Dooky Chase Restaurant

The historical and cultural significance of this restaurant is really fantastic, if you have some time to research the place. The story of Leah and Dooky Chase (R.I.P.) is quite interesting, and the venue itself is really beautiful; the walls are lined with amazing pieces from Black artists, and you'll find yourself staring at them the whole time you're there. Unfortunately, that's where the awesomeness of this venue ends. The food was just okay; the chicken and red beans and rice were good but nothing to run home about. The macaroni and cheese was more than disappointing; absolutely flavorless. Now, sometimes an "okay" food experience can be "evened out" by a really fantastic customer service experience. You won't get that here. Our waitress was incredibly rude in a passive-aggressive way, like she made up her mind about our group before she even met us. The service overall was slower than molasses in an igloo. From waiting to be seated to leaving the restaurant, we were in there for at least 3 hours. There really needs to be an in-depth assessment of the customer experience from start to finish to identify the root cause of their slow service. No one should have to wait that long for food, no matter how good it is. That being said, it goes without saying that I won't be going there again.
3 7 years ago (08-05-2018)

The fried chicken and overall ambiance is awesome. I recommend the mac n' cheese. Make sure to get the regular fried chicken though instead of the tenders. I normally don't like to deal with bones so I went for the tenders but the flavor was lacking and they were pretty dry. I stole a piece of regular fried chicken and it was incredible and worth the hype.
5 7 years ago (01-06-2018)

Okay, going in to this place, I expected to fall in love. I had read all about the history behind it and how important it was to the Civil Rights Movement and was fascinated. We came at around 2 on a Tuesday and waited for about an hour, which wasn't a problem because we expected it, seeing how well known this place is. While we were still waiting, we went into the dining room to check out the buffet and almost left then because we were worried it wouldn't be worth the price. Unfortunately, we were right. There was not one thing we ate that was remarkable in any way. It was all below average. The fried chicken, which I was SO excited for, was such a let down. Everything can be described by one word: bland. I expected the food to be bursting with Cajun flavors, but it was lacking from any flavor at all. If you really want to come here because of the historical importance, that's fine, but for how expensive it is ($20 a person) you can go to other places around New Orleans that are much cheaper, and much more like real cajun cooking. I suspect that the food was much better at one point. I hope that our experience could be chalked up to how late in the day we came (we left around 3:30, it closes at 4), and I hope that anyone who has their heart set on eating here has better luck than we did .
2 7 years ago (15-05-2018)

Dooky Chase is the restaurant! Elegant environment, great service, and awesome food. Their food is personal, the food that reminds the best type of home cooking. The food here is a celebration of the agricultural success of the south. It is definitely not the greasy and overly spiced restaurant food. The food here is just the type of delicious food that you could eat everyday. I have to say I like the fried chicken here better than Willie Mae's. It's definitely one of my favorite restaurants that I have been to. Next time in town, I'll come back for two meals, fried chicken and buffet.
5 7 years ago (04-03-2018)

The chicken is amazing and the food is good, but you also go for the experience. Strict dress code and it can be very hard to get a table with a long wait. I honestly think there are other places that are quicker that come close enough, but if u want to do a big wait, then go for it.
4 7 years ago (26-05-2018)