Angeli, New Orleans

We got to the French Quarter late and were all hungry. I picked Angeli online based on menus and reviews. The trip down Decatur with our kids past all of the clubs was a little unnerving. I was even more uncertain when we entered Angeli’s, dimly lit, it looked like more of a bar than a restaurant. But we decided to give it a try.

We had the Sampler appetizer, Hummus, Spicy Tomato Spread, and Roasted Peppers & Feta with pita triangles. It was a gorgeous display of tasty treats. We were pleasantly surprised. I have never tried a tomato spread like that before. It was delicious.

I had a small pizza, Lucifer’s Special, traditional red sauce, mozzarella cheese, pepperoni, italian sausage, ham, red onions and jalepenos. Very tasty, the crust was excellent, good texture. Good quality pizza, not typical late night fare.

My husband had the Italian Feast Sandwich, mozzarella cheese, pepperoni, genoa salami, sliced ham, red onions, romaine lettuce, and sliced tomatoes, served with a pasta salad. He said the bread was very good. The serving size was a surprise, it was a large sandwich on a homemade round-loaf. The pasta salad with a tangy Italian dressing was a heaping portion as well. My husband does not care for that type of dressing, but those of us who do thought the pasta salad was delicious.

Similar to my husband’s order was one of the girls’ order of a Turkey Sandwich, mozzarella cheese, red sauce, sliced turkey, red onions, romaine lettuce, and sliced tomatoes, also served with the pasta salad. She was only able to eat half of the sandwich.

My other daughter ordered the Meatball Calzone, traditional red pizza sauce, mozzarella cheese, spicy meatballs, and your choice of toppings. It was huge! She said it was very tasty, and my stolen bite confirms it. It was beautiful, the crust was perfect, not too dry, with a resilient texture.

There was plenty of food to go back to the room. We snacked on the leftovers from this meal for several days.

Oh, and they DELIVER.

Favorite Dish: The sampler platter was my favorite. It's hard to pick a favorite, because everything we tried here was very good. But the sampler was a great late night snack, something we could all share. It consists of hummus, Spicy Tomato Spread, and Roasted Peppers & Feta served with pita triangles. It was a gorgeous display of very tasty treats.

Now it's not just the turkish food mixed in with the diner food that makes this place fun - it was always supposed to be hip and somehow it pulled it off. I think it's because Aisha (the owner) is so unpretentious that having a slight goth place balances this cool restaurant. Great (if a bit oily) food, good people watching, film projector...Angeli's is hittin it...

Favorite Dish: I used to get the portable mushroom sandwich...missing that, yeah...great espresso to run with that...

Angeli's serves drinks and has live music from time to time, and it's menu is pretty decent if not authentic to New Orleans. It has a full bar, and like many such restaurants, one can smoke and eat at the same time if they wish. The corner set building is old as the mosaic tile floor sinks to one side, but the waiting staff of bohemian dressed youth are fast and efficient. Timbers and steel hold the second story in place, and despite the raunchy atmosphere, the food is largely vegetarian personalize pizzas, greek gyros, and other items not typical of the French Quarter. We had arrived late, but service was still on. Unfortunately, this was a cash only place at the time of our visit, so expect to use the ATM.

Favorite Dish: I had a chicken and olive pizza while my wife had a gyro. Both were prepared with some culinary skill. The two gin and tonics that I drank were quite agreeable as was music.

It's a solid establishment - not the best nor the worst place to dine in The Quarter, or even on Decatur Street.

The service is variable, the food is consistently good.

The specific area in which this restaurant is located is inhabited by the "dressed in black" crowd.

Favorite Dish: Nothing stands out but most Italian dishes are done fairly well here. Late, try the breakfast pizza.