Evangeline’s Bistro

We came here for the first time because we had a Living Social deal. We will definitely come back with or without a deal, it was that good.
It was a Thursday evening when we ate here, and they had some live music going on, which was really nice, and the guy playing the piano was really good. They also had a singer, but she didn’t start until right when we were leaving.
For an appetizer we got the Crawfish Carolyn. This is what you need to get. Seriously. Just order it, you wont regret it. This thing was this big dish of cheesy crawfish goodness, and came with some bread. We joked about coming back and just ordering a few of those they were so good.
Then for our entrees we got a half order of jambalaya, which is actually big enough to be a full version, so only order the full size if you are really hungry. We also got the Shrimp and Grits. Both were really good, and rival anything you would get in New Orleans.
This place is just on the northern part of Central West End, and also has some outside seating. The atmosphere was really nice especially with the music. Like I said above, we are looking forward to coming back and highly recommend this place.

This place is lovely. We had great service, excellent entrees. We had crab cakes, crab legs, shrimp and grits. The other couple we were with had several other entrees they loved as well.
Did not give 5 stars because the bananas foster was inedible. The cinnamon was incredibly overwhelming and not cooked long enough. That was disappointing. Ordered several beers that were not available, even though listed on the menu.
We also thought there was live music on Wednesday night, we were there from 650 until 840. None.
We look forward to going back again. Hopefully the few things will be approved on.

This is my third time at Evangeline’s and I honestly will not be coming back. This third time showed such basic flaws in the restaurant that I can’t expect such fundamental changes to happen any time soon. We came last Friday night around 9 pm. Our server was sub-​par, took a very long time to greet us and generally seemed confused. The restaurant was less than half full, but you would have thought it was packed by the lack of adequate service. But the worst, most frustrating part of any night out is when it takes a very long time to receive your food, and then it’s cold. We ordered the rice and beans (which clearly is already made and just warmed up) and the crab dip appetizer. The cheese on top of the dip had clearly been melted and then reformed up as it sat 15 or 20 minutes under a warmer instead of being brought to our table. So we waited almost an hour in an almost empty restaurant for almost entirely cold food. There are just no excuses for that, and I will not be back.

My first visit was today during their jazz brunch. We had an 11am reservation for 5 and were seated in a roomy booth in the very back of the restaurant. Initially I was sad to be so far away from the live band but it turned out for the best because otherwise it would have been hard to hold conversation over the volume of the music. I had the strawberry stuffed french toast but asked that it wasn’t stuff because Im not a fan of cream cheese. The nice waitress was attentive and very accommodating to all of our needs. The food came out fast and it was delicious. Unfortunately the pancake artist wasn’t there today which was a disappointment. I wish I would have known and held off until he was. I don’t have any complaints about this place good atmosphere, food and their build you own blood mary bar was out of this world. I only give 4 stars because the brunch menu was so limited and I feel like $ 14 for french toast and nothing else was a bit on the expensive side. But I told myself it was to cover the overhead of the great live music. I will be back for dinner as that menu looks much more exciting!

Sunday brunch, business lunch or dinner and drinks with friends & family, Don and his amazing staff will never disappoint. There are only a handful of places on this Earth that make me feel truly happy inside and Evangeline’s is at the top of that list. The food, music and drinks are second to none but even more than that is the friendly environment that they have created. What a wonderful gift for our city.

Another five star outing at Evangeline“s Bistro and another night of five star food and service. We came here for an early dinner and the place was filling up quickly. Remember they have valet parking but a little farther down the street is a paid parking lot. We sat at the bar with our cocktails (a French 75 for me) and looked over the menu. There were no specials that evening.
We shared the shrimp remoulade. Large shrimp served over a bed of romaine leaves with home made remoulade sauce. The shrimp were delicious but I especially loved the remoulade sauce with the lettuce leaves. It was so tasty and crisp and fresh. For our main meal, Majordomo went with the blue crab étouffée. It looked delicious and the next time I looked over, it was gone. I went with the duck balsamique. A large portion of duck that was served with roasted potatoes and sautéed spinach with garlic and ginger. «Try it, you’ll like it.»
Would I come back here? You know I will.

Love this place! Everybody should experience this at least once. Food is wonderful, big picture windows so you can people watch, and the service is equally great.

Throughout the meal you could hear every single person at my table exclaim «How did they get so much flavor in _​_​_​!» My friends and I met at 630 for HH (which runs until 7). We each choose to start with a $ 5 Hurricane that was delightfully sweet with a hint of tart. We shared the grilled cheese, also priced at a reasonable $ 5. I still don’t understand how a simple grilled cheese could be packed with so much flavor! I then had the Chicken sausage jambalaya and was not disappointed. The chicken was so tender it would fall off my fork.
During the entire meal we were serenaded by a man strumming his guitar and playing some jazz. Will I come back? You can count on it.

There is soo much I like about this place. On a Wednesday, they had a jazz band from about 7:30pm-9:30pm. It wasn’t overwhelming that you couldn’t have a conversation at your table too. I still recommend getting a table in the back.
Pros:
1) HH Specials from 4−7pm daily
2) HH — $ 2 well, $ 3 craft beers, $ 2 off any glass of wine, $ 5 hurricanes
The Hurricanes are super sweet here, but this would be nice on a hot summer day.
3) HH food for $ 5 a plate
4) Entrée Food. I love that they do half and full size gumbos, jambalayas, etc. The thing to do is actually to a get a half for your appetizer to share and then get another entrée for dinner!
5) Crawfish Étouffée was creamy and delish
6) Gumbo was delish and slightly lighter than the Étouffée. It’s also not really spicy.
7) Crawfish Poboys are HUGE. But do get this with the dirty rice.
8) Tabasco Shrimp had a good flavor and kick
8) But I think the app that stole the show was the Crispy Boudin Balls. It was the fried pork balls b/​c who doesn’t like fried anything, but it was the spicy jelly/​pickled relish. Whatever that was, it went perfect with it.
8) Pecan pie is delish and a lot of people opt for the strawberry jubilee
Cons:
1) Service. While it was perfectly friendly, they only had 2 people on staff plus a bartender doing take-​out. It was so so so slow. But I wasn’t in a rush to leave — so a 2.5 hour dinner affair didn’t bother me. I think the food made up for the slow service, in which I needed to ask several times for people to take our orders.

I’ve been wanting to try Evangeline’s ever since having their Bananas Foster at a holiday Unilocal event. Additionally, my roommate and I have decided to begin having a monthly brunch as a way to try new restaurants and experience city life. Evangeline’s was the perfect place to begin this tradition.
The Sunday brunch also includes live entertainment featuring local swing/​jazz artists. We were lucky enough to experience the musical stylings of Miss Jubilee — a 5-​peice jazz band. While I thoroughly enjoyed the entertainment, it was a bit difficult to hold a conversation over the music. So if you hoping to chat over brunch, I recommend sitting at the bar or outside if weather is permitting.
At the bar «Funny Girl» was playing on flat screens instead of your typical sports station.
I had the Strawberries Jubilee Stuffed New Orleans French Toast and a Blushing Bride Champagne cocktail. Both delicious. The french toast was filling, but I didn’t feel too stuffed.
There’s a Bloody Mary Bar and Bottomless Mimosas available.
I look forward to going back! A great place to take out of town guests.

Did I feel as if I were in New Orleans? No, but it was close enough for a winter night.
We started out with cocktails and an order of Mussels Sauvignon. Cocktails were strong, with only needing some tweaking to make them perfect. My friends Brandy Milk Punch was good, flavor-​wise, but was served over ice, instead of straight up like it is in New Orleans. The only flaw with my Manhattan, was the cherry. I prefer the dark cherry garnish over the maraschino type. Otherwise, Cheers!
The mussels were plentiful enough for two to share as an appetizer. If one person wanted too, it could easily be an entrée. They use Atlantic Blue mussels and prepare them in a red wine tomato bouillon. Since two of were sharing, we needed to ask for more toasted French bread. When enjoying mussels it is not complete, without the grilled bread to soak up the savory broth.
After my half of the mussels, all I wanted for dinner was a simple Who Dat Creole Burger, served with fries. It was a half pound burger with creole seasoning, grilled perfectly to my medium rare specifications. As garnishments they provided shaved Vidalia onion, romaine lettuce, a Creole tomato and a cherry pickle and all was presented on a butter toasted baguette. My fries were a overly unhealthy portion, but some how I still managed to eat them all. I think I was able to do it because, they were not overly salted and were also seasoned with my favorite spice, black pepper.
My lady friend went real New Orleans and ordered the; Fried Oyster Po Boy. How could she go wrong with hand-​breaded Pass Christian oysters in red Cajun gravy? Hers’ also came with; romaine lettuce, a Creole tomato, cherry pickle and had the bonus of Parmesan. It too, was served on a butter toasted baguette. It was presented open faced, and there is no way a lady or man could eat it neatly as a sandwich. She opted to enjoy this Southern decadence with a fork.
Neither of us had room for dessert, but may-​be next time. I got an Entertainment Coupon book for Christmas and Evangeline’s Bistro has one for BOGO up to $ 18. So you know I’ll be back. I’d be back even without a coupon.
When: December 13, 2015
Why: Late Dinner after shopping

I have been to Evangeline’s for Sunday jazz brunch, lunch, dinner, and happy hour and I have never been disappointed. For brunch, I really like their Strawberries Jubilee French Toast, Chocolate Beignets, and Chicken Saucisse Jambalaya. $ 30 for unlimited mimosas is pretty steep so I usually don’t do bottomless brunch here. Sunday brunch is usually pretty loud with the live jazz band, so you may have to speak really loudly if you’re trying to chat with friends. Their happy hour specials are pretty fantastic and I would swing by more often if I lived near CWE. I highly recommend the $ 5 Blackstrap Grilled Cheese and Traditional Hurricane cocktails during happy hour.
Overall, the food is delicious, the service is great, and the atmosphere is really fun. You can’t go wrong with a meal at Evangeline’s.

Evangeline’s has been consistently good. Heather waited on us– a table of 6. Appetizers included mussels, crab cakes and crawfish Carolyn. All were excellent. Six different dinner entrees were all delicious and a few desserts to share– including pecan pie and bananas foster– tasty. We love that there is live music and the mixologists at the bar did a great job. We had mostly standard wine/​beer but a few custom cocktails we tried were perfect– Blood & Grit.
We will be back!

Can’t speak to the food, but, drinks-​wise, the cocktails are tiny and expensive, and I don’t think I found a single one that didn’t have sugar, simple syrup, or fruit juice as a major ingredient. Service was friendly but incredibly slow, even though it was late and uncrowded.
If you’re in CWE, and it’s a good cocktail you want, go to Taste instead.

Well there was not one thing I could even contemplate that was wrong or even just ok about our evening at Evangeline’s Bistro. We had wonderful food, drinks, service, atmosphere and music.
We decided to go out to eat tonight and I was given two choices. I immediately chose Evangeline’s. I have been wanting to try it out for a long time and finally had the opportunity. I called ahead just in case. When we first arrived I didn’t think that move was necessary but then the restaurant quickly filled up so I was happy we had a table almost front and center to the stage. The musical group was playing and singing some jazzy/​bluesy standards which was perfect for the night. It all fits with the theme of the restaurant and set a cool tone for our evening.
Rafael, our waiter, was great. He was present but not overbearing. He made sure we were taken care of and not waiting for anything.
Ok, the food and drinks were simply fantastic. Our cocktails were tasty and not overpowering. We shared the Crawfish Carolyn which was crawfish in a light tasty sauce covered in cheesy goodness. I had the blue crab étouffée and my wife had the jambalaya. Both were perfectly cooked and spiced. The jambalaya has andouille sausage that almost melts in your mouth. Soooo good! Everything we ordered looked just like the pics already posted here on Unilocal but better! We finished our meal by sharing the bread pudding. As this is one of my favorite desserts I am pretty critical. This was a solid effort. Nothing extra — no reason for raisins or fruit to be in the bread pudding. It was finished off with a whisky sauce that was a perfect compliment.
After a few more drinks and listening to the band end their session we called it a night. 5 STAR!

Well, I see I’m in the minority here. Sorry, folks.
We had reservations for six people at 7pm on November 7^th, 2015. None of us had been to Evangeline’s prior, so we chose it based on the reviews. This was a dinner for the Fine Dining Meetup my husband and I lead.
Our experience started off on the wrong foot as I was told (I clarified when I made the reservation and again when I confirmed) that valet service would be available. This is important to us as some in our group utilize this service and we occasionally choose restaurants based on this criteria, depending on which members are attending. My H and I arrived around 6:45pm and could find no valet, no signs, etc. We parked and went on in. I wanted to ask about the valet so I could text the other members of our group, but the hostess desk was in a complete state of disorganization. I can only hope that in addition to the valet «not showing up» that the same applied to their regular hostess, as the gentleman performing the task had no idea how to greet people, seat people, answer questions, etc. And he certainly wasn’t dressed for the role. He had on old jeans, tennis shoes and an untucked, wrinkled shirt. Ok, bad start but maybe things will improve.
Not so much. Based on the website, I expected the dining room to be apart from the «bistro» section. I expected us to be able to converse, hear each other, hear the waiter, etc. No such luck. While we weren’t seated next to the stage, we still had great difficulty talking amongst the six of us and we had a terrible time hearing the waiter. And while he was pretty good at his job, I would have expected him to understand that there’s a band playing and therefore he needs to speak up if he wants us to hear him. If there were any specials this night, we didn’t know about them because we couldn’t hear him.
So, on to the food. Around the table, we had a bottle of wine, beer and a few glasses of wine. The alcohol was appropriately priced and all enjoyed their drinks. For appetizers, we ordered Tabasco Butter Shrimp ($ 13), Shrimp Remoulade ($ 14), Broiled Crab Parmesan ($ 12), and Snow Crab Legs (half pound $ 11). All agreed the apps were great! Best part of the meal by a LONG shot! And the prices were VERY reasonable for the quality of the apps. The only issue, and I’m being picky here, is the Crab Parm wasn’t as warm as I’d hoped. For entrees, we had Spinach Orange & Cinnamon Salad with Grilled Chicked ($ 13), Championship Gumbo (full order $ 20), Chicken Saucisse Jambalaya (half $ 12), Louisiana Crawfish Étouffée ($ 20), Apple Cider Smoked Pork Chop ($ 25), and Blackened Red Snapper ($ 27). The salad was proclaimed delicious… and that’s where it ends. We are a dining out group. We LOVE food and we all TALK about food. When nobody at the table raves about their dish, we all know it’s not very good. I had the Chicken Jambalaya. I’m fairly certain I have made better (meaning more flavorful) at home. This was bland, with exception of the few bites of sausage, barely more than warm and a very small portion of actual Jambalaya. It was mostly white rice serviced in a blob on top. My H had the pork chop and he was meh about it. Nobody’s dish was hot, just warm.
For dessert, we were SO excited to order the Bananas Foster ($ 8) as it’s one of our favorite dishes! Much to our dismay, it wasn’t allowed to «burn» long enough and the alcohol didn’t burn off enough and it was inedible from my perspective. My H ate some of it. Additionally, it was served by a man wearing (again…must be a theme) old jeans and an untucked, wrinkly shirt. Honestly, he didn’t look presentable, or clean enough (he *may* have been extremely clean, but just didn’t look it) to be near food. I can’t understand it as the wait staff all looked sharp and clean. So strange. We also had Café Au Lait ($ 5) (said to have been delicious), and Bourbon Pecan Pie ($ 6) at the table.
I hate to be such a Debbie Downer, but we simply didn’t have a very good experience. The bill for myself and my H was $ 146 (including a 20% gratuity). I expect a better experience for $ 146. We will not go back and I seriously don’t think anyone from our group will.
My advice: go for drinks and apps and don’t expect to have much conversation. Skip the entrees.

After sampling some of Evangeline’s food at the RFT Iron Fork event a couple of months ago, my husband and I were very impressed, so we decided to give them a shot for dinner.
Now, firstly, it should be noted that we tend to eat dinner earlier than most — around 5:30 usually, so I understand that perhaps servers are not on their A game during this lull time. That being said, we had a similar experience to some of the other reviewers with regard to the service. Our waitress seemed scattered and was often absent. This was an odd thing given that the restaurant was perhaps ¼ full at the time we were there. So, as others have pointed out, better servers would improve things here vastly.
Now, on to the food (which was awesome!)
We started with drinks. My husband had a Mint Julep (since he loves Maker’s Mark), and I had the Champagne de Fleur. Both drinks were very tasty, and well-​made.
For our appetizer we of course had to get the Crawfish Carolyn, which was fantastic. Reminds me a bit of etoufee, but with added cheesy goodness. They don’t skimp on the crawfish, which is nice, and the toasted bread made a great vehicle for all the creamy sauce.
The entrees were fantastic as well, here are my thoughts on both of them:
Shrimp & Grits: This was my choice, and I was not disappointed. The grits were perfectly cooked (which is something that can go wrong, trust me), and the shrimp were huge and also cooked well. I really loved the addition of the crispy fried onions — these served to give the dish a nice crunch, which was needed with the soft shrimp and grits combo. I’m also a fan of green onion as a garnish. With that rich and savory roux the onions added a welcome pop of more vibrant flavor.
Championship Gumbo: My husband ordered the gumbo, and luckily (before he had devoured it all) I had a chance to try some. I have to say, this is probably the best gumbo I’ve had in St. Louis. I’m from Baton Rouge, so I’m picky about my gumbo, and this tasted a lot like the gumbo my mom used to make at home (I know — so cliché, right?). Nice rich roux, lots of sausage, shrimp, and crawfish, with some veggies mixed in as well. Like I said, my husband kind of inhaled it, so he was clearly satisfied.
For dessert we ordered the Bourbon Pecan Pie (my favorite dessert ever!), and I was not disappointed. The pie itself was great, but the house-​maid caramel sauce made it stellar. I miiiiiight have used my fingers to finish the leftover sauce once the pie was gone. Don’t judge me.
So, overall, you should definitely check out Evangeline’s. The entrees are a bit pricey but worth it, and although the service is not awesome, the atmosphere is nice, and the food and drinks are fantastic. We’ll be heading back to try some other dishes in the near future!

.GOD, you guys. This is where I want to be every Sunday until I die. Perfect in every way, I might as well stop brunching if it’s not at Evangeline’s. Made my reservation right at opening time, a bright and early 11am after a night in the Lou. Guests were lined up and waiting which made me start to realize I had done something amazing. And we’re in and seated up close to the band which are starting to set up. If you just focused on the band and nothing else in the room, you would think you were in 1942 from the hair to the dress and suits to the shoes and instruments and even the microphone! A kazoo made an appearance! I am typing mid-​swoon right now if you can’t tell.
Peeped the Bloody Mary bar set-​up on the way to the table and of course signed right up for that little slice of heaven. Horseradish cheese?! Sweet AND sour pickles? Summer sausage, salami, pearl onions, pickled okra, artichokes, pickled ginger, blue cheese olives, black olives, I can’t go on…
Band starts up about 11:30am and we ordered our food about then too. Date says let’s order one savory, one sweet dish and share. Can do: jambalaya and stuffed bananas foster french toast order placed. Better have your sweet tooth sharpened for this french toast: 3 double stacked slices of french bread filled with marscapone cheese and topped with banana slices and pecans. The «syrup» is real bananas foster sauce wooooow. I can’t tell you quite as much about the jambalaya because it looked great at it hit the table and then I became involved with maneuvering my toasts and when I looked back over… it was nearly gone! Inhaled! I immediately dove over and got one bite in which was perfectly spiced, little heat that built as you chewed with perfectly cooked rice. I’m going to assume it was as good as my toast but as I’m not positive my date CHEWED it, not sure ;)
One extra detail as we were walking in: another diner asked about gluten free options and the host gave the best answer ever for this ridiculous, asinine question; «Oh you know, it’s pretty easy to figure out from the menu and ingredients» Bahahahaaa, I love that guy. Seriously though, if you suffer from an actual gluten disease, don’t expect to just walk up to the door and they will have food specially prepared for you. How many more minutes do we have to live through the gluten free fad? Ready for it to hit the door!
Bottom line: Eat here immediately, do not believe anyone when they promise to share their food and DON’T eat here if you are immersed in the latest fad diet. After all, it’s 1942 at Evangeline’s brunch!

I would typically never review a Caesar salad but this one was pretty damn good. The dressing was sort of sweet and light. The croutons and chicken were both a nice touch. My fiancé had the shrimp po boy which was fantastic. The fries are also very good. The astonished is nice. Came here for lunch and seems like it would be great for dinner. Very small. Would need a reservation. The bourbon pecan pie is also fantastic.
Been back since. The chicken sandwich is to die for. So massive. Please share and eat responsibly :)

I like this place. There always seems to be live music playing when I visit. The restaurant menu has a new Orleans feel to it. The po boys are all good as well as the red beans and rice. The beer selection is extensive and the cocktails are strong. The only thing I could recommend differently for the menu is more fresh seafood such as oysters as a lot of the options are fried.
They are known for having a great brunch which I have yet to try but its in my future plans.
The waiters have all been helpful and friendly. This is a great place to eat outside during nicer weather days. There is a lot of outdoor seating. I think this is a great addition to the CWE.