Recent Experiences at Cafe Orleans?

[emtink]

My 10yo daughter and I ate there at the end of September. We shared the all-cheese Monte Cristo and the chicken/mashed potatoes. The food was ok. She's kind of picky, but she ate the sandwich and fries and some chicken. I really enjoyed the atmosphere. I liked sitting outside with a view of the river. We didn't feel rushed at all, our server was great and was quick to bring refills since it was a hot day.

 

[clb79]

Cafe Orleans has been a family tradition of our since our kids were little. I think we started when our oldest was 5 and he turned 18 last week. We have gone every trip during that time. My wife and older kids love the Monte Cristo more than I do. It’s the Pommes Frites (fries) that are the real favorite. They don’t sell them as a separate dish anymore though and the portion size as a side to the entree isn’t very big. I had the steak on our trip a few weeks ago (it was good and cooked to order) and was a new menu item to me. Our younger kids are picky, but Cafe Orleans has Mac n Cheese that they like so it was a location that has something for everyone. We also enjoy sitting outdoors watching the people pass by and the activity on the river, etc. That being said we ate at Carnation Cafe this past trip for the first time and I think everyone was in agreement that if we can only fit one table service restaurant into future trips that will be our choice going forward. They had food everyone liked, the portions were bigger and the we had a great experience with the service staff that put it over the top for us. On to new traditions and without regrets other than the outdoor dining environment at Cafe Orleans (we can still get that with one of the counter service options in the area for one of our other meals though).

 

[SOCALMouseMommy]

Cafe Orleans has been a family tradition of our since our kids were little. I think we started when our oldest was 5 and he turned 18 last week. We have gone every trip during that time. My wife and older kids love the Monte Cristo more than I do. It’s the Pommes Frites (fries) that are the real favorite. They don’t sell them as a separate dish anymore though and the portion size as a side to the entree isn’t very big. I had the steak on our trip a few weeks ago (it was good and cooked to order) and was a new menu item to me. Our younger kids are picky, but Cafe Orleans has Mac n Cheese that they like so it was a location that has something for everyone. We also enjoy sitting outdoors watching the people pass by and the activity on the river, etc. That being said we ate at Carnation Cafe this past trip for the first time and I think everyone was in agreement that if we can only fit one table service restaurant into future trips that will be our choice going forward. They had food everyone liked, the portions were bigger and the we had a great experience with the service staff that put it over the top for us. On to new traditions and without regrets other than the outdoor dining environment at Cafe Orleans (we can still get that with one of the counter service options in the area for one of our other meals though).

Thank you for sharing! I agree that Carnation is great for lunch or dinner and the portions are huge.

I have been unable to get Cafe New Orleans or Carnation Cafe yet so at this point I have Naples booked for lunch. I didn’t want to have to leave DL but it’s not terribly too far outside the gates and I just remembered I’ll be able to have a glass of wine so that is making Naples sound better and better.

 

[clb79]

Thank you for sharing! I agree that Carnation is great for lunch or dinner and the portions are huge.

I have been unable to get Cafe New Orleans or Carnation Cafe yet so at this point I have Naples booked for lunch. I didn’t want to have to leave DL but it’s not terribly too far outside the gates and I just remembered I’ll be able to have a glass of wine so that is making Naples sound better and better.

For what it’s worth (it could have just been a lucky day) while we were waiting for the rest of our party to arrive at Cafe Orleans (oops) Carnation Cafe they had at least 3 or 4 parties come in asking about walk up reservations and they took all of them (2 parties ended up getting tables before our larger table was ready) this was around 3:30pm. You could always stop at the podium on your way down Main Street and see if they can add you to the list same day.

 

[SOCALMouseMommy]

For what it’s worth (it could have just been a lucky day) while we were waiting for the rest of our party to arrive at Cafe Orleans they had at least 3 or 4 parties come in asking about walk up reservations and they took all of them (2 parties ended up getting tables before our larger table was ready) this was around 3:30pm. You could always stop at the podium on your way down Main Street and see if they can add you to the list same day.

That is good to know! Thank you!

 

[clb79]

That is good to know! Thank you!

Correction while waiting at Carnation Cafe not Cafe Orleans. I’ll fix the other post….

 

[SOCALMouseMommy]

Correction while waiting at Carnation Cafe not Cafe Orleans. I’ll fix the other post….

Even better!

 

[katejc]

Has anyone been more recently to Cafe Orleans? It’s always been a favorite of ours but the menu changes are worrying me—especially that you can’t order the pommes frites as a side!! Appreciate any recent reviews! Thanks!

 

[remyvisitsDLR]

We just dined there ab

Has anyone been more recently to Cafe Orleans? It’s always been a favorite of ours but the menu changes are worrying me—especially that you can’t order the pommes frites as a side!! Appreciate any recent reviews! Thanks!

We just dined there about a week ago - april 22nd for dinner. I do agree with previous posters that if you’re sitting on the patio it can be a bit crowded, especially in comparison to other sit-down places such as wine country, which we found to not be as bad. It didn’t quite feel as if they were rushing us, but things definitely were moving at a quicker pace.

As for food, I think we all had something different on the menu. The food, at least for us, was a bit heavy, but delicious nonetheless. The chicken was good, the monte cristos (regular and three cheese) were wonderful, and it had been a while since we’ve actually had one. The shrimp pasta was good, albeit a tad dry. The fries were loved by everyone, and a hit all around. The kids mac and cheese was nothing special, but the macaroons were fantastic. Definitely order them.

Here’s what I had for reference, and while yes, the portion for the fries could have been bigger, I was full enough by the end to be satisfied.

 

[katejc]

We just dined there ab

We just dined there about a week ago - april 22nd for dinner. I do agree with previous posters that if you’re sitting on the patio it can be a bit crowded, especially in comparison to other sit-down places such as wine country, which we found to not be as bad. It didn’t quite feel as if they were rushing us, but things definitely were moving at a quicker pace.

As for food, I think we all had something different on the menu. The food, at least for us, was a bit heavy, but delicious nonetheless. The chicken was good, the monte cristos (regular and three cheese) were wonderful, and it had been a while since we’ve actually had one. The shrimp pasta was good, albeit a tad dry. The fries were loved by everyone, and a hit all around. The kids mac and cheese was nothing special, but the macaroons were fantastic. Definitely order them.

Here’s what I had for reference, and while yes, the portion for the fries could have been bigger, I was full enough by the end to be satisfied. View attachment 757638

Thanks so much for the details and picture! Super helpful. I will miss the big basket of fries, but we may give it a try!