Brigtsen's Restaurant

Food was extraordinary and service was excellent..It was our 40th year anniversary and this place was phenomenal

Always memorable with a "family" feel

Wonderful food and service

Love the atmosphere: very comforting

For years, each time I visited New Orleans, I ate at Brigtsen's. Though I wasn't in a hurry, if it was practical, I'd dine there on the night I got into town. Starting my trip at Brigtsen's reminded me of why I was in New Orleans, and refreshed my memory of old-time menus and ingredients, and of service of a certain style.

I didn't recommend Brigtsen's to everyone who asked. Some, I sent to Jack Dempsey's or Deanie's, instead. You only heard about Brigtsen's from me if I thought that you'd understand and appreciate the place.

But Brigtsen's menu has grown tired, and, in a couple of recent visits, the dishes I was served seemed prepared by people* who were distracted, preoccupied by things other than prepping, cooking and presenting a pleasing meal.

Also, even on a slow night, the service at Brigtsen's was rote and rushed, and left me wondering if, simply by being there, I'd imposed on the staff.

These dinners weren't bad; they just weren't what meals at Brigtsen's should have been, and used reliably to be.

But it's not all disappointment.

I've discovered that Gabrielle Restaurant offers the experience I missed at Brigtsen's, which gives me a suitable alternative: I'll dine at Gabrielle, and check in on Brigtsen's once in a while, to see if things there improve.

* An exception: "afters" prepared by pastry chef Samantha Price were textural marvels, flavor-packed creations that should have been heavier than they were. Sadly, Chef Price is gone from Brigtsen's; I hope she's doing well and is still knocking out killer desserts.

We really enjoyed our time at Brigsten's .

The staff was AMAZING! Very kind and helpful with the best suggestions. I loved the quaintness of the restaurant and the music selection was perfect for the setting .

Everything we ordered was pretty good, but the star of the show was the Pecan Pie! If I wasn't so stuffed I would have ordered another slice !

New Orleans Classic at its finest. Highly recommended. Food was amazing. Great and friendly service. You must get the BBQ shrimp with bread service.

Old New Orleans style neighborhood restaurant with a great selection of.
Always enjoy our experience there

Brigtsen's Restaurant is a fantastic homage to classical new orleans cuisine. The second you walk in the door, you feel the history. The menu offers a number of classical new orleans dishes. While I would highly recommend this restaurant to any and everyone, I do want to point out that this is not an upscale environment and despite the difficulties in getting a reservation, don't go into it that that expectation. This is truly class new orleans. Service is top level.

We had a great dinner here. The restaurant, located in a converted cottage, is understated but nice. I loved being able to take the street car here from the French Quarter.

The food is solid, if not out of this world good. We had our first gumbo and enjoyed it, but then we had a better one elsewhere. My husband had the seafood platter and liked the five different components. I had the grilled filé, and it was unbelievably tender. Desserts were the weak point, with the tres leches cake being a total failure. In all, we had a lovely evening and would return. More detail on my blog (see profile).

Visited for the first time, with a friend based on my friend's recommendation. The entry of the restaurant felt like quintessential New Orleans. It almost felt like I was entering someone's home for a meal. Very welcoming. And when we walked into the restaurant, I could immediately tell this was a favorite of locals. It seemed like everyone knew each other.

And the food lived up to the reputation and atmosphere. The shrimp Remoulade, barbecue shrimp, gumbo apps were the perfect starters for us. The soft shell crab, seafood platter and broiled fish impressed us all. And then the pecan pie to wrap it all up for dessert was excellent!

And on top of all that was the excellent service and hospitality. This is now one of my go to restaurants when I'm in NOLA. Can't wait to come back with family, friends and coworkers.

This is a small restaurant in an old house - you might even be a little confused if you are at the correct place when you arrive. Reservations are definitely needed. The food was good but pricey. The servers had a bit of a spicy attitude in my opinion a few of us tried their famous Butternut squash shrimp bisque and it was delicious (and I hate butternut squash). I had catfish and another person had the gulf fish, both were great. Another person had the lamb and enjoyed it. The pecan pie was heavenly.

They will not split checks for you. We found out the hard way that bread is $3.50 per baguette. (They asked, "Do you want bread?" And of course we said "Yes!" Noone mentioned we were paying for it, which is a pet peeve of mine when you are at a fancy, expensive restaurant.)
Street parking or there is a shopping center around the corner with a parking lot.