Herbsaint Bar & Restaurant Reviews

One of the more enjoyable restaurants we visited in NOLA

This is always our first place to stop when we come to New Orleans. The food is delicious and the service is wonderful (attentive, not smothering). The food is always cooked to perfection, the wine list is excellent and the atmosphere is comfortable. I highly recommend it!

Not sure what the hype is.

Food good, but nothing extraordinary compared to similar restaurants in other big cities.

Service so-so. With the space and staff they got, the place appeared much more crowded and hectic than it could have been.

Delicious food, good service. However, it was much too noisy to hear your own conversation. Not able to properly enjoy it.

Amazing food with great wine and a fantastic sommelier

We finished by splitting the fish of the day, which was a delicious redfish. The sauce they put on it was sort of a tomato base, and it was just amazing. It came with a side that I can't remember well other than it was tasty...but that FISH THOUGH. Some of the best I've had recently, to be sure. must try

Great tasting french food delivered with excellence. The staff are all amazing as well. Don't overlook it.

Wonderful dining experience here! Read about this place as an up and coming spot in NOLA so we decided to come by for dinner - judging by the fact that one in our party came back again the next night, I'd say they're doing something right!

We opted to sit outside on a lovely summer evening and 2.5 hours later, left happy, full and talking about what a great spot this is! The wine list is ample and extensive with anything your little heart desires, plus some extra.

The place serves up both small plates and larger options. For three of us, we went through about 7 or 8 small plates and they were just perfect for sharing. The Gnocchi with pancetta was an incredible dish - flavorful with a lovely sauce that worked great with the bread. The Louisiana shrimp and fish ceviche was a great mix of slightly tart and spicy and the short rib was solid as well. Our favorite was the butter poached tune with chiles and mint - nice presentation and wonderful flavor. All had just enough southern inspiration to be reminiscent of where we were, while having enough modern influence to remind us why we came for dinner!

The soup de' jour was duck and bean, and was the only thing we weren't all that impressed with. Nice deep broth, but not a lot of flavor. As stated, it was the only non-homerun and was more than made up for by everything else.

The nightcap was the Banana brown butter tart w/ Fleur de Sel Caramel - this thing was boss! A perfect blending of texture and flavor that was incredibly pleasant while not being overpowering. The crunch of the tart with soft, warm banana, dancing with caramel sweetness was heavenly! Throw in some vanilla ice cream and we were done! It was about 4 bites a piece and was the perfect ending to a great meal.

The triple helix (NERD ALERT!) of ambiance, food quality and great service made for a wonderful evening. They're doing a great job of creating new school Southern while staying true to the food that makes NOLA so endearing. A must try for anyone who lives here, visits here...or basically anyone who knows where New Orleans is! You'll be glad you tried this spot out.

Herbsaint was incredible.

It was my first time; I Had the soup of the day, duck leg confit, a cappuccino, and their fried blueberry pie with cream cheese vanilla ice cream.

I also tried some of a friend's steak, some shrimp, and seasonal veggies. I would recommend to anyone visiting New Orleans! You can't go wrong with the menu here.

Great food, great service and classy cocktails. Every dish on the menu is outstanding.

Fabulous food and service. This restaurant is doing a great job with social distancing of tables and hand sanitizer on the tables. Thanks for a great night out.

Food and service were great until it was time to leave. They only split checks a limited number of ways, and we got inconsistant info on how many splits they would do (someone said six, another said four) and whether the splits needed to be equal. This is a very unusual practice and added another half an hour of logistics to our evening. Just be aware of this going in: If it'll be one check, you're set. Also gratuity was not included for our large party (as far as we know).

Very nice food. Try eating at the bar if the wait is long.

Unique menu options, great service! Get the spaghetti with the fried poached egg on top! You will not regret it!

Herbsaint was good, not great, but good.

I started off my meal with the gumbo. The gumbo was spice forward, which, in my opinion, is good, but it didn t have the backing flavors to support it. It was a one note dish, and, while good, did not wow me in any meaningful way. The rice was standard rice, nothing to fragrant or noteworthy, but fine. The sausage was good, kinda dark, maybe a blood sausage or heavily spiced, was good but not spectacular. Overall, I appreciated the gumbo, it wasn t spectacular, but it was a fine starter.

The bread was my first point of contention. They had focaccia, and, despite the pools of olive oil that one would expect during cooking, it was dry. I hope for a nice moist focaccia, where you can taste the spices and the earthy tones of the oil, but alas, that was missing. To add a bit of insult to injury, the butter was very mediocre. It seemed to taste more like thawed frozen land o lakes (not bad for cooking or for preparation, but on its own...) than like any good high fat french butter like I would hope. The bread was the beginning of my disappointment.

I decided to have the Muscovy Duck Confit as my main dish. As I ordered it, I was assured that it was considered their specialty, but, while it had some great elements to it, overall it disappointed. It was served with an orange glaze over a bed of rice and what I assumed was sweet potato. The veg had a nice cook to it and had a good balance of brightness, sweetness and umami. The rice was similarly well seasoned, though it had other issues. Again, the duck had some nice combinations of meatiness, sweetness (from the glaze) and fattiness. However, the real issue was with the overall textures. The duck was great on the skin, it was nice and crispy, but, once you went past a little ways in, it was dry. I d expect for a Duck Confit, both words seem to insinuate a warning of too much fattiness, that this wouldn t be an issue, however, the middle of the meat was dry. It wasn t bad, but due to the overcooked nature, I couldn t really appreciate the nice flavor of the duck meat. Further, the glaze was a bit too sweet sometimes, while absent at other times. You could chalk this up to user error, I am not an expert at getting the exact right amount of glaze from the pool at the bottom, but I was disappointed.

The rice also was dry. Again, I would hope that with such a fat forward dish, the rice might instead seem greasy or too wet and soggy, but instead it was far too dry. It had good flavors, and some nice additions with the included vegetables, as one would expect with a dirty rice, but, like many other dirty rices I ve had, either the additions or something else absorbed too much of the liquid, and the rice was left on its own.

I might have been too over the top here. The meal was good. The service was excellent. The service is probably what kept the score at a 3/5 rather than a 2/5. But, the night I went, the chef might have been off, maybe he had a recent breakup with his on-again off-again girlfriend, or it might have been a new cook preparing my meal, who wasn t used to the full menu of dishes. Whatever factor led to my mediocre meal, I do have to say I was disappointed.

Lump crab watermelon gazpacho is a must - creamy yet light and refreshing. Our family was fighting over the last bites. Dirty rice was another favorite. Kudos to staff for curbside pickup safe practices, so we could safely enjoy a Nola style meal.

Great local restaurant in the CBD. Pretty popular so I'd recommend reservations. The lamb is really good and the starter specials are usually always great.

Very small dining area and very noisy. The gnocchi is amazing. Stay away from the skirt steak.

Fabulous food, solid service, as always. Great weather for outdoor dining, although tables seemed a bit too close together.

Rich food but delicious. Had spaghetti and sausage gumbo. Nice flavor with modern touch.

Really great service and the food was wonderful. It was nice to sit outside with the heaters

Phenomenal. Make sure you save room for desert. The duck was awesome. Great place with nice staff that takes care of your table. Highly recommended.

Started with the beef tartare and gnochhi and both we delicately flavored but divine. Next course was the lobster salad and then had the beef cheek as a main with sweet potato on the side. Enjoyed the caramel pudding for desert. All the courses were delicious. Highly recommend.

Great food and great service. Plates are small but savory!
Baked asiago is the best!

The flagship restaurant of Donald Link deserves every James Beard award it has received. The dishes are fresh and creative as they elevate many classic choices to a higher level. If you have an appetite a main entree will likely not fill you up, so consider two smaller plates instead unless you add a soup instead. Each dish is packed with flavor. Small touches like the gumbo or the dirty rice under the duck confit tie down the menu to its hometown while the other dishes showcase the Chef's culinary prowess. The spaghetti and baked asiago are a great Italian taste and the delicious duck confit and wine selection bring out the French. It's a gastronomic field day that should be a required stop on any door trip to New Orleans. My order recommendation is a bowl of gumbo, the the housemade spaghetti, and the duck confit. Wash it down with a guilty party.

I mean it's a nice restaurant if you want to do that fancy type dinning and stuff the out door ambiance is great but if you wanna go some where to eat eat then i wouldn't recommend only go if you wanna dine fancy..you know what i mean. And their menu is super limited so not alot of options and no fry food burgers or stuff like that, as i said its fancy.

The red fish was great. The fried oysters were average.

Awesome food, the duck signature dish is spectacular. We had soup of the day, delicious. The duck, lamb lasagna and Short rib, all were delicious including the side dishes

Herbsaint is an institution in Nola. Great restaurant, great atmosphere, great service. If you know fine dinning you will love it. If you don't, you have to try it

Wait staff was very nice and food was delicious. Recommend ordering a soup, small plate and entree to share between two people. The short ribs, steak and brown butter tart were awesome with the cornmeal fried oysters a close second. Next time we ll try to sit inside but not too cold.. bring a jacket if outside.

Subtle. Refined. Elegant and in its own way, intimate. A delight.

beautiful, beautiful food. i could die happy (and at a young age) eating their braised pork belly every day. to accompany this, clean refreshing decor in a city of curls and excessiveness, and truly welcoming service.

The food and atmosphere was first class. I highly recommend the asiago cheese and the duck leg. The dirty rice and the tenderness of the duck leg were out of this world. The bread was to die for. Highly recommend for an outstanding dinner experience.

Wonderful food, but smaller portions in an upbeat environment.

Beautiful restaurant, only had a coffee, my friend loved his meal

Must try the spaghetti small plate its amazing. The experience did not disappoint, duck and filet were amazing and tender. Service was above average

Great atmosphere. Excellent gumbo and fish. Beet salad too acidic. Excellent service!

Really enjoyed my meal here. The beet salad and the cocktails were especially delicious. The only draw back was the volume of the place made it difficult for our older guests to hear.

We loved the busy atmosphere of the bar and restaurant when we arrived. Excellent martinis. We ordered the drum seafood soup, the gnocchi (which were the best we have ever had), and the lamb and mushroom lasagna. All was devoured!!! We will certainly return!

There's a reason why this place has 3 james beard awards. Everything was amazing.

Food was incredible. The gumbo was amazing. i had the ribeye and it was cooked perfectly. Service was great.

You can't go wrong here. The food was amazing. Everything we ordered was good from apps to desserts. A true dining experience

July 11, '18. Sat outside...balmy and not hot with gentle breeze. Cable car rides by every 30 min makes you know you some place special. Selection had nice range, familar but not typical. Chef put together favors new that worked...wait staff covered well with great management of pace.

Everything I tasted was great. Chicken and duck both had crispy skin. I had the lamb and mushroom lasagna and it was out of this world.

I ate at Herbsaint last week; it had been over 5 years since my previous visit. I'm not a food critic but to my palate the food is more toned-down or "vanilla" than I'd remembered. Indeed it is good food but it doesn't get at the root of it's origin. To be specific, the duck confit had no wild or gamey flavor which I enjoy (in moderation) in duck confit. The dirty rice was bland for southern Louisiana dirty rice. The soft shell crab was rather oily and it was also very small. In contrast the soft shell crab I had 4 nights later at Brigtsens was much more flavorful, much larger, and not at all oily. Also, after I received a cheese plate for dessert I was provided with a 2nd glass of the Spanish red wine I'd ordered earlier. I didn't order this 2nd glass so I thought it was on the house. Nope, it was on my bill. I'm certain I didn't order it because I don't like red wine with cheese, I would've ordered a white wine if I'd wanted more wine.

Service 5 stars, food 1.5. Crispy Goat was not executed well, duck leg was good, starters average to below. Why even have an awkward table 2 feet behind the host stand? It can't be generating more revenue than awkward dining experiences.. that table is a horrible place to sit when 2 people are spending $200 in a restaurant such as this. If the service wasn't so good, this would have been a really poor experience.

Great spot to eat! I dined outside which was a bit noisy, but I personally didn't mind. A rail car passes every five or so minutes.
The staff was helpful and friendly. They were also attentive which was very appreciative.
The selection of food was great and not so overbearing. Food tasted fantastic and the layers of flavor in each dish was well done.

Spectacular food and very prudent prices for quality.

Bartender Bailey (?) is Queen. My date and I had dinner at the bar, and had an amazing experience. Beef tartare and brown butter cake are off the chain. Ask Bailey for recs and follow her advice.

Food was amazing, service was amazing. Not pretentious in anyway. My wife and I both enjoyed our visit.

I visited this restaurant last month while spending time with family in New Orleans. The greeter told us that everything on the menu was good and boy was she right. I had the lamb and mushroom lasagna and my good friend had the duck leg and they were both delicious! For desert I had the fried apple pie - wonderful. The food is great. Only cons were the cold, cold air, which meant eating my food faster than normal and wait staff wasn't terribly busy because it was light so a few stood by and watched us while we ate which is not cool.

Celebrated my birthday a few weeks ago here. Very good food. excellent and professional service. Nice small tasteful romantic setting. Herbsaint is a great restaurant. If you are a tourist it will not be your traditional creole, cajun, or french food if that is what you are looking for while visiting but it is a quality restaurant providing a great meal. You can't go wrong with any of Donald Link's restaurants here in NOLA.

I ve gone multiple times, and each experience was great. The gumbo is great, their fries are delicious, and they had a duck meal at one point that was very good.

My favorite NOLA restaurant, and I love New Orleans restaurants... Every dish was outstanding! Great cocktails too...

Loved this place. Great prices, atmosphere, and staff

We had an excellent meal here this evening, with three of us sharing a variety of small plates and two main courses. Everything was prepared very well, providing a variety of subtle flavors that were not overwhelming. I whole heartedly recommend the cornmeal coated oysters and beef short rib as small plates, and the lamb and mushroom lasagna as well as the Muscovy duck comfit as main courses. This is not to slight the other small plates we enjoyed; everything was overwhelmingly good and the service was great.

Food was fantastic! Service was great and the ambience in the restaurant was nice. I highly recommend this place!

We came here the night of a friend's birthday and managed to snag a very late reservation. The waitstaff was incredibly friendly and prompt. The Mexican Firing Squad was one of those spicy/fruity tequila drinks. Nothing groundbreaking but very good and only $12. All of the appetizers were amazing and the crispy goat was very good. Overall, this place is a bit on the pricer side for what you get, but very good non the less

So, we went here for our one year anniversary. This place was suggested us by a friend. Coming from a serving background, I like to think i can tell you what food service is. I believe the two servers were CJ and Brian (I was told he goes by his last name. Also starting with a B I believe). They were awesome. The food was delicious and the sommelier got us a good wine. Idk her name but we were there the evening of 11/22/2017. We sat at a small table along the front wall and enjoyed our dinner immensely. I enjoyed my soup of the day, duck leg confit, and brown butter tart. Again, I want to stress my two servers and they were on top of everything. I am a server at a fine dining restaurant and know good service. Thanks guys for a great anniversary dinner.

Loved everything - cocktails and food! Some in our group wanted larger portions for the price, but I appreciated getting a few small portions of various things.

Excellent food and service! I would venture to say the best meal I have had in NOLA so far.

Everything we had was great. The duck leg was amazing. Nice crispy skin and very flavorful. The baked asiago was also very good

When the waiter brought our food some of it slid off of the plate and all over our table right where my boyfriend was sitting, they replaced the food but he never cleaned up the saucy mess. And never returned to check on our table, poor service.