Mister Mao

One of the best brunches I've had in my travels -- definitely one of the best in NoLa. Such a beautiful tropical vibe, super friendly service, bottomless mimosas, fun cocktails, and delicious food inspired both by local ingredients and by Southeast Asian flavors. I'd absolutely come back here again and again!

Table favorites: shrimp dumplings, garlic noodles, kashmiri chile fried chicken.

For some reason, I expected Mister Mao's to be a typical dimsum restaurant, but it was a bit different than that. We ordered a bunch of small plates - kashmiri fried chicken, crispy pork belly, smoked lamb belly, gulf shrimp dumplings, garlic noodles and pork lumpia.

They didn't have crab for the noodles, probably not worth getting without it. The pork belly and smoked lamb tasted good on the first bite and kinda went downhill after that. The pork lumpia was really good and so were the dumplings.

Overall, nice place and decent food, service was quick and we got a seat at the "chef's counter" - however, it wasn't anything special.

Menu does change quick. Was hoping to get the garlic noodles but wasn't on menu. Hibiscus limeade was super delicious. Great to have a non alcoholic made option. Chile verde was good and spicy. The pork was tender and flavorful. Tuna crudo was good and plated well. The tiny peppers are super hot but still enjoyed. Kashmiri chicken was just ok. I liked the pineapple but the sauce wasn't enough to give any compliment of flavor. The earl grey cake was worst part. Just dry and boring. Not a way I wanted to end the meal.

Would give another shot as food was good just wasn't wowed with anything I ordered.

We went for the San Francisco garlic noodles but we stayed for all the delicious dim sum.. we went during restaurant week so we tried several things and everything was delicious. You can't go wrong with the garlic butter noodles, but I really enjoyed the shrimp dumplings, the chicken and rice dumplings and the pork lumpia. The service was good. We had large group of 7 so we were not seated in the main dining room. We were seated the little side room by the entrance. This area of the restaurant was hot! We were all sweating by the end of the meal so I would definitely sit in the main room next time which is decorated so cute!

Yum yum yum!! Tapas-style places are my favorite - they bring out the best in dinner, the shared experience. The Indian influences are evident in every single dish, the spices that jump out of these are unreal & very unique. I can confidently say I've never had Brussels Sprouts done like that ever. And I've had countless, shamelessly. My favorite is split between that and the tuna dish - so fresh (and spicy so fair warning)! Wait time was nothing but would recommend making a reservation ahead of time just for ease.
Vibes are perfect for dates night or small girl group dinners!

Not only is everything on the menu wonderful and delicious, but the service was absolutely fantastic here. The ambience is so much fun, and the service was so attentive for the entire meal. If you are an adventurous eater, this is the place for you.

bomb.com. Do the youth still say that? While eating at Brennan's we sat next to this couple whom we starting chatting it up with. They highly recommended this place and I'm glad they did so.

The cocktails were amazing and kuddos for the cat swimming in my drink. It was my wife's birthday and they brought us champagne which is a nice touch. We ordered too much food but I'm glad we did. The garlic noodles I will punch a child for, the lumpia was super flavorful, and the chicken was super crispy. Will def come back to order the other half of the menu I didn't get to this trip.

How incredibly gorgeous is this restaurant? I sat there in awe the entire time, admiring every inch of the space with its cool tropical vibes, chandeliers, an entire wall taken up with a beautiful tiger mural. Even the "powder room" is glorious, with the same artist painting birds and foliage directly on its walls. I love the bar area too. It's a more cozy space, kind of like the coolest enclosed garden patio. I'm smitten with the decor.

The acoustics, however... it's just too loud for me in there. Admittedly, I've always been sensitive to noisy places. My husband agreed the noise level was extreme, though, and we had to shout at each other across the table. Not ideal for a date. Definitely fine for groups because you won't be disrupting the peace, so there's that! Some places are just more boisterous, I suppose, but a little soundproofing could go a long way.

I absolutely loved our server. We first had a visit to our table from a friendly guy who filled our water and chatted about the menu. It was a hospitable touch. I have to say service is on point here, even on a very very busy night. Our waiter kindly went over what was vegan or could be made vegan on the menu and I ordered the cauliflower, the Brussels and the Pani Puri (aka potato pockets of bliss because they are such a lovely little surprise and unlike anything I've eaten before). What I loved about all of the little dishes was that they needed no spice nor salt enhancement. Delicate plates of goodness. And that saucer full of green magic for the Pani Puri? I could have drank it.

I'm not sure Mister Mao would be a regular dining destination for me, personally (I needed at least one more vegan option with a little more heft if I am hungry), but I would love to return for drinks and snacks and to soak in the beautiful atmosphere. I think I would need to arrive early or super late, though, because the acoustics are not my jam.

This was such a delight!!! We sat at the chefs counter and had a good time talking with the staff as they made us an absolute feast. We ordered 6 dishes - which was too much food!! We had the shrimp dumplings, delicious, beef siu mai, delectable, pani puri, divine, brussels sprout bhaji, dangerous, fried chicken, daaaaaang, and the lechón, darn good.

The space is also just a dream for the sense. I loved the decor.

This was such a fun and exciting place to spend our anniversary brunch.

We had a great experience stopping by here after it being on the to do list a while. Great atmosphere blasting some 90's music had the whole kitchen dancing. Staff had great recommendations. We sat at the chefs table and they brought us extra goodies.

This is some of the best food I've had in a good while. Wood fired puppy drum was amazing got to see it cooking on the wood stove as we sat there. Scallops were also good melt in your mouth and very flavorful. The fried chicken had one hell of a spice kick, but the pineapple balanced it nicely making it a complex delicious flavor profile.

Every cocktail I had was perfect. Will definitely be coming back.