Stop 1: Cafe NOLA

Some recommendations and friends sent me on my way to my first spot of my brunch adventures. Right in Ponchatoula, LA off of Hwy 51 is a relatively new restaurant to the area (maybe a little over 5 years?). Cafe NOLA is a restaurant that serves New Orleans inspired dishes to the wonderful people of the Northshore. They have a Sunday Brunch Menu that lasts the whole day they are open, which is from 10 AM- 3 PM. What really drew me to Cafe NOLA, this specific weekend, is that it happened to be the first weekend they tried the bottomless mimosa special! I have a lot things to talk about and of course my scoring of the restaurant... so keep reading to see what I have to say about Cafe NOLA.

Let's get to it!

Food:

The Sunday Brunch Menu had about 10 selections; all of which sounded amazing. I ordered the Pontchartrain Stack, which was 2 eggs cooked to your preference served over a crab cake and biscuit, then topped with hollandaise sauce and served with a side of grits. I asked for my eggs poached and when the dish came out, I was pleased. My eggs were cooked to perfection. The hollandaise sauce was on the side, which allowed me to decide how much I would like to use. The crab cakes were seasoned so well, but a little over done for my preference. The biscuits were fluffy, yet thick and full. The grits were standard. The dish overall was a monochromatic looking plate, but proved to be rich in taste. It was priced at approximately $12.95 and believe me... I was full by the time I finished my plate.

Quality: 9/10
Price: 8/10
Presentation 6/10
Total: 23/30

Alcohol:

Their selection is huge, but what drew me in was the bottomless mimosas. Priced at $5, I could not pass it up. The first one came out a little to orange-juicey for my preference, and they continued to come out the same way. Mimosas were lacking the amount of alcohol I was looking for and I did not even get a little tipsy. The price was great though and I couldn't complain much. They also were advertising a Bloody Mary bar for all you bloody mary drinkers out there. Overall, I was satisfied with the drink selection, specials, and pricing.

Transparency: 3/10

Price: 10/10  bottomless +5

Other drinks/specials: 9/10

Total: 27/30

Restaurant:

Our waiter was David. First off, he was super nice and such a great sport about the fact that I was writing a review about him. He was constantly checking on us and eventually, I lost track of how many mimosas I actually had. Which is GREAT! Even when we asked to switch from champagne glasses to wine glasses, he gladly served us. He was so on point with everything. Everyone's food came out perfectly and he even separated our checks correctly! We originally sat outside, but damn Louisiana and it's unpredictable weather forced us to move in. Which David also accommodated quickly. The patio is nice and bright, just hot. Inside is dim, but inviting. The other customers all seemed to be enjoying their brunch/lunch as well and I was pleased with the fact that the table next to us was also enjoying their bottomless mimosas as well.

Service: 10/10

Atmosphere: 9/10

Ambience: 9/10

Total: 28/30

Guest Score: Sarah Ford

I enjoyed my brunch at Cafe Nola with my lovely friend, Alyssa Hernandez. My Ponchartrain Stack served with medium over easy eggs and crab cakes drizzled Hollandaise sauce was delicious; however I drank several mimosas (probably over 10) and did not even get a buzz. Our server, David, was very punctual and delivered a new mimosas each time we finished our last sip. We attempted to sit outside, but it began raining. I hope the owners install some fans or other cooling system for future outside dining experiences, because it was very hot outside before the rain began. Overall, I would recommend Cafe Nola for brunch to my friends and family.


Food: 8/10
Alcohol: 6/10
Restaurant: 8/10
Total: 22/30

Overall Score: 100/120

If you are interested in learning more about Cafe NOLA and what their fabulous restaurant has to offer, check out their website!

Thanks so much for reading! If you have any suggestions for future stops, let me know in the comments below!

-xoxo Alyssa

http://www.cafenolarestaurant.com/