The Original Nooley’s

I was so excited to get a poboy from a place with the «right bread». Not all bread is equal when it comes to a poboy. Then I discovered they had muffalettas! Then found out they had Zapps! As a native New Orleanian this is thrilling. Everything was great. I wanted spicy crawdad flavor chips and they dug around until they found some for me. They also had Barq’s root beer making it a perfect meal. Very authentic.

I agree with the other reviewers that The food is just ok. I ordered a shrimp poboy, shrimp gumbo, and hush puppies. Those are staples of Cajun food and any Cajun place should be able to get those right.
The shrimp poboy was fine. The amount of shrimp was a bare minimum and the bread was fine, but there wasn’t much flavor beyond the mayo.
The shrimp gumbo was not good. There was little flavor and it was mostly rice and shrimp. There needed to be more spices and more ingredients.
The hush puppies were fine as well. They were crispy as they should be but were small and dry. For the price they were the best deal at this establishment.
In conclusion, there are better places you can go.

Wanted to like this place really I did went a few times and each time thought «hey there are other places here why did u try this again» wishful thinking. So anything with shrimp in it forget. Soggy and tasteless. Catfish was small and had a strange taste. The bread was my meal that day. Gumbo was watery. Friends say they like the turkey!!! Well how is that Cajun. Makes me sad to give a low rating bc service is friendly but food is not up to spending money on whilst other establishments are right there. I would try the other sandwiches only if I had someone else paying. Sorry nooleys

The portion sizes are small. It tastes like it was cooked yesterday. The amount of actual shrimp on my poboy was limited. It was all very disappointing. Save your money.

Paid $ 8 for the worst gumbo I’ve ever had. I’m a HUGE gumbo fan, but this was a stringy consistency and a foul tasting broth. I feel bad for writing this review because the people running it were very friendly, but save yourself the disappointment and steer clear.

Muffuletta. That. Is. All. :)
A simple sandwich but very flavorful. Tried a slice of hubby’s at the market. It’s nothing fancy but it’s not supposed to be either.
The half feeds two easily.

First things first, the lady working the register was courteous and prompt. Therefore, the one star.
Now, as to how the food. First of all, I was in Louisiana three days ago, so I was really on the mood for cajun. This wasn’t it. Im glad they took the time to make my poboy fromscratch, just wish they had used better ingredients. I ordered the 10 inch oyster and fries, I was hungry, and decided to go for the gusto. $ 18.87 later, I had my poboy, and one of the smallest side of old and lukewarm fries I’ve ever had the displeasure of being served. No problem, I asked for a new order and they gave me a fresh side of hot steaming, yet undercooked fries. Fine, no problem, I’m not going to waste time with the fries, let’s move on to the poboy. First impression, bland, very bland. Second impression, holy crap, did they use enough cheap catfish batter? Third impression… my stomach is getting nauseous.
Look, I’ve eaten froom food trucks and sidewalk vendors across half the world and not gotten sick. This was a first. I tried to make it home, but had to stop at a gas station and empty my stomach. I wish I could have bagged the contents and returned for a refund.
I don’t know how the rest of their food is, but I do not intend to find out.
If you do decide to find out, do yourself a favor and stay away from the oysters.

Great roast beef po boy but lacked «something». I don’t know what that something was though. The beef had great flavor and the mayo was good, but the sandwich itself needed something more. Will go again for a quick work lunch.

Yesterday’s oyster po’boy from Nooley’s was so good, I had to have another one today!

Nooley’s earned two stars. Not for the food, but for my husband’s bleeding mouth. Let me explain…
We ventured down to the Farmer’s Market with the hopes that spring had finally sprung and we’d be able to get our hands on some fresh veggies. We also stopped for lunch. My husband is from Louisiana, so he’s always eager to try Cajun establishments that we pass just to see if they are good enough to be a spot he’ll come to again and again. He ordered the gumbo and I ordered shrimp and grits, the special for the day. We also got fried jalapeño chips.
The jalapenos were pretty tasty, and I really enjoyed my (perhaps too hot) shrimp and grits. They were flavored well and I was pleased with the number of shrimp for the price. The gumbo left a little something to be desired… it didn’t taste like it really had any flavoring at all. It’s a good thing T ordered it instead of me, because I probably would have given up before finishing it. Gumbo eating wasn’t without further challenges, though, a couple of bites in, he looks at me and asks if his mouth was bleeding because he saw some on his spoon. I’d also been feeling like the sharp edges of my spoon had been cutting me… so while the experience may have been generally unremarkable, there was one first: lunch that induced injury.

I can’t speak to the authenticity of NOLA food but I can speak to the tasty hot roast beef po’boy. I grew up in Philly and love hot roast beef sandwiches. They were a staple at our house growing up as well as every first communion and graduation party. Having moved to Nashville, great sandwiches were something I missed. I miss Amoroso rolls. Even though the Po’Boy roll was no hoagie roll, it was delicious and helped to satisfy my sandwich craving. Don’t know how authentic it was but it was delicious.

I go to Nooley’s on a regular basis. I always get either a shrimp, oyster or roast beef po-​boy. They are first class and just like New Orleans. Beth, the owner knows us and is very friendly. I have not tried the gumbo or other stuff as the po-​boys are just too good with a little «Slap Yo Mamma» (a cajun spice) shaken on the sandwich by us. Highly recommended for a «N’awlins» fix.

Their lobster bisque was to die for! I only wish their shrimp gumbo was as good. The broth was way too thin and the flavor lackluster. I will definitely go out of my way for the lobster bisque but it isn’t a normal menu item. Darn expensive too, cups of both and a drink were $ 11. Again the bisque was worth it in spades!

I grew up eating crawfish and shrimp po boys from the original Nooley’s in Franklin, so you can imagine how happy I was to discover they’d resurfaced at the NFM! Since I’m a grown up now and eat grown up things like olives, I have since switched to getting their muffaletta sandwich. For those of you who’ve never had a real New Orleans-​style muffaletta, I’d advise you start with their smallest size. For the adventurous types, go ahead and order the half. I can’t imagine eating a full-​size on my own, I’d really have to prepare myself both mentally and physically for that one.
The prices are reasonable and the quality is acceptable; they’re not using locally sourced products (as far as I know) or particularly «gourmet» ingredients, but what they might lack in ingredient quality they make up for in skill of preparation. They’ve been making these same recipes for twenty years or more, and they’ve ironed out the kinks. There are no consistency issues –ever. My wife and I usually are at NFM weekly, and we usually grab lunch while we’re there –so I eat a lot of Nooley’s. No matter who’s working, no matter how busy they are, the food is always good and always the same. That can be difficult for any restaurant, let alone one that operates out of a small stall in a farmers market!
In short, whether you’re from NOLA or Nashville, you’re likely to enjoy the food at Nooley’s. Built around lunch favorites that are quick and reasonably priced, their menu will keep both your wallet and your belly full.

I didn’t realize that I had never reviewed Nooley’s until now. I used to love the Nooley’s in Franklin and was terribly disappointed when they closed down. Well, they resurfaced at the Nashville Farmer’s Market years ago.
Everything is good by I have my too favorites. They make one of the best po-​boys in these parts especially the shrimp po-​boy. And onion rings — OMG — they don’t get ANY better these. Freshly hand breaded there, not the bought pre-​breaded ones.
I love the owner and staff — they are always friendly and it makes my day to see them. They even know my order pretty much by heart.

Went to the Farmer’s Market for lunch. Came across this «authentic cajun food» booth and decided to stop for some shrimp gumbo. The worst gumbo I’ve ever had. The shrimps were really small and over cooked. This was the same with everything else in it. I love me some okra but not when it’s overcooked causing the whole bowl of soup to be slimy. It was just gross — I’m gagging now just thinking about it.

I was really disappointed by my first visit to Nooley’s, today. First thing was the price is a bit steep. A bowl of shrimp gumbo and a drink came out to over $ 9.00, which was both a smaller portion and a steeper price than J. Gumbo’s or Kelly’s Cajun Grill. But the worst part was the gumbo itself. This was the worst gumbo I’ve ever had.
The first thing I noticed was the broth wasn’t the least bit thick. It was basically soup, and there was so little rice that the rice didn’t provide any substance either. The worst part however was the okra. For starters, the traditional Cajun thickener is dark roux, and this gumbo had okra instead. This was the biggest problem because the okra was so overpowering that there was literally no other flavor to the gumbo. I could not taste the shrimp, nor any other ingredient. The gumbo tasted like I was drinking okra juice. This is not a pleasant taste experience. I wound up being unable to endure eating the entire meal, and I had to go to another restaurant to complete my lunch.
I will have to give this place one plus — that the menu claims they seek to use ingredients straight from the farmer’s market. I assume this explains the use of the (way too much) okra thickener instead of dark roux. I can appreciate their attempt to support the rest of the farmer’s market. However, they need to make it work in their food, which isn’t the case with the gumbo.
One final beef is that the non-​po’ boy options are pretty limited. The gumbos are available every day, but étouffée is only on Tuesday and jambalaya is only on Thursday.
I might update my review later if I ever try one of their other menu options. However, with all the other restaurants in the farmer’s market it’s highly unlikely I’ll be coming back to Nooley’s soon if ever.
Overall a very disappointing experience.

I cant speak to authentication of NOLA grub, but my friend wanted to try the catfish platter. I was like ‘um…you’re getting fish at a stand in the farmers market ?’ Yeaaaahhhh…
But wait! It was actually quite tasty! Freshly battered and fried. (Although I am 99% sure the fish was a freezer filet). Also, the hushpuppies literally melted in your mouth. Average curly fries. The price was around $ 8.50 with no drink, but you could easily share the plate with a friend.
Quite a few hot sauces and spices to jazz up your plate.
Solid, I’d try the humongous muffleta’s floating by — looked good!

I saw Nooley’s at the Farmer’s Market and, since I am always open to trying Cajun food when I find it, decided to check it out.
I got the special, which was a bowl of red beans and rice and another bowl of shrimp gumbo, along with a drink, for $ 8.49 plus tax.
I wasn’t sure how big of a portion I would get-​I thought it would be kind of small, but it was two regular bowl-​sized portions. The red beans/​rice was spiced just right, with a kick that was medium. I could feel it, but I’ve had hotter. For anyone that is not used to spicy food, this will be hot enough for you.
The shrimp gumbo also had rice in it, and it was delicious. The hearty roux gave the dish a full, rich taste and it contained the requisite okra.
I will have to come back to try a muffaleta. I saw one in the window, but my stomach was already set on the gumbo.

I’ve had muffuletta sandwiches elsewhere and they do not compare. I was hesitant, but now I see and taste the difference. Be careful what you order, half is more than enough for 1 person. Let’s talk about the bread for a minute… so good, so buttery, and so full of win. Pressed between the bread is delicious salami, ham, provolone, and olive tapenade.
I’ll be back to try their different Po’Boy sandwiches.
Nooley’s is located inside the farmers market.