El Gato Negro Gretna

Had lunch at El Gato Negro in Gretna and it was a great experience. We started with the Cabo San Lucas ceviche, wow! It was full of flavor. The skirt steak was cooked perfectly, and the grilled zucchini was the perfect complement. A must-stop if you’re in Gretna! Highly recommend.

This place has one of the best burritos that I've ever had and it was huge, definitely could feed two. I thought the colors of the Mexican flag in sauces were pretty neat too. Oh, and great drinks! We had the tequila flight, which was excellent and their margaritas are amazing. Fun place 😁 The decor was cool too.

This location of El Gato Negro sadly on average just isn't quite as good as the others with the biggest issue being service often seems to be especially lacking. The building the restaurant is located in is nice enough and they seem to have created a pleasant ambiance. I've unfortunately also found the food here to be less good than at their other spots. It does often get VERY crowded in here so that can be at least one excuse for some of the poor service. However, I have been here when it was pretty dead and still experienced poor service so it seems to be a common pattern at this spot for whatever reason that you go for long periods of time without a server. Overall this is still a decent spot to grab some more high end Mexican food that tends to be more pricy than other Mexican joints. Overall if I'm paying the higher prices for the fancier food I expect better service to go along with it.

This place was truly amazing!! The atmosphere was so welcoming, and clean! The food was truly amazing, affordable and didn't take long to come out. Our service was truly amazing shoutout to our amazing server Henry, he sure knows how to make everyone feel loved and welcomed!! I will be eating here more often!!!

We are so glad that we discovered this fun, local restaurant. Lots of options with some of the best margaritas in town - my Watermelon Margarita was fantastic! Wonderful decor, attentive service - be sure and order that guacamole made table side - a real treat. Large portions that are as good the next day as they were at the restaurant.

Little busy when we went, but no wait, and the food was still great. I opted for the enchilada trio a recommendable entree. My guest opted for the shrimp stuffed pepper and she enjoyed it as well.

This is our favorite Mexican restaurant in the New Orleans area. This particular area is across the river in Gretna. It’s a quick drive over the bridge and it is located in downtown Gretna which is very quaint and lovely. The downtown area hosts a farmers market and there’s a chocolate and coffee house right next door. It’s a lovely area to walk and enjoy the sights. The food is always delicious here and we enjoy the staff.

Stopped in for a small bite. Waitress ask “Do you want cheese on your burritos?” We say yes of course (she did NOT inform us cheese cost extra.) The “brisket” taste like a cheap roast beef. Cheese was eh. Chips and guacamole were great. Bill comes and it’s over $90 because the cheese was $5 extra each. We did not have time to argue the price. I haven’t felt so swindled in a long time as that food really wasn’t worth it.

Had dinner here with a friend and I knew it would be great from the salsa. The chips and salsa always lets you know how well the food will be in my opinion. The salsa was spicy and flavorful. I ordered the brisket burrito and it was HUGE! It was packed with brisket, caramelized onions, rice, beans, and cheese. The guacamole and sour cream were on the side and it was topped in salsa and cheese. It was sooooo good and flavorful! The brisket was delicious! I brought half home to have for lunch the next day. Gretna has some amazing food spots, no need to go to the city! The service here is great as well. Our waitress was very attentive, checking to make sure we were good and enjoying our meal. I always assumed this spot didn't get business because it never seems packed. Well, that's because the party is on the inside. There was a nice amount of people dining in and they sing happy birthday to guests!

Great food and service located in the heart of Old Gretna. They were busy but all the servers were super friendly and helpful.

This location of El Gato Negro sadly on average just isn't quite as good as the others with the biggest issue being service often seems to be especially lacking. The building the restaurant is located in is nice enough and they seem to have created a pleasant ambiance. I've unfortunately also found the food here to be less good than at their other spots. It does often get VERY crowded in here so that can be at least one excuse for some of the poor service. However, I have been here when it was pretty dead and still experienced poor service so it seems to be a common pattern at this spot for whatever reason that you go for long periods of time without a server. Overall this is still a decent spot to grab some more high end Mexican food that tends to be more pricy than other Mexican joints. Overall if I'm paying the higher prices for the fancier food I expect better service to go along with it.

Good Mexican spot in old town Gretna! I've been here many times for business lunches and just realized that I had never posted a review. Food is always good, I don't drink anymore but when I did, it he margaritas were a treat.

Great margaritas Mango on the rocks Definitely enjoyed tableside guacamole so fresh with lots of lime Had delicious skirt steak tacos Corn tortillas here are the best and fresh made in the kitchen Service with a smile Belly full I'm happy

Ordered Carne Asada with add on shrimp (4) $8.74 The Carne Asada wasn't even warm, the beans on the plate were COLD, like right out the fridge. Thats plate was $37.00 Then we also ordered El burrito con mole that barely had any chicken in it and it was missing the queso and poblano. Made a complaint to the waitress, all that was that was offered was to warm up the beans and steak. This second time here and they are never busy. I have had other locations and they are wonderful, but gretna location needs some work!!! That waitress should have never been okay with those plates making it to the table!

I really wanted to love El Gato. Unfortunately, just like the other location, the drinks are really the only thing worth going for. If they had seating outside, it would probably make a cute happy hour spot. But inside is rather small and so loud. The food is not bad. But I think there are better, more affordable options around.

To start, the upcharges are ridiculous. Table of four gets one salsa and $1.95 for each additional mini salsa. My 7 year old ordered on soft taco, meat and cheese only which cost over $9 with cheese addition. Sour cream, upcharge, bathroom upcharge, clean the table upcharge. Probably the reason why only two tables were occupied on a Friday evening.

If I could give a zero I would. I have eaten at all three locations. This was totally ridiculous. It took 2 hours to eat lunch. ( Nothing special) The food came out cold!! The shrimp & lobster smelled very fishy !! They charge you extra for everything!! You would think you would get cheese with your fajitas but no up charge. I know this is what you would call a upscale Mexican restaurant but the service & quality is no there anymore. Oh, than they add an up charge for credit cards too. Hate to say but that was my last visit.

This place gave me the equivalent of a kids meal for almost $20. I ordered a quesadilla to go and they gave me the smallest quesadilla I've ever seen in my life. It looked like a kids size. It did come with chips and salsa an abundance of chips might I add. But it wasn't dressed with anything else like quesadillas normally are. I should've known because it was very empty with only one table of customers. I wouldn't recommend it.

I've heard about El Gato for years... gotta try it, gotta try it. So, I tried it.  Went to the one in Gretna. Very nice interior, colorful, clean. Got the salsa and chips. Salsa... really sweet tomatoes and onion. No cumin, garlic, no jalapeños,  no FLAVOR. Chips, very salty. I ordered the Enchilada trío, with beans and rice. I cant go any further. Its food. Its fresh. Its mexican STYLE food. Its not mexican flavor. I guess in some áreas if you throw anything on or in a tortilla they call it mexican food. Everything I had was bland. I could taste no garlic, no cumin, no heat, no spice. I saw no jalapeños,  or even cilantro. As a matter of fact, I thought I saw cilantro in the pico de gallo. Nope, turns out Its just bland old parsley. I ate 1/2 of the entree. Couldn't go any further.  If you like bland food in a nice setting, this could be for you.

Everything was good except the Quesidilla. $16.75 plus more for the steak for two folded tiny taco tortillas with about two ounces of meat across the four quarters. $1.75 for a glorified kids menu item. Total and complete rip off. Service was good at least.

The food was decent but not exciting or amazing. It's like most other Mexican food restaurants as far as what they serve and taste. I was unhappy with all the upcharge for adding toppings on your taco and asking for more salsa. It seemed the prices for everything were above average and then upcharge you for everything that comes standard on a Mexican dish. $70 for 4 tacos, a dinner plate of enchiladas and 3 waters is ridiculous. Won't be back.

This place never disappoints!! Food is amazing and the staff is very friendly and welcoming. Location is also cool, lots of things to do near by if you wanna have a date night.

We went on a Friday evening. 2/10/23 We walked in & no hostess at the door. Took a minute to be seated. But the place was PACKED! They have a bar to sit at if you're alone & lots of options for drinks. One side of the menu is food & the other is drinks. (A little disappointed they didn't have a kids menu, if they do they didn't offer one) which is why we just ordered a basic chicken quesadilla for our toddler. The food me & my husband ordered was amazing. The flavor was there! The salsa was delicious & so was the queso! Corn chips were thick & crispy & tasted fresh! This is our new favorite place for Mexican food. It's close to home on the westbank. This was our first time & I hope next time it won't be as busy & little better service but I try my best not to make first impressions stick. The food & drinks sold us to return. Can't wait for our next visit.

This was my first time dining at any of the El Gato Negro locations and I'm glad that my first experience was at the Gretna location. First of all, how cute is downtown Gretna? Who knew?! (I'm from the East y'all, don't come for my neck, lol. I don't usually be over here 'round these parts). We stopped in around noon on a Friday and it was surprisingly chill and quiet for lunch time, but that was a-ok for me. It's an intimate dining room, but very charming and cute. I loved the tequila bottles that lined the perimeter of the room. Our server Isaac was the absolute best and took great care of us. He was friendly and knowledgeable of the menu. We asked for some suggestions since it was our first time in and all of them were bomb. We got their strawberry pineapple margarita that was on special that day (really enjoyed!), the stuffed avocado and the mixed grill (an assortment of grilled meats and veggies). The avocado really stole the show for us. It had large shrimp that were cooked perfectly, mushrooms, corn, pico, and this fantastic garlic cream sauce *Homer Simpson drools*. The mixed grill was also super yummy; a really nice light selection that's also very filling. The lambchop was *perfection*. We split both dishes between two people and still had leftovers of both to take with us. I've seen several reviews mention the price and it is a little more expensive than you might expect (it was almost $90 for two drinks, one app, and one entree), but if you decide to treat yourself you won't leave hungry or disappointed.

Not sure how I feel about this. When do you add a 20% automatic gratuity on a take out order. I don't mind tipping but to automatically add 20% to my bill seems greedy. When I asked Sandra (manager) she stated that the kitchen staff needs to be paid to prepare our order. Seriously? Isn't this what the restaurant should be paying their employees, now the customer has to pay their kitchen staff to package our food for take out? With the increases in your prices now for your food, you would think you would have enough money to pay your kitchen staff. This is how you out price yourself out of business. We place a lot of orders for our office lunches but after today, no more. This is greed at a whole different level. The food is mediocre to good but charging 20% for not any service whatsoever is pathetic. Shame on your El Gato Negro. You have lost a customer.

Amazing mole- best i've ever tasted. Very large portions for reasonable prices. The service was attentive but not intrusive.

Service, food, and ambiance was good and perfect for a date night! The lobster taco was the best thing I've ever eaten!

Fantastic! Downtown Gretna has really come into its own with all of the shops and restaurants that have arisen in the past couple of years. El Gato Negro is no exception. Came here on Sunday with the the baby for some quick Mexican. We were seated immediately with chips and salsa. Their queso is really good! My wife had the salad that she said was amazing while I had the macho man which was a lot of food and worth the price! Their margaritas are really good and if you check in with Yelp, you will get a discount for one. Give it a try!

This is my 2nd time visiting LA, I have been blown away with how kind and nice everyone has been until visiting El Gato Negro. Our waitress has 0% customer service skill (didn't provide a name, she was short, skinny, curly hair, young) overfilled our cups with ice and provided no straws after asking multiple times, unable to drink our drinks without spilling ice. Asked several questions about the menu she did not know the answers, we ordered two plates of chicken sour cream enchiladas instead we got two red sauce enchiladas with a small dab of sour cream on the side. She said that's how they prepare them we said fine maybe our mistake for not searching for an image first. My enchiladas had a huge piece of cartilage, I was so grossed out after biting it that i could not continue eating, I was maybe 3 bites in to my dinner. I mentioned it and showed the waitress and she simply took my plate away, did not discount or take it off the check. My daughter also only picked at her meal since she only likes sour cream sauce. She removed our cups from the table mid-meal did not offer refills or asked if we wanted water or anything. We ended sharing one cup of water between 3 of us. Don't recommend this place if you like good customer service.

Wasn't happy about the automatic 20% tip on a TAKEOUT ORDER. I usually tip for take out orders but 20% is ridiculous. I accepted paying the tip because they said it is for the servers and coins who prepare the meal. I come home to find no silverware or napkins in my bag. They claim they don't provide that automatically. Entitlement at its finest.

I have been to El Gato Negro by French market and in Lakeview previously but it was my first time at Gretna location. It looked a lot different than the two other locations but once I saw the menu, I knew it was that good ole El Gato Negro! First off, the location - I have been living in New Orleans for 11 years yet I had no clue that historic Gretna area is so stinking cute? It almost felt like that area belongs to a different city! I came here for lunch and there was a very cute coffee shop next door so I think you can incorporate El gato as one of the spots on your date. Food is exactly what I expected. Very fresh, and hot steaming skillet for fajita. If you already have been to other locations, It is up to part with those. Very similar, if not the exact same menu. Service is again what I expected. Very attentive and cannot complain. I saw a few reviews regarding how El Gato is overpriced. It might be overpriced for Gretna neighborhood but they were literally the same as the other locations.

I keep getting the same menu item every time, but it's just so fresh! The quality here is superior to many Mexican restaurants and it justifies the higher prices (on some things). The cocktails are amazing and reasonably priced. I like having a location on the West Bank although Lakeview rocks with their beautiful outdoor/patio seating. For me, having a gluten free menu and knowledgeable staff makes all the difference, and I will continue to choose Gato Negro over any other Mexican restaurant!

Shrimp burrito had just 4 shrimp and they were spoiled. Queso sauce was watery and flavorless. Drinks are mostly ice. Lots of hidden up charges.

Love this place. Love this location. Great food, great drinks, and great service each time I have gone.

If you want to be told no to everything you ask for this is the place to go. - No kids menu - No kid cup lids - super fun. - Nothing for kids to color with not even a pen and paper - we asked and of course told "no." - Our margaritas were so sour, but when you complain, you get lectured on its "made fresh", but then we had to pay extra for shots to try to fix it because, yup, surprising; "nothing they can do." The shot arrives and it isn't even half full. So we still cant fix the over sour-ness. I love paying $16 for a glass of lime juice. Don't you? Food is good. But I wont be back. It is called "service industry" for a reason. Nothing we asked for him was un-reasonable. Customer service is severely lacking.

7/18/21 Well it's time for an update. To be honest we had started dinning in and it was good but service was really good. Decided to get a take out order because that's what the fam wanted and order was wrong and no chips but hey it was a bad night. Tonight the fam wanted it again and sure enough no chips again even though I specifically asked for them (I know my fault, I should have checked). I called in and what prompted this review was the I don't care attitude by the "manager". So I'll take this up with the owner. And I decided to just enjoy what we had. The enchiladas were crammed into a container into a mass that was unrecognizable. The steak tacos were so salty we had to throw them away. I'll let the pictures describe the flan

Skip the east bank, this place is absolutely phenomenal, the queso is perfect and so are the specialty margaritas. This is the creme de la creme for Mexican cuisine in the New Orleans area. Come to the OG, Old Gretna for the best El Gato in the area. Strongest margaritas, and the best food, this was a pleasant surprise. You will not be disappointed.

I've eaten in once and ordered take-out once. The ingredients for each dish were fresh and visually pleasing. I went during a slow period each time, so I can't speak what service is like during lunch or dinner, but service was immediate and courteous each time that I went. The restaurant is bright and inviting. The tables are long enough to host 4-6 people. I don't recall seeing smaller tables and I didn't see a bar. I mention table size only because single people are often forced to sit at the bar. I was able to sit at a table! Paid Parking is available in the covered area nearby. Parking is shared by all of the small restaurants, coffee houses, and business alone this stretch of road.

This place really soothed my soul tonight. So, as it happens, I've been waiting a year for this El Gato Negro to open. One of my favorite Mexican restaurants, El Gato announced their Gretna location over a year ago, but you know how a pandemic goes. David and I went tonight because we are 3 days out from a Cat 3 hurricane hitting the city (Zeta) and we still don't have power. Peanut butter sandwiches and dry cereal only goes so far. In search of a good, warm meal, we headed to the very-powered old Gretna for some grub. This spot is beautiful and my goodness, you can really see all the work they put into it. The inside has an upstairs and downstairs and every detail is perfect. They didn't just throw this place together, because it's on the Westbank. They put the work in. We started with some amazing queso dip, which was out of this world. I had a pulled pork burrito and David had an enchilada platter. I also had a frozen margarita because...hurricane. All of the food and the drink were delicious. My burrito was packed with goodies and the pork was tender and flavorful. My margarita was great and I could tell it was made fresh. David loved his enchilada platter. It was a win on all angles. One special touch I appreciated was the mention of "historic Gretna" on their signage and drink glasses. That makes for a nice touch and makes you feel like the restaurant is invested in the area. We greatly enjoyed our meal here and we will absolutely be back.

My 3.5 stars is over the prices. Last time I ate at a El Gato, I think it was two years ago after the San Fermin NolaBulls event at the s. Peters location the tacos were $3.50. Long story short, just two people, one app, 2 tacos, 2 beers, a coke and one dish was in the $91 range. At first I thought it was this location that jacked it up but I ate at the Harrison location 4 days ago from typing this and prices were the same. Don't believe me, the old menu is still posted online with the old prices. Thats when this was awesome. Food is still very yummy, portions are good but I just cant swing that price. Too many Mexican places around here now that are just as good or better in some ways that are cheaper. The staff is friendly, the decor is nice, I am happy to see downtown Gretna booming with nice places. Peace and love peace and love. Just too pricey for me.

They have a way with chicken that is unrivaled.

If I could give this restaurant less stars I would. It was a Friday night after a long week and we just wanted great margaritas, chips, salsa and good food. We didn't get past the $16 margaritas because there was no alcohol and they were extremely disappointing. We asked our server to please take the drinks off the bill and she said she'd talk to her manager. The manager came to our table and lectured us on how their tequila was smooth, high quality, top self and how the agave plant was instrumental to the smoothness to their tequila. Honestly, I stopped listening after she said that. She then said she had to call her district manger about taking the two margaritas off of our bill. She returned to our table to say she was going to charge us for two virgin margaritas instead. So they wanted to now charge us for drinks we didn't order. We still said no, so then they sent out yet another manager, maybe a manager, because this restaurant seems to have a lot of them. They finally took the drinks off the bill. Horrible customer service, argumentative and they were clearly lying. Too many other places to go in the city to have great drinks. This place isn't it!

Best Mexican food if your in Gretna and all the bars and levee make it a nice area to hangout !!!!!

Quiet little Mexican restaurant in old Gretna. The food is great, the service is great.

I asked for a veggie fajitas with no onions. I get a plate loaded with under cooked onions with tomatoes sliced for hamburgers . They were out of toco shells so a friend could not get tocos. Really no taco shells at Mexican restaurant. The Westbank locations food is terrible.

Always have loved El gato negro. Have been to the one in Nola and always had a great experience. The guac was not like it was in Nola, it was very small. There were very little people in the restaurant and it took over an hour for us to get our food. Had 3 people with me everyone's food came out at completely different times. I can promise you I will not be back.

Delicious Mexican food! Definitely a gem on the westbank! Order the queso! Best I've had anywhere.

The food and service were both excellent. Atmosphere was relaxing. My new favorite restaurant to eat at.10/10

Food was served cold and not very tasty. I was really looking forward to dining there, as I heard great things, but my experience was not good. The beans had a fluid leaking. Do not recommend

Overpriced food... they have a terrible manager. No customer service. I've tried to give them a couple chances but I'm done with them.

Perfect. We were a large group, (all of our food came to the table at the same time). Everyone ordered something different. We ordered the guacamole that they prepare at your table with the cucumber chips. We had salads, the shrimp appetizer, I had the poblano pepper with chorizo. We ate tamales too. I can't remember what everyone ate but it was amazing! Everything appeared to be cut, cooked to order. I would venture to say they do not even cut the lettuce for salads before it is ordered. The atmosphere is great and the service top notch. 5 out of 5!

I cannot recooked this place highly enough!! I am a NOLA girl who lives in California now and always look forward to eating fried seafood etc when I come to town. But this meal far exceeded all the other other meals I ate while I was here this time !! From the delicious light chips and salsa to the huge burrito that was stuffed with an enchilada and tamale it was delicious !!! Lovely atmosphere and great service. Check it out ! You won't be sorry !

Quiet Sunday with zero wait. We were greeted and seated immediately - the food W O W. 100% recommend literally everything especially the carne asada. So so good.

I have been to this restaurant twice and I am already hooked.. I would have given this place 4 stars before I even received my entre just based on service alone!!! Any questions i asked about the menu were answered promptly and with enthusiasm, which is huge to me.. Lucia, Katia and Ashley where the ones who took care of me and they made me feel at home during both visits.. I ordered the pork Fajitas both times I visited and they were to die for!!! An easy 5 stars if I could give them 6 I would.. I highly recommend this place!!

Good food, Service adequate, "craft" mojitos and margaritas are excellent. Parking is pay only, and be aware Gretna WILL ticket you quickly.

Service was good chicken enchiladas were aright the chaos and chips were freaking delicious!! My god!

This place is just not the place to go ! Horrible customer service, waiters phone connected to wifi and called someone over the sound system which played instead of the music, margarita was horrific tasted like battery acid. We sat there for 2.5 hours and finally had to track down the manager to get the check. While we understand that most restaurants are under staffed and we are patient in regards to that, this was a whole other level of crap.