The High Hat Cafe — Restaurant in New Orleans

The Good: This place has the look and feel of your standard Southern Diner (if there is such a thing as "standard" in Southern diners) that you can find all over most of the South. I tried the pimento cheese burger with fries and the burger tasted exactly like one you would grill yourself on an outdoor grill. The best things about the burger were that it used a good bun and I got it dressed and the veggies were extremely fresh. The fries were very good and perfectly done with a nice crisp outside. They had some interesting blackboard specials and drinks listed. They also have a very large bar that you can sit and eat at and that is one of my favorite spots to sit when dining solo. Since my first visit years ago I have made several follow up visits and they really have gotten their seafood specials down to an excellent level. They have plenty of other specials but I find the seafood ones to be really top notch. The burgers here have also gotten much better over time as well.

The Bad from when they first opened: The menu was pretty small when they first started and they had a really limited selection of sides. I love meat and veggie plates but I don't like fatback or bacon in my veggies and half or more of the few veggies on the menu seemed to have that in them. Another bad aspect with the side veggies is you only get a choice of one with your meal and almost every other place across the South I've eaten in places like this you always have a choice of at least 2 or more veggies. I observed other people's food and other than the sandwiches and burgers they didn't look all that great--just ok. The service was also a tad bit slow on getting refills on my drink. More recently: The food has improved substantially form when they first opened however they still don't do a traditional meat and three Southern Style meal here although they easily could but instead you are getting a meat and one or maybe a meat and two.

The Ugly from back when they opened years ago: The price for my burger and iced tea came to $14.82 (before tip which these days that would be a great value) so that was (back in those better days) a mighty expensive lunch for just a burger! I could have gone to Yo Mama's (sadly long closed now) or La Petite Grocery and gotten better food at that price. There is also considerable sticker shock (which seems to have become the norm for new places opening recently) with the price of beer on the menu set at $6 and that price for an Abita Amber is outrageous for Freret Street and all of Uptown (and this was years ago when they first opened).

Now as inflation has gone insane along with the rest of the world the prices here haven't gone up as much as many other places so what seemed to be crazy prices when this joint first opened now seem way more reasonable. Overall they do have some great food here and what used to be high prices has become the new normal so this joint isn't as overpriced as it used to be when it first opened.

My video review of High Hat is...

It was an interesting culture to witness at this restaurant. We gleamed a lot of information on the relationship the different workers have amongst themselves and with their job. We met the owner, who said there was a 15 min. wait and recommended we sit at the bar. After talking with him some more and asking about the name of the restaurant (differentiating if the name actually referenced the “hi-hat” - the two connecting cymbals of a drum set - or an actual high hat). We liked the owner and it’s clear the restaurant is his baby. He cares deeply about it, evidenced by how he put effort into doing grunt work, like cleaning tables. The bartender also cares about his craft as he put extra effort in the presentation of the drinks by putting a sprinkle of chocolate on the White Russian or a lemon peel in the mimosas. The food was also very good. Unfortunately, we were dismayed by our server. While ordering, we asked the server how accurate the burger temps were. Although we didn’t communicate clearly exactly what we were asking, I feel her response was less than ideal. She raised her eyebrows and said “medium well is medium well”. Well … yes, that is correct … In our experience, it is common for temperatures to be inaccurate. For example, a burger that was meant to be a medium came out as well done. Our simple question wasn’t meant as malice but it was still treated as such. I understand we came in on a busy Sunday morning during the church rush, but it never hurts for a server to take a minute to slow down. We have never been upset by waiting. We go out to enjoy each others company and therefore have no problem filling the void with conversation. So the service isn’t integral to our experience, but something about that interaction soured our conversation. Regardless, it’s a very cool spot with...

We visited on a Saturday morning. It was packed. The guy at the front was super nice. Greeting us and being honest about how the restaurant had just filled. He gave us the option to wait or to sit at the bar. We choose the bar. Sadly we had come from walking around and had coffees. He was not upset by this although the gal behind the bar - we called her overalls - appeared annoyed by this when all I wanted was water and my partner asked for no drink. Overalls abandoned us for an older woman, thank god because overalls had to force a smile every time she approached a customer near us. The woman who took over we called her solo bc she had a Han Solo starwars shirt on, appeared nicer though when asked about alternative meat options (chicken or turkey) she stated, "we got nothin' here for you." When in fact there were options just not chicken or turkey options. Part of me wanted to leave right there but we stuck it out. I ordered the waffle with eggs and grits. My partner got pancakes, eggs, and grits. The food was really good. The grits especially were tasty, certainly some of the best I've had in New Orleans and the only reason for this two star rating. While waiting for our food, overalls was cutting oranges near us and again my partner attempted conversation and she was NOT having it. Instead she was grumpy and short. Overall if you're coming for the food, then you'll be happy so long as you don't have alternative food option needs. If you're coming for vibes or conversation or kind staff, I'd definitely go elsewhere. Or maybe the wait staff at the tables...