Pascal’s Manale Restaurant

The food was excellent but the service puts this place over the top. This was one of the few sit down restaurants open late on Mardi Gras weekend and it was busy! We also liked seeing the signed picture of Peyton Manning on the celeb wall — go Broncos!
We had the BBQ shrimp, potatoes au gratin, and the combination pan roast starter. The BBQ shrimp and pan roast were delicious, and would order both again, the potatoes were good to round out the meal but nothing special. We also had pecan pie for dessert which was a nice sweet ending to our meal.

I’m always Unilocaling for the newest or top rated restaurant and while searching in NOLA came across Pascal’s Manale. It’s been 12 — 15 years since I have been here so we said «why not».
Our meal started with a long wait but we enjoyed the bar. Once seated we had our appetizers; BBQ shrimp, shrimp cocktail, then salads. Our entrees were the Frutta Del Mare, Grilled Fish Orleans, Diablo shrimp/​pasta and more BBQ shrimp. We enjoyed the food, no complaints but no ravings. We will go back, we won’t wait 12 – 15 years but it will defiantly be a few.
We had a party of 6 and they will not split bills which is plainly stated on the menu. I have no issue with this but it is easily done in these days of computers. It’s very easy to let each couple know what their portion is unless you as a server don’t want to take the time or bother. Our server was no help, (here’s your bill you figure I out.)

I love these classic New Orleans restaurants. I hope no matter how many new places open that people don’t neglect these historical places. In fact, Cochon and all the snooty new places could learn quite a lot from the hospitality and warmth from places like Pascal’s Manale. I’ve been here before, this was my second visit and I liked it even more this time than I did the first.
I started with a really good turtle soup. We shared a dozen very good oysters raw. The horseradish they served with it was super fresh and strong. We split a side dish of the vegetable of the day and an order of their famous BBQ shrimp. All absolutely delicious.
The service was excellent. They have parking. If you’ve not been here, don’t hesitate. It’s a must neighborhood restaurant to visit on your trip to New Orleans.

A friend of mine told me about BBQ shrimp, and after googling it to find out what it was, I felt like it was the only thing I’ve ever wanted in my entire life. (It’s shrimp sauteed in a special spicy, creamy, buttery, salty sauce.) Fortunately, our Airbnb was just down the street from this place that apparently invented the recipe for BBQ shrimp.
The restaurant was pricey, so my friends and I called ahead to see if we could order the BBQ shrimp to share at the bar during happy hour, rather than eating a full meal there. The person we talked to said it shouldn’t be a problem. We stopped by happy hour for some reasonably priced wine and oysters, but unfortunately they were so busy that they refused to serve us entrees at the bar.
This meant we had to follow their really complicated, un-​intuitive, scavenger-​hunt like instructions to complete our happy hour goals. We had to make three weird stops within the same restaurant: The first stop was at the bar for drinks, where we paid for our drinks and oysters. At the bar, they gave us a token to redeem our oyster. Fortunately, we were allowed to take our drinks to the oyster counter, and we stopped there for a while to redeem our oyster token. The oyster bar wasn’t comfortable or relaxing, but it’s definitely a fun experience. They shuck the oysters right in front of you, and it’s so small that you will be forced to befriend the other customers on either side of you. After the oyster counter, we stopped by the actual restaurant where we got a table to order our BBQ shrimp.
We were trying to avoid this last step, because the restaurant is pricey, and we just wanted to order a couple of dishes to sample for our group. Fortunately, our waiter Louie was fantastic and completely understanding of our situation. We ordered the BBQ shrimp and the oysters Bienville, which are stuffed with a delicious mystery stuffing, and I think broiled. (Our server actually did tell us what was in the stuffing, but I forgot).
We were all really full before we even got to the restaurant, but none of us had any regrets because of how delicious all the food was. Definitely worth a try for anyone visiting New Orleans.

Table for two. Showed up without reservation on New Years Day around 6:00pm. We were able to get a table without having to wait. We might have been a little overdressed but it was a little sad to see the other patrons had little respect for the establishment as most of the people there were in town for the Sugar Bowl and openly talking to each other about sports or talking on their phones at the tables. Nothing a business can really do about it but grin and bear it.
Anyways, we had the Oysters Bienville which were awesome. I had a bite of the Veal off of my girlfriend’s plate… amazing. I think it might be the best thing there. I had a pasta with oysters, shrimp, crabmeat, and scallops. The scallops were the best I’ve ever had and the presentation was noteworthy to say the least.
Most important part: I don’t know if there is a way to request a server but we had Austin. Austin is by far and away the best and smoothest server we’ve had in New Orleans in at least the last calendar year. It’s so great to see service is still alive and well at such a historic restaurant that could get by on namesake and reputation alone. Thank you for having us.

The off-​street parking is a huge plus, especially considering all the construction on Napoleon. Like other upscale restaurants, service is top-​notch. Interior feels classy. Feels special. Feels like New Orleans, especially the waiting area by the bar. The shrimp salad is visually enticing and delicious. The shrimp and andouille ravioli is a little heavy for lunch but totally worth the food coma afterwards. And you can’t go wrong with the BBQ shrimp sandwich (because you can taste the love in it, or is that the butter?) I love it here and will be back time and time again.

I found this restaurant overrated.
Pros: Nice atmosphere at the raw bar… lots of room to wait… nice drinks area… friendly folks…
Cons: Extremely loud in the dining area… had to speak with raised voice to be heard… dishes were nothing extraordinary… the house special BBQ shrimp dish was simply a dozen or so steamed shrimp in a sort of piquant brown sauce and that was it. For $ 26, this didn’t seem like value for money. Two in our party ordered the dinner special drum which while tasty was a smallish portion with no sides… also overpriced.
I don’t recommend P’s M and don’t plan to return.

Pascal’s Manale is known for creating the original BBQ shrimp. For those who are unfamiliar, New Orleans BBQ Shrimp is actually sautéed in a Worchester butter sauce. No grill or BBQ sauce involved. It is so good because there is literally a stick of butter in a serving. They serve it with flakey po-​boy bread that you use to sop up the sauce.
Having tried Mr. B’s version during my last visit and absolutely falling in love with the dish, I had to go to the original source. Sadly, Pascal’s version was nowhere near as tasty. There wasn’t as much butter and the flavors were meh even with all the pepper. The bread was incredible though — extra flaky crust and so fluffy on the inside!
All the hype for the shrimp must be from people who haven’t tried Mr. B’s. Just go there.
The other food was marginally better but still disappointing.
Stuffed Eggplant w/​ham, shrimp, crabmeat — Great app and the best dish of the meal. It didn’t taste anything like eggplant, instead it was a medium to deliver the flavors of the meat.
Pascal Salad — Good balsamic vinaigrette. Otherwise just a normal salad.
Frutta Del Mare — A pasta dish with scallops, crabmeat, oysters, and shrimp in light marinara. I started eating this and it was fine, though a little salty. Then I tried an oyster was had clearly gone bad. Disgusting. I couldn’t finish the rest of my meal.
Drinks are basic and overpriced for Nola.
Service was spotty. Our waitress was very friendly, which is as expected in New Orleans. We were served cold butter though with no bread upon seating. And it took a while for us to get our menus and be greeted by the waitress.
Been there, ate that, no need to go back. I did go to Mr. B’s two days later to get my BBQ Shrimp fix. As good as ever. No comparison.

Pascal Manale’s is off the beaten path deep into the Garden District and certainly not exactly the fanciest place around. Though I have to say it’s worth the extra mile. It’s like a Resturant made from a Garden District house.
I haven’t been in many years, maybe early 90’s, but I was on the way out of New Orleans and said what the hell! I remembered everything about the same with maybe new paint. They have plenty of free parking.
Pascal’s really has the coolest old fashion set up. You buy «Oyster Chips» at the bar. One chip per dozen raw oysters. You then go to the oyster bar and give the Shucker the chips and that fellow takes care of you. I think he gave me 15 or so per chip. They have all the fixins at the Oyster bar.
After we got our fill of the raw oysters, I tipped the Master Shucker out and he requested the host to seat us in the dining room. You do have the bar seating option as well.
Ok to the review; Oysters at Excellent, Very fresh, Very Cold and just the right amount of salt. As good as I’ve ever eaten. It’s really been a great year for oysters everywhere I’ve eaten them.
We then split and bowl of Gumbo and one BBQ Shrimp dish for the grand finale. The Gumbo was perfect with an excellent roux. The BBQ Shrimp is there staple dish and absolutely wonderful. It’s a spicy olive-​oil sauce. Great for dipping that wonderful New Orleans bakery made bread.
Oysters, A bowl of Gumbo and the BBQ Shrimp was plenty for two and we skipped desert. Simply Delicious!
I really don’t give out many 5 stars. Normally because I think most places are over priced or the I can always be a little picky. But the service, the food and even the price was worthy.
When I walked in and was getting the oyster chips, I was informed it was cash only as the bartender pointed to the sign. I told the bartender, that cash only would change everything and started thinking about another option just because that irritated me.
He then quickly ask me to wait a moment and went to speak with the owner at the end of the bar and then said he would take my visa.

Pascal’s is truly a must have when visiting N.O. The atmosphere is pretty darn classy but with a medium-​loud voice tone from people dining in. There are people having a great time eating oysters and downing cocktails at the oyster bar and then theres people eating on white-​linen tables.
Fresh crunchy bread is served with soft butter for starters. The BBQ shrimp is dynamite ($ 26). It’s soaked in this peppery olive oil and some other herbs blended in the sauce. The shrimp is jumbo sized with it’s whiskers long. I didn’t bother peeling the skin, I just went in and sucked the juices from the head and ate the body. The sauce is strong and peppery and does require sips of water every other bite. It can be a bit spicy at times too but not much.
The sauce is incredible! I suggest dipping the fresh loaf of bread too, to get the full taste of the olive oil sauce.
I had a great time here! I totally wish I got to down oysters but that’ll be until next time!

Can’t stop by Nola without stopping by this place and trying the famous barbecue shrimp. It was all delicious– my husband and I started with the oysters Rockefeller and each a cup of gumbo and then shared the barbecue shrimp. Some of the best food and amazing service all the way from the server, server assistant and bartender. Each were as welcoming and engaging which complimented the traditional Nola fare.

Wow! What an experience. A good friend was moving from New Orleans back to California, so we decided to make this his «last supper» in NOLA, and what a good choice that was. We made reservations, so the wait wasn’t long for a table. The service was phenomenal from the hostess to the busser, everyone was so polite; it was so refreshing. This restaurant is, to me, a New Orleans staple and everyone must go at least once. We started with a bottle of wine and enjoyed the raw oysters and caprese salad for an appetizer. For entrees he had the bbq shrimp which were amazing, and I opted for the fish Orleans… again, amazing. Nothing was too rich and my fish was perfectly cooked. I’d recommend this place to anyone looking for a true New Orleans dining experience.

This review is solely for Oyster Happy Hour– we visited «Uptown T» at Pascal’s over at the oyster counter, and he is a fantastic shucker. You get your token at the regular bar for a dozen oysters during happy hour, and Uptown T shucks them for you one by one. You mix your own cocktail sauce in the corner, no frills, very simple.
The oysters are fabulous and fresh. Talking with Uptown T was great as well– I recently bought an oyster knife of my own, and T had a great time giving advice and keeping us entertained. It was a great visit to Nola and I will absolutely be back for happy hour on our next trip.

Recommendations: Oyster Bienville and Crab Cake Alfredo.
Oyster Bienville — baked oysters with bacon, shrimp, and mushroom. It was creamy and very flavorful. It is served with a lemon so add as much juice as you want to it. I highly recommend this appetizer.
Crab Cake Alfredo — special — creamy Alfredo with prices of crab meat mixed in and 2 crab cakes. Very flavorful. I would order this again
BBQ shrimp — I am not a big shrimp eater. The presentation was nice, the waiter comes and puts a bib on you. The shrimp is cooked in butter and black pepper. I personally would not order this again.
Bread pudding — I ordered this because a lot of people praised it on Unilocal.I quite enjoyed it. Although, I am not the biggest fan of raisins.
Service ⁵⁄₅: the waiters seemed very attentive to all the tables. My waiter was very quick to show up whenever we needed something. He checked in with us multiple times and as I said they bring you a bib and tie it for you! After we finished with the shrimp he brought out hot towels for us to clean our hands.

Yesterday my visit to Pascal’s was nostalgic. Years ago I lived on the corner of St. Charles and Napoleon and would walk up the few blocks to eat lunch there. Since moving back to the area I’ve been too busy trying out all of the new, great restaurants in NOLA, although it had been years since I had eaten there, like an old friend, I realized that I had missed Pascal’s terribly and it felt so good to catch up. With great new restaurants popping up in NOLA it’s easy to forget about the old standards which have survived through the years of chaos and rebuilding. If you have never been. Go. If it’s been awhile since you’ve been. Revisit. Take some friends. Plan to stay awhile and enjoy good food and drinks.
Lunch yesterday I ordered the Oysters Dante — deep fried Louisiana oysters served over penne pasta with a sauce of prosciutto and mushrooms. It was delicious, and I sopped up all of the juice with my bread until my bowl was clean. (Apologies to the folks at the neighboring table who probably thought I don’t get out of the house much.) I topped off the meal with an order of bread pudding — and yes it was as good as I remembered it to be and more.

I’ve been meaning to write this review for sometime now. My dad is from Louisiana and has visited New Orleans several times. He Insisted we visit this place to start off the celebration of my college graduation! Upon looking at some older reviews, I was unsure of this place. I should’ve never questioned my dad because he was so right about Pascal’s Manale!
We visited Pascal’s on our first night in New Orleans (Monday) the restaurant was not crowded whatsoever and we were in no rush. Before sitting down at the table my family and I ate fresh oysters from the oyster bar. This was a really fun experience, considering I’m from Ohio and places like this are pretty nonexistent! This was the first time I tried oysters, and now I can say I actually like them!
Once we were seated at our table, our server brought us their fresh bread and butter, which is always a nice touch. For dinner, my brother and dad ordered their famous BBQ shrimp and crawfish étouffée. My mom and I ordered the crab cake linguine! Now for the verdict…
crawfish étouffée: absolutely delicious and it was my first experience eating it!
BBQ shrimp: I tried a few and really like them! In my head I pictured shrimp smothered in BBQ sauce. However, this is not the case. The sauce is very light, yet flavorful. Be prepared to use your hands and get messy. You peel the shrimp!
Crab cake linguine: this is hands down one of THE best meals I have ever had. I’m typically not a huge linguine fan because the sauce that comes with it tends to be overwhelming. This was not the case. The sauce was creamy with amazing flavor and the crab cakes were some of the best I’ve ever had. They had a zing to them because of the bits of bell pepper inside.
In general, I don’t have a single complaint about this place. Our server was nice and professional and the food was beyond amazing. I really love the feel and ambience of this place. One can certainly tell there is some history. If you’re ever in the New Orleans area, take a break from the French Quarter and eat some real, delicious food! I can’t wait to go back!

Great old standby in the Big Easy, serving up great seafood and history since 1913.
Pan roast, BBQ Shrimp and Bloody Mary’s. All
Perfectly legal.
Bar has charm, raw ones cold and service top notch southern style.
Great for lunch too.

I have been coming to Manale’s on every visit to New Orleans since the late 1980s. The oysters are the best I have ever eaten.
The Bar B Q Shrimp dish is unique. The fresh bread for dipping is overlooked and is just fantastic.
This place is a must when visiting New Orleans.
What is not surprising is that my waiter informed me half of the business is returning tourists. People that go there once return the next time they are in town. Pascal’s Manale is certainly NOT a one and done restaurant.

This was our special meal while in New Orleans. It was recommended by folks from New Orleans as a place the locals go to. Our evening there did not start out well, but by the time we left we were satisfied.
First, the bar area was really fun. When you first walk in there is an oyster bar where they had two men shucking one oyster after another. Wow. The bar was hopping. And, the walls were completely covered with signed celebrity photos from past visitors The photos included sports heroes, movie and TV stars, and even a past President (Harry Truman).
We had reservations for nine people at 7:00 PM. It was not until almost 8:00 when they seated us. The host and the manager were not helpful, and in fact were a little rude about the fact that we asked when we would be seated. I think all of us were arguing among ourselves about how to get seated when they finally took us back.
We were given a private room, which was nice. There was a long table that just about filled the room. The walls were sparse — there were a couple of pictures, but the one I recall was of a bunch of dogs sitting around a dinner table. Odd.
The waitress came in and immediately apologized for the wait and for the way we were treated. From that point on, everything got better. They serve warm Italian bread in paper bags, and when they notice one is empty, another one is dropped to take its place. We started with a dozen oysters that two of us shared — extremely fresh and very good. For dinner, I had the Zuppa del Mare — home made angel hair pasta with lump crabmeat, crawfish, scallops and shrimp in a light marinara sauce. Outrageous.
The server comped our deserts because of our issues when we came in. This would be a five star review if the management seemed more caring about their customers. But, if you are in the Garden District, this is really a place you should check out. Expect a wait, but the food is worth it.

This is an institution and a must when visiting NOLA.
I came for the barbecued shrimp because I love the Brennan restaurant’s version so much, I had to have the original.
First off, this is white tablecloth service. The service is fantastic! Since fingers must be used with the shrimp, a waiter dressed me with a bib! If I weren’t who am I guess I’d be embarrassed since I was eating alone in a room fulling other diners with company… but instead I asked my waiter to take a picture!
I ordered the Insalate Manale… one of the best salads you can ever eat, I promise! For anyone who loves the 1905 salad at the Columbia in Tampa needs to order this salad. It’s in the same family, but 20 times better!
The barbecue shrimp was fantastic. It was very different the Brennan’s version, but oh so good. They came out piping hot as well.
If you want 5 star service and fantastic food away from touristy bourbon street and the French market area, go to midtown. My cab driver told me the best places in NOLA are located there. Pascals did not disappoint.