Lady N’awlins Cajun Cafe

I can not get enough of the andouille sausage gravy here. Everytime I think I might try something without it, I end up getting it again. «The Big Easy» (biscuits & gravy with a giant piece of chicken) is my favorite brunch in Richmond.

A failed attempt at Cajun food. The jambalaya doesn’t have any flavor besides just spicy and the service was horrendous. Save your time and money! Also never order delivery from this place it took them 2 hours to get food out.

Let’s just say. I was not impressed with this place. The catfish was great. My crab cakes were so so. I went with some old co workers so we ate a little of everybody’s food. The gumbo was missing flavor, the alligator bites were ok. The boom boom shrimp had a nice kick to it but could have been better. The spiked ice tea was watered down. When going here you just need to know what to order. I would say go for the catfish, fries and crab cakes.

Great place for oyster specials. You’ve got to try the BBQ oysters. DELICIOUS. They also make a mean Hurricane.

Sunday’s are my favorite day of the week because I get to spend it at brunch with an exceptional waitress. Still ⁵⁄₅ in my books! I have been all about their Fruit Crepes for the past few brunches and honestly I can’t get enough.

Had the taste of nawlins. Really good. Atmosphere is nice not a lot of seating but really good food

I went last Friday with some friends. We went right when they opened, so it wasn’t busy at all. Our food was amazing! We had the crawfish boil, crab and crawfish dip, jambalaya pasta, and the jambalaya supreme. When I tell you that it satisfied my craving for jambalaya pasta… It went beyond satisfaction. Everything was delicious, the service was great, and we even called the cooks out to thank them for seasoning our food perfectly. Last Friday was our first time going, and they have just made new regulars

Brunch was awesome! Super cool environment and set up. Ordered the Big Easy (fried chicken, biscuits, andouille sausage gravy, and potatoes.) it was amazing!!! Server Jacky was full of life, attentive, and pleasant. She gave great suggestions and we loved them all. We will absolutely return for dinner soon!

I have come here twice now. I came here with two of my friends on a Monday, therefore it was not very busy. It is a very small café and intimate feeling. We were not in the mood to try any of the drinks, but the options were not very large. We went during happy hour and decided to get some raw oysters, which were delicious. I mean how can you go wrong with those. I ordered the trio the first time i visited. This meal is like a sampler, which you try the red beans and rice, gumbo, and jumbalya. I have had all these prior and was not impressed by the gumbo. So, I went back and just ordered the jumbalya by itself. It was full of flavor but ALOT of food. My friend is a pescetarian and had no troubles finding something to eat. He had the crab cake meal which was VERY GOOD. He let me have a bite and it tasted very fresh and flavorful. He was very impressed. The service was pretty good. Our waters were always filled consistently. The food did take longer than we expected but I assume it was because everything is made fresh. Overall, we enjoyed it as there are not many cajun restaurants in the area. We will return when we crave cajun/​creole food, but it is a 3 as I have had better gumbo elsewhere.

Ordered the crawfish pasta an the pasta tasted kinda «stale» an sauce was just ok. it needed seasoning or something I guess it just didn’t have that «love» that I’ve tasted when in New Orleans. Tried the crab cakes which was more cake than crab the hush puppies were great the collards ummm ok… tried my friend gumbo it had a string vinegar taste. I was expecting a replica of New Orleans food but I’ve heard great things about their brunch maybe I’ll try that.

We have been coming to Lady N’awlins since it first opened and it has always been delicious but last night was a disappointment. We drove into the city specifically for the poboys only to learn they had been taken off the menu. Huge let down! Ended up ordering a crab cake that was more filler than crab. Hubby ordered oysters and jambalaya and said his meal was delicious. I hope they consider bringing the poboys back because they were delicious.

We were so excited to try them and sadly we were very disappointed. The first beer choice was out so we went for a second choice, and both beers came out warm… The Alligator bites were delicious, however the oysters were ok, the sauce was horrible. It tasted like A1 sauce with Ketchup, no horseradish… The Jambalaya… meh…A box of Zatarains had more flavor as did the chicken special I had. We did order another round of beer and once again they were warm… they did take those off the bill. To be fair we will try the Sunday brunch and hope for a better outcome and hope the reviews we’ve read for that hold true.

Time and time again I come here for their excellent brunch. I always go for the fruit crepes but today I wanted to try some N’awlins Benedict! Absolutely incredible, my praised to the cook. Poached eggs were 10/​10, crab cakes another 10/​10, and the crawfish was yum!
I also never go anywhere during the day without a Bloody Mary and their Bloody Lady comes in 3 different spice levels. I went for the spiciest and I don’t regret it one bet :).

This spot is an excellent choice for Sunday brunch. Service was good, the food was very tasteful, and the choices were awesome. I had the eggs rockefeller and it was amazing. The prices weren’t bad for the food, but I think maybe the biscuits could have been free :-) good, but who doesn’t like free bread? The only complaint I had was that during brunch there are no appetizer options besides the donuts, which were sold out. Next time, hopefully I will get to experience how those are

I love weekly specials — and Lady Nawlins does it right. As unique as they are to the fan, their menu boast items that are not normally found at most restaurants nearby — or anywhere in the RVA. It was like a slice of NOLA right in the heart of Richmond. Is it Mardi Gras? Because the vibe in Lady N’awlins sure was. Everyone seemed to be having a good time that night, and not just because of the oysters and happy bartenders!
Thanks to RVA Burger week, we came across their weekly special board– which boasts daily specials and oyster «happy hour». So of course we came back for the $ 1 oysters on Wednesdays and was not disappointed. Between the Cajun Grilled to the Oyeters Rockefeller, and even the amazing buffalo oysters, we were stuffed. The service was on par and the prices were more than reasonable. We have enjoyed it so much, we have brough many friends since on Wednesdays just to experience the vast array of delicious flavors each oyster boasts. If you try nothing else, grab an oyster on the half shell, a pint and enjoy a night out with friends. Lady N’awlins is the place to be!

Sunday, Aug 2, at 5pm
Was looking forward to a great dinner. Saw many great reviews. Couldn’t wait to try it.
Sadly disappointed.
Oysters on half shell — 2 of the 6 were rotten.
Vixen hot sauce –was a little sweet but nor that hot.
Taste of New Orleans platter –no Gumbo served today. Batch was bad so they threw it out. So instead we substituted salad. The only meat in the meal a 2 tablespoon size of jambalaya on top of a tea cup size portion of rice.
Crab cake sandwich –very salty. Not impressed.
Coleslaw — original recipe, very tasty.
Mimosa –very good.
Service– ahh. If you ask for ketchup, you won’t get it at the beginning of the meal.
So for a $ 75 tab, we will try another place next time.

I’m new to the area & really wanted to try something other than the chain restaurants but I was not impressed. I was really excited to try my fried fish, collard greens & Mac n cheese that I ordered but was disappointed. The mac n cheese was too «soupy», I didn’t care for the homemade fish batter but the greens were ok. Oh and the hush puppies were ok too, only thing on my plate I really ate. I ate off a friends plate but I wasn’t that impressed with his meal either. The crab cakes were more filler than real crab meat & slightly overcooked, his corn bread was actually good. It was really cold in the restaurant even though we sat as far from the door as possible. (the air was blowing but it was like 30 degrees outside) our server was nice & attentive & it really is a low key, cozy little spot. I’ll probably go again & try something else just to see if it was just an off night

We arrived at the restaurant at around 9PM, we took a table next to the window. Not quite the place I imagined, a small restaurant, very cosy and intimate. It feels more like a bar than a restaurant, really. I liked especially the decorated ceiling and the atmosphere inside.
We ordered two draft beers, my Strawberry ale was absolutely delicious.
My partner ordered the crawfish dish with hushpuppies and gumbo and I had the crab cakes with mac’n cheese and hushpuppies.
Our dishes were very big and I could not eat all of mine. I had to ask for a box at the end of the meal.
My dish was overall very good, very spicy though. Even the mac n cheese was very spicy. I am used to spicy food but I did not expect this. It was still very, very good. I really enjoyed the hushpuppies with honey butter. I would also recommend the crab cakes, very tasty!
Overall, it was a good meal and I really enjoyed the restaurant. I would have liked to order a dessert but I was way too full!

I don’t like giving negative reviews, and I only do so with hopes that the establishment reads them and works to make it better. PLEASE NOTE: there is no food review here, as the «Eek! Methinks not» occurred before we could order, so we left.
Sunday, late brunch. Arrived around 1245ish. Small expected wait. No problem. Ceiling was leaking in two places right inside the front door. No problem, stay clear of the area, but found it odd that there wasn’t something (preferably someone) there to tell people «watch out!»
A harried host/​server/​bartender let us know she would clear us a table soon, and she did, placing us in the booth closest to the door in the bar area. My son remarked, «They really need to do a remodel in here.» (He’s only a child.) I told him that I thought it was kinda cool, when he pointed to gouges in the wall made by the table that causes another draft into the booth in addition to the one coming in through the front door.
I decided that we should move to another table, based on both the drafts AND the really loud bachelorette party that was going on in the bar. I waited for a server to come by so I could ask for a table deeper into the restaurant, outside of the bar area. And waited. And waited. And waited. Finally, we saw someone else clearing another table in the bar, and asked if they had a table in the back of the restaurant that may be opening soon, as we’d be happy to wait for it. I was told that they would check. «No worries,» I thought, and waited. And waited. And waited. Finally, upon realizing that not only had no one come to even give us a menu for at least ten minutes, but also had not returned to let me know if there was another table available, we decided that there were too many other options within a block or two to try.
I love New Orleans food – just love it. I also love «dives,» which this place certainly is aspiring to be. I don’t love places that appear severely under-​staffed on a normal day – or, if not under-​staffed, has the wrong staff in place. I was in the restaurant for around 20 minutes, and during that time, only saw two employees (who were working their butts off, so none of this review is due to them).
Ten years ago, I would’ve stayed and powered through, hoping for the best, as the promise of a good meal would outweigh these kinds of things. Today, that’s an unrealistic expectation. The Fan has a fantastic restaurant on darn-​near every block, and folks just won’t stay/​show up for this kind of experience. I will give it another shot another time, hoping that this was just an anomaly, and hopefully update this review.
Pros:
Cool chalk on ceiling
Cool mural
Like exposed brick
Good-​looking bar
Cons:
Understaffed (which includes several things that were wonky because of it, like not getting menus within ten minutes)
Needs work on the physical plant, including holes in walls and leaks in ceilings

As a huge fan of both New Orleans and it’s food I decided to give Lady Nawlins a try when I heard they had $ 6 crawfish boils on certain days. It’s a small little bar kind of below street level, but it’s cozy and I usually like «dive bars» as opposed to ultra fancy eateries (I’m from Buffalo NY, it’s just my way.) so I was right at home. I ordered the crawfish boil (of course) which was a pound of crawfish for $ 6. The last time I was in NOLA that was the market price, so a crawfish boil here and one there cost about the same (or did, not sure what prices are there now) the crawfish boil was very good! Seasoned well but not over seasoned. Our waiter was very attentive and brought me whatever I asked for (including a cup of butter because that is also my way.) I was very happy with my meal.
My husband got the catfish po boy. I couldn’t try it due to a food allergy I have but he was happy with it! It was rather expensive though, as are a lot of their dishes, so I’d say if you’re not looking to spend a whole lot either go on one of the days that they have «specials» (mon is $ 5 po boys, Wed is 99cent oysters, so on) or go somewhere else a little less pricey. I’m also very poor, so maybe I’m just thinking they’re expensive when they’re not, ha.
I would definitely recommend it, though!

My friend and I put faith in all the good things we had heard about Lady, and decided to give it a try one Saturday night. I’m not sure if they were having an off-​night or what, but it was severely lacking.
We wanted to start off with some beer, but the keg (s?) were currently being serviced (this was about 9pm). All they had were bottles, but none were of any interest to us. Well alright. Guess we’ll make it a dry evening.
Friend wanted jambalaya, but they were all out. Okay. Asked for a crawfish po’boy instead, but there was no rye bread. Fine. Any chance of getting collard greens with that? Not for the next three hours!
I had slightly more success with my order being available– crab cakes hush puppies, and tomato/​cucumber salad. Everything looked good aesthetically; however, the crab cakes were a tad bit too mayo-​y, and the vinegar in the salad was almost overpowering. Friend’s po’boy, he said, was decent, but he really wanted those greens.
Service wasn’t anything special. We were seated in a booth next to the bar, but it got pretty loud and the lights were dimmed just a bit too dark. We asked to be moved to the back, where it was empty and quieter, but we were totally forgotten about.
Hopefully, they were must have been just an off-​night. Not sure if we’d return again any time soon, but hey. I wouldn’t count it out.

Came here for a second visit last night specifically because it is Mardi Gras weekend and a friend who I’ve been to New Orleans with twice and I were wanting to celebrate. We mainly wanted Sazarac and gator.
Unfortunately, the Sazarac here tasted nothing like it’s made in New Orleans. This Sazarac pretty much only tasted like rye. I couldn’t taste absinthe at all. Miss.
We also had some gator bites. Big hit. They’re really good here. Finally, we tried fried pickles. I don’t get the hype. If you’re a pickle lover (I’m not), then I guess they would’ve been good, but it just tasted like… fried pickles. To each, his own.
I almost forgot… we also had the bananas foster for dessert. This was a joke. It was cut up bananas with ice cream drizzled in what tasted like maple syrup (but is supposed to be butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, dark rum, and banana liqueur). Not served with the flame. What a joke. It was not good… a waste of calories.
Service was okay. Not a standout experience. Really nothing very New Orleans about this place other than the name.

The only time I don’t care for this place is when it’s packed with bros (brahs?) who got tired of waiting to get into FW Sullivan’s across the street. Other than that, this is one of my favorite places to go in Richmond.
I’ve never had a bad meal from here. I’ve never had a ‘meh,’ meal from here. I’ve never had a meal that wasn’t short of plate licking good. It is always to my dismay that I realize that I’ve cleaned my plate because inevitably I want (and sometimes order) more.
Dishes you need to check out: Grilled Cajun oysters (get extra bread – trust me!), fried pickles, Cajun catfish bites, any of the poboys, crab dip, bread pudding. Actually – you’ll be all set with any of the ways they do oysters. They’re consistently sized, the staff knows where they come from, and they’re shucked better than some other places where I’ve paid double for the same amount of oysters. And speaking of paying – they have oyster happy hour. I don’t recall the exact deal, but it’s an absolute steal.
Grab a seat at the bar and chat with the staff – friendliest (and surliest) bunch in Richmond.
You’re welcome, dining public.

3.5 stars. Lady N’awlins had me at $ 5 po boy Mondays.
I came here for a late night meal with some friends for the $ 5 po boy special (all day I believe?). I initially ordered the gator po boy, but to my dismay, it was exempt from the deal along with the oyster po boy! But all was good and I was still feeling happy from happy hour, so I ordered myself a shrimp po boy.
The sandwich came out in what felt like 10 minutes. Eh not too bad of a wait, but I was starving, and chomped into the sandwich right when it got to the table (well, right after I took a picture of it of course). The sandwich was delicious. lightly battered shrimp hugged by a lightly toasted roll with some lettuce, tomato and mayo and a side of fries. Best $ 5 you can spend on a monday night. Definitely more well spent on this, than a platter at cook out (although I do love their corn dogs).
Service was meh (via a laidback hipster-​looking girl), opened late night until 2am, sandwich was good, price was awesome, but fries were disappointing. you know the fries are a bit soggy when your friends wont even finish them for you. But I would definitely come back for a $ 5 seafood sandwich, even if it means lonely soggy fries on the side.

Sadly, the outside offers more promise than the low-​light, divey inside. The food was great, but the service was extremely lacking.
My boyfriend and I were excited to get a taste of Richmond, so we ventured into downtown to try this place. Parking was a BIG issue — we ended up two blocks down, parallel parked in some random neighborhood. After Leap-​frogging across the traffic-​ridden road, we entered Lady N’awlins — only to find no one at the hostess stand. We looked around and noticed two girls in black, strapless dresses sitting in a table by the window to the left of us, folding napkins.
«Oh!» One exclaimed, as she dropped her napkin and ran over to the host stand, to grab some menus. She led us over to a booth across from the bar, gave us our menus and a framed mini-​chalkboard of the specials. Our eyes widened as we listened to the loud, obnoxious drunkards at the bar jeering at the Altanta game and singing along to Ray Charles’ «I’ve Got a Woman». We mentioned the loudness to the waitress, and she said, «Yeah, it gets a bit loud in here… You can sit in the back, …if you want…» Well, the reluctancy in her voice led me to decide against it – when I really should have gone with my gut and moved away from the drunks.
A minute after being seated, a waitress came by and got our drink orders — which were promptly delivered. Ten minutes later, after briefly thumbing through our menus and boredly checking our phones, another waitress came by to get our food orders. No introduction, no explanation of the menu or specials, no smile. I asked about the «Gater Bites» since there was nothing but «MKT» on the menu, and she informs me that they are $ 12.95 for a handful of chicken-​nugget sized pieces of gater. No thanks.
For the next twenty minutes, we endured the drunks and loud music, and studied all of the girls’ outfits and the interior. The «hostesses» at the front were the «best» dressed: done-​up hair, strapless black dresses, and flip-​flops. Our waitress was dressed in a black, dressy top with TINY, tan spandex shorts that stopped just beneath her butt. Appropriate for home, but not in a restaurant, honey. The other waitress was dressed in a black shirt with jeans and multi-​colored tennis shoes. No true correlation in attire. The hostesses did not remain at the front — instead, they stood next to the bar, playing boredly with their hair (while pouting) and checking their cell phones. The only people who were doing their job right were the bartender and the waitress in jeans.
As for the interior, it’s a bit tacky. The curtains were a cute idea, but they should be hemmed for the height of the windows (they were all bunched at the bottom). I’m a big fan of wooden booths, so there’s no complaint there. On the wall-​side of our table, there was a HUGE gash in the wall. You think they would fix that. The lighting could also be a bit brighter.
When we FINALLY got our food, we were more than relieved. I ordered the Crawfish Étouffée (dark roux, crawfish tails, veggies) with rice. It was super filling, and there was a generous amount of crawfish. It was my first time eating crawfish — it had a slightly sweeter flavor than shrimp. The roux was amazing — I ate practically the whole thing! As my boyfriend and I neared the end of our dishes, the waitress came by and apathetically asked us if our food was good, and then walked away.
All and all, we felt EXTREMELY out of place here — we were dressed up for a romantic date night, and were the only people not drunk and not wearing casual clothes. Honestly, it felt like we were intruding on the partying of the college locals. Lady N’awlins, I hate to give you a one-​star review. Your food is amazing, but your service seriously sucks.