Jacques-Imo

RIP. I miss you.
and your hurricanes
and bingo
and mac and cheese
and fried chicken
come back soon.

I think this place closed. The number has been disconnected. Has anyone been by lately?

After hoofing around the UWS for 45 minutes last Sunday and just not feeling the «brunch line vibe» or the sports bar idea — we walked past a New Orleans Jazz trio on the sidewalk — it was so cheery and nice we stopped to check the menu — it looked pretty good so in we went
The wait staff was super casual — and maybe just a tad overly touchy feely, the service was super slow — and the food was so-​so
My dh had the gumbo (it was fine) and the alligator sausage signature dish (forget the name) it was quiche like and a bit rich for my taste…
i had the spinach salad with blackened shrimp — the salad was just shrimp leaves and a Roma tomato sliced and used as a garnish and a liberal serving of shrimp, decent sized with head and tail on so a bit labor intensive to eat.
Not a great experience — certainly wont jump at the chance to go back but wont rule it out!
Holy jump! walked by a few weeks later and they are just GONE! Apparently another victem of lease agreements/​renewals.

My favorite brunch place in the city, and not just because I live a few blocks away. They do really interesting spins on great brunch classics, like eggs benedict with fried oysters and chunks of brie. The bloody mary’s, which are great if you’re a fan of the spicy-​and-​veggie-​laden variety. I’ve also had the fried green tomatoes, shrimp n’ grits, and a couple other dishes I can’t remember but am sure were excellent.

A really good cajun restaurant very close to the museum of natural history. Their cornbread muffins were really good while the jambalaya I had was very tasty. Obviously, it ain’t gonna be as good as real new orleans but it’s the closest thing in New York to it. Very authentic Cajun place wuth plenty of flare. Live performances and great service make this place a true gem.

What do you get when you take the best restaurant in New Orleans, create a brand new version of it, change the menu around and put it in the Upper West Side of NYC?
Disappointment. The same kind of disappointment you get when you go to your class reunion and realize that guy you loved all those years is actually pretty lame now. I was in LOVE with the original Jaques-Imo’s In New Orleans. When I lived there it was my favorite place to bring visiting friends. I even had my going away dinner there when I left. I always figured that if I ended up on death-​row my «last meal» of Jaques-Imo’s rare Carpetbagger steak with blue cheese & oysters, mashed potatoes & corn machoux would have made the crime worth it. So, you can imagine my delight when I realized the one in NY was only a block away from where I was staying this weekend. I had talked this place up so much that we rearranged our day just to make it here.
Turns out, it was completely different and not in a good way. Like everywhere else in NY, they were serving their «brunch» menu at 3pm. We didn’t want eggs. We already ate breakfast. I was baffled. I sadly informed my boyfriend (who had never been to Jaques-Imo’s in NOLA or NY) that they didn’t have that Carpetbagger steak on this menu. Or the Mahi-​Mahi. Or Corn Machoux. Or Mirliton. After a few minutes of shock & awe (while I seriously contemplated leaving) we sucked it up and ordered.
Ah, at least the corn muffin was still as delicious and greasy as I remembered it, thank God. A little bit of hope restored. But wait, the sausage & alligator cheesecake… well, sometimes it’s best to just keep memories in your head where they belong and not try to relive them. It changed. It didn’t taste fresh. The alligator was flavorless and unidentifiable. It was served luke-​warm and was a bit rubbery. And the sauce on top overpowered the entire thing. I actually felt guilty for coaxing my boyfriend into getting it. The blackened redfish po’boy was passable. But, it tasted more «blackened» than «redfish» and the portion was pretty po’ (as in all bread and very little fish). You’d never see a portion that small in New Orleans! My boyfriend doubts that it was even Redfish — he thought maybe it was Tilapia instead — but I couldn’t tell. The accompanying fries were seasoned well but cold and just okay.
Honestly, this place wasn’t bad but it was just okay. Sometimes «just okay» is good enough. If it was my first and only experience with Jaques-Imo’s I may have been satisfied. But, this place was the Northeastern sister restaurant of a Southern favorite that I miss dearly, and it just didn’t deliver. Couldn’t deliver. I guess I’m partially to blame for even thinking it was possible to recreate any part of New Orleans in New York City — although given the heat wave in NY this past weekend who could blame me???

Jacques-Imo’s is my home away from home. Lana, the manager, is my gizurrrl! We tight like dat…
Good New Orleans food… makes me miss home cookin.
The waitstaff are all chill and down for shots anytime.
My favorite thing to do there… get the corn and red beans over the cornbread, but hey that’s just me.

This place is OK. I guess I don’t like super greasy brunch food so it was a little heavy for me, and the service was kinda mediocre (they got me the wrong thing) but it’s passable.

Several girlfriends and I went to Jacques-Imo’s as part of a bachelorette party… this meant that we were sitting around, with various, erhm, molded paraphernalia, including a set of «shaped» (ok, phallic) straw covers. One of the girls got the bachelorette a «position of the day playbook», which was immediately passed around the table to much uproarious laughter. While the table immediately behind us looked decidedly uncomfortable, the waiter took it all in stride, eventually bringing a set of shots over to the table to celebrate.
There are very limited vegetarian options here –the restaurant specializes in fried chicken and seafood. I had the autumn harvest – a squash stuffed with various vegetables, cooked, and served in a ring of extremely tasty, spicy tomato sauce ($ 19). Other entrees (non-​veg) were around $ 22 each, and each comes with a side of mashed potatoes, jambalaya, or mac ‘n cheese. The «on the house» fried corn cakes are a tasty way to start your meal – way better than a basket of bread. Yum for the watermelon mojitos – whose brilliant idea was that?!?
The decoration feels a little insincere, as if the restaurant is bordering on becoming a themed disney restaurant. The red vinyl tablecloths are ugly and distracting. In short, the service was great; food was great, but pricy; and the atmosphere– fun but cheesy.

Jacques-imo’s is a fun place with good food. The scrumptious corn bread with it’s garlic butter is highly addictive… you’ve been warned. I’ve eaten their gumbo, calamari, stuffed pork chop and their «famous» fried chicken. They’re all good eats. I may have also had a drink or two on occasion… drinking here is also very addicting… you’ve been warned… again. The bartenders are always making sure that things are flowin’. In general, the staff is very welcoming and laid back. By the way, they have BINGO on Mondays, which is always a FUN time!

I was thorougly impressed with the authenticity of this place. Wonderful folk art paintings cover the walls, spanish moss hangs from a wooden trellis on the ceiling, and they serve Abita beer (several selections!). The food was good, skip the fried chicken, though, you can get better elsewhere. I recommend the mac & cheese, fried green tomatoes (they serve them New Orleans style as an appetizer with remoulade sauce and prawns), and blackened redfish. Expect the service to be slower, it adds to the laissez-​faire atmosphere, but if you’re in a hurry it probably could be irritating. The restrooms needed to be cleaned up. Overall, Jacques-​Imo is authentic without being mardi-​gras campy.

Stumbled into this place on a frigid Feb evening after seeing the sign outside for All-​You-​Can-​Eat Crawfish. Despite observing my neighboring patrons seemingly enjoying the crawfish onslaught, I opted for the fresh buttermilk Fried Chicken. I was warned that it would take 20 minutes to prepare. WTF? Whatevs, I’ll pass the time with a couple PBR’s.
I didn’t care much for the kitchy southern ‘Nawlin’s’ décor at first, but admittedly, its a nice break from the norm especially in the UWS. They even had a live Jazz band with prerequisite fat guy w/​Tuba.
Then the fresh buttermilk fried chicken arrived. This was the BEST fried chicken I have ever eaten. Perfectly seasoned buttermilk batter, tender juicy meat –perhaps free roam? Everything you’ve ever dreamt fried chicken to be (don’t lie, we’ve all dreamt about perfect fried chicken). It was life changing. You will not be dissapointed.
To top it off our über friendly waiter came by to have a shot with us, on the house; and not in a gimmicky manner either.

This is the best cajun food i’ve had outside of NO and Texas. (not that i’ve tried that many places but i like it better than delta grill and acme).
I went with a blackened redfish that was tasty and generously portioned. The sweet potato mash and jambalya sides were great. Also loved the corn bread which was drizzled in butter and fresh garlic. Mmm. Well worth the $ 22 price tag.
For drinks, I like their hurricanes and the beers include several New Orleans brews like Abita and PBR cans for $ 3.
The place itself is fine for a date but not the first place I’d think of for a night out. They’ve got two booths with personal mini-​TVs — would be a good change of pace from the usual sports bar for watching a sporting event. They also seem to have some interesting daily specials — Monday Bingo, Tuesday is all you can eat crawfish, etc.

I really love this restaurant. It is possible, as previous reviewers suggest, that the food is not «authentic» creole (I wouldn’t know.) but it is delicious. I especially recommend the snapper dish (forgot what it’s called) or, if you go for brunch, the oysters jacques imo.
–Nancy

This is an interesting spot, it’s a little taste of New Orleans in the big apple and its decent for sure (try the fried chicken) and its an especially fun spot to go to when the Saints are playing as it really attracts a lively crowd. I like the atmosphere there are bright murals on the walls and it’s just the right about of overdone Southern decadence. The bartenders are good, especially on Sundays, slide up to the bar and talk with John Paul a real New Orleans native who lives in the big city give him a nice tip and he’ll take care of you…

This is not the place to be if you «just want to be left alone». It is a warm and fun place to escape you worries on a Thursday night. While the food is not the best and a bit over priced the environment is great. The wait staff are super nice and I always get a free shot or two when I go there.
Things to Order:
Fried Green Tomatoes
Alligator Sausage Cheesecake
Fried Chicken
Southern Greens (I think are the best in the city)
Summery out of 5
Food: 3
Décor: 3
Service: 5
$ Dirt Cheap to $$$$$ Ridiculously Pricey
Price: $$$$

This place was really unimpressive. My stepfather is Haitian, so I basically grew up with this culture. First off, the décor is horrible. It tries really hard to convince the customers that they’re in the South, but it just doesn’t work. The food isn’t amazing. The clam and brie appetizer is awful and it was $ 9. What chef, in their right mind would pair clam and brie ALONE? I honestly feel that they need to do a recall on some of their dishes. Oh, and while we are at it, they need an interior designer too. Better call Foodnetwork, and try to get on «Restaurant Makeover.»

Jacques-​Imo delivers a fun New Orleans experience. I’ve been to their locations in New Orleans (before the flood) and in New York. They’re both great — but of course it’s unfair to compare creole food in Louisiana to its northern simulation, so I’ll stop that comparison right there.
You can’t help but enjoy yourself at Jacques-​Imo. Good food, nice staff and interesting drink selection.

so far the best creole food experience i’ve had in nyc. which is saying a lot since a) i’m from new orleans, b) am creole, and c) have been to just about every other restaurant in this fine city on the search for a passable etouffe. oh, and their corn macheaux ain’t bad either.

High hopes are dashed when eating at Cajun-​Creole place. The staff is the nicest part of the experience. Food is just okay: Calamari passable, the Crawfish Étouffée is okay and the Barbeque shrimp are good — but it’s got nothing on the other N’Awlins BBQ shrimp place Mr. B’s.
Drinks took a LONG time to get — and that’s tough to endure with little kids screaming and running around the joint.