Please-U-Restaurant

We were looking for a restaurant close by and this came up in our search while on vacation. The food was good and there were no major issues with the service. The food took a bit to come out though. It seems to be more of a local haunt. If you're looking for a typical diner experience this is a good place.

In the vein of Anthony Bourdain, we decided to stop at what can only be described as a quintessential hole-in-the-wall. You could easily walk by Please-U and never realize it was there - but it would be your mistake. Seriously one of the best po boys I've ever had.

Friendly and helpful staff. I was able to try authentic, delicious and reasonably priced creole comfort food here.

Small town diner vibes. Excellent gumbo, shrimp po-boys, and chicken fried steak.

12.30.24 came for the first time here--my bf spotted the sign "Please-U" and we decided to stop for lunch. I ordered the chili hotdog po-boy which was pretty good. Don't order the fries--it's a waste of money... -Nuked shoestring fries He ordered a grilled chicken po-boy...and he said he enjoyed it. Maybe one day I'll come back to try one of the lunch specials...after I visit every other place in NOLA, first. 😂

We were in town for a family wedding and were looking for somewhere close to get breakfast and had heard that this was a good place to go. It was a hole in the wall. Our server obviously wanted to be doing anything else or be anywhere else than where she was. She was just going through the motions. Didn't say two words to us. I ordered a please u omelette with grits because afterall we are in New Orleans. I honestly can't remember what my wife ordered. The omelette was terrible. Everything was seriously overcooked. Also even though I had ordered grits the side that I got was I think hash browns? It isn't what I ordered so I had to guess. We had things to do that day so I didn't say anything. As our server brought us the check, I mentioned it to her and she was obviously bothered by it and asked if we wanted grits . This is as we were leaving. Granted I should have mentioned the mistake earlier, but her attitude was terrible. It wasn't all bad. The lady at the cash register was really nice and we talked for a while about where she was from, etc. Overall, they didn't live up to their name. I would save my money and go somewhere else for better food, better service and better atmosphere.

Yesterday I stumbled across this wonderful restaurant after an unpleasant experience a couple of blocks away at another restaurant that was recommended. Often times we always take to social media to mention our bad experiences, but I wanted to make sure I spoke on the outstanding experience I had with this restaurant for breakfast. I walked directly past it on my way to the recommended restaurant and as oddly, as it may sound, I’m thankful for the bad experience at the recommended restaurant because it was that experience that allowed me to stumble across this gem. Service was impeccable, and the food was outstanding. It was so great that I also purchased a takeout order to take back to my hotel. The restaurant gave me the old home diner experience, which was very welcoming. Much thanks goes to the locals who saw me viewing the menu on the outside as I walked from the unpleasant experience at the first restaurant I attempted to visit. Hidden gems are God-sent! I will definitely list this on my restaurants to revisit when in New Orleans.

An amazing family dinner, classic home soul food. Any kind of food you may want. They make homemade biscuits, breakfast served all day from 7am til 3PM. When you arrive you may see many well known local artists, and influencers of the city eating here. Come enjoy some Greek Nola style dinner food. Great prices too!

Good good Service good Ambiance good You will be pleased for sure Must try Yes yes yes

Absolutely disgusting food. - biscuits were oddly dry and lacked flavor - omelettes were overcooked and had pretty much no cheese - breakfast potatoes were okay- I doctored them up with hot sauce and salsa but you can do that with just about any type of food. - the place needs a huge face lift and touch up on decor etc. The plus- the service was good. Our server was very sweet and friendly & the food was super affordable. I personally would never go back- especially when there's so many other great places to go and eat.

I'll be honest, my medium-rare steak was overcooked and somehow dry, although still pink in the center. My husband's French toast was made with wheat bread, which was unexpected and definitely not the preference. It made the toast fall flat, though he said it was still tasty and made well. Just wished it wasn't wheat. It's typical diner food. Nothing fancy, but solid. Maybe we didn't love-love our dishes that day, but it wasn't all bad. I enjoyed the seafood gumbo and mashed potatoes, and I loved the gravy. We had a wonderful experience overall. Service was excellent from the moment we walked in. Everyone we spoke to was warm and gracious. Our server was wonderful! We loved their homemade salad dressings, so she made a way for us to buy some to take home. We could easily be regulars here!

I recently had the pleasure of dining at "Please-U Diner" in New Orleans, and it was an absolute delight! The ambiance is wonderfully rustic and local, creating a warm and welcoming atmosphere. As I looked around, I couldn't help but notice the mix of locals heading to work and those just off the night shift, giving the place a charming authenticity. Now, let's talk about the food - it was outstanding. I ordered the steak omelet, and the first bite was pure heaven. The steak was cooked to perfection, tender, and bursting with flavor, all encased in a fluffy omelet. The combination of ingredients was a match made in culinary heaven. I also had the hotcakes and eggs with hash browns. The hotcakes were light and fluffy, and the eggs were cooked exactly to my liking. But it was the hash browns that stole the show for me. Crispy on the outside, yet perfectly tender on the inside, they were the ultimate comfort food. To accompany this fantastic meal, I sipped on their ice coffee, which was the perfect refresher. The service was prompt, and the staff exuded the friendly, down-to-earth charm that you'd expect from a local diner. If you're in New Orleans and looking for a fantastic, down-home dining experience, "Please-U Diner" is the place to go. The steak omelet, hotcakes, eggs, and hash browns are a must-try, and the local atmosphere will make you feel right at home. It's a true gem in the heart of the city.

The Please U restaurant is an old-school diner that simply focuses on feeding locals hassle free breakfast and lunch. This is not fine dining. The service is not excellent and you seat yourself and even pay at the counter when you leave. But if you want a decent breakfast or lunch and do not want to deal with the ever present overpriced tourist traps this is where you go.

Local family owned/operated restaurant in the heart of St. Charles Ave. for over 40 years. Please-U is a local diner serving a wide variety of breakfast and lunch/dinner offerings, a little something for almost everyone! No frufru, no glitter but, just home style prepared food at an honest price point.

I really enjoyed my order of hot cakes and eggs! My partner did not like the chicken and waffles. Dry chicken tenders. The vibe was homie and welcoming. Food is well priced and reasonable. I would come again and my partner would order something else.

Looking for an Authintic PO Boy! I had the shrimp. That's all I can speak of. Nice 12 inch soft bread with crisp outside. Mayo, Lettuce and Toematoes were fresh. Nice little Lunch and breakfast place. This was down the street from our Hotel. For 12.95 14.30 with Taxes. Took it to go for lunch but ate half of it. Shrimp was fresh. You should try it.

Look it's a dive - a real old hole in the wall kind of place. But the food is doable and the staff are characters and sometimes that's what you want on vacation. If you need a break from the tourist spots and the "must visit" spots, try Please-U. Don't fault it for being authentically what it is. Every town needs this place.

It's just a hole in the wall spot with very good food and very friendly service. Would return there for breakfast anytime. Highly recommend it, especially if you're hungry.

We were looking for some classic flapjacks and we found some great ones. I also thoroughly enjoyed the Greek omelet. This place is a Greek diner and I am nostalgic for a good Greek diner from my time living in New York. This place is dated, but that is part of the charm. The service was impeccable and if you are looking for a solid breakfast counter with some local flair, you have found it.

Service- great. Kind staff. Atmosphere- old diner. Food- I got two po-boys to go. One was shrimp, the other was oyster. Both were underwhelming. The shrimp hadn't been cleaned. One of the oysters had gone bad.

Mediocrity at its finest, and I mean this literally: a fine example of "aight." My socks remain firmly embracing my feet and don't have any lambasting pending for my review. I stopped in seeking breakfast close to my hostel and ordered the venerable chicken and waffles. This is [like] one of those diner-like places that have been around long enough that regulars' orders are known before they sit, or so says the vibe. The chicken was nicely cooked and seasoned, good quality, run-of-the-mill fried chicken, kind of like you can get at IHOP. That's not meant to be an insult; IHOP fried chicken is quite good! The waffle did leave a teeny bit to be desired. It lacked that incredible contrast between the textures of the outside and in.

While on our family vacation, we stumbled upon this quaint little diner. We decided to stop for brunch. This little hidden secret was amazing!!! Everything was delicious, and the chicken and waffles breakfast was hands down best I ever had. The staff was friendly and our meal showed up timely. Truly a dining pleasure.

The gravy was salty on the chicken fried steak. It made it hard to eat, but the salad was delicious. I had it cooked to go for later. That's why the picture isn't as great. I ate it. The only thing I didn't like about it was that there was a fee for cheese on the salad. I think that should be a part of a salad. The service was ok, but I spoke to the manager. He was very apologetic. Even with the issues, I'd still recommend.

Restaurant looks and feels a little rundown. Breakfast menu just had basic options you would expect to see at any diner. Biscuits were fluffy and perfect, gravy was fantastic. However, we found nothing special about the hash browns, and eggs. The sausage tasted weird, as well. Prices were reasonable and service was good. We probably won't return for 'just the basics'...

Excellent and kind staff. The food was sooo tasty and although the diner is extremely limited in space the energy is huge in there!

this place has amazing food and the staff is even better...made me think of my mommas cooking ... we will be back ASAP!!

Right down the street from our VRBO. Since 1946, so I figured it needed to be good. We went for breakfast and everyone had something different and all raved about the food. A little hole in the wall but if we weren't leaving today, we would be back to try lunch. The cook came out and chatted, He has been a head chef in lots of places, wanted a better life. He was great.

Fell into this local spot just a few blocks away from our hotel to have a hot quick lunch meal. I had the hot roast beef plate with a generous cup of shrimp gumbo + side biscuit which I loved and my friend has the red beans and rice with smoked sausage + side biscuit which she was just meh ok with. Overall combined taste rating would be ok-good but portions for the price was more than doable especially when you're coming from the Northeast, imho. This joint has been around for decades with a Greek owner with all wait and cook staff from NOLA. A heads up, this is a no-frills place, quite busy during lunch and wouldn't really suggest using the bathroom here (through the kitchen) unless it's a MUST. Service of this place was lovely and really felt like I was part of throwback docuseries.

What can be said about this place that has not been said a million times? It is a great local spot to get pretty much everything you can think of in the city of New Orleans. The food was fantastic for the price and we were happy. You want a fried chicken po-boy with chili cheese fries? Well go on with your bad self! Everything was delicious and we can not wait to come try it again!

Please-U Restaurant Review. "Since 1946." Doesn't that tell you all you need to know about the Please-U Restaurant, on St. Charles Avenue close into downtown? Open from 6A - 6PM, this old-timey diner serves all the American favorites as well as traditional New Orleans sandwiches and hot plate meals. I wandered in early a couple of days last week, first for a customized breakfast po-boy with egg, cheese, bacon, ham, sausage, mayo, butter, lettuce and tomato, and another day for a muffaletta (they make their own olive salad!) after a muff disappointment the previous day somewhere else. First time I got take-out, order was prepared fresh, hot, to my specs. Second time it was a bifurcated experience, half in, half out, after a couple of eye-opening crack-o-dawn coffees. But both were excellent, and I'm a sandwich kind of guy. Bread was fresh, innards were ample, including the meats and cheeses. The server lady was right to crow about the house-made olive salad, it was excellent, and trust me, there are some bad versions in the city, like long on cauliflower and short on olives! Hey, it's not called "cauliflower and carrot salad" is it?

Always great service! And good quick eats! A must pop in for breakfast or lunch...

Sorry guys but this place is a hard NO Driving through Louisiana looking for good southern breakfast while in Nola and was recommended by our nearby boutique hotel to eat here! Yup I'd like to first thank God for my vision because I found a big ass marinated mother FLY in our hash browns, it blended very well with all the spices so grateful I didn't consume. Please-U-gotta pay closer attention. Thank you and you're welcome that's why I'm here.

Neighborhood diner, very old looking, the kind I love to visit and eat at. I ordered vegi omelets (mushrooms, bell pepper, onions, tomatoes), side of grits and a biscuit. My food was out within 5 minutes of ordering, maybe that's why the vegis where almost raw and huge chunks. It doesn't come with cheese, yo have to ask for it, and when I did it was drizzled on top for an additional $0 .75 (would have been better for my liking inside omlette). Grits are good. Biscuit was drier than I'm use to, but was tasty. So I asked for gravy to dip biscuit in, I don't know what to say about gravy, acquired taste. Blonde lady with accent was nice and funny. I don't think the waitress who helped me was to happy with me for asking to add cheese to my already made omlette. I spent $10.71

Now, I have eaten a restaurants all over the world. Truly, some of the worst looking had the best food. I have spoken to quite a few chefs, had many kitchen tours, collected a few secret recipes. Gene is on a quest for authentic Cajun food. After the kitchen tour I WAS SPEECHLESS. The ladies room is in the 12 by 10 kitchen. Need I say more. Oh, yes. Now the food was good. I had a simple grilled shrimp salad. I did have to pick a few shell bits off the eggs and shrimp. I could not bring myself to use the salad dressing. Gene had red beans and rice with sausage and said it was tasty. Would I recommend this place. Oh no, no, no, no, just no. At least 50 health violations and I'm blind. Why did we eat here. I'm just that curious.

Small mom n pop diner. Friendly service and good prices. Biscuits and gravey were only ok. Their pancakes were big and fluffy and yummy, as were their hashbrowns!!

Stopped in during a recent visit even after , two ladies heard us discussing going and warned us not to , on our way there. We figured , to each it's own and decided to give it a try. It was a small quaint place, and the chef came out a couple times to greet us and introduced himself. After giving our order and waiting for our food the people sitting in the booth next to us, called the waitress over and asked to move tables, because there was a roach walking the wall, and the waitress proceeded to attempt to kill it with a rag. I was immediately disgusted and asked to cancel my order and left.

I love Please-U! The food is all so good and the people who work there, the servers and the owner are all so friendly. You can get an authentic poboy. The prices are really reasonable - you won't get an overpriced poboy here. This is a traditional New Orleans diner, with traditional New Orleans diner atmosphere. And I love the fried egg poboy!

We haven't gotten our food yet, but we are already loving it here. The service is great and they have the cleanest bathroom we've seen so far. They went out of their way to move tables for a party of 8 an hour before closing. One employee came and gave us advice on New Orleans and how to stay safe. Great place. Great prices. Probably great food but we haven't gotten it but but whatever it is will be great I'm sure. Update: the food was amazing all around. Everyone at our table got something different. All was great. Try the hash browns!

The food was horrible. Salty just was not worth my time. And the time we had to wait for this crap was ridiculous.

A standard Cajun lunch counter: sit where you like, cheap, lots of items on the menu and a rotating special list. Good shrimp poboy and sweet tea.

Great, classic diner. They do a hearty breakfast at a fair price, and the servers are charming too. Glad I decided to stop in. I ordered the vegetable omelette with added jalapeno, side of hash browns, and toast. Everything was done fine. The omelette was extra spicy, just the way I like it, and the potatoes were well seasoned. Portions were so generous that I boxed some to bring home. I was never left without water and the check was brought before I was finished. Can't complain. They also deliver, which is something I'll remember when I relocate to Nola.

I don't understand how this place is so highly-rated. The food is extremely bland, and the biscuits are as hard as a rock.

My Chihuahua service dog Panchita and I like this restaurant very much. Nick and Helen do a tremendous job with this place. It has wonderful old New Orleans memorabilia and all the charm of an old-fashioned diner. Before we ever set foot in this diner, people told me that the less impressive a restaurant is in this town, the better the food will be. The first time we walked by the store - which looks like a little hole in the wall - a couple of locals told me that it is the best place to get breakfast and lunch. And that has proved to be true. The three times we had breakfast there, the food has been some of the best breakfast food I have had anywhere. The hashbrowns are fabulous, with the potato skins still in there. Everything we have eaten there has been scrumptious. Stephanie served us about a month ago and was a top-flight server. On that visit, Helen told me the story of her working in the kitchen - and then her husband Nick and her buying the shop from his brother. Today Helen told me that the store was opened in 1946 - the year of my birth. I feel I have some real karma with this fabulous little diner that looks like the diners of my youth. When we ate there this morning, Saint Charles Avenue was absolutely electric as we swing into the two big weekends of Mardi Gras. The diner was absolutely slammed for breakfast and all the servers were working their little tails off. Jamie has been our server in our last two visits to the restaurant. She is both extremely competent and amazingly charming. When we had been there about a half hour, the breakfast rush was starting to ease and she took some moments to chat with me at my table. I like her an awful lot and hope to see her again at my next visit.

Oldschool New Orleans treasure. Got there and get you some good good. You are going to be happy.

If you like good, dive-y diners, you'll like this place. There's no frills, but there's freshly made food a waitress that will serve you with a smile and call you baby. I got the chicken and waffles and it was great. The chicken isn't over-breaded and waffle was freshly made and fluffy as well. My husband got the eggs, sausage and hash browns (skillet potatoes) and the Cajun seasoning on the potatoes was perfect

After a lovely stay at a local hotel nearby, my girlfriend and I headed to this well-reviewed diner before heading back home. Having spent the last week seeing how troubled the city was due to Covid, I was eager to eat the breakfast here and kept my mind open. What we experienced STILL blew our minds. The diner had a quaint and homely feel, easy to like with kind staff, who welcomed us upon entry and invited us to choose our own table. We chose a comfy booth. That's where the experience took a turn. We ordered our food, some basic breakfast items available anywhere and threw in some drinks. Shortly after, the food started arriving... in four separate deliveries several minutes apart. First was my basic breakfast of two scrambled eggs and hashbrowns, which showed up before the grape juice that was ordered at the same time. Eggs are my favorite food and one that is nearly impossible to fail in cooking for any breakfast diner. The eggs looked nice but lacked ANY flavor and had already cooled to room temperature. They were so bland, that not even whatever they were cooked in could be tasted. Completely bland. I could only eat one of the small eggs given. The hash browns were breakfast potato chunks served with lots of onions. I love both, so that's not much of an issue to me, but these also lacked flavor much more than the overpowering onions. Then, out came the side of biscuits and gravy. They promote their biscuits as homemade, so that excited me. I wish they weren't. They were dry and the gravy was completely lacking in flavor, thin and in heavy need of sausage thrown in to fix the whole dish. We also got an extra biscuit delivered for no known reason and it came on a small plate that had a refried bean, chunky residue on the plate (seen in picture). I managed to eat less than one biscuit with gravy. The rye bread showed up next. It was so small, that I could only compare it to a smashed loaf of bread. It was pre-buttered, but so hard that I had use my canines just to bite it off. Molars were needed to chew it. Had half of a slice and allowed my girlfriend the honor of showing her teething abilities with this rocky bread. She managed one bite but obviously it was to prove her toughness. Oh, and after all that, the grape juice arrived. At first, I said to her that it was the best thing on the table, with a fruity front. But the back... it was dry. Grape juice. It gave me dry mouth. How?!?! The girlfriend got hot cakes, which were standard, but... you guessed it... were dry. We both had to drink liquid after every bite. Not an exaggeration. Her bacon was wet and fused together, much like the mounds you would experience at a Vegas buffet. Her chocolate milk had a rough consistency, as if they mixed in some chocolate powder and didn't stir it all the way. I don't write many reviews, but do use Yelp to figure out where and where not to eat. This place needs serious attention to their basic American breakfast dishes and some cooks who understand basic seasoning, because the food is nowhere near the kindness of the staff and the nice diner atmosphere.

Greeks own diners. NOLA loves a big breakfast. This old school joint was the perfect marriage of both! I went basic - 2 eggs over easy, sausage, hash browns and a biscuit. Eggs were perfectly cooked Sausage excellent mix of meat, spice and fat! Hash brown crispy goodness Biscuit - dense, flakey, butter as a biscuit should be! Things I had to pass on but looked amazing Grits - buttery cheesy and creamy Gyro - omelette They're only open for breakfast and lunch. Coffee not espresso. Service is very fast and friendly.

This is a a small hole in the wall diner where locals eat. The owners eat there and try to keep quality up. Food was good but nothing special. Coffee was really good. Good value and I would eat here again.

No frill hole in the wall mom & pops kinda place. They have been open for a long time and never remodeled. The restroom is located through the kitchen and it's pretty filthy but the food was comforting and our server was a doll! She was so friendly and courteous it makes me wanna come back again and again. We had the fried oyster and shrimp po boys bowl of seafood gumbo and cup of red beans and rice. Yummy!

I really enjoyed the homey vibes of this place. Thus small restaurant on St.Charles was built in 1946 and it's still dishing up some good food. I ordered the catfish and eggs with a side of gnash browns and my boyfriend ordered the chicken and waffles. His dish stole the show but my fish was fried to perfection. I enjoyed the seat your self rule and the hospitality was spot on. FYI the bar stool seats are horrible on the buttocks.

I don't see grilled fish on the menu too often in NOLA, so when I saw it on the menu I was giddy. I had perfectly cooked fresh catfish filet with potato salad. It was the most wonderful feeling of "Wow! I just discovered a place I can come back to." My husband had eggs, bacon and grits that was also very well cooked.

4 stars they average, my arse. Ok maybe that is a bit harsh and maybe I caught them at the wrong time(Final week of Mardi Gras) but going based on experience 1 star seems more than fair. I sat down and quickly ordered their steak and eggs a homemade biscuit and a beer. From then on I waited an hour, not one person came to me to see if I needed something else or to give me an ETA on food. When I finally asked a random waitress if she can check on it before I leave my food was served. Waste of time, the steak was terrible, the eggs were bland and the homemade biscuit had to be days old. I could have used it as a weapon. I do not recommend, half a star.

Hard biscuits, cold potatoes, and average grits. Shimp omelette had good flavor but oily. Service attentive but everyone was sullen. Similar results for other three in our party. Too many great places around to return.

You want a hole on the wall, old school diner? Here it is. Biscuits were heavy, but obviously homemade. Breakfast items were very good all around. Hash browns - actually breakfast potatoes- were a highlight. This is one of those places where you're excited to see it a little grimy. Would come again for sure.

Excellent little Hole-In-The-Wall!! Wonderful staff, great food , generous portions! Go if in New Orleans!

The vibe I'm the restaurant was so nice. Very kind workers including the kitchen staff who came out to our table to chat and give some great recommendations! Good selection of affordable local beers and GREAT food!

Don't judge a book by it's cover. If you're looking for what the "locals" would eat, come here. Walking in you can tell it has it's history. Memorabilia of past New Orleans' festivals, mardi gras and Saints this place has been around for a while. With that diner feel the menu is extensive and inexpensive. It had been 24 years since last in New Orleans i was dying for that po-boy taste and after two days of searching I had it. The muffuleta had it's savory meats and veggies one can expect from a fancy po-boy but wow did that taste bring back memories. The service was great and the delivery orders from what i heard kept coming as we dined. Unfortunately I lost the photos so I couldn't upload but rest assured this is one place that isn't a tourist trap. 5 stars!