New Orleans Creole Cafe

Place was quiet on a Thursday night, but I loved it. Food was great. The one man show was friendly. Drink was good. I had to get dessert to go.........I was full! I hope to come back the next time I'm in San Diego!

Everything was perfect for my first visit today. I had the privilege and a pleasure to gain knowledge of some great history while dining. I look forward to introducing this place to my family and friends.

Sitting right beside the famous haunted Whaley house is this little treasure with indoor and patio seating. The flavors are all perfectly New Orleans. The prawns were cooked just right and everything came out hot. Of course the dark roux was truly delicious as others have commented. AND they had Crystal to get the right kick. Call ahead for hours and come enjoy a true taste of Louisiana.

This was such a treat and a must-go when in old town. This was some of the best creole food I have had. I had the red beans and andouille sausage - it was spectacular - and the boiled shrimp to start. The shrimp were very fresh and perfectly cooked. You can sit outside in the courtyard or inside in a cozy living room in historical building. This is a two person show - a talented chef and an amazing waiter. Everything is cooked to order so your meal is not rushed and well paced. I cannot wait to go back. 😍😋

Came here for dinner on a Saturday in December around 7. I walked in same day earlier and made reservations since I was in the area for a tour. It was not busy when I came with my small group of 3. There was another group of 3 that was there already and another group of 3 came in after us. There was one staff member that was doing everything (Maybe even some cooking) so service was a little slow, but he was really friendly and proactive. We ordered a couple beers and water. The beers are from Louisiana, which is cool. For food, we ordered French Onion Soup, Blackened Alligator Sausage, Dark Roux Gumbo, and Dark Jambalaya. The server brought small plates and bowls, knowing we would be sharing. Everything was really delicious and had a little bit of spice. There is hot sauce that you can add yourself if you want more spice. My favorites were the French Onion Soup and the Dark Jambalaya. We also got the dessert, which was a Bread Pudding. That was really delicious too, and the warmth was nice for the cold December night. The place can be had to find since it sits behind the Whaley House building. It is small, having only 6 tables, so not ideal for large groups. Checking in a little weird, checking in at their kitchen door. There is a single bathroom in the place. I would come back again if in the area.

This is our favorite spot to come to when we’re in downtown San Diego. It is like a hidden treasure. Their French onion soup is delicious. They also have this shrimp dish and their bread pudding is to die for it is probably the one spot we always come back to

Cool quiet atmosphere. Good food. 1 person is working as the waiter, host, and busboy. Had to stand around for 4-5 minutes before I saw him come out of the kitchen and asked if I could sit at an open table. He did a great job given how much work he was doing- I’m guessing the small size of the cafe doesn’t merit the cost of another employee? I wouldn’t go here if I were in a rush, only if you have time to slow down and just enjoy the unique ambiance of old town.

Found this little gem when I was waiting for my tour at the Whaley House tour. I only had the French Onion soup, but it was delicious. It is perfect for a quiet romantic dinner away from the bustle of Old Town.

Having returned from a NOLA trip where I ate crawfish étouffée, every single day, I was really craving but didn't think I'd find what I was looking for in San Diego. We came on a weeknight in January and easily found parking out front. The restaurant is more of a bungalow, and it's quiet and really pretty on the outside. There is a door on the left of the stairs that leads to a small, old timey dining room, and it's going to be weird...I'll warn you about that. When you open the door, it feels like you just walked in on someone's private dinner party. It's super quiet in there and it's just a bunch of tables. No host/hostess. You seat yourself if there's a table. A server comes in and out of the room to serve the tables. The Mac and cheese was meh, we ordered it for a toddler. The crawfish étouffée was so good, they did not skimp on crawfish. I like it a little spicier, but this was what I needed. I would definitely come back here! If it's a cold night, dress accordingly, this bungalow is not insulated and the server comes in and out, so it was freezing. Can't imagine the heat in summer, but the food is worth it.

I had dinner here before. The food was nice. However, i had an awful experience to make a reservation. I would like to take my friend to enjoy the food so I made a reservation. Unfortunately, my company felt very unwell that day. I texted to the restaurant in the morning to apologize that I can make it that and asked to reschedule the reservation. However, I never received any text back. To make sure they got the message, I called again when they opened that day, but the call didn't get through. I texted again in the following day and still didn't hear anything back.

Came for dinner last night and the food was really good. Got the crawfish etoufee and a macaroni and cheese for my son, which he thoroughly enjoyed. I would come back here again

After going to NOLA a few years ago, I have been obsessed with gumbo, so I was excited to find a New Orleans spot in San Diego I could go to! The entrance to this spot is a little hard to find, as it looks like you're going into a kitchen, but you have to walk through the kitchen door to get their attention. I ordered the smaller portion of their gumbo and was a bit disappointed. I thought the portion size was just enough for a lunch. There wasn't anything bad about the taste, but overall, it didn't impress me as much as the other spots I've had gumbo at. I will say that the service was great and they were very attentive!

Absolutely do not go here if you've tried real soul food, it's a horrible mockery. Unsettling creepy small house as ambience, server wearing shorts, disgusting bathroom. The gumbo tasted like straight smoke and fire, and we even found a long hair from the other chef mark. I ordered the etouffee, which for some part had a strange bathroom taste, but was delicious up until that point. Expensive for small portions, and taste totally nothing like new Orleans food at all, seriously I'm not even joking, don't go here, don't read the other reviews, just don't go here.

Returned in January to get a large order to go for my wife's Birthday . The owner partners are the nicest guys around. Packed everything up nice to go. Remember there is a 4% fee if you use a credit card. Bring Cash.

We didn't expect much from this little spot in Old Town. Creole in Old Town? Who would've thought?! But it is authentic and delicious. The guys running this restaurant are chill and laid back. Don't expect a fancy reservation or waitlist. Just show up and hope you get a coveted table. We've been back several times, it's where I bring friends or family when I want to do something a little unique.

I cant believe I've never written a review about one of my favorite restaurants in the country. Been going here for years! Best New Orleans food in San Diego and I've tried them all. We's try one restaurant and be like, nope it's not better. Gumbo is better than Emeril's. That's right. This food is fine dining at non fine dining prices. Service is impeccable. Hes the cook AND the server and hes always checking up on the customers. It's in what feels like a tucked away cabin with a lot of NOLA chachkis. And outside the door is the small park so you never hear noise from the street. I love it, theres no other restaurant setting like this. It's like you're at your auntie's house. Now I wanna go back. Will update posts with photos! Some things to be aware of: - the dining room is very intimate. Tables are spaced out but if you're a loud talker, the whole dining room will hear you lol - he doesnt do takeout. He's too busy. You just gotta dine in! Food: - for non seafood eaters, the gumbo and jambalaya are still good! You can pick out the shrimps easily. - mac and cheese is the best in San diego! Theres nothing like it. That creamy cheese sauce is the most flavorful I've had - crawfish etoufee: that's my usual go to dish

Public parking in old town Located at the Whaley house backyard Check in at the kitchen 6 inside tables no AC just fans Few tables outside for take out eating Be patient slow service Cooked to order Restroom works for dinners only Salad and bread included Small menu 4% charge for Creditcard's

Discovered this place tucked away in Old Town San Diego. So glad we tried it! We had the gumbo and jambalaya--both so good! Service was also good. Will plan on coming back.

The staff were awesome and the food amazing. The environment was great a little crowded but it was okay

This was absolutely amazing. I recall Gordon Ramsay once saying a key to running a great restaurant is picking a few things and doing them better than anyone else. New Orleans Creole Cafe nails it. I've only been here twice but both times it reminded me of Disneyland's Blue Bayou cafe. The gumbo is something else, but my favorite was the crawfish étouffée. Mark Bihm is a great host and Humberto Villegas is an absolute master in the kitchen.

The food here is always incredible and absolutely worth the wait. The restaurant is so cool and I love the ambiance there. The service is great and both the men who work here are so nice. Been coming here for years. Definitely recommend!!

Delightful this place is! Living in Old Town, there is an abundance of Mexican restaurants so this establishment stood out as I kept seeing the signage from the street behind the Whaley House. What a gem of a place it is. On this chilly night, the crawfish etouffée was right up my taste palate; not spicy and flavorful enough that I didn't need to add salt or pepper and the bread pudding for dessert was delectable; hats off to the service from Humberto and chef Mark for a memorable dining experience in the ambiance of an intimate and lovely space!

This is truly some authentic New Orleans Creole food. The entrees are carefully prepared and beautifully presented. The dining area is quiet and very cozy, and the parking is plentiful on most days via the huge lot across the street. The staff members were super kind with the Southern hospitality as expected. It's definitely a stop you will not regret if you're in the Old Town area.

A quaint cafe with great service. My wife's family is from Louisiana so she is picky about creole food. She got the smaller portion of Crawfish Etouffee and she ate it all up, which is not usual for her even for that size portion! I greatly enjoyed the Dark Jambalaya which had just enough kick for my liking. And we topped it off with great bread pudding. Overall a wonderful find in San Diego!

Love coming here and have been for about 10 years. Everything on the menu is great. Take a trip back in time next to the most haunted house in America and dine on delicious creole delights!

The Chicken, shrimp and beef sausage Gumbo was excellent! I've always wanted to try this place and I'm so glad I did. The bread pudding was so good I ended up finishing it! Our server was very friendly and I really liked the small older atmosphere. We will definitely be back.

I look forward to coming back to San Diego specifically for New Orleans Creole Cafe! Mark, the owner & Chef, is an incredible cook! I wish I had enough room in my stomach to have a few more plates! So damn delicious!!!! Thank you Mark!!! My soul is happy!

Love this place and have been going here for years! Went here yesterday after our check out at the Cosmopolitan Hotel in Old Town. It was rainy and overcast. Creole Cafe was the perfect place to have lunch. We didn't have a reservation and got there right at noon. No one was in the little cute indoor seating dining area and we were seated immediately. The crawfish étouffée was so good. I usually get the gumbo which is also delicious. My girlfriend got the jambalaya and added shrimp. The jambalaya along with the crawfish étouffée paired well. Also the bread and butter was mouth watering. We ordered seconds. Will def be back!

What a hidden gem in Old Town San Diego! We had the jambalaya, gumbo, red beans and etouffee between the four of us, and every dish was perfection. Hard to find creole food this good in NOLA. Service was fast and friendly. Definitely worth it.

Excellent food and service. This is a small restaurant in Old Town San Diego a little hard to find but so worth it. Food was full of flavor, reminded us our trip To New Orleans

Very cozy and charming atmosphere with an intimate setting serving delicious food and friendly service. It's the perfect place to celebrate a special occasion. We really enjoyed the jambalaya and crab Etouffee and save room for the dessert, as the bread pudding with whisky sauce is amazing!!

Hello Yelpers. Yes, I recommend this dining spot! If you have a group, it's suggested that you make a reservation, as the dining area is a bit small, but still cozy! One of the owners served our meal and he was the friendliest chap. His name is Umberto and he, along with the Chef who made our delicious meal, run this little gem in a quaint nook down in old town. We had gumbo, seafood pasta, jumbalaya and bbq shrimp, they were all scrumptious. Doing a little Chef's kiss here! We loved our food, the atmosphere, and the pleasant Umberto. We look forward to returning once more to have some authentic creole dishes.

Came here for the first time tonight and I must say this place is so amazing! The food the service it just feels like home. The dishes the food was served on were clean. I had the Mac and cheese (without sausage due to vegetarian diet) but overall amazing and I'm happy It was accommodating. Humberto and his colleagues were amazing and ensured we were well taken care even under busy circumstances! Highly recommended place to eat if you love creole food and like being in old town . I encourage making a reservation as it does get busy

This place is amazing... the food was so delicious, all made to order by the owner and chef so personal The best creole in SD ! The shrimp platter is a must and their sweet tea So good Love the ambiance and the vibe of this cozy restaurant The owner was so friendly to us and accommodating Def we will be back

Amazing place! The food was delicious we had the jambalaya and the fried shrimp. It was some of the best food I've ever had. The service was amazing. Place had an intimate and cute vibe. Definitely have to come back!!!

I have seen this restaurant over the years and have been curious to try it. We finally decided to try it and we were very pleasantly surprised. It was a bit odd you have to check in at the kitchen door, but it was kind of a quirky hole in the wall New Orleans vibe. There are only 6 tables inside, so I recommend getting there early or making a reservation. We ordered the Crawfish Etoufee and the Fried Shrimp Platter. The entrees came with bread and a salad and the food was AMAZING. The crawfish was perfectly cooked (even better than what we had in New Orleans) and sharing the two entrees was the perfect pairing. We were literally craving it the next day and will definitely be back!

Great food and service. Very small but definitely worth going too for a chef experience

Wow, this place was sooooo awesome that it literally took me right out of San Diego and to Louisiana. The food was incredible! If you like sea food please try the Crawfish etouffee, it was nothing I've ever tasted out here in Cali! Amazeballz

We ordered the gumbo and crawfish étouffée. Both were flavorful. Price is a little steep but most creole places are.

This place is unique in its own little way. Overall the food was ok and some things were a hit and some weren't. The Crawfish Etoufett was great but the Gumbo was not all that great. The food is priced on the higher side for what you get. Overall the experience was fine.

Whoever is writing good reviews are friends or family. This is by far not close to any New Orleans style restaurants. The food is very very very bland. You cannot cook jambalaya and add meat to it. It needs to be cooked with it. My shrimp tasted like it was boiled and dropped in the jambalaya, which had no taste to it. The owners are in desperate need of a cook. This was my first and last time. If you have not tasted New Orleans-style food, stop comparing this place. This is not it. Since when did creole food taste like water?

A lovely intimate spot in an Old Town San Diego house, with delicious creole cuisine. Only a small number of seats, and limited opening hours, so reservations are a must.

Nice small mom and pops restaurant! Food is decent, service was nice but very slow. Portion size is not big. Came here for dinner one night and got a small table in the small room inside. Super cute old school place, it seemed to be a converted room from an old Victorian home. We ordered a few items to share, 2 appetizers and an entree. The alligator sausages was good, small portions tho. The gumbo was good but didn't look very appetizing, it was a bit dark in color. For our entree we got the red bean and rice with andouille sausages and that was delicious but once again presentation was definitely a bit lacking. Service was nice but slow. Definitely a family ran mom pops place, it's charming but definitely has its quirks and downsides.

Food is always excellent here. Staff is friendly and atmosphere is on point. Highly recommend checking this place out. Make sure to get reservations as this is a limited seating restaurant.

awesome place with an intimate and cozy dining room. ate the gumbo. service was great! only thing i'd recommend is some more spice but, hot sauce did the trick! next time will be trying the craw fish etouffe.

Really authentic New Orleans dark roux Jambalaya, and excellent gumbo. Everything is imported from New Orleans, including the beer! The petit menu items were plentiful enough for one person. Can't imagine eating a regular sized portion. Mac n cheese with andouille sausage was a different but tasty variation to where the cheese was more like a sauce.

A good choice if you are in Old Town and want to eat non-Mexican. Central location but by being a little back from the busy road it got a tranquil vibe to it. Small place run by two gents. Very friendly, not pushy. The restaurant is a converted old house. The food was good, something different than the usual. Generous portions.

Before I get into the review, I want to mention that yes they're open and have updated their business hours. I highly recommend before coming here, calling up the restaurant and placing in a reservation. They're also currently limited on staff and the menu selection. Please make sure to call and confirm what they are serving currently, if you were expecting something from the online menu. My husband and I ordered and received the following: French Bread, Dark Roux Gumbo, Small Salad with Vinaigrette, Fried Shrimp Plate with a side of Rice and Creole Sauce on top, and Creole Pasta. Everything tasted good and was served at a good amount for personal size. Our top favorite dish was the Dark Roux Gumbo, which we plan on ordering next time as an Entree instead of a Starter. I also want to compliment the chef for serving the Fried Shrimp separately from the rice with sauce to avoid it from sogging. The breading on the Fried Shrimp was soft and the shrimp itself was flavorful. The Creole Pasta was good too and was flavorfully spicy. We plan on eating here again in the near future. Also, I want to give a huge thanks and high regards to our waiter, who single handedly took care of us and everyone else that visited the restaurant. He was friendly and hard working!

Had the petite gumbo which tasted fantastic. Stop by the kitchen to request a table, once seated the service was quick and efficient. The dining room is cozy and comfortable. If you are in Old Town and looking for a break from Mexican good this is a great alternative.

Authentic Creole cuisine! Excellent food, excellent service, in a nice cabin-like ambiance with wooden floors and walls. We started with French onion soup, followed by mixed green salad, shrimp creole, crawfish etouffee, and dark roux gumbo followed by bread pudding with whiskey sauce. All were amazing! We foodies absolutely loved this hidden gem which is located in Old Town. We will definitely be back and look forward to being able to eat our way through their fabulous menu. Cudos to New Orleans Creole Cafe' owners- Chef Mark and Waiter Extraordinaire~Umberto!

Food is always amazing and it always the same gentleman there when we go, This is my wife's favorite spot to eat she's been getting it every year on her bday for the past 3 years and still hits the same

My husband found this amazing hidden gem one weekend and we immediately came to try it out the next weekend. New Orleans Creole Cafe is worth your time and Taste Buds! This restaurant is situated in a nice quiet spot in Old Town San Diego. The talented and nice gentlemen that runs this establishment is the cook and server and makes the food fresh! Just be aware that we ordered our food and we got it 50 minutes later so be prepared to wait. Everything we ordered was amazing. For the main course ordered the Gumbo, my husband ordered the jambalaya. The Bread Pudding with Whiskey Sauce was delicious warm and perfect!. This nice cozy restaurant has a special atmosphere of its own and is well worth your time and tastebuds. I highly recommend eating here.

The food was DELICIOUS!!!' Order the blacken alligator sausage. Bbq shrimp with sausage and chicken creole & for dessert the most DELICIOUS,, WARM bread pudding with whiskey was to die for!!' This was our first time being here and we are coming back!!!!

This place is a hidden gem. Tucked away behind the Whaley House is a little piece of New Orleans. The food is incredible. The flavors and combinations are authentic. We tried the alligator sausage with homemade sauce and it was amazing. The dinner dishes have varied levels of spice to fit anyone's taste. Everything from the appetizers to dessert were worth every penny. Every detail of our experience was one of a kind. The owner and chef make quite the team and had us feeling like we were receiving first class treatment. We will definitely come back.

New Orleans Creole Cafe is worth your time and Taste Buds! This restaurant is situated in a nice quiet spot in Old Town San Diego. The Nice and Amazing gentlemen that runs this establishment is the cook and server so you may have to wait a little longer than normal, but trust me it's well worth the wait! For appetizer's I ordered the Blackened Alligator Sausage and my wife ordered the French Onion Soup, house salad with Balsamic vinaigrette. For the main course I ordered the Crawfish Etouffee and my wife ordered the Dark Roux Gumbo, we stopped halfway through the meal to make room for the Bread Pudding with Whiskey Sauce which makes your tastebuds jump with joy and pleasure. This nice cozy restaurant has a special atmosphere of its own and is well worth your time and tastebuds. My wife and I will be back for sure.

We sampled the Crawfish Étouffée, Jambalaya, Gumbo, Dirty Rice and Beans with Sausage... Marvelous taste without the overwhelming Cajon seasoning geared towards hotter dishes... They can and will adjust the heat, but we opted for the lower temperature spicing to spare our tastebuds... Great service with attention to detail in their small dining room appointed with some San Diego nostalgia and New Orleans flair... Right next door to The Whaley House in Old Town San Diego, reservations recommended!

Went here around 6:00 PM after completing our tour of the Whaley house, and I would definitely recommend this place! It's a wonderful way to extend your experience, seeing how it's right next door to the Whaley house and if you sit on the cozy patio area, you can watch the tours go by. The food was amazing and so was the service! I loved the Chicken Creole and the delicious bread pudding :)