Bud and Rob's Downtown, A New Orleans Bistro Reviews

What a find!! Exciting menu and super cooking! Friendly and attentive staff. Could not recommend more highly.

We've been following Bud and Rob's various restaurants for years and they never disappoint. The food is always great as is the service. The BBQ Shrimp Po Boy is big enough to split, or consume by yourself if you're really hungry. Their french fries have a nice crispiness to the outside. Make sure to save room for dessert, and if you order the beignets, ask for an extra side of the coulis.

A gem of a restaurant in between gas lamp area and east side village in San Diego! Hosts Rob and Sergio were very warm and welcoming...provided excellent guidance thru the menu. Food was excellent! Highly recommend, thnx guys👍😀

This has slightly changed it's name to Bayou Kitchen. The address is the same, as are the owners. A small restaurant with a balanced menu of New Orleans cuisine. This place is worth trying. I only tried the gumbo, and that was good. I am familiar with New Orleans restaurants, so I have some experience with gumbo. Prices were reasonable, the beer selection is well curated. Some softer lighting would do wonders for the ambiance, which could really be quite nice with the exposed brick wall on one side. Service was impeccable.

My husband and I were regulars at Bud's Louisiana Cafe for years! Great service and food! So it was nice to hear they had a location downtown. We recently stopped in and we weren't disappointed! It was the same great food, nice portion sizes and flavors were on point! It's a small cafe

Great cajun restaurant with amazing food. The shrimp and gritts was really good and service was very attentive. Recommended!

When I arrive on a slow early Saturday evening I wonder if I had the right choice. But the friendly staff and owner, Rob, were just wonderful. Since i grew up near New Orleans i am quite the skeptic outside of the metro New Orleans area. This place was a please surprise. This off the beaten path very close to the gas lamp area lived up to the good reviews it has earned . As the crowd begin to come in I realize this is also a local take out place too. The seafood gumbo starter was filled with shrimp, crab and sausage. The dark rue was complimented my the lack of rice filler leaving more goodness. The entree was the Taste of New Orleans with blackened fish over a bed a crawfish eatoufee loaded with fresh crawfish. Desert was an amazing lemon cheesecake. My experience was amazing. That is also thanks in a big part to Jamie.

We ate here our first night in San Diego. We were staying at the Indigo nearby and I found this on Open Table and in the idine program. They had a table waiting for us on arrival. We both got water and then I chose an Amber beer off the menu while my other half had a glass of sauvignon blanc. Most of the beer was from Louisiana so not impressed with choices but it did meet the theme of the place. I started with a cup of gumbo while other half had a cup of seafood bisque. Both were $8 and shoud have been about $5 given the size. It's not the harbor front area! For my main, I had the Mardi Gras pasta and added Andouille sausage ($19.95 in total). My other half had the Fried Shrimp plate ($13.95) The pasta was definitely about $5 or more too high for the area. The place was clean, the two guys running it (were they Bud & Lou??), were very attentive mostly except for a table of 6 next to us with a child. There were only a few tables inside so reservations are a must. The neighborhood is sketchy with lots of homeless, but none bothered us as we walked by. I doubt I would return here due to the prices. $80 with tip with only one beer/wine each for the portions we received was a bit much. In conclusion, food was decent (nothing extra special), service was good, place was clean inside, neighborhood with lots of homeless people, but prices about 20% too high, even given COVID issues!

Fabulous food, excellent, welcoming service. We shared catfish and shrimp po boys, then bignets and went back the next day, on our way out of town, for seafood bisque and caesar salad. We also shared a bread pudding. They have Turbo Dog and Crystal. It's the real deal and there are two tables out front so you can bring your pup along.

WOW! Fabulous blackened catfish, heavenly shrimp & grits, delicious bread pudding! Warm, efficient, friendly service. Small, unassuming restaurant in Gaslamp District. Go! A+.

I have ordered deliveries from this fantastic restaurant over the past few days in Downtown San Diego (they *do* deliver, indeed). The food was simply out of this world! My wife is Parisian French: even she - with her most sophisticated French taste - was *amazed* at the quality of food at this restaurant. THAT says something, doesn't it? We tried all sorts of Cajun cuisine: from freshly cooked seafood, to Jambalaya mixes. EVERY single dish was a masterpiece! Plus, the friendliness of the staff... When in San Diego : this place is a *MUST* to visit!

As soon as you walk in the modest clean restaurant you are greeted with a warm friendly smile and quickly seated. Our server Brandon described the special dishes and offered recommendations. We agreed to the alligator appetizer and we were not disappointed!! We could have ate a pound! Next, crawfish ettoufe served with rice and creole potato salad that made me think I was back in Nawlins! Seasoned perfectly without too much spice. Lastly, classic red beans and rice served with grilled chicken. The chicken was so tender, delicious, again I could have ate a pound. The red beans and rice did not disappoint! Another dish of perfectly seasoned and just the rest that texture. I’ll make a trip to San Diego just to eat at Bud & Bob’s! This is a must eat at restaurant!

Found this little place on Trip Advisor and what a find! A few blocks back from the Gaslight Tourist Districrpt and it is a hidden gem. There were 2 guys, maybe Bud & Rob, I should have asked! Anyway, very personable, great service. Because they knew we’d never been to their place they brought us 2 soup samples of seafood gumbo and seafood bisque...OMG....fantastic!!! We had the alligator sausage appetizer and it was amazing. My husband had the “special”, a blackened catfish and I had shrimp & grits. The whole experience was a home-run! Our check for the entire meal was $37.00! That was crazy! Crazy good !!!! Limited nights for dinner so check first. Tiny, quaint place. Loved it!

Really fresh seafood, with outstanding flavors! Etoufee rough was outstanding. My wife's red beans and rice was also very tasty

After reading several good reviews, my husband and I decided to try this bistro for lunch. The hours are a little odd - open for lunch on a Tuesday and Wednesday and for dinner on Thursday-Saturday. It’s a small place right across from the post office. While the atmosphere is nothing special the food did not disappoint. The crocodile sausage appetizer was perfect for my entree and was absolutely wonderful. The Black beans and rice was good, though not the best we have had. The deserts are a “must have”. The pecan bars with sour cream icing and the bread pudding were both amazing, maybe the best pudding I have ever had. The service was terrific, too. We would definitely go back on our next visit to San Diego!

Great Cajun restaurant with great service and atmosphere. We had gumbo, chicken jambalaya, both are authentic and tasty. We were full, but wanted to try beignets, they cooked me half order which was 2 instead of 4 beignets. I really appreciate it. And the beignets are so yummy!! Only downside is, there are a lot of homeless people around, some walking around talking to themselves and shouting. I wouldn’t come here at night.

Fabulous find today, I had blackened catfish and crayfish tails with rice and a creamy sauce. Excellent host front of house, would recommend 100%

I was in a business conference and looked up the best restaurants nearby. This restaurant came up and I though I’d give it a try. It was really good. Gumbo was wonderful and the pasta dish with delicious. Rob was also a great host. Really good. Try it.

This tiny restaurant in downtown San Diego was fabulous. We went for a late lunch, and the place was not busy. Service was very friendly, wine by the glass was lovely, and the shrimp po' boy was perfect for sharing. We also shared the caesar salad. We would like to return to this restaurant and try some of the other dishes.

It closed. The block it was on was full of police when we tried to find it. Love New Orleans and its food. Don’t know what else to say.

I've eaten here a number of times. Service is prompt and friendly. I've enjoyed each dish. Don't overlook the Beignets for dessert!

Came here for dinner and everything was fantastic, had the jambalaya and fried shrimp po boy and it was delicious! Highly recommend!

The Creamy Chicken Pasta is outstanding with just enough creaminess and spice. It was fun to chat with an owner and talk about the history of the restaurant. I’m really particular about Cajun food and theirs was really good.

I had been waiting to try this place for quite some time. I finally made for a lunch. Upon arrival, I was greeted by the host/waiter who was very jovial. He took good care of us and made sure our drinks were filled and orders taken. The space is small and quaint. It is tastefully decorated and very comfortable. We managed to find street parking without much problem. We started with the catfish appetizer. This was some lightly breaded catfish. It was a good portion and tasted very fresh. The entree was crawfish etouffee which was full of flavor. It was nicely complimented by the Cajun potato salad. Great meal.

We'd had this little spot on our "to visit" list for months, but never really got around to visiting, despite the fact that it's a quick walk from home. It took planning a mini version of our "gut buster" with a friend to actually get us here, and I'm so glad we came. This used to be the Bake Sale shop, and while they opened it up a bit to allow for tables and chairs, it's still a bit cramped inside. They do have tables outside, but it's not the greatest atmosphere on the streets, so we chose to sit at a table towards the back of the building. We were seated right away and given a chance to review the menu. I jokingly asked our waiter if they offered any of the dishes that The Bayou Bar & Grill used to serve (knowing that the owners here used to run that restaurant - our favorite establishment back then, and one we shed a small tear over when it closed). The waiter didn't miss a beat, asking me what I was hungering for. I told him I wanted the Mardi Gras Pasta, while my husband chimed in, asking for the Creole Cordon Bleu. Our waiter scurried off to the back to check and informed us that he could make my dish (score!), but not my husband's (boo). My entree choice made, I sat back with my Abita beer and let the menfolk decide on their meals. We went with an order of the hushpuppies and a cup of gumbo to share. My husband ordered the catfish po boy, and my friend ordered the pulled pork po boy. The hushpuppies were deliciously crispy and fresh, served with a cool, creamy dipping sauce. We could've used a bit more sauce (it was presented as a swirl on the plate itself), but we made do. The gumbo was also very good - there's something very special about the rice that they use in that dish - and the flavors of the gumbo itself were deep, rich and meaty. I appreciate that the kitchen threw together a "secret menu item" for me, though it wasn't an exact duplicate of the original dish (the only difference was the pasta type.) The first bite was a flavor explosion - the creaminess of the sauce, the smokiness of the sausage, the bite of the crawfish, the tang of the parmesan - it made me make yummy noises and opened the floodgates to memories all in an instant. My husband and friend decided to share their po boy sandwiches since they were served cut in half. They both really loved their choices, but then when they did the plate swap, they both really loved the other person's choice, as well. Each plate came with an order of fries, which I had hoped would be the same fries they used to serve at the other place, but which weren't quite the same. They were good, no doubt, but not what I'd been craving. And of course, as this was another gut-buster session, we *had* to order dessert. To share, though. We're not gluttons. So, of course, we got the Creole Pecan Bar. Pairs so well with an Abita stout! It was ooey and gooey and sticky and super sweet, and we polished that thing off like we were starving. No regrets! My friend also needed to try the bread pudding, so he got an order of that to nibble on. We stumbled out of the restaurant feeling fifty pounds heavier, a bit sluggish in the mind and totally not looking forward to the next stop on our gut buster tour. Definitely looking forward to going back - the food is fresh and delicious, the staff is friendly and attentive, and the location is ideal for us.

Hidden gem with the great food and service as we weren't sure what to expect from this establishment with a small footprint yet enormous flavors to their dishes! We thoroughly enjoyed the shrimp and grits, gumbo, beans and rice, and fried catfish. No better way to finish off the meal than with a set of beignets and homemade strawberry jam. We look forward to another visit to this restaurant very soon!