St. Roch Market — Restaurant in New Orleans

Generally speaking, I think reviewing the place as a whole is misguided and likely leads to misconceptions re: what a food hall is or is supposed to provide. That said, I am actually going to do that initially, mindful of the fact that food halls are suffering a decline across the country after reaching some soaring highs a few years back.

A place like this, old as it may be and purpose built to be a marketplace in the 1870s, can server as a central meeting place (much like the St. Roch Tavern across the street, though with obviously different uses!). And it is a beautiful building, expertly upgraded to highlight the outer train/tram station-like appearance, while bringing a light and airy feel to the white-on-white interior. It is also what seems to be a footprint in the larger attempts to reimagine the neighborhood around St. Roch.

Thing is, our group of four went to different places and had different experiences, all of them good. My cousin had great shawarma his first night, a good enough beer with excellent service the same night (the bar was out of bitters to make a proper Sazerac), and an overpriced, if flavorful, Asian salad the next day. My friends and I ordered pastries and coffees the following day and thought they were all flavorful and well-priced (esp. compared to other urban areas around the country). Generally speaking, the food hall concept lived up to its intended purpose.

But that is also the rub. Food halls have vendors and owners. While the latter can change, the former change more often (more about that, specific to this place, in a minute). As a result, an initial experience can be misleading, esp. if one is considering the place one, two, even four, years out. In reading some old reviews, it is clear that those negative reviews are about places that are no longer in the market (even if the reviews still are on Google). Which is a problem that food halls must deal with if they are to survive as businesses and anchors for established and emerging neighborhoods.

So, let me circle back in reverse order: our coffee and pastries were from CR Coffee (which has been there since 2015); my cousin had his first meal at Dolma, his drink at Roch’s Reprieve (which is also owned by Kevin Pedeaux, who owns CR and now also owns the entire market), and his salad at Laska. So, Kevin clearly had and now has more skin in the game.

Looking around the neighborhood (we stayed for four nights in a rental on the same street), I can see what St. Roch Market is and wants to be. The conflict between those two standards can be tricky. But, generally speaking, my group liked having this place be an option when walking and Uber weren’t on the agenda (or we weren’t happy just staying in our rental and making our own fun and food).

Thing is, I think this place still needs to find a way to be a destination, for those living or staying in this area, but also those who are living or staying far afield from it . . . while the rest of NOLA beckons.

Just my two cents. And, to be clear, I am wishing you and your vendors the best.

[A final aside: Google reviews does nothing to help distinguish the vendors from the market, given that it asks additional questions that treat the market's vendors as all one...

When they renovated the St. Roch Market, I sooooo wanted to love it. After literally years of asking us neighbors what we wanted, I was so excited to see it finally open. Upon actually going in, though-- what disappointment. The prices are through the roof, and the things all of us asked for over and over again-- affordable local produce and locally caught seafood-- were just not there. We all would have been happy to have an expensive bar and expensive restaurants to subsidize the rent for the affordable market stalls-- we understand that the building didn't renovate itself! But that renovation was also largely funded by taxpayer dollars-- our dollars-- and they couldn't manage just two stalls for affordable local seafood and produce? With the high rent they charge, they could give a seafood seller and a grocer FREE stalls-- and honestly, the other stalls would get more business, since people going to get their affordable groceries are also going to tend to treat themselves to something special from the expensive stalls when they have a little bit of extra money.

That said, it is a beautiful space; the renovation was very well done, and it is a great place to bring friends who are in town, especially if people can't agree on what kind of food to eat. The prices are restaurant prices to eat in a food court, but the food is often really good, so you will probably pay less than you would for a touristy restaurant equivalent. Plus, there is outdoor dining, so you can stay safe as you wait around for your covid vaccine.

Update: Still sore about the lack of a local fish market/affordable groceries stall, but they have really started improving their value to the community through their social nights. In particular, Trivia on Mondays is so much fun, and they offer Happy Hour prices at the bar for educators, which-- if you are a teacher-- makes the St. Roch Market a quite affordable option for having a fun evening with friends. The French Stall is also a great addition --- the crepes are really good, but the Ratatouille is amazing, and priced...

This was my first time going into this place and it's absolutely NICE! There's a couple of businesses in this one market but me & bae decided to go to HYPE EATZ. I had the SOUTHERN taco which was the picture with the honey baked chicken with the Mac and cheese on a sweet potato tortilla with the whiskey honey glaze. It had a mild sweet flavor which I really enjoyed. Bae got the JERK RED FISH taco which was the picture with the reddish seasoned with the jerk sauce with cilantro, pickled red onions, red cabbage served with plantains (also pictured) I tasted alittle bit of the red fish but it wasn't too spicy but then and all I only had one bite. You can see what we ordered pictured on the menu I also tried plantains for the first time and it was ok; like a banana TRYING to be subtle with the sweetness but much firmer. Very interesting🤔 Also used the restroom; I hope that not too weird but it looks like those old school restroom which I thought was pretty neat and thought I would share it with yall. We went on a Saturday and the vibe was pretty chill with an eclectic vibe; so many cultures (foodwise) in one place. I can't speak on what a regular workday would be like Like a melting pot. Speaking on the heads mounted; just strange but odd but..ok I also pictured the table and chairs. Ok I did that because if you look closely there's hooks to hang your jacket,purse etc UNDERNEATH the table. Idk if your interested in trying a new place check this place out. You might find something new & interesting. Maybe this can become your new...