Mother's Restaurant

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! more

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! more

One of my ""Top 5 Horrible Meals"" ever! Pros: I learned that one of New Orleans famous restaurnts is a tourist trap Cons: From start to finish a complete and total disaster. 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..... Cons: the food was not good, the service was horrible, too expensive for what you get more

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 this though. The fries were just okay. They were ready about 10 minutes before our sandwiches were??? Needless to say, I was embarrassed to say the least. It was an overpriced, bad lunch for my friend and I. This was not the experience I had planned for her at all. I will never go back to Mother's nor will I recommend the place. There are WAY too many other good places within walking distance. I got to thinking...since this place has been there for so long, I wonder how many tourists come to New Orleans and eat at Mother's and leave here thinking that is authentic New Orleans food/po-boys. Trust me, it isn't! They should really spend some time cleaning the place up, improving food quality and promoting good customer service. Two words describe Mother's TOURIST TRAP. And they know it. They are overpriced and could care less about customer service since most of their customers are tourists and will never return. Locals know better. Sorry Mother's! Pros: Location Cons: Quality of food, Value for price paid, Service, Ambience 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. Pros: Best to eat here in the off season when theres not a lot of Tourist in town Cons: Underpaid/Very Overworked Staff who try to serve Thousands of Hungry mean Customers who have just stood in a line for hours. more

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. Cons: Service , Management and Employees more

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! more

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.... more

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. Pros: um. big poboys. Cons: line, price, service. more

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. more

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

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. Pros: Cheap, Fresh, Large portions Cons: , Loud more

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. Pros: Large servings, Unique atmosphere Cons: , Food is average, Poor service more

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. Pros: atmosphere, food, service more

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! Pros: Atmosphere, Muffins, Overall experience more

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 more

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. Pros: Friendly Staff, Food Food Food, Unpretentious more

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. more

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. Cons: Crowded at peak times, Terrible parking more