Mother's Restaurant

Visited New Orleans for about 1 week. Went here twice. Food is southern, inexpensive and tasty.

After seeing this place on the travel channel I knew the next time I was in New Orleans I needed to try it. It was a huge let down. Not only was the food very average, I was surprised at how expensive it was. Not worth the money at all!! I'm not from New Orleans but there has to be somewhere better.

I would only recommend this place if you plan to order true Louisianna food...beans and rice, fried okra, jambalya or a shrimp poy boy. All other items on the menu are average to below average and not worth the money you have to spend. If you see a line outside, while it moves fast, it's not worth getting on unless you are prepared for the most stressful ordering process you will ever experience. They take your order so quickly and barely give you the opportunity to look at the menu. As for the service, the wait staff is pleasant and actually pretty humorous but stay away from the Owner of this joint. He has no problem insulting the tourists that are responsible for carrying his business. It's family style seating and some of the regulars can be pretty uptight. Puts a really big damper on what should be a fun experience. Not worth the money when you can get much better food other places in NOLA.

Everyone raves about this place as a "must try" when in New Orleans. I have eaten there three times and each time has sucked! I went back, figuring that I had to have gone on an 'off' day, but each time was the same - long wait, unfriendly service, lackluster food. Save the room in your stomach for something better.

II visited Mother's on a recent trip to New Orleans and it's definitely not worth the long line. With all the fabulous restaurants in NOLA, there is no reason to use up one of your mealtimes on this stop. The service was absolutely terrible. I actually went twice because my brother missed out on the first trip and had heard about it and wanted to go. Both times the food was average and both times, the owner, who often sits at the front door to enforce the rules of the line and ordering, was extremely unfriendly and at one point bluntly rude. I realize this is a long standing famous place in New Orleans, so they likely think their customer service skills don't matter because there is always a line out the door and people keep coming back, but regardless of how popular you are, making the customers experience a positive one should always be a priority. Our orders never came out right, and by the time we got what we ordered it was cold and we were so ready to get out of there, we didn't e... Read more

I live in the New Orleans area and have always heard people rave about Mothers. My mother was in town so I figured it would be a good place to let her eat some New Orleans food. We waited in line for twenty minutes which I did not mind waiting if we were going to get good food. Once inside I was able to order my food right away. We order our food and go to our table to wait for our order. The waiter or food runner never brought our sodas and after twenty minutes he finally brings my mothers Po Boy and fries. The fries were ice cold and the sandwich left much to be desired. After another twenty minutes my wife, son, and I still did not have our food and nobody had brought us our sodas. Three tables that came in twenty minutes after us had already gotten their food and after 45 minutes we had still not gotten our food or drinks. By this time my mother had finished half her sandwich and did not want to finish the rest because of the poor quality. I told the manager to refund the money for... Read more

After waiting 30 minutes in the hot sun and another 20 minutes in line inside you figure the food would be great. Nope. We ordered 4 shrimp po-boys, a cup of gumbo, a order of fries and 4 sodas....all for the family friendly price of $79.00. This place is a tourist trap. Oh...by the way the food was very average. This place should not be categorized as cheap eats. I live in Chicago and I don't know any run -down cafeteria style joints that can get away with charging you almost $100.00 for a veined shrimp sandwich on supermarket french bread with shreded cabbage. Please do yourself a favor and find a better place to eat. Fussy and unfriendly service also.

My family and I went to Mothers because of several recommendations we received including the Hotel we were staying in. All we wanted was authentic po'boys at a decent price....First of all we waited outside in the hottest of hot weather for nearly 30 minutes. The inside of Mothers is definately a "hole in the wall" type of restaurant with cafeteria styled seating. We waited another 15-20 minutes to order. We ordered 4 shrimp po'boys, 2 sides of fries, and 4 sodas....When the cashier told us the total we nearly passed out....EIGHTY DOLLARS!!!! For sandwiches and fries....We went to more upscale restuarants with waiters who catered to your every want for less than 80 bucks. The food was decent but I wouldn't go back. I don't recommend for anyone to go unless you want a dent in your wallet.

As a local, we know----you can get much better poboys at many other places. The seating is very uncomfortable, very loud (although that's typical in New Orleans) and most times it is chaotic!

OMG! My husband and I CAN NOT go to New Orleans without stopping at Mother's. The long line is worth the wait. Actually, the long line is an indication of what is in store. Those folks are working hard and fast and the place just doesnt empty out. We enjoy chatting in line with people traveling from all over and having delicious Bloody Mary's while we wait. Everything we have tried has been wonderful and when you go, don't forget to order the Debris.

DO NOT go to Mother's if what you're looking for is actual, GOOD, New Orleans style food. If what you want is the 'experience' of Mother's...

a new orleans institution, the line to eat at this diner was ridiculously long. don't come here too hungry because you will be very very cranky after waiting in line about 40 minutes. at the same time, don't come here full either because you will need a large stomach to eat all the food they serve. we ordered the 1/2 fried chicken served fresh with crunchy skin, and tender and moist meat. the cabbage and turnip greens were also good. the fried shrimps were also good. the red beans and rice were a bit spicy. the biscuit was not too exciting (not warm and not flakey). while the food was pretty yummy (albeit sinful), my main gripe about this place was the service. the servers were a bit surly - they almost forgot our biscuit. the people next to us, one of them did not get served until (i hope) after we left while his friends all finished their meal. also, because some patrons were cutting through the long lines outside by entering through the exit door, the employees decided to... Read more

May 3, 2008 Trip I took my husband to New Orleans for the first time. I wanted to show him some real New Orleans Culture, so we went to Mothers. The building is historic, the walls were decorated with pictures of famous people who had ate there, but that was ALL the good points there were. The line outside was about a 15 minute wait, the line inside was 25 minutes, we were OK with waiting, because we thought it would be worth it. The staff was rude and unhappy. They whole time were in line they were complaining about their jobs, the customers, how busy they were. We ordered our food still hoping that the food would be worth the wait. We ordered two Shrimp Po Boys, and a Coke $30.00. The bread was hard, very little condiment of mayo or whatever sauce was on it, and the shrimp was tough and NOT deveined. IT was TERRIBLE food. DO NOT Get the Shrimp PO Boy. A short time after eating the shrimp my husband got sick. I did not eat any of the Shrimp. I have not had the other i... Read more

Do Not go here if you want a quiet romantic meal. This is classic New Orleans--down-home, loud, no-frills, good-eatin', fun New Orleans. The...

This was one of the best meals I had in New Orleans. I lived there for 4 years, and I went there at least twice a week. The ham is tender and perfect. The biscuits are warm and fulfilling and the service was hilarious.You HAVE to have a good sense of humor with them. If your unkind and have a stick up your rear you'll complain like quite a few on this page. Me and my family had a blast. And you will too. Believe me. It is a MUST see in New Orleans. And you will regret not going.

Mother's is a great dining experience. The atmosphere is great, boisterous, and friendly, the prices are decent, and the food is amazing. Mo...

The food is worth the wait, and it is not that costly, fresh biscuits with fresh shaved ham pilled high. they are just running a buisness and trying to get people feed and inside. Thank you

Ferdi special was great, proce was fair, cashier and beverage server great. Guy behaind the counter was "crabby." I would go again.

HORRIBLE RESTURAUNT IF THAT IS WHAT YOU WOULD CALL IT! PRICES WERE EXPENISVE.I'D UNDERSTAND IF THE FOOD WAS GOOD BUT IT WAS CRAPPY! AND I KNOW PEOPLE ARE RUDE BUT THE DAMN WORKERS TOOK RACISM TO A WHOLE NEW CHAPTER! WHAT THE BLACK PEOPLE IN NEW ORLEANS HAVE AGAINST HISPANICS I DONT KNOW.BUT WHAT I DO KNOW IS THAT THEY GOT THEIR HISTORY ALL MESSED UP! IT WAS THE WHITE PEOPLE WHO HAD YOU SLAVES NOT THE HISPANICS! EITHER WAY THE RESTURAUNT CONSIST OF RUDE.SHIT TALKING...HORRIBLE FOOD MAKING SONS OF BITCHES!

We just got back from a wonderful weekend trip to New Orleans. I talked my husband into eating at Mother's because I heard how wonderful the food is. We waited about 45 minutes in the line then finally got to order our food. We got half a ham poboy and half a roast beef poboy (both are famous there) and a bag of chips and it was $20! The place was super crowded and dirty (I could handle that if the food was amazing). About 15 minutes after we found a place to sit in the bar area we got our poboys. Being born and raised in Louisiana I know what a good poboy is. The bread was very hard, dry and hard it bite. The ham poboy had barely any ham on it at all! And the roast beef was piled on there but was dry and had no taste. I very very embarrassed for talking my husband into coming here. Its a shame that we wasted out time and money at Mothers! There are plenty of amazing restaurants in New Orleans and that is not one of them!

Oh STOP WHINING!! We love Mother's We go every time that we drive the 3 hours from Florida to watch our NO Saints!! Yes, they are rude sometimes, and crude in their ways...but that's only if you don't know what your doing, you hold up the line, or if you somehow stray from the norm - helpful hint: order whats on the menu-no substitues, this is not a VEGETARIAN friendly place, get your food, pay the nice lady and sit down! They don't have time for chit chat, they are BUSY!!! Breakfast is EXCELLENT, cooks are awesome, and the Bloody Marys are the best anywhere. If you want fancy schmancy go to a 5 star hotel and eat in their snobby establishment. Mother's is for REAL folks who don't mind waiting for good food and the prices are NOT that bad...you people exaggerate!

One of my "Top 5 Horrible Meals" ever! I waited outside in the rain on 5 July 2007 for over 45 minutes. I stood behind dozens of unsuspecting people anticipating "New Orleans Best." Some were taking pictures of themselves, carrying on humorous conversations to pass the time. Finally, approaching the door, I was "allowed" in and handed a pathetic menu (typed and copied on a sheet of paper) and told to wait in yet ANOTHER line! That line lasted over 30 minutes. Alas, I approached the cashier as I was next in line! I waited 5 more minutes while the uncaring staff of four women carried on a conversation oblivious to me or anybody else. I could have fallen to the ground clutching my chest, dying of a heart attack and they wouldn't so much as turned their collective heads. Okay, the order: A cup (CUP!) of red beans and rice and a shrimp po' boy. The cashier rang it up and said "$18.66." FOR WHAT!! I said! I thought she heard me wrong or rang up 3 instead of 1 for the sandwich. I d... Read more

My first trip to New Orleans was in August 2006. My future husband, who was raised in N.O. wanted to take me to get a real po-boy. Although he hadn't been there in years he thought Mothers would be a good choice. We were both highly diappointed. We didn't arrive all that late at night, a few hours before closing and had ordered 2 poboys. We could only get 1 because they ran out of bread, so we got some etoufet (sorry about the spelling) instead. The shrimp poboy had very little shrimp on it and the etoufet was not very good either. We spent too much money for what we got. The staff was not helpful or courteous and the restaurant on a whole appeared dirty. The only good or interesting part of the visit was the various celeb pictures on the walls. I don't suggest you go there. At one time I understand it was a great place to go, but that time has surely passed.....

I recently took my very good friend to Mother's. It was her first time to New Orleans and she wanted to try a good po-boy. Being born and raised in New Orleans, I figured I'd take her to Mother's. We got there about 11:30am and had to wait outside in line. We finally got to go in after about 15-20 minutes where we had to stand in another line to place our order. There are very few tables. Luckily we were able to get one. The service leaves little to be desired. The employees yell and bicker with each other out loud, so that's all you hear the whole time you're there. I guess the management feels it's humorous??? They don't even care. The place really is old and dirty. I know it's historic, but geez! I got a ham po-boy (which is supposedly their signature sandwich). It was so bad. They don't even use real New Orleans po-boy bread. It's soft and chewy hoagie bread. I couldn't believe that! AND, they put shredded cabbage on their sandwiches instead of lettuce. I think they are known for ... Read more

I'm sad to say that Mothers isn't what it use to be, going are the days when you could get GOOD Consistently cooked meals. Now its nothing more then a TOURIST TRAP that tries to serve the hundreds of hungry short tempered customers who just waited in a line outside for 3 hours for one of the few tables inside. Add this to the hungry screaming kids and the overworked staff who work for minimum wages and have been on their feet all day putting up with short tempered customers and the out come isn't going to be good. I like to refer to it as SLOPPING The Hogs, because thats what this great restaurant has been reduced to.

I have heard so many good things about Mother's and I waited in line for 45 minutes to see what all the fuss was about. The line cooks and order takers were very bossy and they had no idea what was being served. As I waited for my food, a couple of the employees seemed drunk and they were bothering tables of people who were trying to eat. I had to go back to the line 3 times to get the correct order and you can forget about getting a refill.The shrimp in my Po-boy had no been de-veined and most of my food was lukewarm. I did not bother asking for the cooks for some fresh food.

I've lived in NOLA for almost 10 yrs - first time eating at Mothers and I can say with no exaggeration that it was the WORST breakfast I have ever had. The "debris" was a pile of lukewarm, oily meat in some sort of watery liquid - tasted like cardboard. The coffee was burnt and cold, the eggs were undercooked and tasteless - you get the picture. The biscuts and black ham were ok, but not worth the $$. If you want a good, cheap breakfast in NOLA, this is NOT the place for you!

Had breakfast here after hearing what a great place it is for breakfast....can't say anything good...other than I could eat the food and I didn't get sick...like eating at the hospital....maybe sometime yesterday it was "all that" but not now....nice enough staff....ho-hum....

ive read the reviews, the magazine articles...but i hate to say it folks -- mother's aint what ya think it is. i never tried it 50 years ago, so i cant say how tasty Landrys' food *was*.. but i can tell you the whole "debris" concept is a hoax today. the over-priced $8.50 shredded roast beef Debris poboy is supposed to be chunks of meat that fell off the roast, cooking in the pan gravy. the poboy is then supposed to be a tasty sandwich of gravy-loaded roast beef. its not. instead its just a bunch of shredded roast beef cooked in a watery substance. the plate forms a pond of it. its not gravy, its not water...its something in between. the effect is a bland flavor poboy, picked up only by the creole mustard. i would order the ham instead. you can get bigger, better, cheaper poboys not far away at P&G's.

You wait in a long line to get in to order food from unfriendly staff. People are pushy and loud all around you. Then, you order, pay and wait for your name to be called. The food is very average... typical greasy southern food. Nothing especially good or bad about it. The ambience is bad though, because the table is sticky and even while seated, people are bumping into you.

The Scene Tourists, locals and CBD suits crowd this deli. Order at the stainless-steel counter, then squeeze into a table or perch against the window overlooking downtown. Celebrity mug shots and military memorabilia offer a glimpse of the restaurant's more-than-60-year history. The Food The menu samples many New Orleans home-cooked standards--from breakfast to blue-plate lunches--but the highlight is the quintessential po'boy, a sloppy French bread sandwich overloaded with meat and dressings. The paragon is Mother's signature Ferdie special--baked ham and debris (roast beef pieces that fall in the gravy while cooking) topped with shredded cabbage, pickles and mustard. Get plenty of napkins. Dishes like half a fried chicken, the jambalaya-etouffee-red beans-potato salad combo and spaghetti pie are also sure bets.

Mother's has the best creole food in New Orleans. The atmosphere is unique and casual, and the food is affordable. Be sure to order the br...

The po' boys and bread pudding are great! It is usually packed as well.

Wow, what an experience. We came at lunch time (mistake) and the line was out the door. However, it moved quickly and they gave us menus so we would know what we wanted by time we got to the front. We had the calamari po' boy and the turkey Ferdi (turkey, ham, and debris - the pieces of roast beef and gravy that drop off while cooking) which were enormous and very good. The batter on the calamari was fresh and crunchy and very flavorful. Although the place was a madhouse and everyone had special order requests, the servers didn't get a single order wrong. The place was a well-oiled machine but I guess you'd have to be when it's that busy.

Food is OK but overpriced for the quality. Service is brusk with little tolerance for questions or confusion. Tourists are tourists and there will be lots of questions - the staff needs to get over it and put a smile on their face.

Okay, so the line outside and the directions you are given prior to coming in reminded me of the Soup Nazi episode on Seinfeld, except the people are MUCH warmer. The food was great; the place was very unpretentious, and my waitress as a 5-day rookie who was TERRIFIC! The po' boy took getting used to since I am not used to soggy bottoms on my sandwiches, but it was really good, so it grew on me VERY quickly. Definitely a must-see.

Mother's reminded me of a wonderful NYC coffeehouse. A bit seedy, noisy, and colorful, with plenty to look at while waiting in line. The BEST bran muffin I have ever had -- enormous and loaded with chunks of fruit!

A must stop if you're going to NOLA! great traditional New Orleans food! Always a line, but it moves very very fast. All types of people go here, from suits to hippies! The food ordering process can be intimidating, but just go with the flow. If you don't go here, you're missing out!!! no tips allowed

Our breakfast at Mother's was one of the best experiences of our trip. The staff made us feel like part of their extended family and the food was fantastic and filling! The breakfast ham was worth the trip alone. I wish I was there right now.

this was the worst restaurant experience i have ever had. the food was bland and scanty. the service was horrific! there was nothing motherly about this restaurant. i would not recommend this establishment to my worst enemy. there are no pros only cons.

Before it changed ownership, this was THE place New Orleanians who worked downtown had lunch. Back in the '50s, it was a longshoreman's hangout - then it got "discovered" by some collegiates and downtown workers. The food was as good as you could get. Notice the tense. In reading reviews, I'm disappointed - but must admit I haven't been there in years. They supposedly have the recipes the Landrys (former owners) used - but unless cooks take the same care, recipes don't matter. They made as good a roast beef po-boy (with debris - gravy with meat in it) or Ferdi Special (roast beef po-boy plus ham) as you would find anywhere.

I live in New Orleans and found Mother's to be a restaurant that mainly catered to tourist and conventioneers. The food was OK and the service was adequate; albeit a little rowdy and pushy, but many restaurants locally offer better value and food.

Mother's was highly recomended by a local artist. We were very disappointed. With four of us ordering on the same ticket none of the meals came out at the same time, my daughter's turkey sandwich was ordinary at best, my oysters were plentiful but had little flavor and were lukewarm with a scoop of cool-room temperature potato salad. My son's catfish was good, my wife at first was delivered the wrong salad and when that was corrected the dressing was room temperature and 3 of the 4 tomato wedges on her salad were rotten. A major disappointment for the money spent.

A once great restaurant with good food for a good value, Mother's has become just another tourist attraction looking for the quick buck. The meals are now way over priced and the quality as deteriorated.

The last time I was home (grew up in Midcity and River Ridge), I noticed there was a Subway around the corner. Why on earth would anyone choose Subway with Mother's around the corner is beyond comprehension! The food is great, always has been, the atmosphere and the servers' attitudes--just part of the unique flavor of this place. It is a must everytime I go home. I agree with the poster who is from N.O. and lives in CA (sorry)-it is worth waiting in line. The bread pudding is the best I have ever had--anywhere. The poster from New York--well, sorry fella, but part of what makes N.O. unique is places like this! The portions that you get for what some feel is too expensive--well good luck in getting the quality and portions that size anywhere else. You want fancy, then you went to the wrong place.

ugh, we rushed to make it to mother's by their 10pm closing and frankly I was not impressed. The $12.50 po'boy tasted like frozen fried shrimp on a bun. The other choices looked better!

We recently went to Mother's over Memorial Day weekend. The place was great. My friends got po'boys that were awesome. I got an omlet and home-made biscuits. The biscuits were ther best I'd ever had! We had to wait 20 minutes to get in, but it was worth the wait!

I had a great meal here, very filling. Ya'll got try Mea's Omolette! It awseome, Gumbo and their famous Bloody Marys aint bad either.

Love it! Love It! Love It! A trip to New Orleans is not complete with a meal at Mother's!

Absolutely the best meat po-boys in the City, but be prepared to pay for them. All the other food is good, also, especially the breakfasts. Some tourists, but loads of locals.