Drago’s Seafood Restaurant

Char boiled oyster all day! But everything else on the menu was pretty average. Just get the char boiled oyster and you’ll be happy.

Insanely wonderful!!! This is my go to restaurant every time I travel to Nola. The chargrilled oysters are amazing! Either here or at the flagship restaurant in Metairie is a must eat!

Never had anything besides oysters here. Its a shame but the oysters are really good!

Best ever broiled and raw oysters. Really meaty. The break served with the raw oysters is somewhat dry but goes well with the buttery delicious sauce.

Come here for the Charbroiled Oysters. This was my first stop in NOLA since everyone I spoke to told me to give them a shot. Let me tell you, myself and my date are not oyster fans at all but after Drago’s we loved them Charbroiled.
We did order entrées as well but both of our dishes fell flat compared to our starter. I tried the Drago’s mixed grill. It came with half a lobster, Petite filet, and grilled shrimp. The lobster was way over cooked with no meat in its tail. It was pretty much just all claw meat. Shrimp were over cooked and chewy as well. The steak had no seasoning but they were able to cook it to my ordered temperature.
As for my date, she ordered the lobster pasta dish. She was not satisfied with it either.
I would give this place 5 stars for service and the Oysters but 2 stars for their entrees.

Chargrilled oysters, period!!! These by far are the best oysters I have had! Listen, I am a big fan of the plain variety but these, these are on a different level. The char flavor the grill imparts, along with the butter, breadcrumb, Parmesan cheese is spectacular.
We had a spring salad to cut through the richness of the 2 dozen oysters. The vinaigrette, cranberry, pecans and blue cheese were the perfect palate cleanser.
We chased it all down with a cup of coffee and a key lime mouse served in a champagne glass.
Justin our waiter was extremely attentive and helped us through our experience by offering his insight to what we were looking for — definitely ask for him and you will not be dissapointed.
With all the great food available in New Orleans, you will NOT be dissapointed with your experience here. Especially what the amazing service Justin provides with the equally spectacular oysters.

Chargrilled Oysters were awesome! We had excellent service from our waiter who was attentive, friendly and even through in some extras like chicory coffee for me to try. He brought complimentary bread, salads, and some crackers for the kiddo to snack on. He explained the grilled oysters for us and sold us instantly on their deliciousness. They did not disappoint.
To me, the sign of a good chef is someone who can make a dish fancy with a large flavor palette and also one who can make a dish simply but still delicious in it’s simplicity. Drago’s did that well. My son ordered the Seafood Pasta and it was not overstated, overpowering but it was so good. We all nibbled on it!
My husband ordered the large lobster and petite filet and it was beautifully presented and moist – not overcooked. I ordered the Shrimp Florentine and it had pine nuts, sun dried tomatoes, spinach and a medium spice to it’s wine sauce. I enjoyed it very much and would definitely go back.
It’s nice to have a delicious restaurant in the hotel that we can just pop down and have dinner, drinks, or appetizers anytime we want. Service is a huge thing for me and our waiter was awesome!

I’ll keep this one short. The oysters are amazing. Their charbroiled oysters are very tasty. The fresh ones are very fresh tasting. No complaints whatsoever with the oysters. I tried the seafood pasta and shrimp and corn bisque as well. The seafood pasta was good and the serving was large. The shrimp and corn bisque was okay. Would order just the oysters next time.

After trying ACME’s and Drago’s charbroiled oysters, I came to the conclusion that ACME’s oysters are better, but this comes to a close second and definitely worth a try also. We ordered a dozen of the charbroiled oysters, jambalaya, alligator bites, and bread pudding. The reason why I do not like the charbroiled oysters here so much is because they seem to have more of a natural taste. It is gritty with tastes of sand in it and I find the buttery sauce with cheese to be too liquidy. I would prefer it to be more melted and on the dry side. But because of this, you can definitely taste the oysters. The jambalaya is also on the wet side, pretty tasty. Bread pudding was delish. I wasn’t a huge fan of the alligator bites as I find it to be pretty mediocre. It almost tasted like fried chicken with it being deep fried. Come for the oysters!
Service was quick and attentive. The restaurant is located inside the Hilton hotel. Parking is validated by the restaurant.

It all started with a bag of Zapp’s chips. Flavor read ‘Drago’s Charbroiled Oyster’. How could someone pass that up? Maybe it was the hunger after an honest 12 hour workday, but after one bite my crew decided that we wanted more of that unique flavor and decided to head right to the source.
As other diners have already discovered, the charbroiled oysters are in a class by themselves. Flavorful, not overcooked, complimented perfectly by garlic, butter and cheese. Just like the menu says, it is the single best bite of food in NOLA.
Our server, Argello, was exceptional. He took care of the 9-​top table like a seasoned pro and paced all of our drink and meal orders very well. For the main course I decided, on his recommendation, to go for the seafood gumbo and it did not disappoint! I could have used a little more hot sauce and was disappointed that only Tabasco graced the table but hey, in truth it was perfectly fine as originally prepared. The french bread used to soak up both the oyster sauce and gumbo was freshly prepared and hit that fine line between chewy while maintaining a crust.
The overall atmosphere is the restaurant was busy (even at 9pm) without causing tension or stress. Efficient service, terrific cuisine quality are the takeaways here and I could not call a visit complete without a visit.

Honestly, no real need to read my review. Drago’s is a staple in NOLA for their Charboiled oysters. There really isn’t a need to get anything else. Looking over the menu, everything else looked pretty standard and per other reviews, subpar.
I went with a party of four and between us, we ordered two dozen oysters. Something about the seasoning, the toppings, and the cheese, makes for a great combo.
If you’re a fan of bread, then baby, you’re in luck. Use that bread to soak up all that oyster juice goodness.

The charbroiled oysters here are easily one of the greatest things I’ve ever put in my mouth. Sure, oysters with cheese on them may sound sort of sketch, but once you’ve tasted them, you will change your mind completely. They are a yummy, amazing, once in a life time heart attack waiting to happen, but oh what a way to go. Full of lemony, buttery goodness, these are well worth the calorie count. Skip the entrée me order these as your meal. You won’t regret it!

If I had a time machine, I would go back in time and make sure I NEVER came here. Expensive and horrible food… Worst meal I’ve had in New Orleans.
— Gritty, sandy oysters.
— Wilted salad.
— Dirty tasting potatoes.
— Chewy lobster with flavorless butter.
— Horrible pasta.
— Lukewarm food.
— Slow service.
There’s a reason why this place doesn’t have a wait. I just spent $ 100 and I’m still hungry. This place was absolutely inedible.

My husband and I visited here for a late lunch/​cocktail hour snack while in town. We requested to sit at the oyster bar which had been trashed by the previous party but the staff did what they could to clean it up quickly for us to sit. It’s quite the operation they’ve got to charbroil the oysters! It was so fun to watch. We just got a half dozen of the char broiled oysters and we were in heaven, those things are pretty divine! And this is coming from someone who isn’t a big seafood eater. They’re basted in a garlic butter sauce and sprinkled with Parmesan blend before serving. Then its served with lemons and toasted bread, so simple but so so delicious. Definitely not for the calorie or dairy conscious!
The atmosphere and service leave a little to be desired but it seems like its the place to go for good oysters and a behind the scenes look at the preparation. I enjoyed it so much I went back for lunch a couple days later before leaving!

The charbroiled oysters are out of this world. Let me first say that! The taste and the sauce they are in, phenomenal!!!
The bar was pretty crowded… And the waitress seems to get a lot of pressure to take care of the regulars more than visitors. It takes a newbie to start coming often to become a regular!
My bartender was nice and accommodating.
The issue I had was the waitstaff yells at each other and uses profanity while the customers are sitting right there at the bar! It definitely didn’t enhance the experience.
But the oysters were just so amazing and the con salad I had with shrimp was well done. Not amazing but well done and I would order it again but probably would try something else on the menu.
The owner was there and gave me some chips– that was generous and friendly. I was definitely
Happy with the experience.

Drago’s is super convenient if you’re staying at the Hilton. It’s not necessarily fast though. Our party of 4 waited 20 min for a table in a mostly empty restaurant. Frustrating. You’d think they’d do a better job of staff management on big event weekends.
The husband and I split an oyster poboy for lunch. It’s nearly a 13-​inch sandwich and comes with fries, so it’s plenty for 2 people. The sandwich plus 2 bottles (not draft) of Abita Amber came to $ 33 plus tip.
The oysters were good. The bread was overly toasted though. Like completely shatter into crumbs everywhere and fall apart in your hands with dryness as you try to eat. Grrr.
Our friend was able to order off the children’s menu — a huge win. Also our server was very nice and kept our water glasses full.
So again, good for eating if you need somewhere close to your hotel. Otherwise it wouldn’t be my first choice.

On our final night in New Orleans, we had dinner with our new Unilocal friend, Kate D. Since we weren’t really familiar with the area, we let her choose the spot for dinner after QueLinda’s suggestion for seafood.
When we arrived, we saw that there were plenty of people waiting to be seated. We decided to wait at the bar but we didn’t have to wait long before we were seated. It seemed as if only 15 minutes had passed before we were seated.
We started with the famous charbroiled oysters. A dozen for $ 20. Next time I come here, I think I might just make a dinner out of these. Although, my heart would probably give out since there’s a good amount of butter in each oyster. Pairs well with some bread to soak up the buttery cheesy goodness…(Thanks Leo for suggesting these. I would have not known about this if it weren’t for your suggestion.)
For the entrée, we all ordered lobster, but QueLinda and I added a petite filet to our dinner to make it surf and turf. There are 5 sizes of lobster available. I ordered the steamed Maine lobster, which was the smallest, roughly about 1 – 1.5lbs. They crack the lobster in half, so it’s easier for you to break open, although, there still some work involved. The meal came with two red potatoes. I would have preferred if they were mashed and covered in butter… but I think I had enough butter earlier in my meal.
Our waiter was also very friendly and funny and even helped us take a group photo.
Ugh, can we go back again???

Take a restaurant that you like where they serve delicious food, and then turn it into an all-​you-​can-​eat buffet style dinner party. That’s what we did. The restaurant roped off a section of the dining room just for us to enjoy.
They served a selection of dishes — all of them we’re bottomless portions. The most exciting dish on the menu was the broiled Maine lobster with drawn butter and sliced lemon wedges. There’s some amazing sweet meat when you crack into those delectable claws.
Of course there was gumbo, several different types of pasta with shrimp and sausage, and certainly a big hit for the group was the char-​grilled oysters — outstanding! Don’t forget about dessert, there was a delightful bread pudding and I also had the brownie sundae. That took care of my sweet tooth. To accompany the meal, they served beer and wine plus they provided us with an open bar for cocktails. All that that came together for an excellent dinner party for our business guests.
This option is a nice break from the usual white tablecloth business dinner. Consider it for your next party.
Salute!

For years now I have been hearing from my boyfriend about charbroiled oysters he had in lousiana. He talked about the experience and dish so often we dubbed it his gateway oyster. As it is the oyster dish that opened the flood gates to loving oysters. His gateway oyster was consumed at Drago’s at the other location in Metarie. When planning our trip to NOLA unbeknownst to him they opened a second location at the Hilton riverside so we made it a point to visit.
We came with no reservations on Thursday night. We were seated right away. The restaurant itself feels like your eating in a hotel restaurant and the ambiance is lacking considering the dishes are pretty pricy.
The service was good. We ordered a dozen charbroiled oysters to share and the BF ordered red beans and rice.
The oysters were delicous. Each oyster was swimming in an insane amount of buttery cheesy garlicy goodness. He really enjoyed the red beans and rice it comes with a skewer on top with two slices of sausage and a bacon wrapped oyster.
It’s worth it to visit, on oysters alone– they get 5 stars. But I couldn’t get past the lack of vibe in this place. It felt like I was in a red lobster.

Finally I’m here! Croatian descent restaurant owned by Drago Cvitanovich. This location is at the Hilton New Orleans Riverside you can’t miss it. After you get seated and you get to look at the huge menu. My eyes begins to search for the charboiled oysters on the menu. Bam! There it is… on the top middle page of the menu! Dozen costs $ 20. My boyfriend and had to order it. We also ordered spinach dip and fried catfish platter.
The oysters is amazing as people say they are. Oh my goodness! Oysters are huge and fresh. I can taste butter, garlic, black pepper, and melted Parmesan and Romano cheese. This is bucket list worthy on anyone’s list.
The spinach dip was really cheesy and delicious The tortilla chips with the spinach dip was okay. Somw chips were crispy and crunchy. Other chips were stale and chewy. The chips were tricolors red, purple, and yellow corn tortilla chips.
Fried Catfish Platter with french fries. The catfish was thinned out which made it extra crunchy and not fishy at all. Dip it with tartar sauce and cocktail sauce. French fries was crispy and hot. It was really delicious.
We left buzzed, full, and extremely happy. I’m glad we experienced the famous charboiled oysters. It was really yummy! Thank you!