Salon Salon — Restaurant in New Orleans

Yes, I am big fan of this bar that’s leaving a negative review.

I visit frequently 3-5 times a year from Houston.

I visited recently with a friend on Saturday, Feb 25th, at 5pm for drinks. We didn’t have reservations. The guy at the door greeted us and shared that its reservation only and the next reservation is not open until 10:30 pm. He explained that we can wait for the bar area to open up. So we did. As we stood and waited for a minute or so we noticed how empty the place was. There were two tables occupied on the floor and the bar was filled with the 4 seats available.

The place was 90% empty.

So I asked the guy at the door is there any way he could accommodate us. I acknowledged that they have reservations; however - in a considerate manner, I said not all your reservations are for 5pm. And if we could grab a drink for 20 min or so would be greatly appreciated. I addition, I said if your reservation comes we will gladly leave and make space for your reservation.

He responded with a condescending tone and opened the door with a waving us out gesture sayings it’s our policy to have reservation and if you do not like that you can leave.

I took extreme offense to this!!! As if he’s kicking us out.

His gesture and tone was unprofessional and came across as if he was intentionally provoking and stirring up a commotion.

I responded with why are you being an “a-hole.”

He leaves to grab his manager and she said pretty much the same thing with the same condescending tone. As she’s speaking, the initial guy who called the manager is still inciting a commotion by chirping with comments such as “I told you” and “we are reserved.” I asked the manager why is your employee still taking pokes as me with his comments. He called you as the manager so let me speak to manager without him blurting comments to purposely agitate me and my guest. Her comment to me was that she’s going to back her employee.

At this point, I realized she’s just as unprofessional as her employee —— so we left!!!

Overall, this was a poor experience and perhaps a coaching moment for your staff.

There’s a certain way to handle customers and that should only be in professional way. Employees should not purposely trying to stir-up commotion and incite a situation with potential customers. For a place to be 90% empty and I asked if he could accommodate us for quick drink, because its very unlikely that all your reservations are at the same time of 5pm —— he could have been more polite and less inflamed about telling me he could not...

We had a reservation and arrived just a couple of minutes early. The bar was nearly empty — only a few tables were occupied — and we were seated right away at 4:30 PM. Menus and water were already on the table, so we expected someone would be by shortly to greet us or take our order.

Instead, we sat there for 20 minutes without a single person acknowledging us. No greeting, no check-in — nothing. What made it even more frustrating was what happened next: two guests arrived and were seated directly behind us 20 minutes after we had already been sitting there. Within moments, a server came over to them, welcomed them warmly, asked if it was their first time, and began taking care of them immediately.

Meanwhile, we remained invisible. The difference in treatment was obvious — and it wasn’t just about timing.

We are people of color, and every other guest being served — including the couple who arrived long after us — was white. It’s hard to ignore the racial dynamic at play here. What should have been a relaxed outing turned into a disappointing and uncomfortable experience that left us feeling excluded and unwelcome.

Even more troubling: while writing this review, I looked through others and found that our experience isn’t unique. There are multiple reviews — stretching back several years — describing the same pattern of poor service toward non-white guests. This clearly isn’t a one-time mistake. It suggests a deeper, ongoing issue that ownership has either chosen to ignore or simply doesn’t care to address.

If you’re not white, don’t waste your time or your money here. The environment does not feel inclusive, and unfortunately, the management seems unwilling to make meaningful changes. And yes — I’m sure this review will get the same hollow, copy-paste apology the others received. But the truth is, actions speak louder than...

We have frequented Bar Marilou as one of our favorite stops in New Orleans for a few years now—we loved the snacks and cocktails and have recommended it to anyone who asks us where they should stop for a great drink and ambiance. When we heard they had been bought and the name had changed, we were skeptical but hopeful that the experience would be more or less unchanged. That was not the case.

We made a reservation for 3 at 5:45 to grab a drink before our dinner reservation. It wasn’t crowded inside except for one large group and a few other small parties. We put in an order for drinks and snacks immediately upon sitting down.

The appetizers came right away, and we were disappointed that the drinks didn’t come with them but went ahead with enjoying our bites. When we finished, our drinks still hadn’t come. We sat for 45 minutes waiting for three drinks. The waitress was nowhere to be found, and never once came to check on us or update us. When we realized we would not have time to enjoy our drinks before our dinner reservation, we went to find the waitress to cancel them.

They comped the drinks and brought them to us in plastic cups so we could taste them on the way out, but then perhaps the worst part was two of the drinks were borderline undrinkable. The only one we enjoyed was the avion, which was on the previous bar Marilou menu. We took a chance on the other two, newer cocktails and were severely disappointed. The Sub Rosa tasted like dish soap - the rose flavor in it eye-wateringly potent. We left it and the dirty boi martini on the table, even though they were free.

Incredibly disappointing to say such a bitter farewell to our beloved Bar Marilou in this way. We will not be returning...