Dooky Chase's Restaurant

Must go! Good food, historic atmosphere.

VIBE
-small parking lot and street parking

-DRESS CODE, website said business casual recommended but nothing out of the ordinary. I saw tennis shoes and jeans worn, no ripped jeans, no hats or sports wear like shorts or jerseys, I had on a polo shirt with jeans and loafers, just be decent! Dinner may be a different vibe, just check ahead with restaurant.

-they do allow kids, at least for lunch, not sure about dinner, check with restaurant.

SHORT STORY
The food was good, service may be slow but it's not bad service. A lot of history.
I recommend calling and making a reservation because I heard waits up to 2hrs.
Lunch is 11-3pm Tues-Fri
Dinner is 5:30-9pm Fri/Sat only

LONG STORY
Been wanting to go to Dooky Chase for awhile and finally got the chance. I called a day ahead to make a Lunch reservation for 2 on a Wednesday and was able to accomplish that.

The day of the reservation, we got in and were seated right away. Our waitress was a lil slow but like I said her service wasn't bad, mainly due to another large table of about 7 she was attending to.

I got the lavender Lemonade (alcoholic) to try and it was pretty good. Definitely tasted the lavender, couldn't "taste" the alcohol but it was in there. But I'd be careful with it if you not a drinker.

I got the gumbo to try as an app because I heard it was pretty good. It was good but I was expecting a lot more from the way ppl talk about it. We also got some lil garlic breads to eat on as well.

Once the food came out it was time to get down! Them stuffed shrimps was really good! The tarter sauce too! I'd definitely get it again. Not so much the jambalaya though.
I also had a chance to try a piece of the famous fried chicken from my date and it was pretty good, hot and juicy!

Ok...I was trying to go to another closely fried chicken/soul food restaurant and it was closed. This was also on my radar and I was not disappointed. We didn't have a reservation but I recommend making one. The 10 mins wait ended up being closer to 30mins. But oh the fried chicken...it was well worth the wait. I've had my fair share of fried chicken, and it was the best one I've had! I tried the mixed of dark and light. It was crispy and juicy, not greasy at all. Super hot, it tasted straight from fryer to my plate, they provide a few pickled onions and jalapeño which is good for some acidity. But let me say, the chicken was the star of the show. I also had the greens. The greens had a subtle smoky flavor.

I ordered the lavender lemonade based off of our waiter Tyler's recommendation. It was so well balanced, not too sweet or over perfumy. It's probably best to make a reservation but we stopped here on a Hail Mary after the other place was closed. It was a real good surprise and I could see myself coming back again.

The rest aunt has some great artwork up and it is fancy restaurant with a dress code that just asks you wear respectful clothes.

Sadly Chef Leah Chase died in 2019 at the age of 96.  The lunch buffet here has always been amazing as it let you sample items such as the  fried chicken, shrimp creole, jambalaya, red beans, mac 'n cheese, green beans, and dessert.  The famous gumbo z'herbes is a dish that is usually just served once a year and that is a crowded and popular day at this venue that can be an interesting experience if you can get in.    It was always a treat when Leah Chase was in the house as she usually made a point to come out and say a few words to folks so her absence is certainly notable these days.

My video review of Dooky Chase's Restaurant is here:
youtu.be/5izv0pZ00Vc

Such a historic location. A few friends came for a birthday dinner and we were so excited to try as much as possible. Though Mrs. Leah Chase passed they do a great job of sharing her presence and history. Service was very friendly and efficient. I ordered an aperol spritz to begin and they brought buttered bread to the table. I then had the creole gumbo which had a good roux but wasn't warm all the way though. For my entree I had the pompano and it was fantastic. Light and fresh with great flavor profile. The lump crab paired with the Lemon butter and heirloom tomatoes was great. I then finagled off the meal with a great bread pudding. Good consistency and amazing sauce.

Dooky Chase's is one of the restaurants I was most excited to visit in New Orleans and I'm happy to say that it did not disappoint.

We did not have a reservation, so my husband and I made sure to be standing outside in line by 10:50am on a Friday morning. When they opened at 11am, we were seated right away.

The dress code (as noted on the website) is enforced. The server politely asked my husband to remove his bulls cap, though she joked that he might have gotten away with it had he been wearing a pelicans cap.

Onto the food, I started with an excellent bowl of gumbo that was on the right side of the line between flavorful and too salty. My entree was a classic, fried chicken with macaroni and cheese, and it was delicious. I only ate half my entree because I wanted to try their bread pudding. That was a good call, I loved it!

My husband had the stewed chicken, which was also very tasty. Maybe getting there early is key, because we enjoyed great food and great service at Dooky Chase's.

It's worth visiting! It not only is a historic place shown through their gallery of photos with presidents and celebrities, Disney Princess Tiana was based on Leah Chase. Besides all of that, the food and lively atmosphere is great too. The food was delicious and we were even visited by a family member to make sure that we were enjoying our meal. I'm so glad we made a reservation here. My favorite was the crawfish etouffee. It was leaps and bounds better than the others I have tried.

Dooky Chase is a little bit away from the French Quarter but is definitely worth a short detour if you can get here. There is a small private parking lot along with residential street parking in the area. The formal dining room inside was very nice and proper and fortunately there is no dress code so just wear anything casual! They take reservations but they don't have an online system so you'll have to call them.

CREOLE GUMBO CUP ($8.95) - out of all the gumbo we had in New Orleans this was my favorite cup. The flavors were on point and there was plenty of protein. 5/5

FRIED CHICKEN ($17.95) - this was SO juicy! Even the white meat was juicy and the skin was super crispy too. There was not a dry bite for any of the three pieces we had. We got a mix of dark and white but you can request all white or all dark meat if you prefer. This was definitely our favorite dish. 5/5

JAMBALAYA - we got this as our side to the fried chicken and was just okay. It didn't have as much flavor as we were hoping for. 3/5

BAKED MACARONI ($5.50) - the macaroni was creamy and I liked the finishing cheese on top although it was a little hard and dry by the time it got to our table. 4/5

All around the walls in the waiting room were pictures and articles about the legend Leah Chase herself. Many famous people have come through to eat here, including President Obama! I recommend you come here and no matter what you do, you must get the fried chicken. You'll thank me (and Obama) later.

A institution in New Orleans since 1941.  It's a very nice and historic restaurant with lots of history including visits from US presidents and other big name folks and stars.

It has classy interiors and the servers are very polite and well groomed in their button up shirts and ties.  I felt bad I came in t shirt and shorts and should have been more well dressed.

The gumbo was light and thin and bursting w/ flavor and the soup was not heavy like a lot of places that serve gumbo.

The fried chicken was cooked just right but I personally prefer Willie Mae's down the block!

What you are really here to eat is their
" Shrimp Clemenceau" that had shrimps, potatoes and full of garlic flavor! The oil and sauce all over the shrimp! So delicious! I would go back to just eat this again!

What a phenomenal dining experience. The food was fantastic. The art on the walls was so unique. The service was top notch and Dookie himself was a delightful host, running around talking to guests. We loved this meal so much.

I've been wanting to visit Dooky Chase a few years now.  My complete love to New Orleans' Queen Mrs Leah.  I wanted to meet her as she's an inspiration, but unfortunately I wasn't able to make it on time.  I did buy her cookbook and will be trying her recipes.  Thank you so much to Cleo, your Fried Chicken is the best I've ever had.

My trip from California to New Orleans was well worth it.  A very big thank you to Keyshawn for taking care of us.  We appreciate your recommendations and for giving our compliments to the Chefs.  

Thank you also to the gentlemen that brought our delicious drinks and kept our water glasses filled.   The atmosphere is very bright and warm.  The music was right on point.  After your meal be sure to take pictures of the beautiful art.  Save room for dessert or take it to go.  

When called to reserve I did ask if meals were served buffet style and was informed they don't anymore.  After this pandemic I understand, so we'll be back for more.  Thank you Chase Family.