BEARCAT CAFE UPTOWN - Phone Number, Reservations, Reviews

This place was well worth the wait. Came on a Sunday for brunch. We were 24th, and the wait should have been an hour. But actually, it was like 30ish minutes. Our waitress was awesome. At our table as some as we sait down. And was so helpful on the menu. Coffe is the way to go. A must stop if you in NOLA.

The Cajun grits were the best grits I've ever tasted. I had the fried oyster benedict also. All were great 👍🏾

Solid variety of vegan options. Opened our minds to all the fun things you can put in a quesadilla! The cashew cream on the chai pancakes was like cream cheese — super yummy.

Great cafe' and delicious food. Well worth any wait you may have because they're so popular.

justin is the shiznit!!! my family and i came in for a casual lil brunch and his service was impeccable!!! the food was super yummy as well. bearcat's servers are always dope but i wanted to especially shout-out justin because he made us feel taken care of from the minute we took a seat to the end of our meal. as someone that's also in service industry i really appreciate the care that was put into service today!!!

Crispy potatoes are fantastic, and service was great. The butterfly lemonade was awesome. I wish I had asked for my bacon to be Crispy, though, because the bacon was just thin, hard/tough, and chewy.

Lovely atmosphere, food and service. Place was clean and staff was very helpful due to this being my first visit.

The food was great and filling. My son couldn't eat all his banana pancakes, and I loved the shrimp and grits. I will come back when I'm in New Orleans

Overall experience 8.5/10 The food was 9/10 We order the shrimp and grits and the brisket hash. Both items were delicious. Just wish the hash had bigger portions. Decent brunch but probably wouldn’t go back for brunch because the wait times are extremely long and you have to wait outside the establishment. Will likely visit again any other time

Edwin the general manager & staff showed amazing hospitality & professionalism. The food is outstanding!

They have great options and fresh ingredients. We frequent this location often and have never been disappointed. They have “good” and “bad” options. So if your feeling vegan ranchero, then go ahead. Or if you want fried chicken sandwhich, you can do that too.

Warning. Mandatory 20% for 2 or More. Whether you get a disgruntled food delivery agent or excellent service. No difference to the owner.... Just charge 20% more for food and pay everyone hourly if you don't care about excellent service. I don't mind the $68 for a great brunch for 2, but it wasn't great.

The biscuits were either old and stale or over baked as the griddle couldn’t save them. Also, real Butter would have given them so much more flavor and make them better. The bacon had a good flavor, but was chewy, limp and overly greasy, not crisp. The pancakes and homemade jam were outstanding!!!

It's one of my go-to places for brunch! Food is so good! Staff is great

Amazing ! Try the brisket hash.

Update Summer 2024: Very popular place with a cool vibe. I’d give it a 3.5 if possible. I’ve got 2 comments. — breakfast came quickly but potatoes were overcooked. I love a crispy roasted potato or baked then fried, but some, even larger ones were so dried out I couldn’t cut through them much less eat them. Also no flavor either. Just potato. No salt nor spice, nothing. Eggs perfect. Sausage very tasty. Side of grits were the hit. $30 for this and coffee? Not really. — 20% mandatory tip on tables 2 or larger and all takeaway. I totally understand the “my staff deserves proper tips” part of society but why don’t you just pay them an honest wage? Give all your employees a 20% salary bump AND tell everyone how you value them and that additional tipping is optional for exceptional experience. I don’t know who’s getting this 20%. Should I assume you give it all to the staff and not management? I hate this practice. Stop it. Was I happy to add the 20%? yeah, I guess. Service was spot on. Food? OK. Worth $18? Nope. Spring 2022: Great food served quickly in a really nice location

I ate on the patio and the place also is pet friendly. I had the bearcat vegan. Pancakes, sausage, tufu scramble, fried potatoes and cauliflower grits.

We had Zach for our Waiter. There were eight and a baby in our party. Took our drink order, starter order and entree order and wrote none of it down. Everything that comes out of that kitchen is five 🌟 I started with a burata and broccolini with heirloom tomatoes and balsamic vinegar drizzled over the top. The brisket hash was amazing, as was the shrimp and grits with crab claw gravy. Pancakes were light and delicious. Lattes were wonderful.

Ditto to all the five star reviews. This place is the bomb. Worth the drive and worth the wait.

Excellent shrimp and grits. Fresh squeezed orange juice was fantastic!

Absolutely delicious food. The pancakes were amazing

I’ve never regretted going here The food is always amazing I will say sometimes the food is 12/10 and other times it’s 10/10. That’s how good it is.

The food was fine. It came out fresh & hot. I ordered the hot chicken sandwich. It was really good, I'll admit. I didn't care for their potatoes. Lacked flavor to me. The sprite was a bit flat. I feel like every item on the menu can decrease by at least $1 in price in my opinion.

Came here with zero expectations, left disappointed. Jenn, our server, was neglectful, albeit busy. The food came out warm which didn't help the flavor. Two tables, which were sat after us, were served before us. If Jenn, had bothered to check on us we could've informed her that the food was warm. Also the restaurant has a fly issue, but maybe that's just New Orleans. Overall, hopefully, they improve. I let Jenn keep the tip but I did inform her I was disappointed. I'm likely never to return.

Amazing hot chicken and vegetarian options with a little wait for the experience

Staff is very well mannered. Food is fantastic. The place is clean and decorated well. Happy pride to the staff taking care of us, they made the experience gold

I mean it's good food for the most part. Except the the fried lobster was over an over cooked, biscuit was too greasy. The menu doesn't say the lobster daddy was fried. Or maybe I missed it. Grits were great. Needed something to balance the rich tastes. Sunny side up eggs were okay. The grits tied the dish together. Staff pretty diverse and pleasant. Got too many rules and schemes. Mandatory gratuity minimum. Mandatory credit card charge. Pancake that we shared didn't have a crusty edge. All in all it's a solid place, but not worth the hype. We had no wait at 9am. There was a crowd forming when we were leaving. Considering we had lobster I guess $120 for breakfast was no biggie. Nevermind. It was overpriced. The place had a funky smell.

The food was good and portions were reasonable. But the price was high. For two people we paid over $50 for our breakfast. I understand that it is a tourist spot. But to automatically include a 20% tip in the bill was a shock. I’m glad we read the menu and signs otherwise we would have tipped more since that was an option on the credit card receipt.

Fantastic food, ambience, and staff! Super vegan-friendly; definitely a must visit when you’re in New Orleans!

EXQUISITE VEGAN FOOD, AMAZING SERVICE 🤎 THIS WAS MY FIRST TIME

The food is always top tier; it's a blessing that they have great food for vegans and carnivores alike!

Amazing breakfast..came out fast and the waitress was lovely

Both plates were rich in flavor however the potatoes were severely lacking. Tough and undercooked. Service was decent but rushed, it's a busy place.

Great vegan and gluten free food!

Rude service, very high waiting times to enter and then get food with disappointing output. Ordered a single blueberry pancake and the veggie burger, which was so basic and lacked taste. Couldn’t wait to get out of there. Also, including 20% gratuity for a party of two when the service is unsmiling and demotivated and delayed feels like a stretch.

Some of the worst service that I have ever experienced. The food was ok at best. We tend to visit Bearcat often but this experience was terrible. Our server, Hannah F. was not attentive to our table nor present when needed. We were not offered refills, nor checked on our table throughout the entire visit. It’s not hard to give good customer service especially when gratuity is already included. We will not be back!

This place has great food, however it’s pretty expensive for what you get and on top of this they have implemented a new policy where tables of TWO OR MORE automatically have to tip 20%. I feel as though this took away from the quality of our service (a table of two) because there’s no incentive to work hard because tips are automatically taken out, when they should be earned. For two people we had $12 added on for gratuity and sales tax, that’s almost the cost of another meal. The sales tax I understand but the gratuity is ridiculous. Also- there’s a small sign on the door with this new policy so it’s easy to miss. I would understand this policy for large parties but for two or more? That is ridiculous and entitled. But this place has good food, I just don’t agree with these new policies.

The food was phenomenal! As a tourist I was surprised to see the 20% gratuity being added to all tables 2 and more 😒 Didn’t really get to experience the ambiance as we were seated at the rear end near the washrooms. Probably the worst seat in the entire space. Would certainly recommend it for the food though. 👍🏽

My favorite breakfast restaurant. The Bearcat with Bison sausage and pancakes w/ or w/out blueberries is my go-to every time I visit there. THEE Best pancakes by far!

What a great experience! My party had a little wait, but that’s okay! Good food sometimes requires patience. I had an Irish coffee, the bearcat Breakfast with Tiramisu Pancakes. Was not disappointed one bit!! Certainly a breakfast recommend!

Food was very good quality. Atmosphere is good, it has a decent wait time. Not terrible but not the best either. Especially on a hot day. Service was spread alittle thin. Server had alot of tables to cover and I never got refills during my meal the entire time. He took orders for other tables but never checked on our table.

Always busy, but never disappointing! #Feret4Eva

So, we “got on the list” but the guy didn’t put in the right number so thankfully we went to go check on our table status and were seated pretty quickly. The one thing I’m not a fan of for the Uptown location is the table to table spacing. I felt uncomfortable getting into my seat where we were because I had to Scoot past/in front of someone else’s table. I do enjoy the food. No doubt about that. You can never go wrong with Bearcat pancakes or their grits.

The food was great. They had really good vegan and vegetarian options. They get super crowded but they move through tables pretty fast.

The food was amazing and the service was even better. 10/10 would recommend the Breakfast club and the yogurt and granola bowl as a starter. Everyone was so nice! Specially Trey, our server. He went above and beyond with the recommendations for food! He even went out of his way to write a detailed list of place to visit all over New Orleans (please give this man a raise!). Definitely one of my favorite experiences here! Thank you guys for everything!

Zach was amazing! The Brisket Hash was delicious. Everyone enjoyed what they ordered!

Everything is a good choice. The stake and eggs are nothing to write home about, but the pancakes are the best. I always forget to take a picture, but i got the bearcat Breakfast with bison sausage.

Wildly Over-priced. Unfriendly greeting at the door, even when they were not busy. Filthy tables swabbed with dirty rags, even when we asked for the table to be cleaned. Undertrained wait staff. Good food but massively overpriced and that's before they add an employee service charge (!!). Bearcat generally has a line to enter, so they will not miss me if I don't go back. There are many wonderful breakfast places in NOLA; I would skip Bearcat and have a great meal elsewhere.

Cute spot! Love the bearcat theme and all the branding. Food was delicious, especially the crawfish cream gravy. The lavender syrup is really tasty as well—add to the London fog or coffee. Note: they require complete parties before seating.

The food was awesome. A little pricey but worth it.

We ate breakfast here. I would say to sit in small parties as large party of 4 to 8 had double the wait time. We sat outside and it was a great atmosphere with good food and service. The blueberry lemonade was a great Togo drink.

Food was great. Atmosphere was bomb 💣 and the food was served quite quickly. My party arrived just before opening and the line had already formed outside; so if you intend on coming early I'd recommend it to avoid any long wait. The restaurant handled the line very quickly though but the place did fill up pretty quickly.

Hell to the freakin yeah. This place is out of control. The food was overwhelmingly delicious for breakfast. Even the tea was exceptional. Service was great, but the food just truly blew me out of the water.

Packed diner in a busy residential/hospital neighborhood. Service is fast, knowledgeable, friendly. Huge portions. People watching is exceptional. Super clean.

If you told me this place is Michelin Star rated, I’d believe you. Every item on the menu is made with thought and intention. Service is on TOP of it and the food speaks for itself. Lots of options for all taste buds. Beat the rush, arrive early, and taste greatness. If you order takeout, you’re doing it wrong.

Great Brisket Hash breakfast. Service was quick and friendly

Good Cat biscuits and gravy with a side of breakfast potatoes and an espresso will be my last meal.

Great unique Brunch place. The waiting is real and we’ll worth it. The staff was great and the food was amazing. Enjoy it and write about it!

Good food smaller venue with inconvenient parking and waiting area, but food makes it worth the wait. Lots of creative items on the menu all of which tasted good!

Good food. I recommend the drink menu and the Lavash w Ricotta and Honey!

One of my friends recommended this restaurant & I’m so glad she did! It was a 45 minute wait to get seated so plan ahead of you decide to eat here, but know the food is well worth the wait!

Plenty of great dishes to choose from, great service

The food is soooooo good. The best brunch menu in Nola. Tried most things and it always slaps. Service is great. -1 for no reservations and long waits. I have no idea why they don’t give both the overworked hosts and customers a break by having a more streamlined res/waitlist system. Attempting Bearcat on the weekend is a competitive sport. Is it a reverse psychology thing? Like knowing you probably won’t get in so you want it even more? Having waited in the sun for an hour so the mimosas are extra refreshing? Lmk!

Absolutely fantastic experience overall. Zach was amazing. Food was AMAZING. Their pancakes have this perfect consistency that I haven't had anywhere else, no joke. Everyone else in our group raved about their food as well.

This place is busy. Very busy. Worth the wait? Let's go. This place is conveniently located near freret street, and to the hospital I've been working at lately. Convenience is key. Walked up on a Friday at 11 and it was slammed. 35-45 minute wait for 2+ people. For me a solo dude, 10-15. Was put on the list and just sat outside and enjoyed the weather. Glad it was a pretty day because Nola can get hot. Was sat at the bar overlooking the kitchen. These guys and gals work very hard. Very hard. Orders coming in left and right and they had it all under control. For the bearcat breakfast with a pancake. This comes with two eggs your way, bacon/bison sausage, and crispy potatoes. Now at most places crispy potatoes are meh. Forgettable. These crispy potatoes are heavenly. And I'm not embellishing. Truly the best fried taters I've had. They're red new potatoes that I think are boiled, smashed, then left to cook in the deep fryer for gawd forever it looked like. They're dusted with Cajun seasoning and. Yeah. Chefs kiss. Their butter or their syrup is also amazing. There's something in there that makes it extra flavorful. Couldn't put my finger on it but it was very good. Pancake was awesome. Like everything else. Great meal, good vibes, Hailey was an amazing waitress. Super sweet. Attentive. If I can afford to wait, I will eat here again.

Food is flavorless and overcooked. The portions are small. They will not seat you unless your entire party is present. You pay a fee on your bill that contributes to the employee dental and healthcare.

We went here on a Wednesday morning right when they opened and it wasn’t too crowded. The server did very well and took good care of us. The food and drinks were also delicious. Would recommend going here if you have the time.

bearcat is 10/10 every time and nothing less. it’s well worth the wait. i’ll always be a fan and a bearcat ambassador!!! #BestBrunch

Prepare to wait for a minimum of 45 minutes to an hour to get a table as this place is really popular. They don't usually accept reservations in advance. The food is absolutely delicious. Service is quick and efficient. They have a nice selection of vegetarian dishes as well. Must try when in New Orleans. I ordered some food to go but had to pack it myself at the table as they don't always do takeout.

Upon arrival at the Bearcat Cafe Uptown,we noticed that there was a line of people standing outside waiting for seats inside. While the atmosphere was nice, the staff seemed to be a bit overwhelmed, which resulted in an average welcoming and service experience. To avoid the wait we opted to sit outside for faster service. Also note that they do not do takeout on weekends, so we had to place our takeout order at our table and pack it our selves. The food was nice, the only thing I would point out is that the avocado toast with salmon was the most beautiful presentation, unfortunately the salmon on it was extremely salty to the point where it couldn’t be eaten. Unless you like that kind of stuff… The house made ginger and strawberry lemonade was the best, the pineapple lemonade tasted old… Overall a nice place to try!

Absolutely the BEST brunch spot in New Orleans!!!

Liz made sure we were well cared for! The coffee was ahmazing! I thoroughly enjoyed the Brisket hash with toadin-the-hole over easy and home style potatoes. The taste of blueberry pancake and pecan pancake was absolutely delightful!

Best food and coffee I had my whole time in NOLA.

This place has my heart. Taste is the king here and so is the food quality. Ingredients are fresh and cooked to perfection. Good mix of vegetarian and seafood options. Their drinks and coffee options are also good. Expect crowds and waiting on weekends. Can definitely recommend this place. Servers are friendly. Not wheelchair accessible as-is. Free parking available on the streets which may be a problem depending on the time of the day. Food quality: 5/5 Service: 4.5/5 Ambiance: 4/5 Value for money: 5/5

The food here is a crime. Greasy sausage, potatoes were grease soaked pucks, eggs were raw. There are signs all over the restaurant to educate customers on where to stand, how much toilet paper to use, And the best part is everything is served with a side of attitude. It's a complete fraud.

Service was wonderful and food was great. I will definitely be back soon! I had the breakfast club, lavender honey latte, and ginger thyme lemonade. It made my morning so nice!

This is my second time at BearCat. Love this place. Never disappoints. The service is always great. The food is always very tasteful. When we come in town this is our go to breakfast spot.

Been here 2 times food is great and seafood and chicken is fresh but it’s not that clean & the bathroom is gross

Best shrimp and grits I’ve had in my life!! It’s definitely worth it to add the crab legs. The drinks are amazing as well. We also had an order of the chai pancakes with their homemade chai butter and it was delicious. Can’t recommend this place enough!

Sooooo rich oh my. Crazy good brunch. HOLE. LEE. SH!T.

Great food selection. The drink menu was also impressive. The fresh juices are a must. Expect a wait time as this restaurant is popular. Will definitely be back!!

Let me start off by saying our server,Melanie was amazing. But the overall experience was horrible. The hostess had a terrible attitude. My husband and I just got off a plane,picked up his mom(it's her birthday)and were waiting on his siblings. We understand not getting table because our entire party wasn't there yet but once they arrived it seemed to be an inconvenience and unwillingly for the staff to accommodate 2 extra people with a total of 5. The server rightfylly so told us to speak to the hostess and the hostess says with a bad attitude talk the Manager. And the manager refused to accommodate us. Overall just an terrible experience and two of party never got to order. We will not be back nor recommend this place. We live in the Seattle area where the service is awesome and the hostess greet with a smile!

We were visiting from GA for the Krewe of Nandi Mardi Gras parade. It was the first time and even with the 45-minute wait, it was very enjoyable and the food was good.

Food portions was not enough for the price. Grits were salty and steak was a little tough. Crawfish biscuit was good. Would like a refund for my almost $100.00 meal. Especially since my husband couldn’t eat the steak and that meal was almost $25.00

We came on a Saturday as a party of 6. We had an hour and a half wait. But were seated within that time. The food was good. I had grits and a sausage biscuit. The grits were interesting. The sausage biscuit was great!! The chicken is also very good.

Amazing, the food outstanding. The biscuits are perfect. I had the crawfish biscuit and gravy, I recommend it to anyone. The bloody Marys, perfect spicy with lots of alcohol.

bearcat uptown is phenomenal! we got breakfast and then went back the next day to get more! their fried chicken is amazing, crispy even when smothered with gravy. i live the wide offerings of beverages. and great prices!

This is a fabulous place. We loved everything we had to eat and drink. Busy place and service was outstanding. I highly recommend this place to anyone that comes to New Orleans. Loved it!!

Amazing food!! Highly recommend the crab dip and fresh lemonade.

This place was awesome! Lobster Daddy and Hot Rob were both amazing. Service was great, vibes were too!

I’ve been to bearcat about a dozen times, but I’ve never had an experience like this.. The wait time was an hour and a half, and It’s not a very convenient place to park.. they didn’t answer the phone when calling to reserve a table forcing us to go in an hour 1/2 before our table was ready. The person doing food prep was touching everyone’s finished food with his hands, which were hands that he would frequently wipe on his shirt, wipe his nose with, drink from his cup with, handle receipts with & even eat potatoes with.. Incredibly unsanitary and extremely disappointing for what I used to think was a really good restaurant.

Phenomenal food! Plenty of healthy and clean options. Staff seems like a good crew.

Just so spot on every time. I love you bearcat

This restaurant was recommended by another server from another restaurant so we decided to go. We were excited to try the restaurant due to the reviews from the server and the reviews that we read on Google. My husband I both ordered the shrimp and grits as that was the recommended dish to try because it had rave reviews. However, when we got the dish, it was bit of a let down. The gravy that was drench in the shrimp and grits ruined it for me. I didn't realize that it came with gravy otherwise I would've ordered it on the side. I'm giving it a 4 star because it has the potential to be a 5 star if it didn't have the gravy on it. Other than that, the ambience was inviting and the staff were friendly.

All I can is wow! I started off with the lavender latte with their house made coconut milk. It was amazing and handcrafted with love. I’ve been vegan for 3 years and it’s rare I find pancakes I usually make my own. I’m not sure how they do it but they were so fluffy and huge. I also ordered the vegan rancheros. The bartender recommended it and the dish was full of flavor. All of ingredients come together very nicely and the corn tortilla gives it a good little crunch. The inside is adorable. I’ll have to come back when it’s warmer to sit on the patio. The host greeted me with a big smile and she was very sweet. I sat at the bar and the two gentlemen were on it. They were very busy yet still found a way to be very attentive. I never had to ask for a water refill, my glass stayed full. If I lived here I would be here at least once a week! Everything was superb down to my ice water. If you are in New Orleans you must check it out. (I visited the CBD location).

When I tell you this is the best food I have had in my life. When my picky 5 year old granddaughter cleans her plate and her moms plate you know it is amazing. Checkout the video. Whoop whoop to Zach he is an amazing waiter. He was friendly and He was very personable. Big Kudos to Bearcat Cafe for making family and my soul smile. Yesss

5 stars all around!!!! First time there and I had the shrinp and grits and added sautéed crab claws!!!! AMAZING!!!! CHEF'S KISS!!! 💋

Love love the food. Very busy place. And not a large space. You may have to wait an hour or more, depending on what time you arrive. No place to sit and wait. You’ll have to go back to your car and they will send you a text. Went on Saturday morning told my wait will be 60-90 minutes but then was called after 15 minutes. So make sure your whole party is there. Front door really hard/heavy to open. Had a great family brunch with mimosas too. Would definitely go back a little more prepared about wait and parking. There is a lot on the corner of Jena and feret (I may have spelled that wrong)as well as street parking.

Hipster Heaven with the best breakfast potatoes ever. They are soaked, blanched and fried in cottonseed oil. The crab scramble is loaded with lump crabmeat and totally satisfying.

30 minute wait was well worth it. dining room is cramped and loud but food is fantastic. potatoes and pancakes are perfect. would definitely come back