Housed in a historic 19th century townhouse blocks from the waterfront, 219 has for 40 years been a beacon for the most authentic gourmet creole experience possible outside of greater New Orleans. Executive Chef Marcus Olson has taken things one step further and introduced a truly unique gourmet butcher experience--USDA Prime steaks dry-aged 21 days in house and cut to order to your exact specifications. Your meal is complemented by a 750+ bottle wine list and a massive whiskey selection. We offer private dining rooms in addition to our elegant main floor, and offer tasting menus custom-tailored to your preferences. After your meal, you can unwind in our spacious second story lounge and be entertained by world class blues music most nights of the week. Whether your taste runs towards alligator and étouffée, or to succulent aged steaks, we invite you to rediscover your favorite Old Town institution.
"A complete disappointment, of which the management seems totally unaware. The website describes the 219 as Chef Olson's "mirage of a haunted Victorian home..Southern hospitality with a unique food style that..only at Two-Nineteen Restaurant" (thank goodness) I agree it is a mirage, as this restaurant is insubstantial compared to any other in Old Town. The "Southern Hospitality" doesn't exist, and the service is disorganized and inefficient. The food was lacking flavor, flair, and any distinction of being "French-Creole". Uncooked "jasmine rice", tasteless salads, mac and cheese overtly missing a key ingredient, and poorly presented plates were just a few of the problems. The chef/manager seemed to care less, as did the entire staff."
Dined on 5/11/2013
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"I did not think the food was very good at all. I was quite disappointed. The ONLY redeemable quality that came from the food was the crab soup, other than that it was bust. The beignets were pathetic, there were more like beignets strips. The jambalaya was sticky and dry and the salad was completely bland. The ambiance was decent especially the outside patio."
Dined on 04/28/2013
2011
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"We had a group of 5. They were totally prepared for us. We had a round table so conversation was easy for everyone. The service was outstanding. They could not do enough for us. Food was excellent. It was cajun so if you don't like that type of food, you might not like it. I do like it and I though it was great. I would recommend this restaurant highly."
Dined on 04/27/2013
2013
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"Although I hate to have to rate this restaurant without knowing what their food is like, I think it's important to note my experience. I had a Sunday brunch reservation for 4 at 11:30. We arrived and had to ask 3 different people for a table. Once seated, we had no service for 10 minutes, at which time our server brought water. We let him know we were ready to order. He said "fine" (truly, "fine") and walked away. We didn't see him again, waited 5 more minutes, and left. The other staff were friendly and I'd like to try this restaurant some day."
Dined on 04/21/2013
2011
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"We have been to this restaurant in the past, and we always have a good time here. We went to brunch on April 14, and it was a nice day out. We will always come back to this place, because everyone is friendly and are very helpful."
Dined on 04/14/2013
2006
Special Features: great for brunch, great for outdoor dining, neighborhood gem, special occasion
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"219 Restaurant was decent. The atmosphere was very good. There take on cajun was a little bland for my taste. Also we when to the this venue because it was advertised as No Cork Fee BYOB on a bottle of wine. So when we asked about a cork fee we were told 30.00 which was a little pricy for a cork fee. We had to explain to the manager a show her on the iphone the Open Table deal. Once she saw what we thought we bought into she then honored the deal. Overall it was a very nice atmosphere with average food."
Dined on 03/27/2013
2012
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"Mediocre overpriced food with sub-par service. Soups were served cold. Wine was delivered to the table but not poured. The food was okay, but not fitting with the prices. Music from upstairs bar started before nine and was rudely loud. This was supposed to be a special night out with old friends - we were all disappointed by the food experience and have no plans to return."
Dined on 03/22/2013
2012
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"My wife and I enjoyed our Crawfish Etoufee, beet salad, and calamari, however our experiance with the staff was off putting. We arrive ontime for our reservation and there was nobody at the hostess counter - one of the people we latter saw bussing the tables saw us and offered to seat us, but just as he was about to do that the hostess arrived from another room wearing a large winter coat and shoed him away - causing us to restate our reservations before she could seat us. Our waiter also seemed disorganized - we informed him that we had another engagement at 8pm - at 7:30 he brought us our check and quickly left before I could pay. It took 30 minutes to finish paying for the meal causing us to leave at 8pm and consequently be late."
Dined on 03/22/2013
2008
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"Great food. Great service. Cant give it 5 stars. I had a $9 glass of bourbon. The smallest glass I have ever seen in my life. If I had asked for it neat they would probably have given me a shot glass. The waiter asked if I wanted another I told him absolutely not."
Dined on 03/16/2013
2012
Special Features: great for outdoor dining, late-night find, notable wine list, romantic, special occasion
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"The shrimp and crawfish etouffee was excellent, particularly the sauce. My dining companions had jambalaya (very good) and crab cakes (also very good)."
Dined on 03/06/2013
2009
Special Features: fit for foodies, neighborhood gem, romantic
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"I took my parents out for brunch, and 219 was exactly what we were looking for. We ate outside on the porch (which had heaters) as it was actually pretty nice out. The food was great - we had the seafood crepes, the eggs benedict, and the crab omelette. (The crepes were our favorite). Brunch comes with a glass of champagne (or mimosa) which is literally filled to the top. Our initial server was great and very friendly, but then we didn't see him again for the rest of the time. We were served by a couple different people, intermittently, and eventually took the check inside to pay. There wasn't a bad wait for food, but the lack of attention was a little strange. The restaurant wasn't busy either, so I'm not sure why this happened."
Dined on 02/24/2013
2013
Special Features: great for brunch
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"My one complaint is that I could smell cigarette smoke in the main dining area. I think it was coming from the lounge which although a separate space still seemed to seep into the dining room. Very unpleasant!"
Dined on 02/16/2013
2006
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"We made our reservation here because of its interesting menu. When the restaurant called the day before to confirm the reservation I learned that there was a fixed price menu for Valentines Day it was too late to find another venue. So, we had very limited choices and were locked into a three course meal. We usually eat only two courses. Neither dessert choice was good for diabetics. There were no vegetables. A salad option would have been nice. There was also a 20 percent gratuity added. Usually mandatory gratuities are only added for large parties. The service felt very rushed. Even though there were empty tables we felt that we were being moved along very quickly. We were in and out and through 3 courses in 58 minutes."
Dined on 02/14/2013
2003
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"The food was good. They were still have restaurant week, so that was great to experience all that the menu had to offer. I wasn't blown away by anything, but everything was good."
Dined on 01/29/2013
2008
Special Features: neighborhood gem, notable wine list, special occasion
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"This place was really neat. The restaurant area was beautiful, the staff friendly, and the service outstanding. We had a wonderful time. There are not a lot of choices on the menu, so take a look before you go so that you have an idea of what to get. They have a Jazz band Thursday through Saturday nights (I believe) and a cigar bar upstairs, which I thought was kinda cool if you want to move to a different scene after your meal. Very neat place. I will certainly be back!"
Dined on 01/25/2013
2009
Special Features: vibrant bar scene, fit for foodies, good for groups, notable wine list
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"This place is amazing! We have been here a couple times before, and we have always had a great time. Tu our server is outstanding, and I always try to find her to be my server. The wine list is nice, and the food is wonderful. There are 2 fireplaces in the main dining room, and it just felt wonderful. We wil always go back to this place."
Dined on 01/27/2013
2006
Special Features: great for outdoor dining, neighborhood gem, notable wine list, romantic, special occasion
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"WE HAD A wonderful eveing. good wine list. the service was very spotty as they seemed to have a full house with restaurant week. I had the salmon and it was delicious. our firends had the etoufee and it was yummy and the dessert was good but not too outstanding."
Dined on 01/26/2013
2005
Special Features: fit for foodies, neighborhood gem
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"Great wine list, but dinner was lacking the "Wow". The shrimp etoufee was watery and the alligator croquettes were just fried meat - nothing distinctive about it and seemed gristly. Service was just ok - seemed like the host was also the waiter/bus boy. There was another bus boy, but he was overwhelmed,even though there were only maybe 15 diners total. There was another person lurking about, not in "restaurant" attire who would pop in and out of the dining room, but for the most part stayed in the entrance way staring at people. Weird. The whole experience was very off...this wasn't the first time we have eaten at 219, but is going to be the last."
Dined on 01/21/2013
2008
Special Features: notable wine list
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"While the atmospherovers lovely, we were seated in the heated front porch. Unfortunately, given that heat rises, our legs were freezing and I was forced to take off my coat in order to wrap it around my legs for warmth. There was no available seating inside. Upon taking our order, salad and soup were brought out instantaneously; however, an hour later we still had no entrees and a member of our party had to get up to inquire as to where they might be. We also had to request bread and butter for the table in the meantime as no one thought to provide us with such. The food was just okay. The meat, while flavorful, was tough and chewy and accompaniments cold. They did comp desserts as a result. Unfortunately, we will not return for dinner."
Dined on 01/19/2013
2012
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"An instant favorite. We went for Restaurant Week and will return often. We all ordered off the week's special menu which provided three great options for each of the three courses. For the main course we had the steak and the salmon, both were excellent. We were seated in the front room (closest to the street) near the fire place and had great views of the rest of the restaurant and outside."
Dined on 01/18/2013
2009
Special Features: fit for foodies, good for groups, late-night find, neighborhood gem, romantic, special occasion, scenic view
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"The food was great. I had the blackened salmon with collard greens and wild rice. Although I did ask that the rice be substituted with Mac and cheese which didn't happen. I would have asked the waiter to correct it but after the food was brought to the table the waiter didn't return to check on us for about 20 minutes so I ate the rice. It was good but wasn't what I wanted. When the waiter finally did return he immediately saw the error and apologized but I was almost through with my dinner. Drinks could have been refilled sooner as well. The place wasn't that busy and there were several open tables. Cool cigar bar is upstairs with good jazz music. It was live but a little too crowded and it got really smokey. Music was awesome though."
Dined on 01/18/2013
2012
Special Features: fit for foodies, notable wine list, special occasion
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