Acme Oyster House

We sat at the Bar where or oyster shooker "Magic" told us exactly what to order... Loud atmosphere, but everything we ordered was AMAZING

All good things come to those who wait - that's the truth! My husband and I visited NOLA for our Anniversary weekend and were pleased with the service and selection at Acme. Recommend the chargriled oysters that are done with butter and parmesean. Expect to wait in line for 10 minutes or so...

Best place to partake in Gulf Coast oysters! This oyster bar is a New Orleans tradition. You can never go wrong at this local landmark. ...

Delicious!!! Poboys and chargrilled oysters left us full & happy.

I can't wait to go back to New Orleans and eat at this Acme Oyster House again. As many times as I have been to New Orleans, I cannot believe I have eaten at Acme only once.

No trip to New Orleans is complete without a trip to Acme! The bread that they use for their Po-Boys is the BEST IN TOWN! The oysters are great and the service is really friendly. If there is a line, just grab a drink from one of the bars on the corner, but be prepared to toss it at the door. Can't say enough good things about Acme.

Grilled oysters are sublime. The line outside the restaurant may be daunting, but the oysters and po boys are worth the wait. Must try!

Husband and I have been coming to NOLA yearly since before Katrina to vacation. We first stumbled on this restaurant by accident, having eaten at another less than stellar seafood place. We adore Acme, and have never had a bad experience. We've also found that we prefer eating at the bar, to watch the shuckers and talk to the employees, as well as other friendly customers. I tried a grilled oyster, thanks to the guy sitting next to me, and ordered my own--YUM! Catfish, shrimp, jambalaya, gumbo, red beans, oysters--all entrees are great and filling, but we always have to have the warm bread pudding to finish off the meal. Don't miss this gem!

What a gem. We just returned from New Orleans for New Years / Sugar Bowl and stopped in for lunch at one of the city's best places - ACME! Get there early indeed - by mid afternoon the line reached the corner and turned down the next block. We decided to come the next day for brunch - the sign says they open at 11:00 so we all met there at 10:30 expecting the get a good place in line. They were already open and seated us immediately - all 14 of us! dozens of raw oysters, pounds of crawfish and a few broiled oysters later - we made it to the main course. The po boys are delicious and the prices here are reasonable. I tried the 1/2 catfish and 1/2 oyster po boy. The sandwich was packed with seafood. The service was outstanding, as always. Their shuckers are unrivaled. The place we ate at the day before (when ACME was too crowded) took 25 minutes to bring a dozen oysters. ACME delivered 6 dozen in about 5 minutes! We left around 11:30 am and sure enough, the line was already to the... Read more

OK, Come on people...I have eaten raw oysters in Boston at Le Ole Union Oyster House, and they were pretty good. I have eaten them on the bay in San Francisco and they were good as well. But....ACME Oyster House in New Orleans beats them all!!!! First of all, the location...French Quarter..Hello???? Second, we took our 8 yr old son with us for dinner, and the line was long but moved very fast, even he didn't get restless. The staff was very friendly, and fast. The oyster were the best I ever had... I had a half dozen raw, and then I tried a half dozen grilled with some cheese on them...Man, that was nice... Third, you won't leave with an empty wallet!!!!!! If you love history and oysters, ACME Oyster House will be your best experience ever! Now go eat some raw oysters..

i came here for lunch recently and had the 1/2 and 1/2 platter of fried catfish and shrimp. there really was nothing to complain about. the food was just perfectly done and not dry. the service was prompt; there was no line when i went (although there usually is -- we just got lucky). our server was also down to earth and friendly and helpful. too bad we couldn't get dessert because the huge servings left me too full.

Overall very disappointing!!! The new orleans sampler was not good at all, the gumbo and jambalaya did not taste good. The oyster shooters were terrible. The crawpuppies and raw oysters were good, fried food was average. I would not recommend going here for good culinary experience unless all you're going to eat is raw oysters.

Boyfriend and I waited for about twenty minutes in a fast-moving line to be seated on a Thursday night at about seven thirty. We were waited on almost immediately after being seated, and our waitress was very friendly. We ordered a pitcher of Abita, crawpuppies, an oyster/shrimp po-boy, and a gumbo/creole/jambalaya mix plate. The crawpuppies were soooo good. The beer didn't come and didn't come, and the waitress came over to explain: the keg was being changed. Fine, and she took a dollar off the total. Fresh beer for us. The po'boy was really good, and the mix thing was the perfect amount of food. We did not have oysters but they were sizzling on a grill as we left and looked pretty tasty. I talked briefly with the manager and he was friendly, and did not seem bothered by my (dumb) questions about oysters.

This is my favorite place in New Orleans and has always been my first stop there for more than 30 years. However, on a visit there in May, I found that they were serving farm-raised oysters, which didn't come close to their usually succulent stuff. While this is understandable, given the wipeout of the N.O. coast, it ooes take the edge off my traditional Acme meal. Gimme some of those juicy Apalachicolas and things will be right again.

In Short Loud, crowded and full of life, this seafood haven draws locals and tourists who stand in line for top-notch shooters, cold beer and the salty ambience of this outpost. Shuckers who stand behind the counter and expertly open each mollusk, presenting them to diners with an almost comical reverence. Fresh oysters are the draw, but non-lovers can choose from favorites including red beans, gumbo and Boo fries--shoestrings smothered in brown gravy and cheese.

first exposure to NO food was a good one. line of 10-20 people for lunch, moves in a snap. bar good choice for 1/2 people. oysters just amazing, and cheap too! all po'boys and hush puppies to die for. beer cheap, and save room for desert! service surprisingly great, even during lunch rush. also, cleaner than it looks... especially bathrooms. get to MSY early, and save room for one final Acme meal before boarding!

Don't let the line outside put you off this French Quarter eaterie. We joined the line on a saturday evening with about 10 tables in front of us and were seated withing 15 minutes. It was worth every second of the wait. Excellect oysters and Crawfish. Softshell crab a bit over salty but thats just personal preference.

Acme was our introduction to dining in New Orleans. A terrific way to start a visit to the Crescent City. We had the good fortune to be seated at the oyster bar. And so, we ate oysters, chatted up the shuckers and our seat-mates, and had a grand time. We did not notice that Acme was filled with tourists, only crowded with folks who love New Orleans take on seafood. We'll return on our next visit to the city.

I was dubious about this place, in spite of the 9.4 rating, because of some negative user reviews and phrases like "tourist trap", "noisy and dirty", and "rip-off". Never fear, though, for what it is, this place is terrific. Yes, I had to wait in line, but only for about 5 minutes. Yes, I had to sit at the bar, but I chatted some terrific neighbors, and I got to interact with several of the shuckers. Real characters. Yes, they sort of rushed me, but gently. After all, there is a line of others who want to get in. Think of this place as a southern pub with food, and you'll do just fine. Oh, did I mention that the oysters were the 2nd best in the world? And for the money, the best bargain anywhere. That's enough to bring me back again and again.

We were in New Orleans for a few days, found this place on a travel guide! This place is AWESOME!, food is cheap and the oysters is the best! Their Oysters Po-Boy is great too!! We ate at this place twice and eat about 7 dozens oysters between the two of us ;-)

I went there around 7:30 PM and had a 30 min wait for a group of seven. The line moved okay but the previous groups I talked to had inconsistent wait times. For example, a group of ten had moved to the front of the line after a short wait. They had arrived before we did. Another group (eight) waited for about 20 min and were served right away. Our experience was a little longer. After ordering, we waited about 20 minutes for our orders to be served. A group of three that we were seated with had their orders lost in the shuffle since they were there before us and served after we had finished. Food was good for the price we paid.

We made a point to hit the best restaurants in Nola including Bayonna and Peristyle and Upperline, etc. but none surpassed Acme. Long line but it moved fast (lunch). Once inside our waiter showed up immediately and was extremely attentive .. as good as any white tablecloth restaurant we dined at. Oysters were fabulous (first time with soy and wasabi!) and the fried catfish/shrimp were delicious ... crispy and grease free .. We loved Acme and will be sure and return ... cheapest meal in NOLA and as good as the 5 star restaurants we ate at!

This place serves your basic cajun/creole food at good prices in a great location. Love the hush puppies

The food was EXCELLENT at a great price. It was rather busy, but it's easy to see why. There isn't much to say about the environment - nothing very special. We had gumbo, jumbalaya, oysters, red beans and rice, and the bread pudding (YUM!) and they were all fantastic. What topped off our experience was the manager (or owner?) stopping by our table and asking how everything was. He was very sincere and ended up talking with us for about 5min. The service was VERY fast and the waitress was right on top of things, despite how busy she was. I would HIGHLY recommend it.

I can't imagine anyone considering Acme Oyster House a bargain. Wait in line for over an hour for average food at above average prices? Never again.

This place is so good that when you talk about it you might say " Oh yeah, New Orleans is out the door" If you like your oysters fresh, sweet, plump, and fresh then this is your joint. Just leave me a place at the marble top bar so I can watch those babies meet there just reward.

This past weekend, after wandering through parts of the french quarter looking for a good place to eat- We Found the Acme Oyster House- which is an awesome place, maybe small on space- but the Oysters were delicious, all 6 of enjoyed our meals- the staff was great- Overall for a casual but fun dining, this is a place to visit- especially if you want the best oysters raw or cooked in town

Having had to stay in New Orleans for several weeks on buisness in the last year I can assure you that if you have not been to Acme, you missed something. Characters behind the Oyster bar such as Hollywood and Magic make the stay worth the wait. If you eat at the tables or at the regular bar, you miss it. These men make you feel at home. Assisted by Courtney they keep the Oysters, Beer, Gumbo and Crawdads coming. A must see.

I had the oyster platter-PERFECT. My friend said the hamburgers were also PERFECT!

there is nothing cheap about this place. the food is not well prepared and the servings are small. tourist trap.

tourist trap! yep good food but no one from NOLA eats here, fairly cheap and good but you are herded like cattle through this tourist trap. tourists eat here because it is in all the books. locals rarely if ever are here.

Standing in a long line in the cold for mediocre food is not my idea of fun. Not impressed at all with the food or the service. They are way too busy to pay attention to the customer or even the details of a meal ordered. The sushi was plastered on the plate with one little shrimp. If you want some good food go to Deanie's on Iberville. The food there is excellent and the service is great.

Really enjoyed! The Atmosphere was great, service very friendly and best of all the food was true Louisiana.... Please do not take boudini's (next review) seriously. He here just to make great restaurants look bad including Joe's Crab Shack, Houstons, Applebees, & Luthers (All 1's in his opinion, what a joke)

Nothing special about the fried seafood. The bread is too soft for poboys. Bread is supposed to be good and crusty. This limp stuff might as well be wonder bread. Very bad service on my first attempt. On my second visit, the service was better, but the oyster poboys still as forgetable as the first time. I don't understand the attraction. I think this is one of the most over rated restaurants in town.

Loud, crowded, deep fried and fun. PoBoys were fine, I guess, but I expected more on eating my first one. Rest of the food was good, and reasonable. I prefer our Alaskan oysters, not only for a briney taste but all the oysters here still carried a lot of mud. Not sure why they hadn't been washed. Lots of folks eating oysters had these cute little mud goatees.

Great oyster suchi. Not really! Sushi that is. It is fried oysters on top of little pats of sushi rice served with pickled ginger, wasabi, and a tobasco spiced soy. YUM. We ate here 4 times in a 10 day stay. Service was OK but not great, the food is really good even for a californian that is used to oysters that are 2-3 times larger than in this area. I recommend Acme.

ask for more oysters, they are great great great! best jambalaya in the world, gumbo is a little cold

The food was ok. I had heard so much about the Oyster House that I guess my expectations were set too high. In my opinion, the atmosphere was that of a bar rather than a restaurant. It was; however, charming in New Orleans style. I would recommend the experience once.

Not only did we meet some of the nicest people in the world, to include the shuckers who made the whole thing work, but the oysters were the pearls of the sea.

this is the last place you should go for cheap eats. a po-boy is 10.00! go to sidmars or r&o's for a good po-boy!

For a quick protein pick me up we love it here, just get a pile of crawfish, a few dozen fresh shucked oysters & away we go! Very informal, fun atmosphere & the best shucked oysters in town.

Acme is a dive. A true, wonderful, New Orleans dive. The food is fabulous, the tables are red checked and sometimes you have to share with a stranger. It's OK. Make friends. You'll be glad you did. Don't forget to add the tobasco to your fresh shucked eyrster (aka oyster), it helps it slide right down. Fridays are always busy.

Sitting at the bar .. eating freshly shucked salty oysters .. listening to life stories .. feeling the history of the Quarter .. I have to say .. it doesn't get any better than this .. and I am a local .. I can only imagine what it must be like for a visitor.

Terrible service and atmosphere ! So over-rated ! I don't know why this makes the top list-worst meal in the quarter

Waiters/waitresses are nice, especially people who are behind the oyster bar. Fresh food, big smile, affortable price.

The only thing about ACME that stinks is that it is so popular that it is always CROWDED to the max. The fried stuff on the menu is good, but the real reason to go is for the raw oysters. When in New Orleans, we like to hit ACME as soon as we get in town for a couple of dozen on the half shell and a pitcher of Abita amber. I recommend sitting at the bar as opposed to a table. The shuckers can be very entertaining at times.

The single best inexpensive restaurant in the United States. My third favorite restaurant in the Big Easy, where I lived for twelve years.

the best jukebox in the quarter. great oysters, shrimp boil, crayfish......you can spend a whole day sucking them heads and pullin' them tails. drink bear by the quart and leave full of food, liquid and joy. what a fun place. don't miss this new orleans institution...this is the real thing.

A must everytime we come to the Big Easy! A timeless classic.

Everyone there seems to always be in a good mood. From the shuckers and dishwashers to the management. They are always very friendly. Good food and sweet service.