The Rum House

A four star average for the Rum House? Let's maybe put things in perspective here.

The Rum House is one of those phenomena that I just don't understand. The atmosphere is a silly kind of Jimmy Buffett-meets an all-inclusive Carribean resort thing. The menu isn't particularly staggering, but from the hordes of thirty-somethings that are constantly stuffing the patio and bar in post-work-hour, you'd think it was the best restaurant in New Orleans.

My theory on the popularity of the Rum House is that it's a perfectly acceptable place to bring your boss or work colleagues without feeling weird about going to a real-life bar. It's the culinary equivalent of the Eagles or John Mayer.  If I found out that Rum House franchised out to every luxury mall in America, I wouldn't be surprised. Everything is salty and sweet and sauced well.

The nachos are absolutely great. The drinks are good. But golly, sometimes the service is painfully slow and a little bit icy.

You know how you see those families trudging down Magazine on their One Big Walk of their New Orleans Vacation, dodging from air conditioned shop to air conditioned shop in search of a meaningful experience? The poor kids sweating through their flip flops and mom and dad showing signs of doubting their whole harebrained scheme and starting to snipe about how they shouldn't have left the Quarter? That family is going to find the Rum House. Mom and Dad are going to have icy margaritas and the kids are going to have some decent tacos and it's going to be an absolute religious experience for them.

At the end of our Garden District tour, our guide suggested we go to Magazine Street and try The Rum House. After that long walk, we were wise to take his suggestion.

Yes, the wait is long, but not outrageous. Anything worth having doesn't come easy. First thing we appreciated is that the regular drinks (water, tea, soda, etc) comes in big mason jars. Definitely a welcome sight in the heat. Next thing we appreciated was the wide variety of tacos on the menu. We ordered two trifecta plates with lamb vindaloo, fried oysters, pork mole, calypso beef, fried fish, and duck cracklings. We shared plates and got to try a little of everything, each being very tasty. The black beans and jerk veggies we had as sides were good too. The service was also very prompt and polite.

The next time I'm in town, I'll be sure to swing by again and try the rum flights.

Awesome food and great prices