Mardi Gras

Closed more

Great food and service. Drinks are not amazing more

When it opened it was wonderful. In the past year or so the menu has shrunk and changed for the worse. The food and service went downwards rapidly, but not the prices! It's closing put Forest Hills diners out of our misery. more

I am from New Orleans and heard about this place through a friend. What an abomination to anything relative to my city. Purely insulting. I would happily suck the head of a crawfish any day than endure this experience again. Shrimp etouffee? I have never seen this dish resemble chinese food until now and it is not a good marriage. When asked what the ""gumbo of the day"" was, the answer actually floored myself, my husband, and my 3 year old. ""STEAK GUMBO"" Are you serious Mardi Gras restaurant? What in God's name is steak gumbo. Please fine Latin folk that run this place TELL ME. I have ever heard of this in my life. Perhaps it hails from South America where most of this feeble menu is influenced. Word to the wise: Never trust any where that fuses 2 ridiculously different cuisines. On that note never trust any restaurant that blasts regatone music and flaunts it's little hairy fat manager around. Not cute.... Please change your name Mardi Gras. You make no sense and you are frankly scary. I wanted to wash out my insides. Pros: Absolutely nothing Cons: Too many more

My wife and I went here twice: once for New Year's Eve and a regular weeknight. The food was okay but this is NOT the best Creole NY has to offer. The place is run by a bunch of South Americans and there is no authenticity to the food at all (Not trying to be racist, but it's true). The Hurricane I ordered tasted like cough syrup and the waitress was rushing us. She gave us our check without us even asking and also took my wife's plate while I was still eating. (The etiquette is for the waiter to wait until both people are finished before collecting dishes). \r \r On New Year's eve the waitress rushed us for the check because she needed to get to a family celebration. She kept coming back to us because she wanted the tip. We argued back that we wanted more items and weren't ready for the check, yet.\r \r This place is NOT worth the prices listed. You can definitely find much better places in the city. Pros: You can drink to forget your experience here Cons: Mostly everything else more

This used to be one of my favorite places to eat, but as of lately, this place is terrible. First of all, the short fat manager needs to remember that he is working...Twice I have seen him sitting at the bar, drinking a beer like a fat pig. Does not greet the customers, nor does he watch the staff. Not watching the staff leads to the following experience: Food coming out of the kitchen...terrible. Crab cakes were over cooked, and tasted more like frozen crab cakes reheated...The Jammin Jambalaya is also not as good as it used to be. Where is the flavor? Where are the sausages? Where is the chef you once had? This can not be the same chef. On a side note, I speak Spanish, and perhaps the staff working today was careless but I over heard them speaking about the rodents and pests in the place, and how dirty the restaurant is. That was when I ask for the check and got the hell out of there. One of the waitresses was telling the other waiter about how poor the utensils and glassware gets cleaned and how they don't care. My suggestion, fire the lazy manager that prefers to drink a beer while flirting with the bartender and waitress (thinking he is cool), fire the chef because he cannot cook or simply does not care, and bring back the Mardi Gras we locals enjoyed and now miss. As for me, this place is considered closed. I won't be spending my money there ever again. Pros: I honestly wish they had some pros Cons: Lousy Service, Terrible Food more

I hosted my book club event here and everyone enjoyed themselves from the drinks to the main dish. Our waiter was awesome and very detailed with the specialities of the day. All eight of us really had a great time. They all said ""WE WILL BE BACK,"" which I was glad to here since these women can be so harsh on their ratings. All in all it was two thumbs us. Pros: food, service, decor Cons: i found none more

Mardi Gras is the best restaurant ever!!! The food is amazing and the drinks please you would have to go yourself and really try it. It's prompt seating but on some days like Friday nights or Saturday nights it tends to get busy so you might have to wait a bit. It doesn't matter the place is worth the wait. There mango mojito is delicious and their stuff crabmeat shrimp is the priceless!!! Go and see for yourself you won't be disappointed.\r \r Geisha Pros: Great service, food and drinks!!! Cons: It might be pricey for some people!!! more

I have been going to Mardi Gras for about five years now and this is one of my favorite restaurants. I am always seated very quickly, and if i do not like that particular table they will move me if they have the space available. I always request my favorite waiter, of course most of the wait staff is good but i have a favorite. The food is always cooked very well, i recommend you try the jalapeno mashed potatoes with the voodoo chicken, and for desert the banana forster. You will love the atmosphere, the wait staff, and the food. \r \r Jessica\r Glendale, NY Pros: Ambience, service Cons: No parking, trying to stuff to many tables in a small space more

I am soooooo disappointed in this restauarant. Apparently, new yorkers do not know anything about cajun/creole food. Actually, there is a difference in the style of cooking between the two, but there is not enough space to discuss that fact. I am a direct decendant from Louisiana creoles, so I am extremely qualified to diss this restaurant because I was raised on the cooking and was taught how to perpare the food. I purposely tried the so-called commercial items, because I would that would be a indicator of chef's knowledge of the food. The gumbo was bland lacking file along with other spices (can't tell you what they were of else my grandma would disown me!). I also had the po-boy sandwich and red beans and rice. Word to the wise, red beans and rice should never be sweet period! Po boy sandwiches always have tarter sauce, the tomatos are thinly sliced, and the lettuce is never real lettuce (thinly sliced cabbage, or lettuce similar to what is used in coleslaw is normally used). The only thing that was maybe close to the real deal was the bread pudding, because it included a praline (which was yummy) , however there was no burbeon sauce to accompany this. Waitress was good/okay. People who are raised on louisiana creole/cajun food will not appreciate this restaurant at all, but new yorkers will because most of them have no idea what real deal is. more

Went there on a Saturday night for a quick drink, the tables were relatively yet they would not let us sit because we only wanted appetizers. We had to try to squeeze into the crowded bar. The drinks were a bit week, food as ok at best. The only upside was the bartender was friendly. Pros: decent food Cons: no table seating if you're not eating a meal more

I love the Jambalaya here. This dish alone is worth coming here. But the attraction doesn't stop there. The Banana Foster is delicious, and the atmosphere can be as intimate as you want it to be. If you like jazz and live bands, then you should come here on Thursday. I prefer weekend brunch and walking thru the neighborhood. The waitstaff are friendly and they remember you and your preferences. Pros: Jambalaya and Banana Fosters Cons: The live jazz band can be loud for some. more

Good sangrias... large portions. Food isn's so bad either. more

Good sangrias... large portions. Food isn's so bad either. more

Since moving to Forest Hills in March 2007, Mardi Gras has quickly become my favorite restaurant in the area. I have eaten there at least 5 times and I'm going tonight to make it 6. The food is incredible - the mussels are a must-have! Also worth trying off the appetizer menu is the shrimp bisque (regular special) and the calamari. Everything is a little spicy so if you do not like spicy, beware. The blackened chicken and shrimp special that they have quite often is one of the best entrees I've ever tasted. Also try the stuffed shrimp, Mardi Gras salmon and the seafood pasta. Obviously, you have to like seafood! \r \r As for the service, it can be on and off. I've been there a few times and been seated promptly and had a great waiter. There have also been times I have encountered problems. The service can be slow sometimes and the waiters not very friendly. But on a good night, everything is perfect and I couldn't ask for a better dinner. It is worth the risk. The place is much less crowded on weekdays but even on weekends I have not had to wait long for a table. They do take reservations for dinner before 6pm (although you probably don't need them that early). From my experience, it does not get crowded until around 8pm on any night. But it can sometimes feel crowded even when it isn't because the tables are small and very close together. \r \r All in all, even with my few negative comments, it is still my favorite restaurant in Forest Hills (maybe even ever) and it is always worth it just to eat those mussels!!! Pros: FOOD!!!! Everything I've eaten is amazing!!! Cons: Service can be good or bad depending on the night. Tables are sometimes too close together and very cramped. more

Jazz on Thursday nights only! The foold is good, desert is excellent, wait staff kinda slow. The bar is seriously crowded. Thursday's are best!! more

If you want to cheat on your diet, go for the Cajun fried chicken or the gumbo. I like the food there, it's pretty good. The atmosphere is unique and fun, but the space is cramped and the tables are small. I've dined there a couple of times and every time I feel the wait staff is extremely friendly but the flow of their service is very slow. Most recently (New Year's Eve, with lots of open tables around us) the service was horrible and we were 'forgotten' about from the time our food arrived until we sat there, finished with our meals waiting for our server to come by so we could ask for the check -- it was pretty bad. As a former server, you should check back ""three bites"" into the meal to see if everyone is satisfied, if you can't make it back in three bites then you need to at least check back for refills on drinks (esp. at a CAJUN place), this was not our experience. We easily sat there for 1/2 hour with no one stopping by. Isolated incident, but it will keep us away for a while...good food though. Pros: great boneless fried chicken and friendly wait staff Cons: slow wait staff/service more

Very nicely decorated place. The food sometimes is excellent, other times its just average, even if you order the same. Service is terrible at best. For a romantic setting you have to go upstairs or stay up front, DO NOT approach the bar, where everyone is loud and obnoxious. Prices are reasonable. Pros: Food, full bar, ambiance Cons: Parking, service more

We were seated promptly for a Saturday lunch, but service was incredibly slow. One waitress was downright rude when we asked for the check. The food was okay, but nothing to write home about and it was not worth being treated rudely for. Skip this restaurant if you want spend a relaxing Saturday. more

I have gone here several times, it is absoutely romantic, weekdays are way less busy then the weekend, which is hetic!!! Generally you dont wait long for seating, the food is AMAZING, the atmosphere is classic to the cajun style. My only negative would be rarely seating on the main floor, and with a knee injury its a pain in the butt to use the stairs since the restroom are downstairs aswell. Pros: cozy, romantic, great food Cons: small, cramped tables more