Desire Oyster Bar: A Taste of Southern Comfort in New Orleans

Absolutely the best charbroiled oysters in New Orleans. We come back everytime and they never miss. We love sitting at the window and watching Bourbon St. Great service as well!

Surprisingly good. We stumbled upon this restaurant on a busy Friday evening but got seated right away. The service was excellent. The grilled oysters were amazing! The fried green tomatoes too. The batter was light. The chicken and sausage gumbo was good and not too salty though I didn't see any sausage in my cup. The green collards were too salty. The alligator was good.

I had an incredible experience at Desire! The jambalaya was absolutely delicious, full of rich flavor and perfectly prepared. The crabcake was just as impressive — beautifully seasoned and wonderfully cooked. But what truly made the visit unforgettable was the service. Pat was outstanding from start to finish, offering warm hospitality and spot-on recommendations that elevated the entire meal. Thanks to her, the evening went from great to exceptional. This place is an easy five stars!

Service was better during the day. We ate here 3 times. It is my husband's favorite place to eat Char Grilled oysters and they are GOOD. In the evening the waitress forgot to refill our water, most of the meal, even when asked she would walk away and forget. I'm from the PNW and the heat/humitity in Louisiana takes some getting used to. She did her job but didn't seem all that happy to be there. The place wasn't very busy on all 3 occasions. I'd say 1/3 capacity. They charge you a service charge in the evening. We assume that's for the drunk folk who forget to tip. Could be wrong. The cheese grits were gross. Very dry and had clumps. Loved the wedge salad with blue cheese. The drinks were okay. Pretty glasses but a small amount for the price. I felt spoiled by the big hurricane drink I got at Obrien's The gentlemen who cooked our oysters was very funny and personable. He came over and told us how some oysters were small, so he gave us some extra, but we had to fight over the big ones. He seemed to be loved by others too. We witnessed a lady come to the door after they were closed, asked for him by name and gave him a big hug. All in all, we loved the place. Will visit again in the future.

I prefer the atmosphere of the seat along window (along bourbon street), where I could enjoy not only casual inside abut also live outside. Their both original oyster menu and other variety of creole menu are also really nice.

We went in for happy hour and had a dozen and a half raw oysters. They were $1.50 each house wines were $5. We sat at the bar. Bartender was awesome. The atmosphere is really nice. It reminds you of a French café inside.

On my birthday vacation from CHICAGO to NEW ORLEANS!! I Visited this restaurant well, on vacation for the beginning of Mardi Gras a few days ago February 2026 we went in that evening and sat at the bar. Our host was KI-KI (kee-Kee) was very pleasant very upbeat. We laughed we talked. We had a great time. I had the gumbo and the rocking oysters which the oysters came out steel bubbling like they had just came off the grill absolutely amazing. My Friend had the fish of the day. I can’t remember the name of it, but it was absolutely great as well. Very well season The drinks were amazing for my birthday because my birthday she brought out a slice of bread pudding with a candle on it and sung, happy birthday with the crowd in the restaurant truly amazing thank you for your amazing customer service Miss Kiki, and for the delicious food five out of five for the cooks in the back!!

After a long day of travel we decided to eat a snack at the hotel a few hours before dinner. We came to Desire. I had the chicken gumbo and my friend had the seafood gumbo (cup) and I had fried green tomatoes while he had oysters. Everything was delicious. The waiters and waitresses were very attentive and answered a bunch of questions I had about where to find things in New Orleans. If we had stayed longer than 3 days we probably would have eaten here again but we had already picked out places beforehand for the duration of our trip.