French Quarter and want incredible New Orleans food without having to go far, Red Fish Grill is your spot. And if you've never tried alligator, this is the place to do it - you won't even know what you're eating (in the best...

I wanted to give this place 5 stars so badly but our server was the pits!!! For food and beverages 10 stars!!! Every single thing we had that night was scrape the plate good!

I had BBQ chicken with corn pudding, their signature drink which was mixed to perfection and the praline sundae was to die for! The BBQ chicken had just the right amount of sauce. Not too much to down out the flavor but enough to use on the rest of the chicken. The corn pudding was such a surprising side but at a New Orleans seafood restaurant but it worked perfectly and I loved the combination! The portion sizes were enough to be full but not too full for dessert. We saw someone else order it and knew we had to have it! Best decision ever!

Now for our service... The restaurant wasn't terribly busy. It seemed manageable. It took a minute for him to come to our table but other than that It started out promising. He took our drink orders and helped us choose but after we ordered it was downhill from there. Runners delivered the food so we didn't see him. We got our food and he didn't come back to check until we were almost done and as he was walking past he asked if we were doing ok. I asked for water. He brought that and left again. We finished our food, had time to watch the table next to us get their dessert, ask what it was and still waited for a while. He passed by again and we had both cleaned our plates. He stopped and asked if we needed anything, we said a dessert menu. He came dropped it off and left again without picking up our plates which he should have done the first time. He took so long to come back, we finally just got someone's attention who was probably a manager and told him we wanted dessert but our waiter hadn't been back. He told us he'd take care of it. Our waiter came by shortly after and we told him we already placed our order and very snootily he said, well I still have to put it in the computer. We could see the computer and the guy who took our order from where we were sitting. He went straight to the computer after he left our table so we could see he was putting something in. Our waiter never aplogized, never said anything to let us know what was going on and the only reason he came back was to ask if we needed the check and that took forever too. I'm sure by that point he was already upset.

I definitely would NOT pass on this place because of one bad waiter! If you're on the fence, GO! The food in itself is more than worth it!

I will...

We visited the restaurant on the evening of Friday, February 16, and despite the bustling atmosphere, we were delighted to be seated immediately at 6:30 pm. Our waiter welcomed us warmly and promptly took our order for a refreshing glass of wine and a draft beer, along with two appetizers—the savory Brussels sprouts and some freshly baked bread. In just about 10 minutes, the Brussels sprouts arrived, courtesy of a food runner. We noticed we hadn't received plates or our drinks yet, so we decided to wait a bit. However, the tantalizing aroma of the sprouts was too inviting, so we began to indulge. When our waiter checked in on us, I inquired about our drinks and also requested the BBQ Oysters. He assured us he'd look into it. After a short wait, the Oysters made their appearance, but we were still missing our drinks and the bread. We hesitated, hoping our waiter would return with the rest of our order, but eventually, we couldn't resist the warm Oysters. It was about 50 minutes into our visit when the bread arrived, and we learned that the beer my husband had ordered was unavailable. He opted for water instead, and I decided to have a word with the manager about our experience. The manager at the front desk was very understanding and promised to make things right. Upon returning to our table, I was pleased to see my wine and my husband's water had been served. My husband mentioned that he saw others being served the beer he was told was out of stock. Shortly after, another staff member (possibly another manager) approached us to clarify that the draft beer was indeed out, but they had it in bottles, which wasn't listed on the menu. Our waiter hadn't been informed of this, and to make up for the oversight, the restaurant kindly took care of the cost of our three appetizers. Feeling better about the situation, we went on to place our dinner order, looking forward to the rest of our evening. Overall it was okay food and an okay experience.

Brussels sprouts 5 stars - Must try BBQ Oysters 5 stars - LOVED Bread 3 stars – just bread Dessert 4 stars Gumbo – 3 stars, I do not like tomatoes in my gumbo. Redfish 2 stars –...