Jazmine Cafe

Restaurant Review

Anecdotes & Analysis

A trend among Asian restaurants in the past few years is for them to open in more convenient locations than had been the case. You no longer have to go to New Orleans East or the West Bank to find Vietnamese food, for example. No restaurant demonstrates this better than Jazzmine. It's next door to the Camellia Grill, about as prominent a spot as can be imagines. Indeed, in its early years some fans of Vietnamese cuisine are hesitant to go there, because it was to convenient. Now that many other Asian eateries have opened Uptown, such reluctance

Why It's Essential

It's not an absolute rule, but one I notice often: the more conveniently located an ethnic restaurant is, the less good the food. This is certainly true of Vietnamese restaurants, of which the best are very inconveniently localed in New Orleans East and on the West Bank. So here's one--in a nice-looking space, yet--in the middle of the Riverbend restaurant row. It's nice to have a place for spring rolls and bun and pho and all that. But I wish the food were better.

Backstory

The Jazmine Cafe took over the former Trolley Stop