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N'awlins Jazz Bar & Dining
Categories: Restaurants Canadian (Traditional) Restaurants Cajun/Creole Arts & Entertainment Jazz & Blues Nightlife Jazz & Blues Canadian (Traditional), Cajun/Creole, Jazz & Blues [Edit]
299 King St WToronto, ON M5V 1J5
Neighbourhoods: Entertainment District, Downtown Core
(416) 595-1958
- Hours:
Mon-Sun 4 pm - 1 am
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- No
- Price Range:
-
$$$
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take Away:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Very Loud
- Has TV:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
17 reviews for N'awlins Jazz Bar & Dining
17 reviews in English
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Review from Nina W.
4/20/2012
Love this place! Being from Chicago I expect everywhere I go for food to taste good. The food was " Great" and the music was amazing. The service was good as well, no complaints from me. If you don't like dark intimate places then don't come. You are literally elbow to elbow with others. Great energy and a must visit place!
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Review from Suzie S.
Toronto, ON
1/27/2012
Jason B and I first ventured into Nawlins when looking for a romantic place to eat one evening on the King West strip. Nawlins advertised live jazz and blues music with your dinner, which immediately drew us in.
A female jazz vocalist performed classics with a small band while we dined, dare I say heaven? I ordered the Seafood Dream Linguine... I can't remember what my sweetheart ordered as he was quite busy eating from my plate instead! Needless to say the Seafood Linguine was quite good.
Nawlins itself is quite a narrow restaurant (as are most on that King West strip). Seating for us was very tight (we sat at a teeny tiny 2 seater table near the main entrance). On the plus side, our server was great - very quick and attentive.
A few months following this dining experience, Jason and I took a trip to the real Nawlins (aka the city of New Orleans).
After the trip, we did eventually venture back to Nawlins restaurant (when we started missing New Orleans oh so desperately). Sadly, I'd have to say that Nawlins just doesn't compare to the real thing. Food in New Orleans is so much spicier, the seafood is much fresher, the jazz music is so much more raw... King Street just is no match for old world dirty magic that is Bourbon Street.
But, if you've never been down to New Orleans, Nawlins in Toronto is probably the closest that you can get to the real thing, so I recommend trying a little taste of New Orleans at Nawlins in oblivious bliss :) -
Review from Brian T.
12/29/2011
This jazz club is charming in ambiance and appearance, but the menu is confused, and the service downright lousy. On a bustling night during the hour while many people dine prior to seeing a film or show, this establishment was clearly loathe to keep up with the rush. The staff was unfriendly, food was maddeningly slow to arrive, and the beer was flat.
More about the food. First, Italian cuisine and Cajun/Creole do not combine to evoke memories of New Orleans. In fact, there is little on offer that even attempts to be authentically Cajun or Creole. Case in point: one of the few such items (another being what they describe as "Gumbo Soup"), Oysters Rockefeller, was, well, NOT Oysters Rockefeller by any definition. There was no spinach within a mile of those oysters, just a glob of white cheese smothering an old, putrid, hacked up bivalve. Disgusting. -
Review from Magdalena R.
Toronto, ON
10/27/2010 ROTD 11/24/2010
No money to go to New Orleans for some delicious Cajun cuisine? No problem. Just check this little joint out. Not only is the food yummilicious, but you don't even have to solely rely on your taste buds to get the New Orleans feel; the decor and chilln Jazz playing in the background complete the package.
The wait staff is friendly and attentive. The kitchen staff is fast and oh-so very good at what they do. PLUS you get a nice wine list to choose from.
Although this place will hold you off until you save up for New Orleans, you really need to check out the real thing when you can. -
Review from Derek L.
Oakville, ON
11/21/2010 4 photos
This place is small and narrow. They apparently play live jazz, but last night (sat) before 8pm, there was no live jazz.
The service was decent, we had reservations and were quick to be seated. The food quality was really good, and the prices are fair. I ordered the chicken ($20) and it was the best i've ever had. If you have a smaller budget, there are food items to accomodate you, namely the pasta.
Like someone else said, the bread and butter was delicious. I had to eat the whole thing even though I wanted to save room for dinner!
We ordered dessert, which is posted in the photos. The dessert was great. They had 3 choices of dessert.
I recommend this place for couples, or small groups of friends.
Derek -
Review from Gracee B.
Markham, ON
9/15/2010
Oh N'awlins!!!
This place is just awesome because it's such a departure from the typical day to day cuisines that are found everywhere. A taste of New Orleans right in Toronto's backyard.
I'm not the kinda girl who has the bills to make it rain and spend it on expensive main dishes. But I am the kinda girl who likes to stretch the dollar so naturally I'm ALL ABOUT HAPPY HOUR! which is great because their appetizers are AH-MAZING!
Happy Hour for appetizers is around 4-8pm but don't quote me. That's when ya'll gotta go peeps!! Their coconut appetizer is THE BOMB! My husband and I ordered 2 orders of that and tried 4 other appetizers.
Baked Oysters Rockerfeller. YUM
Calamari. YUM
Mussels. YUM
Crabcakes. YUM
My mouth is watering as I'm typing this review!
The only thing is the drinks is what will top the bill over. But you don't feel so bad, when you're paying half price for all this great food!
I LOVE N'AWLINS!! -
Review from Penguin S.
4/23/2009
I was only in town for one night and wanted a decent meal on the cheap that wasn't cookie cutter, like I could eat just anywhere.
I walked up and down the street looking at all the menus. What really lured me into N'awlins was a posting that they had half-priced apps from 6-9. The menu was appealing, so in I went.
I took a seat at the bar and was greeted by Craig, a waiter, and by Jessica, the attractive bartender. (Yes, that sounds sexist. Craig was attractive, too!) The place was sort of empty, but had a pleasant and clean atmosphere.
First up was a pint of beer. I'd forgotten how large these are. Ordering a Heff, I was happy to see Jessica knew to place an orange slice on the glass and not a lemon, like so many places do.
I ordered two appetizers, blackened calamari and oysters Rockefeller. A bread basket with soft herbed butter was presented to me. The food came fairly quickly and I was a bit shocked at the small portions. The value was there, since things were half price, but I would have been steamed had I paid full price for the portions I received.
The oysters were really good. What's not to love about creamy sauce with bacon and cheese? There four to the order, served on a bed of lettuce.
The calamari was really extraordinary. I'm so used to it always being fried. This was blackened and served in a spicy red sauce. It was tender and the sauce didn't hide the wonderful taste of the blackening. The peices were large and once gone, I sopped up the sauce with the remainder of the bread.
What was really nice, was the staff. When I arrived, a woman began playing blues piano, which lent an appropriate aire. Craig and Jessica carried on an intelligent and fun conversation (I was the only person at the bar).
While I would love to return, I must admit that there are so many restaurants in this area, I'd tend to want to explore more. That said, if you can take advantage of the half price happy hour, I do recommend this place. -
Review from Jason E.
8/31/2011
Nawlins is an an usual combination, a jazz bar and an Italian-Cajumn restaurant. It's not bad and during happy hour you can gorge yourself and a range of wonderful Cajun starters...blackened alligator, catfish etc at half price, or at least it was when I was there, all of which I followed up with moire of the same in the form of the seafood medley main course. There is live music and it's a fine place for an evening repast if you're in that part of town. If you're not, it's worth a visit too. If you don't feel like anything on the menu, you can have a beer, listen to the music then go next door to Kit Kat which is also excellent.
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Review from Todd V.
Toronto, ON
10/31/2008 1 photo
I'm a big fan of Cajun food and N'Awlins is a dandy little restaurant to enjoy it. Boasting itself as a jazz bar, it attempts to capture the feel of a New Orleans bar with as authentic cuisine as you can muster. I've not been to New Orleans so I can't do any comparisons, but from how I'd stereotype it, I'd say N'Awlins is probably close.
The décor certainly lends itself to it, the music that supports the dining area is pretty authentic, and the menu runs the gamut of Cajun and Creole plates that I'd assume are pretty close to the bone. I'm a sucker for catfish when it's done well, and this place does it well. Putting it along side a plate of jambalaya is not going to make me unhappy either.
The one thing I've noticed is that this place gets busy on theatre nights. I've been to a lot of theatre in my life, but I can't imagine I'd want folks sitting beside me after I've had a load of catfish. I'll do everyone a favour and walk the long way home. -
Review from Dee H.
Toronto, ON
4/5/2009
I love an intimate restaurant with an authentic vibe. I've been twice with the women in my family, and have had an awesome experience both times.
The fish seems to be just slightly overdone (don't do the lobster tail - stick to shrimp, white fishes and salmon), and the 'blackened' seafood seems a little ashy in the end, but overall the flavours are good. I could stand a little more spice, but enjoyed the dishes both times I've been. The names of the dishes are on-theme, the staff are very likeable (and I'm pretty sure they're all aspiring actors), the music is central, as it should be, and Nawlins is home to the very best martini my mother has ever had (the Sarah Vaughan).
I'd definitely have an event at this location - the vibe, the intimacy, the musical 'stage' and a good chance for a menu enjoyed by all.
Do recommend, just order wisely and ask for hot sauce. -
Review from Renata R.
4/13/2010
Don't get me wrong: their food is very good, the problem is the price.
I went there after an awful day when everything went wrong, so I decided to indulge myself a bit and have a nice dinner.
Their bread-and-butter is delicious, really. Loved the butter and almost ate the butter alone. I asked for some shrimps as appetizers. Got five HUGE shrimps, cajun style. Delicious, really.
I did not find many seafood options on their menu and decided to order the poultry, as I don't eat red meat. Again, it was BIG and both of us could share the dish.
I thought the service was kind of slow (there were only two couples at the restaurant), and the prices were really expensive for the kind of restaurant/food. I felt like I was paying for the "jazzy" stuff - you know, people who enjoy jazz are trendy and cool and must be rich.
But they offered me good comforting food on a day I really needed that kind of stuff. I'm thankful :) -
Review from Ross G.
8/7/2008
N'Awlins was a great stop on my trip to Toronto. Had a change to get a few drinks, listen to some live jazz and eat some tasty Cajun food. I had the Cajun surf and turf, which was right up my alley. Some good wine topped off the meal.
I recommend you make reservations as it's not a large dining room. -
Review from Karen G.
Toronto, ON
5/18/2011
After spending a week in New Orleans this past February, this restaurant happened to catch my eye and my hopes for being at least borderline authentic in terms of assuaging my love of both New Orleans jazz and creole southern comfort food.
After the prices on the menu made my eyes pop out of my head, I decided to save my visit for a special occasion, and ended up going last night for my 25th birthday dinner. It was a very rainy and miserable Tuesday night, so I sort of scoffed at the idea of making reservations, but went ahead and did it anyway. Good thing we did as the place is SMALL. And when I say small, I mean so small and narrow there was room for one table of 6 - 8, and 6 or 7 2 people tables that practically touch each other. We were seated next to the bathroom door, and we're constantly being hit in the back by the door opening and closing, which was as pleasant as the volume of the live band, which, although very good, caused us to have to scream over the table at each other the whole meal. The place is simply too small, in my opinion, to have a live band and allow the patrons to enjoy and converse comfortably at the same time.
Despite the cramped space and deafening volume, I was committed to the food I had been eagerly looking forward to for months. We ordered the cajun crab cakes ($10) off the appetizer menu to start, and a martini ($8) each. The crab cakes were about the size of my palm, and we were initially dismayed to see there were only 2 on the plate. At $5 each, they had better be the best crab cakes this side of the border. Disappointingly, they were slightly burnt and overly breaded. While the inside was light and full of warm, seasoned crab meat, the aftertaste of the char was what was left in your mouth.
Ok, so at this point I was feeling quite disappointed and considered wandering King Street in the rain in search of salvaging my birthday celebration. Then the main event arrived - I had ordered the Seafood Medley (at a whopping $34 a plate) and my boyfriend the BB Pasta (linguini I believe). This arrived just as the band started playing happy birthday to me, and a special song to us afterwards as we ate our meals. The Seafood medley was FANTASTIC, spicy, rich in creole seasoning, and with a lobster tail on top (bonus!). Not a good as I had in New Orleans, BUT, comparable. My boyfriend's pesto linguini was literally the best pasta I've ever tasted, and I don't even like pasta. Pecan pie for dessert was warm and choc-full of pecans, and came with a birthday candle on top.
Overall, the entrees and the special birthday attention coupled with an overly-loud, but talented band that temporarily transported me back to the French Quarter salvaged my experience at this too small, overly-priced eatery. Will consider returning to drinks only at the back bar to catch the live music, and save the food for special occasions, perhaps mid-day when the crowds die down.
Note: The restuarant is 19+ -
Review from Deedee M.
8/28/2010
I was in Toronto for business and N'awlins was recommended to us as a cool dinner place. It was a weekday night and I noticed as I was walking in to the restaurant that it's quite empty comparing to the adjacent restaurants.
I ordered "Avocado Salad Avocados with mixed green & a cilantro lime vinaigrette" and "Cajun pan-fried Catfish". The salad sounded refreshing but the mixed green was a little dry and I barely tasted cilantro. The catfish was a little oily but tasted okay. My coworker had a bowl of Gumbo soup and said it's spicy but surprisingly bland.
The service was slow as expected. The jazz musician was next to us so it was a bit too loud.
The overall experience was underwhelming. -
Review from Paul M.
10/29/2010
If you've ever been to New Orleans, you know that the only place to get great cajun food is in New Orleans! Went to Toronto for the weekend and me and my lady got into town late. We wanted to eat somewhere close to our hotel that didn't seem too trendy or usual. My gf picked this place. It wasn't bad, but we didn't anticipate sitting near the jazz band whose set began 10 minutes after we had walked in. The music was a pleasent surprise for me, but not so much for my girlfriend (who isn't a big jazz fan). The service was a little slow, but it may have been because we got there later in the night. I would recommend this place if you just want to grab something to eat, but I wouldn't go out of my way.
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Review from Teddy N.
2/26/2009
One thing I always worry about when there is live music its that it is always too loud, but that wasn't the case here. The music was at just the right volume, you didnt have to yell at the top of your lungs to hold a conversation.
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Review from il l.
Waterloo, ON
2/19/2010
my girlfriend is really into jazz and for valentine's day we decided to make a reservation at n'awlins.
the first impression we had was how crowded it was. too many tables in that little dining room. when the food came we noticed that the portions are so small that we were a bit upset that we chose this venue for our dinner. granted everything was really good, we tried the alligator, oysters, shrimp and the seafood jambalaya. we didn't drink and ended up 100 dollars lighter.
in all i guess the music saved the day, the band on that night was really good. don't think i'm coming back pretty soon though...
