The Italian Barrel French Quarter — Restaurant in New Orleans

Walked into this restaurant since I’ve had friends speak highly on the food and atmosphere. Asked manager if we need to show proof of our vaccination record and she replied “well depends on what side you’re on.” Which was very unprofessional and made me wonder if they were actually actively checking for it since it’s mandated in New Orleans. However my friend and I continued in since we were meeting with friends. My friend and I got beverages and didn’t bother to look at the menu since she recommended sharing a dish together that she had ordered in the past. Our server was super sweet and soft spoken did her job just fine. When she asked if we wanted bread we agreed, but before she brought it my friend asked TWICE if there were complimentary or if we would be charged for it. The waitress replied both times stating the bread was free with no additional costs. So with that in mind we said sure we’ll try it, she responded if we would like whatever it came with such as cheese, tomatoes, and oil. Things I would never pay for additionally but since we were informed it was free of charge we selected. We ate two sets of bread and barely touched the side of cheese, tomatoes and oil because it wasn’t good to us. Once we received our bill we were stunned to see that there was an additional charge of the cheese , oil, and bread. Which was $30!!! More than our plate of crabmeat and pasta. Kindly we called the waitress and informed her hoping it was an mistaken on their side. Once we corrected it to her attention and told her we had asked before hand before she brought it out . The waitress said she never said it was free but the bread was however everything else that came out was not in fact free out the “appetizer”. Since we asked her twice about the cost we asked for her to bring the manager because it wasn’t being taken care of. The manager came and asked us what was wrong, my friend kindly explained that she felt uncomfortable paying for something that they told us we wouldn’t be charge for. The manager was also the same women who didn’t check out our vaccination status. She was rude, careless, and truly unprofessional speaking to us. She went straight to defending her staff before we could even tell her the full situation. Telling me I’m wrong and her employees are professionally trained and that our waitress didn’t say that it was free. This made me very furious because I saw the whole thing while the “boss” was no where near our table. The manager then went to say there’s not a lot of restaurants who give out free appetizers, and I commented that there were some and I’ve been to several. When I’m offered bread for free I’ll assume the butter is too. She then very rudely told me “well you must not have been to a place like this they will not do that”. At that point I knew the argument was over because she was judging me and not what the problem was in the first place. As a new visitor to the area it made me very upset: I will not ever go into this establishment again. If you are young then don’t even bother because they will take advantage of you and won’t resolve anything. If you are extra careful with the virus do not attend eating here. They do not care about the well being of their guest and most of the servers had their mask not fully covering....

The ONLY reason I am giving one star is because the food is all around really good.

Short backstory: I'm here with my bridal party for my bachelorette party and we just wanted a nice Italian dinner for our last night in town considering I'm only in town a short time due to being in the military. The owner of the house we're staying at recommended this place so we decided to give it a try. BIG MISTAKE...just go elsewhere.

When we arrived we were told that we can't do separate checks; okay, that's fine. I think our waitresses name was LeAnne? Not exactly sure. When we asked about payment options, we were told to do cash or use a few different cards...but no actual help. The way we were spoken to just took us aback. Throughout the night we dealt with very passive aggressive attitude, forced smile, not getting all the food we ordered, and empty drink/water glasses...we were treated like trash. One of my girls decided to just pick up the tab; but being from out of town her bank blocked her card until she verified the transaction, so I ended up paying...okay, whatever. But while we were sorting things out and I was getting my card ready to pay, the waitress came over very aggressively and was rushing us. Having been a waitress for many years, I always tip but With that kind of service, I gave a little less than what I would've given if she had treated us like human beings. (And no, we weren't loud, obnoxious, drunk, etc). Then came the icing on the cake...as we were walking out I guess one of my girls didn't close the door well and a guy in a bow tie (host maybe) came and slammed the door closed. A few seconds later, our waitress came out and yelled in from of the restaurant, customers and pretty much all of Decatur St. "$XX.00?!? REALLY!?!" and then proceeded to slam the door again!

Never in my life have I been treated this way...as a customer or as a military service member. And the way those people acted in public and towards patrons just validates the amount of tip she received.I will never recommend this place no matter how good the food is. Thank you for making such an important time to me a rude and very...

I am on cloud nine after eating here! Usually Italian can make you feel heavy after eating but I felt light and fulfilled. The bread had an air of fluffiness with a perfect outside crisp! It was done just right - made with consideration. The truffle pasta came plated in the perfect portion - the edible flower doubles as decor and as a floral fragrance to the dish. I smelled the dish and my senses filled with the perfect balance of truffle - next I broke open the flowers and a burst of florals filled the air as I sprinkled the petals over my ravioli - many people can overhand truffle but this sauce was superb! Biting into the mushroom mix ravioli gave an earthy savory balance to the fragrant flower petals and truffle, with a light dusting of fresh parmasean - the smell alone felt like heaven - the textures were also well paired. The waitress and bartender were attentive and accommodating. The signature fussili dish was also a light yet creamy sauce - the peas were fresh and plump and the prosciutto was not left soggy and stuck it had great gently fried texture - the textures played well together the sauce did not wilt or over power any note in this lovely symphony of fussili , it was well balanced and large portioned our kids split it - my husband had the vodka and crab penne and he finished the plate - the drinks were well made and the ambiance was aesthetically pleasing! I enjoyed the fine touch of a few fresh flowers on the table. I would love to come back and try the filet mignon with peppercorn sauce. You will not be disappointed here at the Italian Barrel - the wine list is extensive and although as someone with vitners in her family I usually enjoy looking it over and taking my time, we were with the kids but it was very clear they had many fine wines. I only wish I could've enjoyed my time a bit longer but with the kids we sort of pressed on to see the rest of New Orleans, they surely did not rush us and the outdoor seating looks like a lovely afternoon with European Mediterranean vibes. Even met a nice couple of patrons to chat...