The Market Cafe

First time eating here as it appeared the ambience was nice as they had live outdoor music. Initially liked the ambiance. However, when the food came out everyone immediately commented on the fact that the portions were very small at the price paid. We had the Jambalaya, gumbo, fried seafood platter, crawfish etouffent, and broiled crawfish as appetizer. The crawfish appetizer was good. The fried platter okay but the jambalaya, gumbo, and the ettoufant way too salty. Had to add extra rice to make it palatable. Also the service had much to be desired. It was not a very busy night but the waitress was not around when we needed her, only came by once during the meal only after we called another waitress for help and only after the other waitress assisted us. She did not once come by to refill our water and we drank a lot of water because the food was so salty. We were a party of seven (4 adults and 3 kids). When the bill came out, an 18% gratuity was added to our bill. I spoke with the owner of the restaurant and politely requested that they remove the automatic 18% and that I would pay a lesser percentage based on my estimation of the service received. However, he insisted that the 18% was an obligatory charge and refused to remove it. Eventually we agreed to call the police to arbitrate the matter. Of course the police defended my right to leave whatever tip I wished because by definition, gratuity is voluntary. As you can imagine, this was a very unpleasant experience to an otherwise good day in NOLA. I've never written an online review before but I felt this should be told as we've never experienced this type of treatment at any restaurant before. We did leave a tip consistent with the service rendered by the waitress. We were all disappointed with the food and the service and the unprofessional attitude by the owner. We will not go there again and will not recommend it to anyone else.

This is a neat little place to take a break. There is usually a traditional jazz band playing while you eat. Grab a beer and a muffaletta. The muffs are served toasted which is a nice twist. They are not as good as Central Grocery but they are not far behind. Its a nice place to give your wallet a rest as well. Definitely stop by once or twice while you are there.

THIS PLACE IS AWESOME. STARTING WITH THE LOCATION-IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STREET!! LIVE MUSIC CONTINUOUSLY BEING PLAYED OUTSIDE. MUST VISIT MARTY, THE BARTENDER INSIDE, AND HAVE HIS LOUISIANA LEMONADE. IT'S A MUST-HAVE WHEN IN NEW ORLEANS!! MARTY ALSO HAD US IN STITCHES WITH HIS HUMOR, ABSOLUTELY GREAT GUY. GREAT FOOD ALSO!!! GREAT PLACE TO PEOPLE WATCH.