Crescent City Brewhouse

Gagnonsux

Texas

3.43/5  rDev -2%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 3.5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 3 | food: 3 | $$$$

As far as I know this is the only brewpub in the French Quarter, however there is a new Gordon Biersch in nearby downtown.

Atmosphere- Typical laid back New Orleans pub with doors that open onto the usually busy sidewalk. The night I went an excellent jazz combo played in the front of the pub. The music wasn't too loud for conversations though, and it seemed I met many friendly people. This is the kind of environment that I find perfect for drinking.

Quality- The beers we had were pretty good, but only one was great. This is probably partially because most of the beer selections were fairly uninteresting styles.

Service- Our bartender did a good job at keeping refilling my beer, but beyond that service was fairly normal.

Selection- Four year round styles: Hefeweizen, Red Stallion (A Vienna), Black Forest (Munich Dunkle), and Pilsener. The seasonal was an IPA. I wish there were more selection and a greater variety of styles. How about a few more ales?

Food- Didn't try any of the food this time. However, the menu looked limited and expensive.

Overall, I enjoyed Crescent City, especially for the atmosphere. Plus the beer is good enough to warrant a visit.

10-10-2004 15:51:27 | More by Gagnonsux

Gavage

New Jersey

3.43/5  rDev -2%
vibe: 4 | quality: 3.5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 3 | food: 3.5

This place is right by Jackson Square. The place is two stories with bars on both levels. Outside balcony has tables. Brewing equipment covers both floors also. In the afternoons they have a decent jazz band playing. The place is slighlty loud since there is little to absorb sound. And the place usually has a decent crowd.

The beers have always been between average and "almost" good, but they are definitely brewed with the tourist in mind. They have a Pilsner, Weisse, Red Stallion, and Black Forrest and a special brew. On my trip they had a IPA and later in the week a Dunkel Weisse. The Red Stallion and Black Forrest are the staples for me as they sport the best flavors, and the IPA was the best beer I have ever sampled there over the years.

The service was all right, but it was crowded and they tended to spend a little too much time talking (you know that southern hospitality thing). The bartenders beer knowledge was acceptable.

Food was not bad, as I had a nice redfish dish and some gumbo. Prices were a little high, but I expected it for this area. Worth a visit if in the town, but don't plan a brewpub road trip around this place.

04-30-2004 17:09:05 | More by Gavage

far333

Connecticut

4.2/5  rDev +20%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4.5

A definite must-see when visiting NOLA. Crescent City is a large and airy place with two levels, lots of natural wood, high ceilings, and balcony seating overlooking lively Decatur Street and the Missippi River. Lots of neat things to see from the balcony, and really good beers. Live bands play in the afternoons and evenings. Brewing tanks are on the lower level behind the bar and can be seen right as you enter. You can also buy beers to go (on foot) from a counter on the lower level

There were only 4 styles available on draft, but they were all very tasty. Imperial pints are the regular size here, and 24 ounces is the supersize. Food was really good too. Maybe not the best example of Cajun or Creole cuisine, but for a Yankee like me to be able to have a huge, tasty oyster or shrimp Po' Boy that I can't get near home, it's a huge treat.

Only complaint might be that the raw oysters are not cleaned at all before shucking, so they end up being served with mud all over them and inside them and you have to be careful not to suck it down with the luckless mollusk. Other than that, this place was totally enjoyable.

04-21-2004 22:52:09 | More by far333

PudTinkler

New Jersey

4.1/5  rDev +17.1%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4.5

This place seemed clean, clean, clean. The bar is upstairs, while there are tables downstairs. It seemed a little upscale so, dirtball that I am, I was almost afraid to touch anything.

The server was very knowledgeable about the beer he was serving, and the service was prompt. They had a fair selection, but nothing that you haven't seen before. New Orleans has slim pickins when it comes to true beer bars, so it's this and d.b.a. to check out while you're here.
This is convenienly located right near Jackson Square...and you can see the mighty Mississippi from the upstairs bar.

04-19-2004 17:55:16 | More by PudTinkler

ChappyCubsFan

California

2.94/5  rDev -16%
vibe: 4 | quality: 2 | service: 3.5 | selection: 3

Located right in the French Quarter, a perfect place for a good brewpub. I was pre-warned about this place, and that I should not have high expectations. We went out looking for a good restaurant and I had been talking about Crescent City, having read a few mixed reviews, although nobody went as far as to give it excellent marks. My son said he had been to Crescent City Brewery a few nights before and tried two different beers. He said after the first beer he wanted to give them another chance, but after the second beer he was ready to continue sightseeing. Upon entering, my son said "Yep. This is the place. Don't get your hopes up too high". I liked the layout of the place, which seemed warm and friendly to the traffic from the street. But from the first sip of my first beer (a pale ale, I recall). I was not at all impressed. Too bad. This is an ideal place for a brewpub in a fascinating city. This brewpub looks great inside and from the outside. Now Crescent City just needs to work on perfecting their beers.

01-01-2004 19:34:39 | More by ChappyCubsFan

Redrover

Illinois

3.6/5  rDev +2.9%
vibe: 4 | quality: 3.5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 3.5 | food: 4 | $$$

I hosted a small dinner here last week. As others have mentioned, the Quarter is such a beer desert, that this place serves as kind of an oasis from all the bud/miller/coors crud they serve in most of the bars.

This place is fairly large, but they had the upstairs closed the day (a Wednesday) I was there. Very cool small patio on the 2nd floor that I have been lucky enough to sit in before. Nice décor and they have a jazz band on most nights.

Only four house beers on tap. The best one I had was the Hefe. The rest were just ok. The food was very good. Probably better than 85% of most brewpubs. I had a very nice tuna steak that was perfectly cooked. Decent oysters to start off the meal.

Service was just average which is about what I expect in most bars in New Orleans.

I like going here when in New Orleans, while it is not outstanding, it is always a nice place to grab a half-way decent brew.

10-18-2003 15:11:10 | More by Redrover

bushwhacker

Alabama

3.7/5  rDev +5.7%
vibe: 4 | quality: 3.5 | service: 4 | selection: 3.5

I stopped in this establishment last weekend during the hot august heat and it provided a welcome open-air cooling atmosphere that was clean, with good service, and a sharp bartend with the answers. They offer four brews, of which the weiss was not available at the time. I had the pilsner, and the seasonal raspberry and enjoyed both. For the 'quarter', all in all a good place with respect to location, atmosphere, and brew. I didn't try the food, but watched a fellow brewman try the gumbo, which looked good. A very laid-back place which probably kicks up a notch or two when the temps and humidity fall and more people are there.

09-03-2003 14:08:52 | More by bushwhacker

faubs

Louisiana

2.28/5  rDev -34.9%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 1 | service: 3.5 | selection: 2 | $$$

Don’t kid your self, the beer sucks. While in the quarter it is nice to come across a clean establishment with relatively friendly tenders, but that’s where this wet dream ends. Not to bad on atmosphere, a little steep on the food. For one the selection is limited, and too its pricy. I tried the pilsner and the Weiss, decent head, appearance; even the smell was somewhat pleasing. Now for the taste: some where in the middle of a Sierra Nevada left in the sun for three days, recycled through the septic tank in a trailer park, then decanted off with a corroded copper pipe used for liposuction. The bar gravy in the troughs at La fete’s might have more appeal.

08-25-2003 21:09:24 | More by faubs

yosh

North Carolina

3.88/5  rDev +10.9%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 3.5 | food: 4

This was a pretty nice place to stop in at while I was down in New Orleans just before the beginning of the year. The food was really good and so was the beer even with a limited selection. I had the Black Forest and the Red Stallion and greatly enjoyed both of them.

During the day they have a mini bar that opens right to the street that you can buy beer from as your passing by. That was interesting as is everything down there.

06-13-2003 12:59:22 | More by yosh

Scoats

Pennsylvania

3.93/5  rDev +12.3%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 3 | food: 4.5

I'm not usually a big brewpub fan. I don't really see much point usually. I had no desire to go here when planning our trip to NOLA, but we couldn't get in anywhere to eat on a Sunday night and were able to get two seats at the bar. How lucky that all of our other choices had waits to eat. This place is a gem. I feel like a jerk for poo-pooing it at first.

Service and Food - We got seats at the bar in front of the raw bar. Although we didn't order the raw stuff, the oyster guy took and relayed our first beer order. He also took our food order. I went with his recommendation of the raspberry duck. Lemme tell you, the duck was outstanding. In a town of great food, it was a highlight of the trip.

The Beer - OK the selection is small, and to be honest it doesn't really look like their brewhouse is big enough to make enough beer for the space. I had the Black Lager and the Amber Lager. I quizzed the bartender to make sure that the Amber wasn't crap and that I should try sometime else (Amber is usually brewpub code for "our bland crappy beer"). He assurred me that it was indeed a Vienna style lager and that the brewers really tried to be authentic. I didn't get the feeling he was b.s.-ing me. I found both beers to be very tasty, smooth but tasty. I didn't see Jesus, but they were good, solid, tasty beers. My buddy had the seasonal special which seemed to some sort of Belgian inspired thing. He really liked it.

04-09-2003 06:56:24 | More by Scoats