Down The Hatch - New Orleans

Food came fast, but was so disappointing. Especially given the reviews. Half the order was wrong, the fries (both sweet regular) were a soggy mess, the catfish was way oversalted, the bread was hard to eat, felt stale. I had to order from elsewhere to actually enjoy my food ????

This restaurant isn’t particularly upscale, but the food is quite good. They might benefit from simplifying their menu since it is quite extensive; this could help reduce food costs and streamline operations. However, I brought my nephew along, and we both tried several kinds of chicken wings, all of which we enjoyed. Our waitress was pleasant and attentive, making sure we had everything we needed. I would definitely recommend this place.

The food was so terrible that I wouldn’t even give it to someone in need on the streets. To start, our Uber Eats driver only picked up half of our order—but what we did receive was disappointing. The $17 catfish plate, which came with sweet potato fries (as shown in the attached picture), had just three small fried pieces of fish, with the rest of the plate filled with fries. Fortunately, the bartender gave me extra catfish to make up for the inconvenience, which is the only reason I’m giving this place 2 stars. Unfortunately, the rest of our order was pretty much inedible. The spinach artichoke dip was overpriced and bland, and the shrimp in the Po Boy tasted off—they clearly hadn’t been cleaned properly before cooking. The veggie burger was also unappetizing. Overall, this place serves overpriced bar food that’s only suitable for soaking up the alcohol you drink there. I really dislike giving such a harsh review, especially since it’s likely our last meal in New Orleans and it’s more than a little disappointing. We ended up spending $60 on food that we could hardly eat and ended up throwing away.

The shrimp po' boy was mediocre. While the shrimp were decent, there was no seasoning, and the bread was rubbery, likely due to sitting in the styrofoam container during delivery. I realize I should have gone to the restaurant, but even then, the shrimp didn't have enough flavor to make the sandwich worthwhile. They included a generous amount of onion "rings," but they were really just pieces of cooked onion that were lightly breaded (see photo). The catfish po' boy was the best of the bunch; the catfish had the most flavor and was worth the price. Overall, the prices are reasonable, but I do wish I hadn’t had this late-night craving and could have my money back.

The food was excellent, but the service left much to be desired. There was only one bartender/server handling the entire room, and she seemed overwhelmed and unable to take a break.