Desire Oyster Bar

If you’re in New Orleans and craving oysters, stop scrolling and start walking—Desire Oyster Bar is the spot. Located right on Bourbon Street with an old-school New Orleans charm, this place is a seafood lover’s dream wrapped in French Quarter flair. Let’s get right to it: the oysters were phenomenal. Fresh, briny, and beautifully shucked, they were the perfect balance of ocean-sweet and salt-kissed. Whether raw on the half shell, charbroiled with garlic and butter, or dressed up in Rockefeller fashion, every version we tried was a hit. These weren’t just good—they were some of the best oysters I’ve ever had. Cold, clean, and absolutely crave-worthy. The vibe inside was lively but relaxed, with warm service that made us feel welcome from the moment we sat down. Our server was knowledgeable, quick with a recommendation, and just the right level of attentive. Even with a full dining room, we never felt rushed—which made the experience even better. We came for the oysters, but left with a full appreciation for everything this place brings to the table. It’s classic New Orleans: bold flavors, friendly faces, and a little bit of that French Quarter magic. We’ll be dreaming about those oysters until we’re back.

I have been visiting this restaurant since 1996 and all I can say is great things get better with time. The staff is very friendly. The food is always on point and the bloody Mary’s oh my God if you’re in New Orleans, I suggest you visit Desire!

I ate breakfast here because it was connected to my hotel and I had a breakfast voucher. The voucher is good for $24 per person I believe. The food was fine, but not really great. The pancakes were dry. The prices are a bit high, especially considering you have to add everything. Nothing really comes as a meal. I added my grits, added cheese to that. Added whip cream for my pancakes. So for an order of French toast, pancakes, cheese grits, whipped cream (side), and 1 drink was like $50. I understand the price because of the location (on bourbon). But I wouldn't come back for the food. The service was good. Maybe lunch is better.

Happy hour oysters!!!! Got 2 dozen and a half dozen of them Rockefeller style. Not a huge fan of them, but the raw ones were bomb 💣 Shirley was our server and she was awesome as well. Love this place 👍🇺🇸

Raw oysters at Desire on Bourbon Street in New Orleans was a real treat. My wife’s gumbo and crab 🦀 cakes were delicious too. Beautiful parlor style restaurant at the corner of the Royal Sonesta hotel. I’ll let the pictures say the rest

We were told by the host that we couldn’t go upstairs because “it was separate and he didn’t know what went on up there”. Little did we know, it was a beautiful balcony. We felt jipped. Food was good but the alligator bites were very fried/mostly bread.

Ive lived here a long time and this is my favorite restaurant. Great oysters, delicious gumbo, fantastic staff and service. A must for anyone local or visiting anytime day or night.

We enjoyed an early breakfast. While we understood the food was going to be more in the French quarter, it was good. Bacon, eggs, biscuits, and grits with dark roast coffee was spot on.

Best Oysters in New Orleans, not a popularity contest. hands down best in flavor. cherry on top is you get more for your buck.

Hit up a Happy Hour dozen delicious oysters freshly shucked and 3 drinks! Great appetizer before dinner! Clean, bar friendly attentive bartenders!

Came for happy hour, oysters were only $1.50 and $5 well drinks!! We ordered oysters, fried green tomatoes, sweet potato fries, vodka soda and a Manhattan. The oysters were big in size but had more grit/shells in them and didn't seem as clean compared to other places. Idk if it's cause we had raw oysters the two days prior back to back but these just weren't hitting. Most restaurants serve raw oysters over ice to stay chilled as you eat but they weren't here, so the oysters became room temp as we drank, ate and chatted which also affected the taste. The fried green tomatoes were alright, a little bland. I think the sweet potato fries were topped with cinnamon so it was more of a dessert than savory. I'd probably skip those two dishes. Might need to come back to give the oysters another try - unfortunately we didn't love them but perhaps we had too many oysters recently. The service was great and very friendly.

As locals, we know what to expect in terms of excellent service and exceptional local flavor. Today, our service was at a snail's crawl. Our food was bland to normal and not outstanding. This was not the standards of this institution and our meal was not memorable whatsoever. Simply put, if this is a famous restaurant to "wow" tourists, there is much to be desired at the Desire Oyster House. Our server forgot our order, we got gumbo and salad. Not too difficult to remember. We waited an hour and a half FOR GUMBO AND SALAD. What a shame :(

Located right in the Bourbon Street area, I stopped in this cute little restaurant to experience the charbroiled oysters that New Orleans is famous for. I enjoyed a nice margarita at the bar and ordered the oysters, which were very good. Topped with butter and parmesan cheese, I wish I could have had more.

Like the aesthetic of the diner feel, but on a higher level. We had the crab cakes, chargrilled oysters, peel n eat shrimp and some wings. Wasn't bad, but definitely wasn't the best food we've had, my partner probably said it best when he said Desire left a lot to be desired. Outside of the oysters, the food all came out luke warm. The wings had a few that looked undercooked on the inside, so he didn't even eat all the wings. The oysters were good, but we have had others in the city that are still our favorites. Outside of that, the service was just missing, our waitress said she lost her voice but seemed to talk fine when needed. And even if so, at least check on us. She went MIA for most of the visit, the food came before our bar drinks, which we saw sitting in the service bar waiting for someone. We ended up asking the manager to get our drinks when he delivered the food, pointing them out that they're ready. With her not being attentive to much of anything, we attributed the food being some what cold or lukewarm to her maybe not running it out when it was ready. Atmosphere is good but there's definitely better service and food elsewhere in NOLA.

We are staying at Royal Sonesta so it was super close (attached). Needed a snack and the hotdog stand wasn't opened yet so half dozen chargrilled oysters sounded good. Then I saw the gumbo go by and it was love at first smell! Had a cup. Burned we have dinner reservations it I would've gone nuts in there. I make a good seafood gumbo but theirs was next level. I'm gonna have to do better. Can't recommend highly enough.

This place is okay if you want to get away from the crowds off bourbon street. I wanted to get some oysters in before heading out the next morning and this place hit the spot. There's a bouncer outside that makes sure all the riff raff is kept out. I since I was solo it was easy to eat at the bar. Ordered half a dozen oysters and a beer. Service was quick and friendly. The oysters were ok here. Kind of like the oysters you'd find when they are having oyster night at your local restaurant. They could've shocked or presented better but I think it's fine if you're craving oysters.

We ate here twice while staying in NOLA . Great Service and Great Food ! Everything was fresh and tasty ! The Sister servers there are a joy and are a credit to your staff :) Again, Wonderful Place to Eat ! ( in the Royal Sonesta Hotel)

Happy Hour oysters and wine?! Don't you tempt me with a good time. These are a few of my favorite things. It isn't IN the hotel, but it is connected to the hotel. It is not a big place but I love the decor. Our waiter was very nice, but seemed a bit overwhelmed. He got a couple of things wrong and could not remember who ordered what, but it was quickly rectified and he was always polite about it. The oysters were HUGE, cold and delicious. I love that they had them on happy hour and would definitely come again.

Stopped by Desire for a quick round of oysters. To my surprise, the restaurant gave very quaint diner vibes, with a bar, high and low seating as well as the chefs grill station in the corner. Service was great, and southern hospitality shows. I ordered the chargrilled oysters plus crab cakes. The oysters came freshly garnished with parmesan, parsley, and butter. Their menu doesn't offer many different options on how to prepare the oysters but this was a classic selection. Crab cake order came with 2 decently sized crab cakes, fresh and crispy and over a bed of corn relish. I would recommend it, but if you're looking to try oysters prepped in many ways, consider another joint.

First of my group to arrive. After checking in at the royal sonesta, I was informed about this place and how they would accept our free $15 credit. I came for a much needed drink after settling into my room. Despite the hotel check in desk alerting me of happy hour, bartender told me they are currently NOT offering HH at the moment. You'd think that's something important to inform your partnering hotel....Anyways, was offered a menu to peruse the food options. Was served my drink. No one ever thought to follow up on my interest in food though. Someone collected my menu without me noticing and no one ever thought to follow up. Had to flag someone down to place an order their oysters. Decent, nothing special, average 5/10.

Had lunch here and sat at the oyster bar. The two guys shucking were a show. The raw oysters were huge and sampled a couple of char grilled they were great as well.

My salad looked good, but it didn't give what it was supposed to. Heavy on the dressing, not on the toppings, and they didn't have the iceberg lettuce. I probably should have canceled this once he said that. However, I shared a big fried catch plate. That was good! Sorry, I don't have a picture of that, but that was worthy. They were out of quite a few things that a couple of us in our party wanted. This would not be on my place to visit again. One and done for me.

The oysters are so good! I had half a dozen oysters on the shell and half a dozen Rockin' chargrilled oysters. The oysters were humongous, and the chargrilled oysters with creamed spinach and herb sauce were so unique and delicious -- when served the cream rich in oil were still boiling top it with the soft bread... at the end I broke my rule of no carbs at dinner, aka I had four bread pieces with 12 oysters! Love it!!!

Grabbed a beer and a dozen oysters by the oyster bar during happy hour. Didn't actually realize it was happy hour so when the bill came through it was a pleasant surprise! If you sit by the bar the guy will shuck the oysters right in front of you - as fresh as they come. There's a fridge behind him that also contains stacks of plates of pre-prepped oysters that I'm pretty sure are for those with a table. The oysters themselves were juicy and plump, they definitely have a good supplier - better than most of the other oysters joints in the French Quarter area. tldr; get oysters here during happy hour

Amazing food and service. Prices were reasonable. My family were there more than once during our trip.

Charbroiled oysters and raw oysters are a huge dramatic this bourbon street spot. It is attached to the Royal Sonesta Hotel right on the corner. They have an oyster bar and a full bar for all your spirit needs. We normally come for the oyster because they are super yummy. I try not to overdo it, but hey, when in Nawlins!

The oysters were fresh and big, I also tried the gumbo and it was delicious. I was so glad this place was open because I happened to be there during a recording snow and everything was closed.

Mid - it was alright. Synopsis below: Crab Cake - super bready and fried but it was decent Crawfish Elouffee - it was ok, but wouldn't order again Cajun Alfredo Pasta - Star of the show! The service was mid at best, and the inside looks way nicer in photos. Overall, average experience and average food.

If we could give zero stars we would. My wife, brother and I all had a platter of oysters here yesterday afternoon. We all now have MASSIVE food poisoning. Obviously they aren't fresh or prepared well. We also have been trying to call the restaurant all day and no one answers the phone. Avoid this place like the plague it gave us...

Love this place! Great atmosphere, great service and the food was on point. The location is dope! S/O the bartender! I definitely will be back.

A SOLID place to eat attached to the Royal Sonesta Hotel right on Bourbon St. I ended up having the best breakfast on the trip with one of their grits dishes! The theming was great and quality was worth everything I paid for. Definitely would eat here again! Only drawback was the service. I came at the end of the Breakfast rush and was waiting to grab my bill even though more than half of the patrons had already left. Only a small blemish on my visit. Definitely worth it though!

When in New Orleans I try to eat as many oysters as I can through out my trip. LOL I needed a late afternoon snack. Stumbled on Desire after I saw the Happy Hour $1.00 Oyster sign starting at 2:00 p.m. Bingo it was 2:00 p.m., walked in, sat at the bar. The atmosphere was eating at a high end diner feel. Angela, very friendly, took care of us. We ordered a beer and a Happy Hour cocktail and a Dozen Raw Oysters. The oysters were clean and fresh and tasted delicious. Atmosphere: high end diner feel. Service: very good. Food: excellent but note, I only had the oysters at Happy Hour.

Everything was ok until I saw a giant roach underneath my legs! Staff had no reaction and didn't do anything to fix the situation. Food was ok- I didn't really have much of an appetite after that...wont be going back

Service was great and the charbroiled oysters were delish! They were significantly smaller than ones at Acme and Mr Eds but tasted great.

Ambiance felt a little tired and menus need a refresh but food was good and quick. The chargrilled oysters were excellent.

Best meal I had in New Orleans! Charbroiled oysters OMMGGGG . 100000/10. I would take them over dragos every time.

My gosh!!! I can say that they have the juiciest most jumbo oysters in the city. These oysters are so juicy and the service is so good. For a moment, I thought I wasn't on busy Bourbon Street anymore. I don't know if getting a drink, then coming here was the best part or eating and then going out to get another drink... We literally came back the next day for more, the inside is clean anyone can walk in. Children are welcome as well.

House of FLAVORS Bruh!! Excellent service, it's packed and going down in Desires. Chargrilled oysters so good here you will double or in my case triple down! Gumbo was hot and full of flavor. Not pictured is the fried gator which was also on point! I will be back for football season and update with more pictures!

I am a huge oyster lover. I heard about their amazing happy hour (2-5pm). I had a flight to catch, so I came in at 2pm and ordered a dozen oyster. Inhaled them in 4 minutes and paid $15~ including tip. It was pretty empty on a Tuesday afternoon. If I had more time, i might have ordered a drink and another dozen... It was actually really nice and clean inside. For some reason I thought it would be a low-key cheap place but it looked pretty fancy In there. For all the oyster lovers, don't forget about this place's happy hour from2-5pm EVERY DAY!

Although the service was good & the ambiance welcoming with large windows all around to see Bourbon street, the food was not the best we had during our trip to NO, LA. The crab cakes and the fried alligator were actually delicious, non fishy, and flavorful. The jambalaya was a bit bland, but the sausage and chicken within it had good flavor. The fried green tomatoes would have been great without the sauce, it had a bit of a Dijon mustard flavor, but the fried green tomatoes themselves were okay. We did not enjoy the bread pudding, but maybe because we didn't like how it's soggy, it was our first time trying bread pudding so we didn't know what to expect. We didn't try the oysters here, but we wish we should have for coming to an oyster bar! I would definitely return for the fried alligator, it wasn't chewy and was super flavorful & crispy on the outside.

Desire is a consistent French Quartet oyster bar serving up standard New Orleans fare, located in the Royal Sonesta Hotel. The service is good here and they are very prompt. The staff were jovial and seemed happy to be at work. Each oyster dish did contain some shell fragments so the shucking could've been a bit more mindful. The fresh oysters were large, fresh and plump. The chargrilled oysters with spinach and Parmesan were delicious and perfect for people that prefer a cooked oyster. We also enjoyed some simple red beans and rice and a fried shrimp Poboy. Shrimp were tasty but a bit overcooked. My wife insisted that it get five stars since she tries to visit this location every time she is in New Orleans, but it rates 3-4. Prices are very reasonable at this location.

Yum! What a gem. Sitting inside the Royal Sonesta complex, this comfortably casual restaurant with very good food and great service is a welcome surprise. We needed to use up our $50 food/beverage credit. Desire more than met our expectations. Crab cake. Jambalaya. Grilled oysters. Tasty stuff. A nice meal only slightly marred by the idiot sitting against the wall outside on Bourbon St banging away on his empty 5-gallon bucket. We know. We get that the FQ is full of hucksters & con artists & scammers & wannabe buskers who cannot carry a tune. He's deaf cause he's been banging away on his bucket forever. So he just keeps banging out of rhythm harder & harder. Whaddya gonna do? Nevertheless, we enjoyed our dinner. And we both decided we'll come back next time we're in NOLA. Nice.

great service! loved the shrimp and grits! also the vibes are very chill. I loved the mirror with the name on it. my boyfriend got two dozen oysters and ate every single one! so they must have been good.

Pete serviced us his wonderful food is exlent but ambiance is so old I wish they have some renovations

Gumbo was very tasty, fish of the day was delicious. Everybody who was working today for Christmas Day was very friendly and accommodating.

Came in out of the rain... restaurant almost empty. Service friendly, but never brought us the drink we ordered!!! Tried to clear food before we finished eating. Charged extra if using credit card. Food ok, but we were hungry... not exceptional.

Seafood gumbo was delicious. There is a little spice to it but delicious. The chargrilled oysters were also delicious. The service was quick and the servers were friendly. My friend had the catfish poboy was also delicious. The jambalaya was tasty as well.

out and about on the day before Christmas Eve, we're wandering the Quarter. It's mid-day, why not a snack. We both love oysters and what better place to go than Desire. The oysters are always cold and if you sit at the bar the shucker is always talkative and really nice. With a cold beer, what could be better. We'll be back.

Second day in New Orleans and we continue our mission to have oysters everyday. Cute little corner restaurant connected to a hotel I believe. Service was nice. We ordered a few items off the menu and to be honest it was okay. I've had better at other places which weren't in New Orleans. We ordered the fried alligator, trio sampler, char broiled oyster and a whole lot of raw oysters. The alligator was a bit too salty and the trio were good, but could be better. Char broiled oyster were also on the saltier side. The raw oyster were just okay. They were smaller than the other oyster bars oysters we had. What I don't like is that they did not clean the oyster shells so there were lots of dirt. You could see the dirt in the picture. I had to make sure I didn't touch the shell and just use a fork. So anyone looking to pick up their oyster to slurp, this is not the bar to be doing it at.

Came here for a quick snack since we hadn't eaten all day but didn't want to fill up before dinner. Had a 1/2 order of raw oysters...they were fresh and hit the spot. No wait, in and out quick. Small tables, small area for restaurant but good stop.

Service wasn't the best. Server seemed overwhelmed. Restaurant was getting a lot of foot traffic, it seemed maybe connected to a hotel. The oysters were really small. The red beans and rice were good and a large portion. The chicken and waffles were good. A lot of chicken. The waffle seemed to be made from corn meal so that was pretty good when we ate it all together.

My friend wanted to come here because she loved the oysters . We came on monday at a decent time, it wasn't crowded. Service is very very slow and our server Pete was okay.. he definitely could have been more personable and he never checked on us to see how our food and drinks were. Took minutes to take our order and another 20 min to get the oysters. Worth the wait because the chargrilled oysters were very good .

Best food on bourbon street hands down! Fresh oysters, amazing grilled option as well. Hurricanes boozy and fruity not sweet. However the crawfish étouffée is the best hands down. You will not find better!!! Loaded with crawfish and the roux is flavorful. Do not walk past this restaurant!!! The only this better that the food is the service. If you are lucky you will get the bartender KiKi. Great drinks and even better conversation! And don't forget to ask her about winning wheel of fortune lol

We are here twice while in New Orleans. Once for breakfast and once for lunch. We lucked up and got the same amazing server both times. Their breakfast was cooked fresh and had a great amount of seasoning. My husband enjoyed their classic Benedict he really liked the seafood twist. Their lunch was also delicious. He enjoyed the rich flavor of their gumbo and chargrilled oysters. They were perfectly cooked and seasoned. I had the chicken po boy the only thing I would change is the size of the chicken I had more bread then chicken

Fresh oysters fast service seating at the bar with good selection of southern style food

Went for oyster happy hour, solid $1 oysters, decent sized and good flavor with all the sauces and add ons youd need, then got the chargrilled which were one of the best things I've ever eaten. I'm considering going back again just for them. Plus the guy behind the oyster bar, Fredrick, was great, friendly and helpful, was doing the work of several people.

A quick stop to class up our walk down Bourbon Street. Chargrilled oysters were a bit over cooked and the shrimp roulade with fried green tomatoes was flavorful but not enough to get excited about. The coating on the tomatoes was dry and lacked a good balance.