Oh, how we love unassuming little cafes hidden away on side streets. Especially if the food is good and the people pleasant. That's how it is at Buddy's, a tight but cute little dinette with a classic New Orleans neighborhood menu. Plus fried chicken. My hat is off to them for using the spelling "poor boys" in their official logo. I'm glad I compile controversial dozen-best lists now and then, because they bring forth outraged opinions most readers have about their favorite eateries. Buddy's was a good one for decades, then shut down for a time a few years ago. They're back with the same menu and goodness. But I wouldn't have known had I not received a message from one of the shop's regulars.
Gene and Penny Hicks opened Buddy's in 1987. Hidden behind a building that has hosted a string of other restaurants and bars, it somehow managed to attract enough attention to keep the place running at max all the time. It closed for a time in the 20-teens, but is back again with its many regulars. It's obscure to most of the thousands who pass it on Veterans every day. Its nickname is "the little place behind Jiggers."
Buddy's is always packed, because it's so small that even a handful of people fills the dining room. The people behind the counter are a happy bunch, and are willing to make almost anything for you within reason.
The location is puzzling. It's not really on Veterans Boulevard, but on a sort of alley behind the Walgreen's at Orion. It's little, too. You might have to go around the block to find it.
| Attitude | 2 |
|---|---|
| Environment | 0 |
| Hipness | 0 |
| Local Color | 1 |
| Service | 0 |
| Value | 2 |
| Wine | 0 |
