nola bar & kitchen

Arrived on a rainy wet day, early afternoon. noting an array of bar sitters having a midday drink. We grabbed the two seat round table near the exposed brick wall and ordered a personal creole competition crawl , as we continue to seek the best restaurant serving this iconic dish, commonly know as. "Louisiana Creole Style Gumbo,"; Nola's was on the Seeker's List and we are here! We are ordering alligator bites with delicious fries too. A tall modelesque friendly, and attentive waiter almost instantly, served up a piping hot bowl of the homemade gumbo house special. It was full bodied essential spices, and loaded with plenty of vegetables swimming in a Louisiana creole style broth, along with traditional meats and seafood infusing complex flavors. The Gumbo did not disappoint for heartiness and nutrients flavor pounding taste drums. We both loved our first exploration into alligator bites. It has a mild meaty lightness with an interesting contexture, not too unlike the fiber of poultry. Nola's has a celebratory atmosphere, a Mardi Gras ambiance, and a winning bowl of gumbo, good service, while located just around the corner from the ballpark, Nola's is a great iconic place to raise high spirits, as it hits it out of the park for great food and circuses!

Random drop in. Lite crowd. Good came out quick. Drinks were strong. The picky kid ate the pickles ... salute.

Came here for drinks & karaoke. I wish their kitchen was open later. The Service was great & for a Saturday night it was a small and attractive crowd.

Pretty good spot. Typical wrigleyville things - parking, longer traffic during games, rowdy crowds on the street, etc. it's spacious and has multiple TVs scattered throughout for the game. I got the hurricane which came with a cute beaded necklace around it. Security guard is present for safety.

The place was entirely closed 30 minutes before scheduled closing time. No signs to indicate that. Nothing on the websites. People were in there actively avoid eye contact, on their phone! Thanks for wasting my time!

I got food poisoning. Very rude waitress (red hair). A friend of mine ate there and within minutes of leaving his bowels let loose right in front of the restaurant. For those that say it could have been something else....nothing is that coincidental! This place is a roll of the dice literally.

Food was hot,fast and good. Service was responsive, friendly and efficient. Ambiance was pretty lively for daytime visit. I will definitely return.

This place is decked out and is true to its theme. They have banners everywhere to give a sort of Mardi Gras/NOLA feel--truly not a bad place in Wrigley and deviates a lot from what you're used to seeing in the area. We went on a cold Wednesday night though and it was absolutely dead, we were the only customers inside. Perhaps this place is more crowded during weekend nights but the lack of people did make us wonder if this place was worth the hype. Food-wise it's very passable and it'll feel your need for Cajun food. Food: Nola Gumbo: they give you a house made hot sauce to go with the gumbo, the overall dish was nice and hearty but I feel like it could've been a bit more flavorful Alligator Basket: this was the true mvp of the night. It was my first time trying alligator and the way they fry it is so good. I would say it tastes a lot like a super tender steak--highly recommend!

Came by for dinner after rock climbing during a weekday. I ordered the Fried Shrimp Po' Boy, which was loaded up with fried shrimp. I liked the remoulade sauce and the cut of their fries. The service was super friendly. The food my friends ordered all looked amazing, so I'll definitely be back when I want a taste of cajun country. I've never had fried alligator, but it's on the menu and I'm intrigued.

I love the theme, how can you not have a good time here at this NOLA themed bar? You feel like you've stepped out of Chicago and straight onto Bourbon Street! The hurricanes were delicious and the bartender was attentive and fun! It was such. Fun vibe, although I didn't get to try the food the menu was traditional Cajun offerings including alligator!

Late post but came here for Mardi Gras they had a live band it was cool I'm only giving it a three stars was that it took 2 hours to get my food then they brought our food twice. The food overall was good.

The gumbalaya was really filling, I'm glad I had the opportunity to together. The Cajun queso had a kick and I like it. The first drink the sparkling cheer wasn't the best mixture. The champagne mixed in there did not taste right. I ended up getting the tipsy punch and enjoying that.

We had a wonderful mother's day dinner. The food was delicious and our server shaber was professional personable and efficient. Cudnt ask for a better server, this is great place for special dinner

Quite frankly never would have thought to eat here, but I came with friends and am so glad to know about this spot now! We came for March Madness, and it was super easy to get a table for 4 to watch the games immediately. The place was overall pretty quiet, and the bar tender was helpful and attentive. We started with drinks but eventually got hungry so we tried some food too! I was happy with the beer and cider collection - All of the basics, plus fun options specific to New Orleans. The food variety impressed me too! We loved the parmesan garlic tater tots, and the queso and Cajun chicken po'boy that we tried did the trick. The food wasn't life changing but the menu and atmosphere intrigued me enough to come back and try more in the future!

food was horrible, I am truly mad! I wish I could give them 0 stars. The jambalaya was dry and horrible with some strong taste of a horrible seasoning. I need to come and show you all how to make real cajun food..Over priced yuckiness. They didn't even send a spoon or napkins. Never again

Fun place to drink during our Christmas bar crawl. Ugly sweaters everywhere. We didn't try the food but we will next time.

Absolutely check this place out when in Wrigleyville if you're looking for something unique. Good food and great service! I especially liked the NOLA gumbo and add a little of their house made hot sauce which really brings all the flavors out. Drinks were well made and service prompt. Not a lot of places in the area where you can get a true N'awlins oyster and shrimp Po Boy either! 5 stars, I'll be back.

Stopped in here before a Cubs game. The place is small and is obviously set up as a bar first, Kitchen 2nd. There is no air-conditioning, which was a major deal on a 93 degree day!! We ordered the alligator bites and the "Gumbolya" (combo of Gumbo and Jambalaya). Both were good, if not exceptional. The Cajun spice seemed to be mostly black pepper which was a disappointment, Portion sizes were good. We came at 4pm before a 7:05 weekday game start, so I can not estimate how busy they would be closer to game time. Overall, worth a trip if you are in the area!!

On my first visit I was craving food from my home state of Lousiana. I saw good reviews and after reading their menu and ingredients I had confidence in Nola Bar. I was please with my decision to come. I tried their gumbo which was tasty but I rate it "3" because my bowl was shrimp which is a protein of gumbo. I also tried their shrimp basket which was delicious . The kitchen used a wet and dry batter on their "Jumbo" shrimp. Note: Shrimp comes in sizes . The dish was served with a remoulade sauce but it was too much ranch. I'd like to go again.

Ummm, the drinks were good. The bartender was attentive. The decor places you in NOLA. The food was very subpar. The oyster po' boy was sketchy due to the oysters being fried to hard and not really being oysters. The tomato glaze was very nasty truthfully. The gumbo was not good at all. I would return for the drinks and the atmosphere. The happy hour seemed to be the main event.

This was a pretty cool place, especially if you enjoy New Orleans. They had a lot of the same specialty cocktails available for purchase here, like the grenade, as well as a lot of Cajun New Orleans food as well. Unfortunately i didn't try the food but the drinks were definitely worth coming for.

The Hurricanes were tasty and the food was way better than expected for what's basically a bar. We were there on a pretty empty night but I bet the bars hopping when the Cubs are playing. The other food options in the area didn't look that great so I'm giving it 5 stars for food in the area. More like 4 stars outside of Wrigleyville for price and quality. The bartender was very attentive as well. The place was pretty empty so she went out of her way to make sure we were served well.

Walking by clark st I try this place I order hurricane Shrimp po boy Gumbo And beignets Hurricane wasn't frozen Gambo kind bland and cold Po boy Few shrimps and lot bread bland too Beignets was the best fluffy and crispy Service was good

Two of us ordered the Jambalaya. OK, if you were expecting "dirty rice". The chicken and andouille sausage were difficult to find! Nothing bigger than a pea!! What a letdown! I was looking forward to good Cajun food, as I once got across the street at the old Heaven on 7th. Their andouille poor boy was good, along with the fries. Unfortunately, this is another place that thinks everyone has a smart phone or enjoys trying to order off a little screen. There were NO printed menus available! And, at least the service was good.

Look-I tried to support Covid-19 Delivery. This is about the KITCHEN.... First of all the shrimp were overly breaded, lack of adequate lettuce and tomato, and an ABSENCE OF REMOULADE! Anyone that has been to NOLA=New Orleans knows that Remoulade is 2x the sauce needed for a Po'Boy! HIGHLY DISAPPOINTED... I also spent money on two Beef Quesadillas Creole Style...they scooped the sour cream on it instead of on the side and that IS NOT OK for health reasons plus both tortillas were burned....pictures to follow..sad.. I will pay the $$ to go back to NOLA rather than eat here and fear about getting sick from the kitchen service. Everything was thrown out!

Diabla spicy chicken was terrible. Tasted burnt, like a Nola hot chicken sandwich. The fries had no flavor. I literally only ate it because I was hungry. I wanted to get this place I try even though my foodie instincts were telling me otherwise. The beignets were good though.

This is is simply okay and misses the mark on quantity and quality. The voodoo wings were okay, I thought they would be bigger because of the quality compared to the price. The gumbo came in a small container which for $8.00 was not worth it at all. Also the shrimp etoufee $16.00 for that much quantity you are doing a dis service to your customers. (lacked any seasoning or taste, had to add salt to this.) I would say if you miss New Orleans food this is not the best option. I hate giving bad reviews, but I am being honest and my opinion is just my opinion.

Best gumbo in the Chicago. Avocado fries to die for. Fried food never greasy. Beignets light and fluffy. They even serve alligator.

Wandered in here on a Tuesday as I had read positive reviews here on Yelp and the delivery apps - glad I did! Strangely, in my opinion, this bar/restaurant is an extension of the salon next door. The two businesses are literally connected in the back-you can walk between the two! Put that aside and it's your typical small Chicago bar w high top tables and big windows that open to the street. As mentioned, it was a random Tuesday and Cubs were out of town so the place was dead. Literally empty when we walked in but the menu posted outside looked appetizing. After we sat down, a few others came in and sat at the bar and tables. We are clearly trend setters...duh. The food was very good - with one exception. The tater tots. How does one mess up tots you ask? They were seasoned nicely, but waaay undercooked and/or soggy. No crunch. Like fall apart in your hand or dipping sauce, soggy. I had to keep dishing them out of the sauce with my fork. Not a good tot! But, on to the good: the chicken tenders. Not only were they super tender, cooked to perfection, and slathered in tasty sauces (recommend the carolina gold!) but they were half off on Tuesdays! Speaking of deals, they had some happy hour specials between 4-7pm. Between the two deals our bill was very reasonable, and speaking of - they have deals throughout the week! Service was very friendly and attentive and kept up despite being solo and us 'trend setters' attracting other customers. Great first 'random' experience here, and look forward to trying other things off their interesting menu!

Truly a wonderful place! Walked in after just happening to see they served Gumbo in the middle of winter! Already sold. You walk in and the atmosphere really transports you back to New Orleans, the colorful lights, music, drinks. I had an amazing time. The Gumbalaya and Fried fish Po boy we're both delicious. Would recommend to anybody in the area! Our server Sunny was wonderful and made sure we had an excellent time. Thank you!

The food was very good and service was excellent. We had the gumbo and jambalaya and both did not disappoint. Hurricane was very good.

The food I got was very good, the issue was the amount of meat in my Roast Beef Po'boy Sandwich. It was like it was really a Muffaletta Olive Po'boy with a topping of Roast Beef. The fries they give you is sufficient. I am just very disappointed on the amount of Roast Beef in the sandwich. If the sandwich contained the proper amount of meat my review would be 4-5 stars.

I guess I should have tempered my expectations considering this is in the heart of Wrigleyville. The reviews led me to believe that maybe the food may actually be good. For food, we ordered the Champ burger, buffalo sriracha wings, black cow taco, and chili. For being a NOLA-inspired bar, I am pretty shocked at the blandness of the food. Now, the burger wasn't meant to be spicy, but the patty itself was underseasoned and could have used more salt. The fries seemed promising, but you could tell they cooked it in slightly old oil. The buffalo wings had a one chili rating in terms of spice on the menu, but there was absolutely no heat. Plus, the sauce didn't adhere to the chicken so that left it even more flavorless. The taco was supposed to be the spiciest thing we ordered, but that too was bland. The chili was the only thing that had flavor, but they actually overdid it on the spices. Service: We came in around 5:30 pm on Saturday evening to catch some football. Now, I will be lenient regarding the service because the poor bartender was alone and was serving around 15 people. He kept a smile on his face regardless of the stress. Things did get better when his partner arrived. And honestly, by 7 pm, the bar took on a whole new spin because they started karaoke. The bartender was also the one running the karaoke and he was so enthusiastic and encouraging for people to participate. You could genuinely tell he loved his job. All in all, I would like drink and hang out here with friends because the place is so cute and fun. Maybe I will give the food a second shot..

I went to Nola during happy hour with a couple of friends. This bar really surprised me for Wrigley standards. It was clean and service was great! Shoutout to Daniel for providing such great service and being super friendly! I had the Nola Hurricane and definitely recommend! I like how they provide Mardi Gras beads with your drinks too. It's fun and festive! They have a $5 special for the Nola Hurricane, Sangria and select beer for happy hour. I recommend checking them out!

This place was recommended to me by a friend and definitely was not disappointed. Everything was good the food the drinks and the service! We ended up getting the gumbalaya and the po'boy (shrimp). I really enjoyed the gumbalaya and the po'boy it was delicious, it was also a perfect portion. We also order the beignets and they were amazing! Sunny the owner was so sweet and gave great service. Definitely need to try out her drink "windy city". I most DEFINITELY recommend coming here

Great food and awesome service. Glad to find a good place to eat after disappointing service/racist attitude at Big Star!! Gumbalaya and Lobster jambalaya awesome. Fried avocados who would thought !!

Loved NOLAs Carolina gold wings. Came a year later during COVID for tenders with the same sauce. Not only are these not tenders (they're more like, chicken thighs?) It's either dark meat chicken or not cooked though. The sauce is just pepper. Ordered takeout to try and support the business, but the food was just terrible. Fries were ok. Had a few bites and threw the rest away. Would love to get my money back but the restaurant closes early due to COVID.

I came to Nola on a Wednesday afternoon with two friends, going for a girls night of drinking in Wrigleyville. We caught them right after they opened at around 4pm, so we were the only people in the bar at the time. Our waitress was very nice and informed us about the specials very quickly, which we went for. My friend and I got $5 white sangrias, and our other friend got a $5 hurricane. Both drinks were super yummy and the hurricane was so cute with decorations! Cute spot and a nice place to hangout, probably a blast during Mardi Gras. Worth a visit!

Great place, great food and the nicest servers. I went for my birthday and got there pretty early. The server chatted with us and was very friendly we're on a first name bases. Lol. It was a nice time and it gets crowded around 8pm

We love coming to NOLA. The gumbo is delicious and they have a great beer list and drink menu. It's a wonderful spot on Clark Street. Stop by and visit Sunny, she's a fabulous bartender!

Came here before a Cubs game. Not going to lie, but this was our "2nd choice" since one of the neighboring bars was a little too packed and we couldn't get a table without wasting a lot of time missing the game. Had a cool vibe with the bar centrally located and then tvs everywhere.... sports as well as various things were on. The menu wasn't terrible extensive, but there were some unique items on there. Let's just say the problem of getting Gordon Ramsay to come in and edit down the menu wouldn't be the case here. Seemed like they were short staffed... even with the "light crowd" the bartender seemed to be the only server, so she had to take care of the patrons at the bar as well as the outer tables. She was definitely friendly, but a little stressed out due to the running around. Tried the Parmesan Herb Tater Tots as well as the Sriracha wings. Food was pretty tasty... no real lag form the kitchen. The slowness came from the waiter getting our rounds of beers, but it worked out. I do want to warn that the "flappers" do have an extra part of the wing still attached to them... probably a prep thing, but it does give you a little extra leverage to hold onto while eating it, but it's a little strange if you are just expecting the two bones. Local craft beers on tap... as well as various cocktails. We did spy some Sake in the bar, which pretty much confused us as far as what the place was going for....

Great bar to have a quick bite.. great food like burgers, tacos, gumbo , chips..and wings . Reasonable price on beers and assortment of drinks.. make sure you do not park on Clark Street after 9 p.m. or you will be towed.

I would recommend this place to everyone. This is the most authentic southern food I have had since coming up here. They have something on their menu for everyone. The Gumbo, Jambalaya, and beignets were all great. Over all the atmosphere is great and staff are very nice and helpful. This place has some of the best food around Wrigley for sure. I will definitely be going back.

No frills kind of neighborhood bar, with a New Orleans emphasis on their food and drinks. Bartender was very nice. Half off tacos on Mondays! Their tacos normally cost $3.5-$4.5. We didn't expect much from bar food, but they were surprisingly good! At the recommendation of the bartender, I tried the Asian 5-spice pull pork (my personal favorite), the blackened white bass, and the black cow. My bf tried a few other tacos that he also enjoyed. We ordered the avocado fries ($10) too which were tasty. Happy hour 4-7pm m-f. $5 hurricanes (too sweet for me). $5 sangria and $3 domestic canned beer

My family was hoping to do a bar crawl all day but Nola's was the only one open. But once we arrived we were not disappointed. We were greeted by Sunny and she was amazing! Best service I've ever got at a bar! The atmosphere is fun and I love the decor. We didn't try any food but all of the drinks were amazing, especially the Mardi Gras, Hurricane, and The Storm mixed drinks. If I ever end up in the area again I know where I'm going!

I never make a review on Yelp but I had to for this place! I reserved the whole bar for my birthday party and Sunny (the owner) was the best Host ever!!! Her and Dan were so awesome accommodating my party and were so helpful all day! Thank you for making my birthday so awesome and it's one I will never forget! The drinks, food, and spot was exactly what we wanted! Thank you so much!

Being a native Texas who knows good Cajun food (and traveling with an actual Creole Louisiana native) we were surprised to find several Cajun places in Chicago! The service was very kind and fast, and it was a great and quick place to get food on a Saturday night. My friend was very impressed with his gumbo and boudin balls, and the oyster/shrimp po'boy I had was really delicious. The honey garlic wings were okay; they were perfectly cooked, but the sauce felt a little poured on after the fact. The beignets were tasty, but not okay. Still some good Cajun food for being so far from the Gulf!

I understand times are tough, and restaurants are doing everything they can to survive. However, the poboy was seriously awful. The oysters were crunchy, the roumelade was sour, and everything tasted old or spoiled. Please pay attention to the dates on your ingredients

Great atmosphere and great drinks. I loved the sponge bob JUST because of the name but the hurricanes were also Didn't have anything to eat but there is also a nice happy hour. Definitely try this spot if you're in the neighborhood. This place is different than all of the other bars on Clark.

This place has great service! If you like down south vibes and good service this is the place to go. It was St paddy weekend every place wanted a reservation and this place let me right in ever though they were doing reservations as well. 5 stars great service it's a whole vibe check it out