Café Hope

The location was hard to find, did not expect the café to be right in the main church. Would be better if there were better signage. Inside, the place looked very nice with a modern elegant warehouse feel the day I went in, there was very few people there (Probably because it was difficult to find).
Went their for lunch and ordered their burger while my friend had the chicken. The burger was much better than I expected from a «church café». It came with two patties and an amazing piece of bacon. I ordered the side salad although it normally comes with fries. The facility had an outdoor garden, so the salad was the right choice. The burger was smaller than I thought and I was not able to get it anything other than well done.
My friend has the chicken with mixed greens. The chicken had a nice smokey flavor, however, I believe the breast was just from a frozen prepackaged bag. If it was not, then the chicken was just overcooked. The star of the show was the mixed greens.
The staff needs work as they are not very attentive. Even in an entire restaurant with 3 tables and full staff, they seem to be lost in what to do.
Overall a good unique place to check out in the area. And based on its competition, it offers something different from the traditional chain restaurants. Considering the area and the food, it is pricer than I expected. But I guess the funds are going to a good cause…

I LOVE the concept of Café Hope. There should be more programs like this.
The hours are «work hours» for students not «restaurant hours». i.e.- lunch M-​F only. ok, ok, I guess you got to give the kids a break. It just made eating here a little difficult. Its on the west bank so unless you work in the area, its not easy to swing by during lunch hour.
The building is unique. Its beautiful. The dinning room was bare and basic. Casual.
The menu lacked in descriptive explanations and the young waitress obviously lacked knowledge. A little more attention in the menu would be an improvement.
The food was good. We shared a tempura appetizer special. The batter was well seasoned. The dipping sauce was perfectly garlicy. I ordered the shrimp pasta dish. The lemon sauce was watery but had a nice flavor. Decent amount of sizeable shrimp.
A manager? came around asking if everything was ok. Quality control is great.
Go here! if you’re able to make it here during their slim hours.

So here’s why I love this place. My husband and I were driving by and stopped in for lunch, however we neglected to change the clock in the car to the correct time zone and didn’t realize we were going in after they stopped serving lunch. The young host seated us and gave us menus and a few minutes later one of the guys in charge approached our table and explained they had stopped serving lunch a while ago but would be happy to invite us to stay and eat with everyone at the facility as try were about to eat. We politely declined and he went on to give us several suggestions of other restaurants in the area we might try on our trip. He then explained the facility an how they were helping the community and it’s just a great place with great people and I have no doubt the food is wonderful even though I wasn’t able to have lunch.
Maybe I shouldn’t rate this business since I didn’t actually end up eating here, but I had such a great experience that I have no referring people to eat here.

Another great lunch at Café Hope — highly recommend the fire roasted pork sandwich and fries! And we must go back soon for the smoked chicken as the aroma drifting into the dining room was amazing!

Fabulous. Food is excellent and you are supporting a great cause. We need more of these in the world.

Café Hope is such an amazing place. Not only is it a restaurant, but it’s a program designed to train young people between ages 16 and 24 in the restaurant business. They are trained in every aspect of the restaurant from the garden to the kitchen to the dining room. They then go on to a job at another restaurant. It’s a really incredible program.
I have been to Café Hope twice. The first time I sampled a little bit of the entire menu and the second time was a typical dining experience. This review is of the second time I went, but if you are curious about any of the other food I tried (see pictures) feel free to ask.
My dad and I stopped in here because, although I had been here for a sampling, I had yet to try the shrimp and grits, so that’s what I got. I have been on a real grits kick lately and I have no idea why. If I go to a place and grits are on the menu, they are a «go» for me. I also got a side of potato salad, because during my sampling I loved it!
The shrimp and grits came and they looked so good! There was a good amount of shrimp served on top of yummy, creamy grits. I added a little hot sauce and this just put the entire dish over the top. It was amazing! My potato salad was delicious, of course. The potato salad here is diced potatoes with a nice dressing mixed into it, so it isn’t heavy at all.
The menu does tend to change a bit, but I found that it’s eclectic enough that anyone is sure to find something that they will enjoy and there is even a kid’s menu, so be sure to bring them along as well. Lunch is served at the restaurant, Tuesday through Friday from 11am to 2pm. There is also dinner on Fridays from 6 to 9.
I will absolutely return to Café Hope and support this amazing restaurant. A meal here is one you can really feel good about.

So glad to have found Café Hope. The shrimp with grits and greens was excellent. The sautéed greens were amazing — right from their garden and well prepared in the kitchen. It is casual and very friendly staff and fellow diners. I would be a regular if I lived in the area. Go enjoy a great meal and support a worthy cause at the same time.

So delicious and such a great cause. The location is unconventional, but the food and price makes up for it. Service is very good as the staff is in training to work in the restaurant industry. The menu changes every few weeks, but is consistently delicious. They also do not accept tips, but you can donate to the charity instead. It’s a nice sit down dinner at a low low price.

Went on a not busy Thursday and had a great lunch. Staff was tentative but earnest. They did fine and our waitress was chatty and knowledgable. Husband and I both got the BL Fried Green Tomato sandwich. It was some serious bacon and since it is locally sourced we ate the bacon, when we normally don’t eat pig. Tomatoes were fried nicely. Remoulade was ok. I wish I had noticed there was a fried egg on this sandwich bc I don’t do eggs but he really liked the runny yellow all over his sandwich and got to eat mine too. Salad on the side was simple but a good foil for the rich sandwich. We shared an order of fries and they were very good, that almost burned so they are caramelized. I like the old building and the pale green walls. The art was great and there were zinnias at each table, probably grown in the garden right there. Only wish there were more fans, the warm summer air was a little still. And maybe a vegetarian entrée? Will definitely go back to this friendly place.

What a gem of a restaurant! Certainly off the beaten path but more than worth it for the food. This is NOT the average restaurant one would expect. If it was in the CBD it would be the best bargain in New Orleans. Service is leisurely, if you are in a hurry you might get nervous but the wait staff is in training (that’s part of the mission of Café Hope) so one must take that into consideration plus the fact that the food is cooked to order– you won’t find Sysco food served here. If you have the time there isn’t a much better way to spend an afternoon. And bring your appetite, you’ll want to order everything on the menu. I had never tasted a B, L, fried green T sandwich before and now I dream about them. Also bear in mind that this isn’t a $ 5 lunch place. This is fine dining and for what you get this is a bargain. A wonderful meal for two will run $ 30-​$ 40 including tax and tip. Not to be mistaken for Café Reconcile (great though it is), another similar project which has all the usual fried food New Orleanians have come to expect along with the noise and crowds. This bright, spacious, and airy restaurant is a pleasure to dine in. Perfect to take a client to for a business meeting or someone special that you want to spend time with. Try it.

PROS
–food was outstanding– pickled shrimp/​shrimp salad with chicken wings flavor, etc.
–for a good cause
CONS
–took long time to get water and to be greeted
–never received menus so got menus ourselves

First I must state I love the mission of this place. Helping at risk young adults get training in the restaurant and hospitality industries.
Now my review: I had the shrimp and grits with andouille sausage and the gumbo.
The shrimp and grits were DELICIOUS. Everything about this dish was done right. The grits and shrimp were perfectly cooked. The andouille sausage was the perfect compliment to this dish. I have nothing negative to say about this dish. The shrimp gumbo was really good also. I recommend this place without a doubt.
This is not restaurant fast food, this is delicious take your time and enjoy the flavor experience food. Great food and service. Without a doubt I’ll be back. Even if I have to drive all the way from Lafayette to enjoy this great food with a purpose.

I wanted to love Café Hope. I really did.
Not to say it wasn’t good, because it was, but it wasn’t A+++++++RECOMMENDED like I was hoping it would be.
Oh, wait, that’s eBay feedback. My bad. It isn’t 5-​star worthy either.
Anyhow, my brother, my daughter, and myself finally made it to Café Hope for lunch. I love the idea behind this place. The service though… argh.
We walked in the door and were seated promptly, but then it all went downhill. It took a very long time to get menus & water. We then realized that there aren’t any vegetarian entrees on the lunch menu (my bro opted for a salad). There also isn’t a kids’ menu, apparently, so I ended up having to get a $ 15 3-​course meal for my 3 year old. Luckily, this actually worked out well because little bro got the starter salad and we all split the dessert. I had the 3-​course lunch too, with the gumbo & fried fish.
So, instantly, more expensive than I was expecting, but oh well.
The gumbo was good, as was the salad. We then waited. And waited. And waited. I think the time between appetizers and entrée was about 30 minutes.
When the entrees came out, everything was delicious.
Dessert… I forget the name, but it was a fried pastry thing… sort of like burnt beignets?
Maybe they weren’t supposed to be burnt, maybe they were, but regardless, they weren’t very good.
In short, if you have 2 hours for lunch, this is definitely one of the nicer lunch places on the Westbank. The food, for the most part, is delicious. It’s just a very long wait and the service is definitely lacking.

Food was great and love the local find. Ambience in an old church is wonderful. Crab BLT was a hit!

This place is worth a visit. You are supporting a charity and the food is good. I recommend the Crab Cake. Portions are not huge, but perfect for lunch.

Went with friends for lunch. Loved the place. Wait staff is in training so expect much! Food delivers!

What a wonderful find. Thanks, Unilocal!If you’re looking for an inexpensive but delicious lunch, take a trip out to Café Hope. The setting is charming, the food good, the price right, and the staff very friendly. Google the restaurant first, so you know the «why» of the restaurant, and you’ll enjoy it more.

Eat food — do good? OK! You don’t need to ask me twice. This is feel-​good GOOD food! Not only is the food here top notch, but you know you’re supporting a great cause by eating here. Café Hope staff helps at-​risk youth by offering a mentoring program through the culinary arts. They are doing a great job and it is evident in the yumm food!
Shared apps of the deviled eggs (who does deviled eggs anymore? and how did I not realize they were missing in my life before now!?) and fried green tomatoes (perfectly fried, not too much batter). Had the crabcake with fresh salad greens and then finished off the meal with calas (the best kind of fried rice — like a beignet and sweet sticky rice got together and made deliciousness).
Great experience! Was kind of worried about the trek out there, but this is well worth the 15 minute trip from downtown NOLA.

This is such a great dining experience on so many levels. First of all, the food is wonderful. It’s a rotating, seasonal, local menu of Louisiana classics done in new ways. The place itself is beautiful, set in an old chapel with shady courtyards. Finally, all «employees» are at-​risk teens learning career skills and completing their education. If you’re in the area and have the envie for a fabulous lunch, definitely stop by!

A true HIDDEN GEM on the Westbank! A Catholic Charity program Only open Monday thru Friday during lunch time. Food is fantastic and you can’t help but love what the program stands for. We ordered the shrimp salad with a chili lime vigarette which was refreshing and light. The roasted chicken with root vegetables was also delicious and well cooked. Great hidden gem for lunch!