Norma M.

Catching up on my reviews from our visit 2 weeks ago...Our friend wanted to come back here for HH. In addition to the Cajun Mussels, we tried Shrimp & Grits, Oyster Casino and Bayou Shrimp Tempura. Penelope is a delightful fusion of French bistro elegance and New Orleans soul. It's a place that celebrates flavor, flair, and a touch of Southern magic. Check them out, you won't be disappointed!

Ron A.

Let's be real. To anyone who has spent significant time in the Big Easy or southern Louisiana eating Cajun or Creole cuisine, you'll know that Penelope isn't going to carry you back to NOLA...it's NOLAish at best. However, that said, Penelope has a good vibe with good food. They offer a good time, not the real deal...and they don't claim to be legit lagniappe, just to channel a feeling of the French Quarter minus the reek of vomit and urine of Bourbon Street in the morning. I enjoyed my visit and will return, as you should give it a shot. We started with mac'n cheese bites and pimento cheese dip. Both were pretty good, but the mac'n cheese bites were an unexpectedly interesting and good. The entrees, while good, were not spectacular. Service was spectacular however. This is definitely worth a visit.

Zerlaine P.

You can never go wrong with truffle fries! The max and cheese bites are NOT fried so don't expect that. They're more like pasta with ALOT of cheese FOOD: New Orleans style food CUSTOMER SERVICE: servers and manager were very attentive COST: $$ SERVING TIME: 20-30 mins AMBIANCE: brunchy vibes during the day, bar style at night OUTDOOR seating: yes PARKING: valet, garage or street parking

Jennifer K.

Cool place!! Super tiny inside and both times I've gone, it was ridiculously hot! I typically run cold and the fact I was sweating means it was very warm. My pregnant friend couldn't wait to leave. The inside is NOLA inspired with cool umbrellas hanging from the ceilings. Very fun vibe. Severs are all great. Very attentive! Shrimp and grits was good. Not the best I've ever had but very good. We ordered a side of biscuits and they were raw. The manager apologized and sent out new ones but since they are made fresh, they were severed after we finished eating our meal. Disappointing because they were so yummy! We enjoyed them for breakfast the next day. Dessert options are great. Friend chicken is juicy and crispy. Beignets were just ok. If you're looking for NOLA style, these aren't it. They are good!! Don't get me wrong but not like you'd get in NOLA. Nothing we had was bad. Highly recommend and we are looking forward to coming back again after season is over.

Marc Aka Max H.

The ambience is "cool", or at least that was what the owners were aiming toward. I used to visit NOLA 4x a year, and ate in many bar/restaurants and restaurants, and frankly, none of them had upside down umbrellas dropping from the ceiling, so I am not sure what "vibe" the owners were going for. The pictures on the wall that displayed changing add/on images was unique and of interest. The several times we were there it was around 4-4:30, as they were not serving lunches yet. Now they do. I suspect that late at night it gets crowded with the bar clientele. As to what we ate: Caesar salad solid ++, with tangy dressing, white anchovies., and a cheese wafer. The cold shrimp cocktail was nice and fat and juicy, and their homemade sauces were quite good. Ate the entree plate of shrimp and grits, which was very tasty, well prepared. Only downside was the plate was hot and the food was not. Didn't send it back, but in the future if a dish comes out luke warm, back it goes. Had a take-out order this week, and was finally able to taste the shrimp po-boy, and with that offering, I can state it was quite good and competitive to NOLA servings. The humongous burger with their sauce and cheese and lettuce was very nicely cooked. So large, I only had half and saved the rest for the next day. Both the burger and po-boy came with French fries, which were unappealing. Skinny as one can get them, they were mushy and too heavily seasoned. Ordered the Truffle fries, and they too were thin and limp and mushy, and I didn't taste any truffles, but it was very heavily seasoned and frankly, not worth ordering and will not be ordered again, unless they make them crispy and have truffle oil on them. Service was attentive. Music good. When seated, the sofa seating was filthy with crumbs and pieces of bread. Looked like seating which had previously had an infant, we have all seen those in restaurants. So, an over-all clean environment was marred by that dirty sofa. Management needs to re-train the servers to make sure the seating is just as clean as the table top, and if there is food on the floor, it be removed. I frequent Kapow about 4x a month, and there is never any dirt on seats or floor.

Angelo R.

Well, this place was a breath of fresh air! It's about time a new bistro opened in Mizner Park serving Nola cuisine. From the minute you walk in, you'll be mesmerized by umbrellas on the ceiling moving up and down. Also, the framed paintings feature animation so pay close attention. Such a well-thought-out design of this space which was formerly occupied by Kapow. The food here was probably one of the best we've ever had. Its elevated cajun and creole cuisine and I'm telling you, not only the presentation was on point but bold flavors will definitely excite your palette starting with Bone Marrow Escargot. So buttery and garlicky good. Also, the Oysters Casino was divine and of course, you gotta get their fresh buttery Buttermilk Biscuits. Another must is the Mac and Cheese Bites. They're not your ordinary deep-fried apps but these were more like dumplings. So good. For the vegetarians, get the Baby Beets & Goat. Very fresh and tasty. For the carnivores, I highly recommend the Butcher's Cut Steak. Perfectly cooked and juicy. And don't skip on desserts especially their version of Beignets and pair it with the Croissant Bread Pudding. Both were to die for. Also did I mention they also have a daily happy hour (M-F). I highly recommend this cute spot if you're Mizner Park. The service is top notch and the food is spectacular. So what are you waiting for? We can't wait to go back for more.

Randi F.

Exceptional new culinary gem where French bistro meets Southern meets New Orleans elegance. New southern soul with authentic New Orleans style dishes. Unique choices and excellent wine selection and lively night life. Service was superb for a new favorite and Manager made sure everything was above standards. Our dinner was served as it was ready with very little wait time. Mathew the GM kept checking on us and made sure our evening was memorable. The food was served and prepared unlike any other restaurant in town. PENELOPE IS A "MUST TRY" SUPPORT LOCAL!

Julie F.

I've been seeing their promos online plus we do love southern/New Orleans style fare, so we finally decided to come try them out for Happy Hour. We ordered a couple items off the Happy Hour menu plus some beignets for dessert. My husband had a glass of wine that was half off the regular price. He said the wine was good. And we did have friendly service from the bartender, Mike. Because we didn't really enjoy our other food, we didn't order anything else additionally except dessert from their regular menu. The best part of our experience were the beignets. My husband started with their muffaletta sliders on the Happy Hour menu. This turned out to be two very small and narrow pie-shaped wedges. The sliders had the meats that you usually see on this sandwich but were lacking in that the olive salad, if there at all, was such a miniscule amount he couldn't taste it. He said there wasn't any real flavor of a regular muffaletta. And that the bread was dried out. I tried their oysters casino from the Happy Hour menu. Five came to the order. The oysters were just okay. They weren't separated from the bottom shells, so it was a bit difficult to pry them up. On top of the oysters -- that I thought would be hot (they weren't) and cooked more (they weren't) was a lot of dried overcooked panko. If there was bacon or butter (as listed), I couldn't tell. We ordered their beignets off the regular menu. These came out hot and well covered with powdered sugar. There were five to the order. They were very good. Inside, the restaurant is a pretty decorated place with some upside-down umbrellas on the ceiling, but not as the "most attractive" place as their online promos would lead you to believe. It's quite small with a bar on one side and a few tables on the other plus a couple booths in the back. There's also outside seating. I'm glad we came to try them out. Now we know.

Gina P.

Came on Friday night saw they had an online waitlist that showed zero people waiting inside and zero minutes for a table so didn't join it. When we arrived they said actually the website is wrong and it's 45 mins for inside table. Bar was packed as well so we opted to leave and came back the next day. Joined the waitlist this time but decided to sit at the bar when I was told we would only have the table for about an hour until a reservation came in. While we did leave in about an hour I had never eaten here before so had no idea if the service took long etc. We both ordered cocktails I had the garden district and my BF ordered For the love of ITMA. They were ok, both a little on the sweeter side and felt like light pours. We started with the escargot bone marrow. I was really excited for this dish as it's a combo of my two faves. The bone marrow was delicious but the escargot had zero flavor. Escargot is typically a garlic flavor bomb so to have them essentially taste like nothing was a first. This came with toast. I ordered the shrimp and grits. Three large shrimp, cheesy grits, crispy lardons, and a coffee foam using local coffee from subculture. Overall the dish was really good. The foam didn't seem needed but overall I enjoyed it. I do feel like it was priced a bit too high at 33 for three shrimp but overall it was tasty. My BF had the jumbalaya which he enjoyed. We capped off the meal with Beignets and I had an espresso martini. The martini fell a bit short not as flavorful and coffee packed as others I've had. The beignets were the best thing we had the entire meal. They were super crispy yet so so soft on the inside. They were not as pillowy as what you'd have in new orleans but they were honestly better IMO. They were dusted in powdered sugar and served along with a vanilla sauce. Overall it was a nice meal. I do feel like the value for the price wasn't there for me to return quickly. I've purchased two round trip flights to New Orleans for less than the cost of that meal. I would try them for happy hour as there were a few apps I would like to try but nothing else for entrees really caught my eye to come back soon for a full meal.

Tairyn A.

Penelope is a cute and eclectic bar located in Mizner Park, where Kapow used to be. They have a drink menu with some interesting cocktails. I got my customary Hendricks martini with blue cheese stuffed olives, which was very good. I also had a cucumber cocktthat was very refreshing. I loved the decor, they have a very cool upside down umbrellas all over their ceiling. Is one of those things better seen than explained. Service was so, so. We met some friends at the bar and we were not acknowledged. We had to flag the bartender and still took a while to get a drink. Another thing I didn't care for much is the temperature. It was so hot. This is due to the open door and half the bar is in an open aired area. We left after the second round because we were sweating. It is a nice place overall though. I would come back on a less hot day and later in the evening.

Blanca M.

A Cajun style place with a bar. House burger and peach salad were good. Service was good too. Decent overall.

Shula R.

Located in the old Kapow location at Mizner Park, this relatively new spot has a cute vibe, great drinks, and yummy food. They have been open about 8 months now and are owned by the same hospitality group as Kapow (which moved across the street) and Shaker and Pies which will be opening soon right across from them. We got there for happy hour and stayed for a bit longer. It was pretty quiet when were arrived but was happening by the time we left. The inside is cute decor with moving artwork and hanging umbrellas. The inside bar has sliding windows that open to make the bar indoor/outdoor. On cold nights, they have heaters out there to utilize the space. We were there on a Friday and there was a DJ outside by the time we left. We tried the Mac and cheese bites (get them and thank me later!), cajun mussels (mussels and sauce were good but not sure if the bread was the best fit), truffle fries (good but standard), and Bayou rock shrimp (think calamari but not - worth a try). Their happy hour definitely has some good food options, it is a little limited if you don't do seafood or shellfish. We sat at the bar and service was a little slow as they only have one bartender tending to the whole inside and outside bar area as well as making craft cocktails for the entire restaurant. Despite being at the bar, water refills took a while even after asking. We wanted to try the beignets but our truffle fries took a while to come out so we opted for not placing an order for something they already tell you takes like 20 minutes or so to come out. We will have to get on our next visit, maybe as an appetizer :) Happy hour drinks options are limited to single type alcohols so you can't try any of their signature cocktails for a discount of even a few bucks. I feel like maybe they could offer a little discount for those who don't like beer, wine, or alcohol and a mixer. Also they do not do any substitutions/adjustments to their signature cocktails. We asked if tequila could be swapped out for vodka (something I've done many times before) and were told sorry but they don't do that. We tried the espresso martini, from Impa with love, Bayou breeze, and talk to me goose. They have a couple drinks that come with torched rosemary so that is a frequent smell in the restaurant. Great if you like rosemary, maybe not great if you don't. Lastly the bartender, Myles, made a surprise off menu beverage that he won the Ft. Lauderdale Food and Wine festival with called just squash it. He loves fall and wanted to embody that in a beverage. It contained whisky, fennel, coconut whipped cream, butternut squash, and I think something else. It was a beauty of a drink and I think it would have been fabulous if the fennel was kicked back a couple notches for my liking. When getting around the fennel and getting the beverage with the coconut whipped cream, it was quite tasty. Shout out to the young man who was bar backing/sous cheffing at the bar. He was so focus and diligent on whatever tasks he was working on the entire night we were there. Overall it's a very cute spot and I think would be great to come and try for brunch as well as a real meal since we only got through the appetizers. Worth a trip if you are at Mizner or want to go to Mizner but aren't sure where to eat.

Josette S.

This New Orleans inspired restaurant is located in Mizner Park, Boca Raton Florida.  I am absolutely obsessed with how cute this place is. You feel like you're in New Orleans. Each dish we had was excellent. I love a great beet salad, and their bone marrow escargot is a must. Also, don't forget to try their Oysters Casino and their version of the mac and cheese bites, which to me were more like dumplings and they were delicious! Obviously, you have to have their signature cocktails. My favorite was their Sazerac! For our mains, I went with the Daily Butcher's Cut, which was perfectly cooked and served with asparagus. And another must try is their Jackson Square Boulliabaisse. You can't forget dessert, of course, so order the traditional beignets and I highly suggest their bread pudding. The service was impeccable Trust me, I live in Miami and I'll definitely make the drive back up.