Mardi Gras Memphis

Their service was friendly, their food was soooo tasty. Who knew I would leave this place with a new favorite appetizer… yup fried okra it was heavenly! Now if only I can have some shipped back to California :)

Dude. Omg this place is sooooo good. We stopped here on our way through because we were planning on going to Louisiana but plans change ¯\_(ツ)_/¯. But omg this satisfied my Louisiana craving to the max. When we first got here we had the unfortunate surprise if witnessing a man vomit out front. The inside is a little dark, but man the wait staff here are incredible. More than made up for the dank interior. Our waitress Ashly was so kind and answered all our questions. I had the Mardi Gras sampler. The corn chowder was SO GOOD. And the ramalde. Make this your next stop!

I ate there a few weeks ago. The corn chowder is excellent. I shared a platter of catfish, gumbo, French bread, rice, salad, & tea. Caution: Eat there. Do not order your meal to go. Your portions will be smaller. Last note: The place is clean with a NOLA flair. Each table is the named after a street in French Quarter

Good food and great atmosphere. I like it’s in shadow of Sears Crosstown. I think this area will have a lot of growth and it’s great places like this that make the trip enjoyable. They also have great mixed drinks as well.

A Groupon got me in the door. The quality of the food will bring me back. This little «hole in the wall» across the street from the Crosstown Concourse will be a neighborhood gem.
I had the andouille po boy and French fries. My companion tried the hot wings. I also tried a Sazerac, which was quite lovely. The po boy was generously filled with grilled sliced sausage and onions. The bread soft and crunchy at the same time. My dining companion enjoyed the hot wings.
Prices are very reasonable and service is attentive. The décor is totally kitschy with everything adorned in Mardi Gras colors and beads. The tables are given names of locations in New Orleans and shellacked. We sat at Poydras St. There was a couple at the bar that found the place on Unilocal as they were passing through Memphis… talk about the power of Social Media.
Give them a chance. You won’t be sorry.

This was absolutely amazing. I wasn’t disappointed with anything I had. The food was hot & fresh. All of the flavors were so good. I even had the red velvet cheesecake. This is my new fav restaraunt

I’m from South East Louisiana but have lived in in the North East for the past 7 years. I had to stop going to «cajun» restaurants because they just hurt me to the core. WHERE IS THE TRINITY?! WHY ARE THESE BELL PEPPERS RAW? etc. I also ruined the experience for whoever was with me (kind of like when someone sees a movie for a book they’ve read– but angrier).
I was confident Mardi Gras Memphis was going to be legit– but I had no clue they were going to blow my mind out of my face.
First off– the service is top freaking notch. Our server and one of the owners engaged us in delightful conversation and had perfect timing.
We were lucky enough to sit with a few other people from New Orleans (what a delight!). We all just kept raving about the food.
We got the Pasta Lafayette (all fresh seafood/​ingredients) and the Étouffée. I’ll be honest — that Étouffée is better than my mawmaw’s… (I still love you, Mawmaw!).
I loved EVERYTHING about this place. This is a HARD five. Wish I could give a six. So amazing.
RUN TO MARDI GRAS MEMPHIS for an incredible meal, y’all.

To sum it up: food was good, service was not.
When we got here and first got our food tasted it, I just knew I would be giving this place 5 stars, However, over the course of the meal, it went down hill from there. I ordered the sampler which came with seafood gumbo, crawfish corn chowder, étouffée and either fish or shrimp. Our server who also stated she was the bartender brought out the meal and said they were out of seafood gumbo so they just gave me chicken and sausage gumbo. Hmmm, ok fine even tho I would have preferred if she had asked was there something else I wanted instead. No big deal. The crawfish corn chowder was my absolute fav. Did not expect to like it, let alone love it. It was great. I also wanted to try the red velvet cheesecake that I saw so much about. Well before I could order anything else, the server brings us the ticket which included my friends meal. Now I love my friend, but I wasn’t planning on paying for her ticket. I wanted to try that red velvet cheesecake that I saw so many pictures of. Server tells me that they are out of all desserts because the lady who makes them went on a trip to New Orleans so they have been out a while. Well that sucks. So I asked her to split the ticket. I did however have a Groupon that I had purchase for here. She comes back tells me she can’t split a check since there is a Groupon. I was so confused. But whatever, I ended up paying for the remaining balance (I had a card, my friend had cash) and my friend reimbursed me. So we continue to sit there as my friend enjoyed her drink. All of a sudden, the strong smell of bleach overpowered the dining room. There were other guests who were just starting their food. I believe someone was mopping the kitchen floor. But I wonder why that could not have waiting until later– like when the guests were gone. A nice side of bleach with my chowder.
In all, they did not make a good first impression. I wanted to like this place because the food was good but ended up leaving a little disappointed.

The food was delish. The restaurant is small. The parking lot is just as small but once your get in, all that stuff doesn’t matter.
I ordered the shrimp po boy. The sandwich was above average size & had plenty of shrimp. I ordered an amaretto sour & it was perfect. The bartender didn’t skimp on the alcohol.
My husband ordered the catfish and shrimp. OMG, the catfish was cooked to perfection. Definitely get that if you like catfish. He only got 4 shrimps with this order.
Our friends order the sampler. I didn’t taste it put there wasn’t any left & they said it was good.
The food was very tasty. The waitress was nice. The cook came out & greeted everyone at our table & told us about the good on the menu.
You should definitely try it! We will be going back.

Cute little place! Kitschy is an understatement and EVERYTHING is purple, green, and gold.
You come here for the food… so get a lot because not only is it good, but you get a bang for your buck too.
Love their Unilocal check-​in offers!

The owner and cook both stopped by our table. They gave us all a free cup of the corn chowder which was so good with tons of crawfish and the perfect blend of spices. The etoufee po boy was delicious! This is truly Cajun cooking at its best.
Service was great! Very attentive.
Has a lot of sports on TV

As a native New Orleanian, I have to say it has a pretty nice décor and the restaurant is set up nicely to let the Bön temps roulette. The corn chowder was great, perfectly seasoned. Excellent drinks!!! The fried oyster and shrimp platter was good if you like your oysters fried soft. The gumbo was not too great… Tasted like they burned the roux and later stirred in the seafood right before they served it… but I’ll charge that to being a new restaurant. May go back sometime in the future for drinks and chowder, but no time soon for food.

Between my husband and I we tried the gumbo, the corn chowder, an oyster po’boy and the cajun pasta. Everything except the po’boy was absolutely delicious. I am giving it 4 stars because the po’boy bread was not very good, the fried oysters were sour and the overall po’boy was very soggy.

Mardi Gras Memphis is definitely a hidden gem in this city, a friendly staff and family oriented restaurant, the environment here represents the idea of southern hospitality exceptionally well.
The style and decorations of the restaurant gives you a Mardi Gras vibe and taste of Louisiana with a New Orleans style. I love the street names on the tables, the colors, and beads that give it a sense of authenticity. I wouldn’t judge the outside or location without really getting to experience the inside and taste of all the wonderful options of food this restaurant has to offer ! It was absolutely worth the try.
I had the chicken and sausage gumbo, I’m really sensitive to spicy foods but this was too good it didn’t matter. Everything here is seasoned well you’ll want to savor every bite. Make sure you leave room for dessert because you won’t want to miss out. I topped off my meal with the red velvet cheesecake, it’s one of a kind. As a current Louisiana resident I make no mistake when I say this restaurant is the real thing. I will definitely be visiting here again during my next trip to Memphis!

Really nice wait staff and i think that this place will definitely get better in time. I even got to talk to the owner Blake which he was really nice to meet and told me about their restaurant maybe going in the FedEx forum.

Yummy Nawlins food! I’ll be back for more and more and more! Bartender was cool, décor is a bit silly and those desserts looked promising. Great spot in crosstown too! I’m sure we won’t be able to get a seat when the concourse is finished being built so let’s all enjoy it now while we can!

Do not judge this book by its cover! My boyfriend and I visited Mardi Gras on a Saturday night around 7. I would’ve been more sketched out by the building’s exterior had I not already heard such awesome reviews. We walked in and sat ourselves at a table. The restaurant was about half full. You immediately feel like you could be in any number of dive bars in the French quarter. Within minutes we were greeted by our waitress who was super friendly and more than eager to give us the run down of the menu and things she thought we should try. The corn chowder seems to be a crowd favorite and she offered to bring us a sample. My boyfriend wanted crawfish but was told they didn’t have any since they weren’t quite in season. We already knew this was a possibility. He decided on the little Mardi Gras sampler and I had the tilapia Bienville. We literally can’t say enough good things about either of the dishes. And the rumors are true, you have to try the corn chowder! There’s no telling how many people we told about this place in the following days. It’s truly one of the good ones! We’ll definitely be back!

Service and food were exceptional
I was with a party of 20 who all ordered at once
and
all food and drinks were delivered in a timely manner.
The staff helped each other out.
The bartender came out from behind the bar and took and delivered ourr drink orders
while
our server handled the food servcie.
I had the Catfish Bienivlle
served with roasted vegtables and dirty rice.
I ordered the fish blackend
and was concerned
that the fish would come out mushy
and not be a good contrast to the rich creamy sauce
BUT
the fish came out crispy on the outside and tender on the inside.
It set a new standard of goodness for me concerning blackend catfish.
The vegtables tasted like they were roasted in house,
as opposed to the microwaved frozen type that so many places serve.
The dirty rice was a great complement to the meal
not over spiced.
This is now my favortie NOLA style food in Memphis.

Best Corn Chowder
Not gonna lie, I never in a million years would’ve thought to stop here and it has nothing to do with the area and everything to do with the Cajun/​Creole and my lack of remarkable experiences with that type of food. I’ve only ever tried it once and decided it wasn’t for me (even though I use Creole seasoning in almost every meal…) I’m glad Joelle dragged my butt out here to show me how wrong I was.
I was with a big group at 6 and as we ate more people came in. It’s a small place but there was a large table that accommodated our large group well. It was also neatly decorated. We enjoyed the table decorations and how they wrote different street names (I think that’s what they were haha) on the tables in silver. The bathrooms are different, not gonna lie. One bathroom for both genders and a separate bathroom for the staff. But I kinda like it. I know it was most likely due to space constraints but I think it leaves room for fluid gender identity for people who deal with the question of «which bathroom should I use…» I’m pretty sure that wasn’t what was intended but I still really really thought it was cool.
Anyway, the food was surprisingly good. I got the sampler and mixed rice into every single one of them. I’m pretty sure that wasn’t what I was supposed to do but I really liked it because it stretched out the meal without taking away any of the flavor. I tried a bite of hubby’s and realized I dislike andouille sausage as it’s too salty for me (or it was here). It also turns out I’m not a gumbo gal (or at least I haven’t found one I like) but I am rather fond of the corn chowder! In fact it was the best thing of the night (and is rather addicting). The crawfish étouffée was good as well though the corn chowder was definitely the star.
You have two options for what to get alongside your sampler and I chose blackened shrimp (options were blackened, fried, or grilled). At times it was overpowering but otherwise it was good. The garlic bread that comes with it was light and fluffy and I would say was my second favorite thing of the night. The drinks weren’t anything special for me. Everything I tried was either too strong or just not sweet enough. But hey, if it doesn’t taste like candy I won’t like it too much so remember that when considering what to try yourself!
To Try:
— Mardi Gras Pasta
— Shrimp and Grits (maybe)
Loved:
— Crawfish Étouffée
— Fries
— Garlic Bread (came with meal)
— Mini Mardi Gras Sampler
— Ms. Penny’s Crawfish Corn Chowder (FAV)
— Red Velvet Cake
— The Passionate Cuban (drink)
Liked:
— Blackened Shrimp
— Coca Cola Cake
Disliked:
— Andouille Sausage Poboy
— Chicken and Sausage Gumbo
— Hurricane Penny (drink)
— Sweet Nola (drink)

We were lucky enough to be invited to a special Unilocal event here. The staff were very accomodating to our large party of 10+.
The Shrimp and grits were very good, creamy grits and large juicy shrimp, perfectly cooked. We also had the Catfish Bienville which was decadently rich and totally satisfying. Check out the desserts, amazing Red velvet cheesecake and slap yo mama sweet potato pie!

I’m not the biggest fan of Cajun food so I thought I’d order something safe and get a crawfish pasta. The crawfish was fishy and overwhelmed the pasta. I didn’t enjoy it. The side of bread was very tasty though. My mom shared her shrimp with me which was good. The real showstopper was the drinks and desserts! The Hurricane Penny was better than the Hurricane I had in New Orleans! It was strong but good! And oh gosh… the red velvet cheesecake. It was so moist and creamy. I’m already planning a trip back for it!

Mardi Gras is a hidden culinary gem here in Memphis.
I had the blackned shrimp platter with the vegetable medley. I requested not to have the blackened seasoning and to my surprise the dish was still well seasoned and flavorful. This is definitely a new go to spot.
I cannot wait to try the crawfish and corn chowder.

So I will be honest and say I am not much of a creole or seafood person and I was hesitant to try this place. However, I got the chance to go last tonight because of Unilocal and I loved it.
Let’s talk about the restaurant’s décor first! Talk about festive. As you enter you are met with such bold and beautiful colors, Purple and Green and Gold, the colors of Mardi Gras. It is pretty cool and it sets the tone for a very fun night.
Now on to the food, like I said I am not a seafood person so yes don’t hate me but I got the chicken fingers platter and fries lol but wait they were so good. Seriously, I think the best I’ve eaten in Memphis. No lie!!! They were lightly battered, deep fried, but not greasy at all and super tender and the seasoning had a nice kick to it. Plus their homemade dipping sauce was delicious! (Sorry forgot the name but it’s orange)
As for the drinks, my fellow Unilocalers tried the hurricane penny, and a margarita and seemed to enjoyed them greatly.
For dessert, well well well I was impressed. I got to try the sweet potato pie and red velvet cheesecake. Both tasted great and were made in house by there pastry chef. How many restaurants can say they make there own dessert!
Furthermore, service was very good. We even met one of the owners Blake and he was a doll.
All in all, this place is a go too! Maybe next time I will get out of my comfort zone and try other items. I definitely will be back!!!

The food is unbelievable and the drinks are good and Stout the staff was very friendly and helpful with the menu and very courteous as well.

Im from New Orleans and I’m really hard on places that say there «cajun/​creole» so with that said I really liked my food from Mardi Gras Memphis. The owner came to our table and gave us a taste of the crawfish corn chowder we ended up ordering a bowl of it its literally lick the bowl good. I also had a cup of the seafood gumbo its good as well, True New Orleans style gumbo has a bit more stuff in it but theres was not bad the flavor was on point. for my dinner I had the catfish bienville It was super tasty and I love dirty rice and they do it well here. My hubby had the crawfish étouffée yea he also eat the whole thing. The portions here are huge so you will have leftovers. I will totally be back for more.

I love the concept here and the fact that this restaurant is helping to bring life back to the Crosstown community.
The pricing on the menu is pretty awesome. If you’re a large family, you’ll definitely get the most bang for your buck.
The food itself is not bad. My side salad was delicious. I love when restaurants really dice your salad into bite-​sized pieces. The dressing was on par with the salad. Blue Cheese dressing is hit and miss. This was a hit.
For my main meal, I got the chicken and sausage gumbo. Mostly rue, with an okay flavor. That didn’t stop me from getting a to-​go container. The rice that accompanies the gumbo was cooked to perfection.
The staff was eager to make sure diners had a good experience.
All in all, an okay meal worth a try.

While I did enjoy the Crawfish Étouffée in my Po’Boy this place left a bit to be desired in my opinion. The service was less than accommodating and my drink was never refilled after she brought it. Angie J. was listed on my receipt as my server and she stood at the bar with her head in her phone, which is fine, if you would look up and see your only table is without beverage after being assaulted by his food. Now to that…
I am pretty sure my sandwich was microwaved before arriving to my table. The bread was kind of tough and chewy and was impossible to bite through. Po’Boy bread should have a decent crunch or at least the hint of a crunch from before it was made. I gave up and used a fork and knife to eat it and it was even tough to cut. Additionally, the internal temperature was ridiculously hot. It scalded the roof of my mouth, you know, bad enough where it peels for days afterwards. No way the Etoufee was being held at that high of temp nor was it heated in a skillet without scorching it.
I have never been to New Orleans but I am pretty sure that it doesn’t look like this. Gaudy old faded beads and decorations accompanied by a horrible color scheme pretty much sum up the exterior of the building. Upon entering you will find that it just gets worse on the inside. It looks like that brothel that used to be on HBO where Lamar Odom died. The tackiest LSU fan would likely feel uncomfortable here, for real…
I can look past the horrid colors and cheesy décor if you just hold your food and service standards the same for everyone. I posted a pic of my sandwich on IG and someone noticed and tagged a friend in my pic. Look at the difference in her plate and mine. I wonder what the difference was?
I will give them another try because there were some good looking dishes on the menu. Maybe I will wear shades to keep the interior in check.

Service is great. Happy hour prices are great. The food is awesome. I had the seafood gumbo and it was top notch. I also sampled the shrimp po boy, the rice, and the fries. The po boy is humongous. It’s enough for two people. It’s basically two sandwiches. The prices aren’t expensive, but they’re not super cheap either. However, the portions are so huge, so it’s actually cheap in a way. They have tasty huge glasses of sangria. My only issue is the fries seem out of a bag of frozen fries. Everything else was top notch and delicious. We were a large party and everyone raved about the place.

The reviews are true. Mardi Gras Memphis was an excellent spot to satisfy a Cajun food craving and an empty belly right before going to an Orpheum show.
As some have already said, the outside is not particularly inviting. But fear not, it changes as soon as you go in! The dinning room is aptly decorated with a Mardi Gras theme, TV screens and a cozy atmosphere.
As it was our first time visiting, we were given free samples of their crawfish corn chowder. That was an amazing way to start. I ordered a small Seafood Gumbo, which was very good, and then we had the Chicken and Shrimp Combo and the Mardi Gras Pasta. Both were phenomenal. The Chicken and Shrimp came in a small bed of dirty rice that was very good. Nothing fancy, but it was great. The pasta was very good too and my girlfriend was particularly fond of the bread.
Finally, we shared a Chocolate Coca Cola cake. It was very rich, but good nonetheless and something I never had before.
Service was excellent and friendly. The owner coming out to greet us was a nice touch. We were also pretty excited to get the 10% off for checking in with the Unilocal app. Don’t forget it!
We will definitely come again.

Great lunch here! My friend (who’s lived in Memphis for 2 years) and I (I was visiting Memphis and don’t know the city well) just happened to stop by Mardi Gras Memphis based on Unilocal reviews.
This place was great. The food hit the spot, the atmosphere was cozy and authentic, and the service was impeccable.
A free sample of the crawfish chowder at the beginning of our lunch was so thoughtful! My friend got a fried shrimp poboy, which was amazing. The server said they get their bread directly from Gambino’s in New Orleans. I had the crawfish étouffée. There were so many crawfish — great generous portion.
Seriously. Go. It was delightful.

Sitting in the shadow of the construction of the Crosstown Concourse is a hidden gem called Mardi Gras Memphis. It’s not the most inviting looking place, in fact our first visit here we weren’t sure if they were even open.
We’ve made several trips here in the past few weeks and the food just keeps getting better!
So far I’ve tried the Shrimp Po’boy, Crawfish Étouffée Stuffed Po’boy, Seafood Gumbo and the
Crawfish Corn Chowder. How can everything be this darn good?!?
My very first dish here was a cup of the Crawfish Corn Chowder and it had me licking the bowl. Luckily I saved the bread to soak up the remnants of the remaining Chowder to continue to please my taste buds. I also ordered the Grilled Shrimp Po’boy and it was very good as well. It appears they are using Gambino’s bread straight from New Orleans. My only complaint with the Shrimp Po’boy was it could have used a few more shrimp however because of the Chowder I couldn’t finish the Po’boy anyway. I ended up just finishing off the shrimp and leaving almost half a loaf of that awesome bread.
My second visit I had the Seafood Gumbo. It was very flavorful and delicious. It’s not the best gumbo I’ve ever had but I really did enjoy it. Loaded with tasty seafood and a very good roux. This will be even better on a cold Fall or Winters day.
My third visit I discovered a dish that changed my life! No seriously, it’s that good! I’ve had Crawfish Étouffée many, many times and it’s really one of my favorite Cajun dishes but the way the Crawfish Étouffée Stuffed Po’boy comes together, I swear it’s the best thing I’ve ever eaten in my life! Why did I wait until my third visit to try this? The only way I can describe this dish is it’s like a huge Cajun Pot Pie that is overflowing with wonderfully creamy crawfish! The bread was crispy and flakey and oh so delicious. This is comfort food at it’s pinnacle.
My only disappointment so far at Mardi Gras Memphis was with dessert. I ordered a slice of sweet potato pie to go because I was so stuffed there was no way in the world I was going to attempt to eat anything else for the rest of the day. The pie fell way short of my expectations. It really tasted like they just mashed up a sweet potato and put it in a pie shell. No spice or sweetness to it at all. Hopefully I just caught them on a bad day of pie baking.
I was leaning toward a four star review but with a dish like the Crawfish Étouffée Stuffed Po’boy that pushed it to five stars. Incredible dish that I hope to enjoy many times again in my not too distant future.