Ambulance... Five out of five. Nicely done for what it is. Welcoming the vibe, upscale, but not stuffy, comfortable. Nicely decorated not overdone. Service... A+ except it did take them a long time to bring the check and we had to flag the guy down to get it. Otherwise attentive and the meal was reasonably well coursed. They let us split dishes and didn't give us a bad time about it. Food... Also an A+. I'm super picky and tend to not like to venture off the beaten path for different kinds of ethnic foods but everything here that we had was delicious. We split the salad with pear and goat cheese, and except for a couple of decayed pieces of spring mix, which is always a problem with that stuff it was delicious. The dressing was crisp and citrusy. We split the jambalaya with chicken and it was interesting in that it was basically a large scoop of rice with a good sized piece of chicken on the side, which you had to cut up, which is not how I've seen jambalaya prepared before, but it worked. The chicken was insanely good, and the rice also was very delicious, heavy on the bell peppers. We also tried the beef empanadas and the chimichurri sauce was insanely good. We wanted to get beignets, but they were out and none of the other desserts appealed to me so we didn't do dessert. We ordered a French 75 cocktail and the Pinot Noir wine and both were very nice )although pro tip French 75 are supposed to have a lemon peel in them and ours didn't). There is a parking lot and they also have a few tables outside although I don't think anybody would really choose to sit there since it's in the middle of the parking lot and the plants are too low to hide that fact. My friend and I meet regularly in the Redwood City area to dine out and this place is going to go into our regular rotation because it was that good. They were probably somewhere between a four and a five but I'm going to give them the benefit of doubt and give them Five Stars because we did enjoy our meal so much. You should try it! read more

Came on a weekend at lunch hour and the place was empty, to the point I thought it was closed. I had this place bookmarked for a long time, and finally got to try. Menu is priced high and portions small which may be why there's not many people. We got the crawfish etoufee which is mostly roux, very little crawfish or shrimp, and very little rice. Also on flavoring. We asked for no spicy, but they put in the spicy seasoning and no salt. I had to actually put in salt from a salt shaker myself. Also got a side of mushroom jambalaya which was also supposed to be 'not spicy' but was more spicy than the crawfish etoufee. Also it was pretty dry. Service was good and they gave us 2 mini corn bread muffins which were probably the best thing there. Growing up in Houston and having visited New Orleans several times, I have had my share of creole food. If you want anything close to real deal, this is not it... read more

Beautiful space. We went for lunch. Took 5 minutes to be acknowledged... staff said they were cleaning and apologized for not seeing us. I don't know if they don't get frequent customers? We were only customers for well over an hour. Seemed there was no waitstaff & the manager eventually took our order. She was pleasant, but not attentive. They were "out of crayfish due to supply issues". I recommend calling first to see what's in stock. I was craving crawfish, but the braised short rib was good, mu friend was pleased with the catfish po boy. I will try again, but call first to see if they have fully stocked menu. read more

I must've come on a bad day. Yelp reviews and pictures can be deceiving. The food looked flavorful but was bland and took forever. We waited about 40 mins for our two simple entrees even though the place was damn near empty. We also ordered a cup of seafood gumbo to try, but it never arrived. Forgot we even ordered it until I saw it on the bill. If you're expecting rich robust flavors and hearty portions, this definitely isn't it. read more

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So good! Just happened upon this restaurant with my best friend. Such a great, quaint atmosphere. The hostess was great and sat us at the bar because it was packed. So glad we sat at the bar. We got to see everyone and everything at work. The food was so good! We got a couple of plates to share, and so glad we did. The short ribs with side of cheesy grits and greens was so delicious. It also came with red beans and rice, which were delish as well. We got the Shrimp Creola, OH MY GAWH! so addicting, it was like sex on a plate. The hushpuppies with an aioli sauce was to die for as well. We ended with the Pecan pie - so good! The staff was great, food was great, and ambiance was great read more

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Wow! What a pleasant surprise. I got the Cajan Seafood Jambalaya. It was so good I almost ordered another. read more

CreoLa - Cajun/Creole Near Me - San Carlos, California

CreoLa offers Creole-inspired dishes with really delicious, well-developed flavors. The space is very cute, the ambience is inviting, and the staff is incredibly kind and attentive. While I wouldn't necessarily call the food fully authentic, it's still absolutely delicious and thoughtfully executed. It's not upscale, but it does feel more like fine dining than what you might expect when you hear "Creole-inspired." Definitely a pleasant surprise. There's also a parking lot conveniently located on the side of the restaurant, which is a plus. read more

CreoLa - Cajun/Creole Near Me - San Carlos, California

Food is amazing and extra credit for the authentic NOLA ambiance( bathroom feels like a plantation home with antique furniture- dark and candle lit. Free fresh brewed iced tea , served with extra lemons in Quality glassware is always going to earn five stars from me. Service is always first rate! read more

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I came here for lunch and really enjoyed my experience. I had the vanilla lemonade, and it was the best lemonade I've ever had. For my starter, I had the boudin balls and corn hush puppies. Both were fried perfectly and were delicious. For my main, I had the short ribs, and these were so tender! I had them with mashed potatoes and collard greens. It was a huge portion, and everything tasted great. For dessert, I had the beignets and bread pudding. The beignets weren't as good as the ones I had in New Orleans. They weren't fluffy. The bread pudding was alright. The service was great, and it's a very cute setting. read more

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My cousin, my sister, and I came here yesterday 6/12 for dinner. The parking was easy. The services was pretty good. We were able to get a table right away. The food was pretty good as well. We had push puppies as an appetizer and it was so good especially with the sauce. I ordered fried catfish, greens , and jambalaya which was good. The greens could have been spicier but it was still ok. We also ordered cornbread comes with 3 which were fresh and buttered. I would not mind coming back to this place. read more

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Creole, Cajun food was nowhere on my BINGO card for my recent trip to the Bay Area. Asian,, seafood, more Asian probably some Italian but nothing NOLA related for sure. God bless Yelp for finding this one for me which was close by to my hotel. Service was friendly and attentive. The place while large wasn't overly busy and two gents took care of the four parties seated. Starter: Cornbread. I liked the top but the bottom of the muffin was a little overdone like it had sat in the pan too long. Drink: I've only recently heard of it but I wanted to try a sazerac, the official cocktail of New Orleans. It was strong (Jim Beam Rye) and for those that like bitters there are two (angostura and Pechaud) used in their take. Pernod was used for the rinse. It was good but I think if I had something sweet to nibble on it would have been better. You don't have to even have me look at a menu if I'm in a Cajun/Creole restaurant. Jambalaya it is. The dish was fantastic with chicken breast and the rice, cooked perfectly, had ample pieces of andouille sausage and Tasso ham. Great rendition. My wife and daughter shared the fried chicken with sides of mushroom jambalaya and green beans. Since they were sharing I didn't ask for a bite but they seemed satisfied. My other daughter ordered the crawfish and shrimp etoufee. Good amount of both shellfish. It tasted great. If I had ordered that instead of jambalaya I'd be totally fine with it. For dessert we all had eyes on the house beignets with chocolate sauce. A bit of a miss there unfortunately. Like the corn bread I felt it was overdone. Not a fluffy. A little more of a stiff chew. The restaurant is clean and I liked all the dark wood. It is well lit with large windows and they liked to use mirrors as part of the decor lending to more brightness and creating more sense of openess. Solid find and would go back for the mains like the jambalya. read more

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Our Servers were very nice. Everything Was Delicious It was my Birthday so I made reservations here. We ordered the hush puppies, boudin balls, gumbo,shrimp & crawfish etoufee, fried chicken with the greens and jambalaya. Beignets to go . Would Definitely recommend this restaurant read more

Friendly staff, perfect Creole vibes, full menu, full bar with happy hour and a list of specialty cocktails. Authentic dishes, from Jambalaya to catfish or shrimp/andouille po'boys. Highly recommended, delicious!!! Tip - try the Jambalaya with a New Orleans Hurricane read more

We recently dined at CreoLa for Dinner. We ordered the hush puppies, empanadas, fried chicken, crawfish étouffée and the beignet dessert. The hush puppies were filled with corn that added a sweet note to the plate. It also gives some bite. This dish comes with mayo to keep the hush puppies moist. The empanadas are filled with beef and come with a chimichurri sauce. The light, fresh and herby taste works well with the empanadas even though they're already crispy and packed with flavors by themselves. The crawfish and shrimp étouffée were perfectly cooked. The sauce gives the dish a slight kick. Mixing rice with the sauce and crawfish makes each bite terrific. The fried chicken is crispy and the chicken is moist and flavorful. You can pick 2 sides with this dish. The grits were overall good, but there were some clumps with some bites. Jambalaya is mild spicy. It has tomato, sausage and ham and tastes really good. The beignets are pretty sweet because they are covered with powered sugar. We couldn't choose between the sauces so we got both caramel and chocolate sauce. Chocolate sauce is silky, pairs well with the beignets and it's not very sweet. The caramel sauce is excellent, tastes almost like butterscotch sauce, but it's definitely on the sweeter side. Overall, we love the food and will go back again. read more

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Review based solely on DoorDash orders. If you're craving some Cajun and don't want to get your hands messy, then order from here bc it's the closet you're going to get. I've become loyal to this place after ordering their beignets- soft and sweet and just overall delicious. Def coming in person next time read more

Haven't been to CreoLa Bistro in a few years and glad we visited last night. Started with bacon wrapped oysters and Boudin Balls that were both cooked perfectly. We ordered 2 glasses of a well known Fume Blanc, however after a few sips we didn't think it tasted right and they replaced it right away. I had the Cornmeal crusted catfish with red beans and rice AND Mushroom Jambalaya. FANTASTIC - cooked perfectly with wonderful southern flavors. My wife had shrimp Etofee and it too was cooked perfectly and was delicious. We finished our meal with my wife's favorite dessert Bread Pudding and it didn't dissapoint! Eat at CreolaLA, you won't be dissapointed! read more

A cute date spot with unique food. My husband and I visited on a Saturday night and had a fun time. I thoroughly enjoyed the pomegranate lime cooler, and the service was wonderful. The catfish was flavorful, as were the grits. My husband loved the fried chicken and mash potato. Definitely indulge in the beignets for dessert...yum! read more

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We came here for a birthday dinner and had very high hopes ! The interior is very cute and there were only a few other groups here and they were ready to leave. It took a while for them to get our order and each step from ordering to getting the food seemed to take a long time. Eventually our food arrived, one dish at a time. The soup and salad for mh friend arrived and they tasted very bland and flavorless. Then the fried chicken with green beans and jambalaya arrived and the fried chicken was ok. The green beans were mostly undercooked and only a few beans were almost cooked to perfection. The hambalaya was the most delicious part. They had forgotten about our hush puppies so my friend reminded them after we were nearly done with the meal. The hish puppies arrived and it was easily the best thing there. Not sure why they took a while despite us two being the only orders they needed to handle since the other groups in the restaurant all got their food far before we arrived and all left shortly after. read more

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Amazing place. Definitely my favorite #1 spot to come eat in San Carlos. The Gumbo was on point and the hush puppies were amazing. The service was excellent and very personable. Plus the ambiance of the place really was a character that made me think this is what New Orleans is like. Will definitely be back. read more

The food was amazing. Easy parking but the service was very slow. Expensive but well worth the money. 3 year anniversary with my love. read more

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Service was fine, but unfortunately I would not recommend this place to others. There was a baby cockroach crawling on the wall next to my table. Unfortunately I didn't get a picture because I killed it right away. I ordered the gumbo and was very disappointed. It lacked a lot of flavor. I was also given a bowl that was dirty and had old crusted food stuck to it. I should've left immediately after seeing the cockroach!!! I would head to the East Bay for more authentic soul food. read more

CreoLa - Dirty bowl - Cajun/Creole Near Me - San Carlos, California

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What a charming restaurant! Husband and I had dinner on a Thursday night before going to an evening event at Filioli. Service was great. Food was also great. read more

Went here on the weekend of Mother's Day. Customer service was okay, but the food has no favor, I saw a roach underneath the table and the tables were sticky. Filed a complaint with county already for health inspections. read more

I'm staying down the street at the Hyatt Place and needed dinner nearby. I ordered the Crawfish and Prawn Etoufee and for desert the Silk Pie. I ordered it to go from their website and it said to pick up in half an hour. I arrived exactly half hour later and they were just boxing up my food. Nice! Unfortunately they did not have utensils for take out orders so that kinda sucked. Inside it was decorated like Mardi Gras and was very nice. The food was excellent and I ordered it hot and spicy. It was not really hot and spicy but it was still good. There was plenty of shrimp and crawfish and the gravy was super tasty. The cornbread was the only disappointment here. The desert was also great and left me satisfied. Support small local business rather than the big chain restaurants if you can! read more

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The food was okay. I had higher hopes given the rating for the place. It's hard to compare when you've been to New Orleans before but this is my comparison to other creole/cajun places I've tried in the Bay Area. There are definitely better places that taste a little more authentic for a quarter of the price. I liked their hush puppies though! Service was good, the waiters were really attentive and friendly. Glad I got to try the place out. read more

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A nice restaurant on El Camino Real. They have inside seating with a lot of tables near their windows. Outdoor seating is available as well. Decor is simple, yet homey. White walls with a lot of pictures, paintings, mirrors, etc. Smooth jazz music playing in the restaurant. They have one man and one woman's bathroom each; clean and spacious. The service was nice and friendly! My wife and I shared the following... Corn Hush Puppies: Fresh Corn Fritter, Remoulade Sauce. - Crispy, slightly sweet, but a bit dense. Side of Red Beans & Rice: smoky, with a delicious kick of spice. Side of Cream Cheese Grits - creamy, smooth, and buttery grits. Delicious! Shrimp CreoLa: Gulf coast shrimp, seafood stuffing, smoked tomato beurre blanc, steamed jasmine rice. This dish came with sautéed green beans. The shrimp was cooked perfectly. The stuffing was a medley of flavors. The portion was a bit smaller than I hoped. Cornbread muffin - moist, and slightly sweet. It was a good muffin. Abita Rootbeer: Sweetened with pure Louisiana cane sugar. I was intrigued because it must be popular in Louisiana. "The flavors of honey, vanilla, sassafrass, clove, and licorice are clearly discernable. There's a little bit of mint in the mix as well, but less than in most root beers." read more

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What a hidden gem in San Carlos! This place is so easy to miss on El Camino Real, my wife and I wish we knew about this place sooner. As soon as you walk in you get that New Orleans style feel. The black/white backsplash on the bar, multiple ceiling fans, wooden vaulted ceiling, etc. Our server was great and helped us decide on what to get based on his personal recommendations. Safe to say, his recommendations were on point! The food was delicious, my wife and I had to try almost everything on their menu! I had the fried chicken, very crunchy but still moist. My wife had the shrimp and crawfish étouffée, full of flavor and the seafood was cooked just right. Everything pictured was very very good and we can't wait to go back. Highly highly recommend checking this place out! read more

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Came here this evening for the first time. Wonderful service. We started off with some hush puppies and the creole balls I forgot what they were called. Both were good but I do think their hush puppies were a bit tastier but that could be my own biased opinion because I love hush puppies. My partner had the andouille sausage with jambalaya and greens. She really enjoyed it. Our friends ordered the short ribs and fried chicken. They also both seemed to like the food. I ordered a bowl of the seafood gumbo. Everything was very good. Good chunks of crab. Shrimp were kind of small but no complaints because it was the perfect bite size. I do like that their gumbo wasn't extremely slimey but they did have okra which definitely added a good cut through the seafood. It came with rice and a side of cornbread. My only notes is I would have preferred more rice with the bowl of gumbo. Their drinks are hit and miss. The hurricane is good as well as the sazerac and French 75 but the old fashion was eh. Other than that our experience was wonderful. Will definitely come back again read more

CreoLa - Seafood gumbo - Cajun/Creole Near Me - San Carlos, California

This place is just bad. But hipsters wanting to have a cosmopolitan life think eating at a Creole restaurant makes them enlightened and l accepting. The food is not anywhere close to being authentic and the service is horrible. 45 minutes to eat? No effing thanks. I Yelp curse you, please close your restaurant read more

Had the best Mother's Day lunch here at Creola! We were a group of 20 and they were able to accommodate all our needs. The crew were amazing! Service is superb! read more

Went to Creola with the boy when we were in the area and so glad I finally got to try this place out! If you are looking for creole food this is a good spot for you. For a Sunday lunch, thankfully there was not a wait when we got there and we were seated quickly and given the menu. The ambiance is cute and it's nice to grab food with friends or a partner. We ended up ordering: * shrimp etoufe - this was delicious and flavorful and came with shrimp as well as crawfish. There was also rice that came with it as well as cornbread * fried chicken with mashed potatoes and jambalaya - this was also yummy and juicy and flavorful. The sides we picked were awesome with the chicken. This dish also came with au jus which was awesome * beignets - we got this with caramel and chocolate sauce. Overall yummy and flavorful as you'd expect My main qualm with this place is that the portions were small. It's definitely on the pricier side and portions were tinier, especially the sides. The flavors and taste is on point though. Overall it was a great experience, but I think worth giving larger portions would be nice for the price! read more

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Made reservations for 6 people on a Tuesday night. Called just a few hours before and it wasn't crowded. Only 2-3 other tables were dining during that time. We ordered the following appetizers: crispy boudin balls, corn hush puppies, cornbread, and the fried oysters. These were pretty good, I liked the cornbread and and crispy boudin balls the best. Wasn't the biggest fan of the fried oysters. For my entree I got the beer braised short ribs which comes with choice of 2 sides. For the 2 sides, I got mashed potatoes and cajun jambalaya. The short rib was great! It was tender and very easy to cut into. Cajun jambalaya was standard. Loved the mashed potatoes! They were super creamy and buttery but not too heavy either. For dessert, we got the beignets, French silk pie, and bread pudding (they were out of pecan pie sadly). I didn't get to try the bread pudding. I thought beignets were ok. French silk pie was delicious and definitely the star of the dessert show! Service was wonderful and food came out fairly quickly! Ambiance is very cozy and it was dimly lit at night with nice decorations - perfect for an intimate gathering. read more

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We came on Friday evening when they just opened and were able to grab a spot without reservation. Staff was hospitable and humorous. As the night went on, the restaurant was bustling and full of patrons. Oyster en brochette - succulent oysters fried to perfection wrapped in bacon, pairs well with creamy remoulade sauce Catfish with remoulade sauce - I chose for it to be battwred and fried in cornmeal crust. Crispy batter that is not too heavy, still flaky and soft catfish. Love the side dishes of jambalaya and collard greens Beignets - small pieces of dessert delight, dip in caramel or chocolate sauce and it is a perfect way to end dinner read more

CreoLa - Louisiana Catfish Filet - Cajun/Creole Near Me - San Carlos, California

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Came here Friday and they opened at 5pm. It was just us and one other family and great service. A parking lot of its own and i didn't see anyone charging to park there They definitely were patient with my 90 year old grandma and all her questions. My grandma said it was the best catfish she's ever had in a restaurant, but wouldn't recommend the greens. I got the jambalaya blackened chicken breast with rice which was pretty good Definitely try the cornbread, one piece is not enough it's delicious Looked like a few people brought their own bottles of wine to enjoy as well. Lastly the chocolate beignets were the best I've had and I've been to New Orleans famous spots. My grandma said the pecan pie was good but tasted cold By 6pm it was a full house of people, come early read more

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They let me sit at the table while waiting for the rest of the party to arrive and asked if I would like a drink. Service was great and very accommodating. The food was good and everyone enjoyed their meal. I would love to return for lunch and try their po'boy sandwiches. read more

We have been coming to this place for 3 years now . This time we were celebrating our daughter's birthday and she wanted some Creola for Brunch . We love the corn bread muffins I buy them by the dozen. Our favorite plate is the beef short ribs . Also the crispy boudin balls are so delicious , must try ! I tried Crawfish & Shrimp Etoufee for the first time and it was soooooo delicious!!! MUST TRY ! Trust me ! Funny thing is I don't do sea food, only thing I eat is (Peruvian ceviche ) , but I wanted to try something new and omg it's my new favorite plate , so tasty such nice delicious flavors I loved it . They are so nice , their service is so friendly and welcoming, she asked us where we would like to seat we were the first ones there . Also our birthday girl spilled her drink and the waiter was so nice and came to quickly help us clean it and remade her vanilla lemonade. It was great , thank you for such a great service and food . We really love this place ! Oh and we all love the music playing every time we come is very enjoyable to hear the instruments. read more

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Amazing food! Came here on a weeknight with friends and got seated right away. Was excited to order right away because I've tried the one in SF and loved it! Ordered the crispy boudin balls, corn hush puppies, and cornbread and every bite was a delight! Everything was made perfect and the sauce was so good! Their corn bread was warm and light, wonderful! Ended up getting Anita turbo dog beef braised short ribs which was delicious! The meat falls off so well and it was so tender. Also ordered the gumbo, which was fantastic, especially on a cold night. Also ordered the Cajun jambalaya entree and is probably my favorite. Everything was made perfectly. Each entree came with a side or two, so we ended up getting the cream cheese grits, mashed potatoes, green beans with shaved garlic. Let me say the sides were excellent! Just woww! I had no words and still don't! To top it off, we got the beignets that come with two sauces (chocolate and caramel) on the side. Delicious! Great place for any occasion and will come here again! read more

CreoLa - Cajun Jambalaya Entree - Cajun/Creole Near Me - San Carlos, California

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Tasty food with reasonable prices. Hard to find good creole cuisine in the Peninsula so I am glad this place exists. Ideal for couples or groups with easy parking. read more

I had no idea this place has been opened for several years now! My friend and I decided to try something new for the first time and found Creola on Yelp! We were a bit nervous as we came for dinner around 6:30 on a Thursday and it was completely dead (no customers) but we thought Heidi's might be slow so we should still give it a chance. What we ordered: Catfish with remoulade sauce (cornmeal crusted) that came with two sides so we chose mash potatoes and the wild mushroom jambalaya Short rib with two slides so we chose Cajun jambalaya and rice/beans. 3 pc beignets with choice of chocolate or caramel I think the catfish was the best thing cuz it was piping hot when it came out. The wild mushroom jambalaya didn't taste like your classic jumbalaya. It was still good but the flavoring wasn't what I was expecting. The mash potatoes were mediocre. Lacked seasoning and flavor since it was plan. The short rib was probably the most disappointing out of everything. It was kind of lukewarm and it lacked flavor. The meat wasn't tender either. The Cajun jambalaya was good but it was missing that kick of Cajun we were expecting. It was kind of on the sweet side. The beignets were good but I wished we knew we were gonna be charged $1.25 for getting both sauces. Not that it's a big deal but if you add an extra charge should probably ask the customers if it's ok. Overall it's decent but not sure if I would come back for food again. Like everyone said, the servers were nice and extremely hospitable but for the price of everything, I would rather explore other places. read more

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Definitely a cute spot to try in San Carlos. I loved how bright and thoughtful the décor was. The service was not too bad considering they had one server for the time we were there. When asked about recommendations, the server didn't really have any answer (said everything was good) which wasn't a helpful answer. Luckily, we had already narrowed down some options to try. The food, for the most part, was great. I loved the hushpuppies and the corn bread for starters. I rarely see butter so nicely plated too which really got my attention. I got the fried catfish with the mushroom jambalaya and cream cheese grits as my main dish. I gotta say, I was a bit underwhelmed with the catfish. There wasn't enough seasoning for me. Also, the breading fell off the fish easily which added to the lack of seasoning when eating the catfish. My sides were pretty solid though. I loved the cheesy grits - definitely cheesy but didn't feel heavy. The jambalaya had great flavor. We ended with some beignets which came out so fresh and perfect and I liked having the option to dip into chocolate or caramel. read more