Mother’s Restaurant in New Orleans has existed virtually unchanged for the past 85 years since it opened in 1938 on “Restaurant Row” on Poydras Street and is considered an institution in the history of this city. Having known about this restaurant for years, I decided to finally give it a try while I was on a business trip to this city.
Mother’s Restaurant in New Orleans. Restaurant Review.
The sign which hangs out on the corner of the front of the building proclaims that the restaurant has the “world’s best baked ham”. As I do not eat ham, I will take their word for it; but I cannot confirm otherwise.
Patrons order their food and beverages at the counter, which often has a long line. The menus are crudely printed on both sides of a single sheet of paper as if they came from a copying machine that was almost out of toner. Once customers pay for their meals in advance at the counter, they can then sit down and wait for the food to be brought to their tables when it is ready. Beverages are taken at the counter by the customers themselves to their tables.
As with other eateries that are considered legendary, signed photographs of actors, politicians, athletes, and other famous people over the decades cover the brick walls of the restaurant. The doorway in the center of the photograph above leads to…
…Mother’s Next Door, which has a quieter vibe to it. Although it is open for dining when no event is occurring, it is usually used for private parties who rent it out. Somehow, this area of the restaurant did not feel as authentic.
Po’ Boys are sandwiches that are a regional specialty which are similar to submarine sandwiches elsewhere. They are usually prepared on a special type of authentic crusty French bread that is baked by Leidenheimer Baking Company; and they can be filled with a number of ingredients. At Mother’s Restaurant, full po’ boys and half po’ boys can be ordered. This full fried Gulf Shrimp Po’ Boy contained large plump shrimp from the Gulf of Mexico and were “dressed” with shredded cabbage and sliced pickles. The breaded coating on the shrimp was crisp and not overwhelming or greasy. Lettuce instead of cabbage and sliced tomatoes on po’ boy sandwiches are usually typical at many places along the Gulf Coast of the United States; but this combination worked without tomatoes. The shredded cabbage added a nice crunch to each bite that is usually missing from lettuce. $20.00.
The full fried Oyster Po’ Boy were also “dressed” with shredded cabbage and sliced pickles. The oysters were seasoned nicely and were not tough, chewy, or greasy. Neither po’ boy needed any condiment added to it to be enjoyed. $35.00.
The large bowl of crawfish étoufée was outstanding and bursting with flavor. Tender tails of crawfish were in every spoonful. The only complaint is that a piece of French bread should be served with this to sop up what little crawfish étoufée remained in the bowl that could not be scooped up with a spoon. $16.50.
Both original Tabasco hot sauce and Crystal hot sauce were available on each table, as well as Heinz ketchup. However, the star of the condiments on the table by far was the anonymous glass bottle of homemade pepper vinegar, which is comprised of a mix of cayenne hobenjero and sorrano peppers. Although it appears disgusting, this vinegar elevated both of the po’ boy sandwiches to a whole new level of flavor and had the right amount of spice and heat. The pepper vinegar is available for purchase, as a bottle of 12 ounces costs $15.00.
A cup of cocktail sauce and a cup of tartar sauce were also brought to the table. The cocktail sauce had a nice strong zing of horseradish in it — it ain’t no wussy ketchup, which is great — and the tartar sauce seemed to have a nice lemony undertone to it. Both were also welcome additions to both po’ boy sandwiches; but the pepper vinegar still won out.
Even though it was located right next to the kitchen, I liked sitting at this table in the back corner of the restaurant. A seat here gives a nice view of the remainder of the main area of the restaurant. A copy of the aforementioned paper menu is on the table.
Final Boarding Call
No desserts were ordered; so I cannot comment on them.
I usually do not enjoy dining at places that are considered “greasy spoons” and I would otherwise normally not be interested in dining here; but Mother’s Restaurant must be visited once when in New Orleans. The traditional New Orleans food was very good to excellent and quite satisfying. The service was excellent, as the members of the staff are polite, courteous, and efficient. The prices are not much more expensive than at restaurants that offer similar fare; but $35.00 for an oyster po’ boy is rather overpriced, in my opinion. Also, free refills are not offered for soft drinks; so be forewarned. Cups of iced water are free of charge at the counter.
Some people might consider Mother’s Restaurant to be overrated. I highly recommend it based on my experience. If you have never been to Mother’s Restaurant in New Orleans, you should experience it at least once the next time you are in this city.
Mother’s Restaurant
401 Poydras Street
New Orleans, Louisiana 70130
1-504-523-9656 Telephone
1-504-596-2109 Fax
mothersrestaurantno@gmail.com
Operating Hours
7:00 in the morning through 10:00 in the evening daily, seven days per week except for Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day,
Easter Sunday, and Mother’s Day.
Mother’s Restaurant has private parking available.
All photographs ©2023 by Brian Cohen.
