A colorful, pleasantly grubby, small cafe serving Americanized Mexican food and a good bit of Italian and New Orleans cooking, too. The Blue Tomato has a strong following among people who live and work in Old Jefferson and Elmwood. It's more about low prices and big portions than excellence--but those criteria draw big crowds.
The building is a former Time Saver store (I worked in it for about three years when I was in high school). It opened as the Blue Tomato in the early 2000s. Hurricane Isaac ripped up the roof, and the restaurant was closed briefly in 2012, but is back again more or less as it had been.
Although the layout is a rectangle, the tables seem to be randomly placed, which along with the wild Mexican decorations makes for a kicky environment.
Avoid busy times; there's not nearly enough parking and there's only a little space at the bar to wait.
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