NOLA Bistro & Bar

Oooo! Ahhhhh! Alligator and hush puppies with beans and rice! Excellent flavor combinations. I drove here from Saint Paul, East Side, during rush hour on a Thursday evening. Took me one hour. I would do it again. Sweet potato pie for desert– gooooood. The wait for food allowed for conversation. Not too long between the appetizer and the salad and the meal. The colorful and varied décor became eye candy. The piped in music was Jazzy Improve; was ear candy. We are coming back and bringing others with us. Yum!

It was at best ok. I had the Alligator dinner and it was over priced for the amount of food. It obviously isn’t authentic New Orleans style food, if you’ve been to New Orleans and had the food you will be greatly disappointed in this place.

Wonderful food. Amy and I had the blackened catfish. It was wonderful. All the seasoning is just right, perfectly balanced.

Marginal at best. Jambalaya is consistency of soup without much in it. Pretty steep at $ 18 a bowl, it was more like a cup than a bowl. Flavor was good but the rice and sausage were swimming in orange grease. Mentioned it to the wait staff and they said it was always like that. No offer of fixing it. By the way, the bar menu listed as «lighter fare» on their website is not available. Asked the manager about it and he acted like I made it up.

Would have gotten up and left if I didn’t already purchase a Groupon. Took way too long just to get water and an even longer wait for someone to finally come take our order. Food was fine, nothing special, but the service is what will keep us from ever going back.

The food and ambiance were excellent! This was my husband’s and my first time here (we stumbled upon it on Open Table). We enjoyed the crispy fried okra for a starter. Hubby had the shrimp and crawfish étoufée, and I had the blackened catfish. Both were clearly from scratch and homemade, with layers of flavors that you get only when you make your own stocks and are thoughtful about what foods can go together. The owners have definitely done such a wonderful job. It’s a great date night place, and though it’s close to our house, I would drive 40 minutes to eat here. The pictures on Unilocal of this place don’t do it justice… it’s very inviting, comfortable, and jazzy in there. We’re DEFINITELY coming back! (Looking forward to trying the Indian part of the menu, too.)

The place is really nice, it gives you that good feel. Their menu is very limited and I was ok with that except for their «international» section — banana chips ~ Being Indian I know that is not an appetizer, I thought it would be with some twist but when they brought a plate of about 10 chips with drops of tamarind sauce, I was greatly disappointed. I could get better ones at a store. Then came the Shrimp po boy, that was ok, nothing great. Sorry Nola but I really did have much higher expectations.

Love this place. Food is fresh, scratch made and so delicious. We ordered the Nola Big Easy for two and everything was good. The jambalaya and the crawfish/​shrimp ettoufe were our favorites. There’s also this potatoe croquet that is so simple but the texture is on point making it one of the most wonderful things I’ve eaten in a while. Staff is also very friendly and accommodating.
The ambiance is wonderful with warm lighting and a cool bistro vibe… totally unexpected to see beautiful original artwork and such unique but beautiful décor at this place. I highly recommend checking it out.

Cozy atmosphere, amazing food! The fish was cooked to perfection, Po boy was delicious, and the Combination of creole and international tastes was a great mix. Would highly recommend! Perfect for a date night.

Just had dinner here at Nola’s in Osseo. We started with a nice drink then went on to a fabulous dinner. We couldn’t make a choice, so ordered the combanation for two. Just right

My wife and I made a visit to NOLA for dinner on a Friday night, spurred to do so by having a Living Social voucher good for $ 24 toward the meal. As poor luck and faulty tech would have it, the LS app wouldn’t load and I was unable to use my voucher. That’s a knock on LS, not NOLA. In any event, it didn’t matter since we enjoyed our experience so much that we will certainly return to make use of it very soon.
We had a reservation (requirement when using a voucher), which we made via their website. I tried to do so using my phone, but the process wasn’t mobile friendly and I had to resort to using my desktop. No biggie, really, but just a point of info.
We showed up just before our 6:30 res and were given our choice of table – the restaurant was not busy and there were maybe 2 other couples there at that point. Having not been here before, we weren’t quite sure where to go as the dining areas are essentially split into 3 rooms. We thought the one with the bar in it looked cozy and cool as the other 2 had early evening sun still spilling in the large windows; however, one of the owners caught us before we sat to let us know that the AC was not working in there and that the other 2 rooms were significantly cooler. We then chose the middle room as it was empty. It is nicely decorated and has 10′ ceilings (see my pic) and the owners recently replaced the older style retail storefront windows with French doors that provide a greater feeling of being connected to the sidewalk/​Osseo Main Street. A little finishing work is still needed, but apparently on less humid days they open the doors for a more al fresco dining feel.
After taking a minute to peruse the drink options, we placed our orders for Chardonnay (the missus) and Nola Sazerac (yours truly). The turnaround time for drinks was slightly longer than would be expected given the sparse population at the time, but it was of no major issue as it gave us time to check out our surroundings and negotiate our food choices. The Sazerac is made with Bulleitt rye whiskey, simple syrup, anise, and mint bitters; a delicious blend of flavors and quite enjoyable. My wife thought the wine pour was a little stingy for a $ 9 glass, though her second glass had a tad more elbow put into it. My second cocktail was the Vieux Carre; Hennessy VS cognac, house made cinnamon, and clove bitters. Like the Sazerac, it was well crafted and had a unique flavor profile that is not found on most cocktail lists unless you get into higher end places in MPLS/​STP.
We reached a forced agreement on dinner: the Nirvana platter for 2 for $ 59. It is a dish meant to be shared and the menu states that it contains eggplant, Thai tofu curry, paneer masala and red beans, rice, yogurt, veggies, satay chicken, tandoori chicken, and cucumber-​tomato-​onion relish. I think they put a slight spin on what we got that day as it also contained Yakitori chicken. It was all of pleasing spice levels and excellent flavor (we ordered it «7» since my wife hadn’t previously had Indian food and we didn’t want to spoil it for her with too much spice), though it had rather miniscule portions of the eggplant and satay chicken relative to everything else which was mildly disappointing as they were both so well liked by both of us. My wife, being of less voracious appetite and smaller of frame, ate quite a bit less than I, but I still desired a little bit more on the plate for $ 59.
We were visited table-​side by one of the owners/​acting bartender several times while enjoying our pre-​dinner beverages and during our meal as well. I praised the quality and unique character of my drinks and he explained that he batches the cocktails for a more consistent product. He was quite gregarious and added a touch of personal welcome to our visit. His wife (the driving force in the kitchen) visited us as we were wrapping up our meal and spoke with us briefly, explaining that everything she makes is scratch made and her creative process utilizes meditation through which she develops recipes from her soul. It was great to hear and see her passion for the food and it certainly translates into the wonderfully flavored dishes we enjoyed. She also talked about how batching the cocktails allows the individual ingredients to meld, similar to marinating meat. I hadn’t really thought of it like that before, but it made perfect sense.
All in all, this little venture set us back $ 105, pre-​tip. Unfortunately, after getting back home I realized that each of my $ 9 cocktails (per the price on the menu I posted to photos) had been rung up at $ 10 apiece. It’s not a huge deal and it did not affect my enjoyment or review rating, but I am a numbers guy and crave accuracy in pricing. Mis-​rings happen everywhere, from the dive bar to the fine dining establishment, so I guess I should just pay better attention next time. In summary, I thought NOLA was a great place for date night – great company, excellent food, and personable service. I will be back!

This is a restaurant well worth supporting. I read the mixed-​bag of reviews and determined that most of the bad ones were from a year ago, and now I know why. My wife and I used a Groupon to try true the place out, and we had a wonderful experience in many ways. They’ve put in wonderful French doors that allow the dining room to be opened to the street, which in a rainy night made for an another-​county experience. It’s family owned, and the folks couldn’t have been nicer or more proud their food.
And it showed. The étouffée had an amazing sauce and plenty of prawns, while the potato cakes that came with it were absolutely delicious, especially when dipped in the sauce. My wife’s blackened catfish was plenty blackened and spicy, and our dessert was unlike anything we ever had, like a sweet porridge with cardamom and almond.
Here’s the thing if you’re thinking about going here. It truly is two restaurants in one, and the New Orleans food definitely has an Indian essence. So if you’re looking for straightforward N’awlins fare, this ain’t it. But if you’re looking for something more, an abundance of flavor and surprises, this is the place to go. This really is for people who enjoy food for the differed flavor and textures it brings you.
And that makes sense because the mother not only teaches cooking, but owns a spice store that operates inside the restaurant. She has amazing knowledge about cooking healthy and organic, and it shows. If you want the most form your experience, take time to learn about what they do, because it will only enrich your experience.
I would consider it a work in progress. They’ve come a long ways since the reviews of last year. Their restaurant is beautiful. Be sure to visit the back rooms that I hope someday will be filled. But if you’re more concerned about issues such as drunk patrons, no bread, and dessert prices, go to Old Country Buffet. I’m no food snob, believe me, but I enjoy a place that tries and continue to improve. Osseo should support something so unique in their town.
I’ll be back for the Indian food next time, and I plan to introduce it to as many people as I can.

Went to NOLA/​Collage because we had a discount dorbthe restaurant. Ordered and Indian sampler from thr collage side. I’ve had good Indian food, this was not it. Ive made better Indian food. The service was slow, hostess did most of the work. We saw out waitress for the first time when we got our bill. And the hostess and waitress kept pointing and talking about us but never approached us to discuss their concern. Once we got our bill they told us the coupon wouldn’t work for what we ordered. They ended up giving us a deal but the service was rediculous.
This place is just confused and trying to do too much at once. They have a cooking store, cooking classes, and two different themed restaurants.

I liked the neighborhood atmosphere and eclectic design.
The wait staff was very friendly and adequate but didn’t seem to be fully adept at their jobs. Water was filled sporadically, drinks were slow to arrive, etc. not horrible — but not great.
The menu is industrious — a blend of New Orleans and Indian fare — but all toned down for the ‘Minneapolis palate’. It was good — but left us wanting for more genuine flavor.
Dessert (cheesecake) was clearly not homemade as it arrived frozen. We told the waiter and he was very nice and replaced it with a piece of microwaved cake. It was sad. This place has promise but seems to lack true restaurant rigor and skills. We do not plan to return.

Can’t remember the last time I had such a lovely dining experience! The food was great… I loved the atmosphere, and the staff was so friendly and attentive. Even the chef came out and checked in on us. Would love to go back and try more of their diverse menu. We had the «Big Easy» sampler with red beans and rice, catfish, hush puppies, etc… but there were also Indian and Japanese dishes on the menu. Would love to go back on a night with live music!

Tip:
There seem to be two separate «NOLA» pages on Unilocal — one of which has higher reviews than the other, oddly enough; as far as I know they are for the exact same place, and so should probably be consolidated.
Review:
We will definitely be going again! We’ve already recommended NOLA to a few friends and have wanted to bring guests when possible. Everything that we ordered was unique and yummy, some dishes absolutely delicious! Just a note that the majority of the dishes on the menu seem to lean more toward Indian– and Thai-​fusion, rather than Cajun/​Creole
We had the kabob basket as an appetizer — it included hushpuppies and minced meat balls. I fell in love with the hushpuppies and only wished they had included more of those! The roumalade in this starter was simply perfect with both items. Next time I may just order the hushpuppies starter which comes with a spicy version of the same roumalade.
My husband and I then shared the Thai Green Curry and a burger (which I can’t seem to find on the online menu). The burger and side soup were, again, simply delicious. The sauce on the burger was unique and yet worked very well with the other flavors on the table. The Thai Green Curry was also good, but that would be the one dish we’d probably say we’ve had better of elsewhere (we’d also order it much, much spicier next time!).
We also got lucky as there was a live jazz band playing in another room, and so we were able to hear it in the background from where we were sitting in the room out front — at just the perfect volume to allow us to talk =)
We’ll definitely be going to NOLA in Osseo again!

Slow service took over an hour for food. Food was ok, not worst and not the best I have had. Music was the best part of the night.

I really wanted to like this place. I was excited to take my girlfriend on a date at Nola because she used to live in New Orleans.
Making reservations on the website is easy, but not needed. Even on a Saturday night when they have live jazz playing for $ 10/​person. The band did sound good.
When we got there they acted like the live jazz was a secret VIP experience and led us directly into the dining room (didn’t want to pay $ 20 to eat and listen to music).
Most tables had a fake candle set up, but no salt and pepper shakers (which are needed). The silverware was wrapped in paper napkins — they place feels cheap. However the menu prices don’t reflect that.
Everything is $ 5 overpriced. $ 19 for a shrimp po boy and $ 17 for jambalaya and $ 9 for muffuletta. Menu descriptions of several items (including the above) are just plain wrong.
Also for some reason this Cajun restaurant has half of its menu dedicated to Indian cuisine and an entire wall of the restaurant dedicated to Indian wares for purchase.
Service was ok. Our waitress seemed really nervous and didn’t know what ingredients were in anything (food or drink). I asked for a recommendation between two items and she couldn’t help me decide at all. Specialty drinks have no menu descriptions and server didn’t know… WTF
Muffuletta advertised to come with a peach compote. Sounded interesting so I asked about it. She didn’t know but said it would come on the side. When it got to our table, there were no peaches but instead cucumber and onion mix. I asked the server again (same server) about where the peaches were? She said the menu was wrong and peaches would be weird for this dish… Mind blown.
Po boy description was copy and paste from Alligator Tail, so we didn’t know what was in it. It was a ciabatta bun (not French bread) with friend shrimp, slaw, and halved grapes (another wtf ingredient).
My jambalaya was soupy and lacked flavor — although the andouille sausage was good.
Also they charge for bread. Not like your first bread is free and they charge for the second… No. If you’re paying $ 15 – 30 for an entrée, bread should be free.
This place sucks. It’s prices seem like a place you would find downtown mpls, but it’s on main street Osseo! Not a good value.
This place will be closed soon, what a rip off.

Unprofessional. Made a scene when I questioned the food and made the chef prove my complaints while at the table as other patrons looked on after we had complained and voiced out concerns in private. This was after I had been brought a plate from the Indian style restaurant when I had ordered jambalaya. To my surprise the plate of jambalaya was a poorest representation of the dish I’ve ever been served. Over seasoned and over cooked rice. Greens were finally chopped with no flavor. The chef agreed with the complaints about the greens. Although he was dumbfounded when i said the potatoes were cooked incorrectly even after I tried to cut into the spud with a fork and had to put some muscle into it. In addition to it being dry the potatoes were topped with much too much seasoning.
An over served woman was being groped at the bar in clear sight of us. Waiter and bartender were untrained but kind. The manager and chef were rude and condescending. The food was inedible but the chef «understood.» I was hoping for the best but was let down.
The space is actually pretty nice but it’s too bad they fell short on the food.
The aforementioned drunk patron was puking in the bathroom while my friend waited and the waiter acknowledged it but reassured me it was ok. Another drunk gal was sitting outside and making faces at diners through the window. The manager was no where to be seen and didn’t handle any of the disturbing events.
All in all, I have never written or felt compelled to right a review until now. I can’t believe we were forces to pay half price for our food! The combative manager said half price was necessary because we had a few bites. This really could have been avoided this when I talked to her in private but she was adamant about making us pay and telling us we were wrong. I sure hope the other diners had a better experience but surely doubt they did.

Let me start off by saying: I am from Louisiana (just moved to MN in 2012) so I feel I have a right to comment on the authenticity of the food. First of all, the whole reason I wanted to come here was because the menu on their website said they had crawfish étouffée, one of my favorites. However, it was nowhere to be found on the menu when we got there. I was very disappointed and probably would have just left if I hadn’t already purchased a Living Social voucher.
They had an INCREDIBLY limited selection. Only four actual entrees. They were missing staple sides for cajun dishes such as french bread, hushpuppies, boudin balls and cornbread. You could, however, buy a 50 cent bag of Zapps potato chips for $ 3.
That brings me to my second point: the prices are pretty ridiculous for what it is. I mean, Cajun food is purposely made with cheap ingredients: rice, corn, game meats and bottom feeders, and local, plentiful vegetables such as green bell peppers, okra, tomatoes (ok I know that’s a fruit, but yeah) etc. The entrees (red beans and rice, jambalaya, gumbo, and chicken fried steak) were $ 13 – 14, and the portion size is quite small.
Dessert prices were a complete JOKE (all were priced at $ 7). Seriously, who in their right mind would pay that much for what they were offering? Beignets (basically a French version of a sopapilla covered in powdered sugar instead of honey), king cake (a cinnamon roll cake, if you will), pecan pie, etc. For $ 7. Needless to say, we opted out of dessert.
For those prices you’d expect a somewhat more classy atmosphere. But half of the wine selection was boxed wine (never seen that at a restaurant), the menus could have been printed on my home printer, our waitress (the only server) was wearing a hot pink hoodie with «Victoria’s Secret» written on the back in rhinestones, and all 12 – 14 patrons were crammed into quite a small room.
Anyway! The actual food wasn’t BAD. It just wasn’t good either. I got the jambalaya and I have to say I like it better when I make it, and I’m not even that great of a cook.
I definitely do not expect this place to be open for very long. It is just way too overpriced and the selection is way too small.