Domilise's Po-Boys - New Orleans, LA

Posted By Michael Stern on April 9, 2011 8:42 AM

You won’t likely drive past Domilise’s bar/sandwich shop by accident, for it is located in a very unscenic blue-collar neighborhood by the river; and if you did accidentally drive by, you’d never guess that it was one of New Orleans must-eat restaurants. From the outside it looks like a small, no-frills neighborhood tavern; and in some ways, that is what it is. We guess it would be possible to walk in, sit at the bar, and knock back longnecks or boilermakers all day long. To do so, you’d have to have no sense of smell, for the air of this tavern is wildly perfumed with its true claim to fame: great po-boy ingredients. Shrimp, oysters, and catfish, smoking hot from the fry basket, are heaped onto loaves of good bread. Po-boys are also available made from all manner of cold cuts.

When you walk in the door, you may have to take a number before you can place your order. At the height of lunch hour, Domilise’s is packed, for its superior po-boys attract eaters from all over the city; table space is precious (strangers often share); and the house phone rings unanswered.

For the newcomer, a little delay is a good thing because it provides an opportunity to read the menu on the wall and to observe the sandwich makers construct various types of po-boys before deciding which is the right one for you. Hot smoked sausage with gravy is the one we recommend above all others. Get it “dressed,” meaning topped with tomato, lettuce, and grainy Creole mustard. A large one is constructed on a length of bread so long that it must be cut in thirds to fit on its paper plate. While the sandwich is being made, buy your drink at the bar and hope that by the time you are ready to eat, space at a table is available.

Overall Rating

Shrimp Po Boy (small)

Hot Sausage Po Boy (small)

Pork Sausage Po Boy

Roast Beef Po Boy (small)

Roat Beef Poboy - Large

Barq's Root Beer

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Posted By Ragtime on April 18, 2011 4:56 PM

The cheap neighborhood bar look and feel mixes well with the straight forward po' boys. Great bread and good balance of sloppy flavors (heat from the sausage and tang from the mustard) on the hot sausage po' boy. Generous helping of shrimp. Wash it all down with a Barq's root beer in a long neck. Also, Domilise might just have the funkiest men's room in New Orleans.

Overall Rating

Hot Sausage Po Boy (small)

Shrimp Po Boy (small)

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Posted By Jordan Tucker on April 12, 2011 8:03 PM

Awesome. It gets a large crowd at lunch, but since it's open until seven, we went around five on a Tuesday and it was dead, but the food was still swag to the max. They put ketchup on their "dressed" po-boys, and I didn't think I would like that, but it was good. Get the hot smoked sausage po-boy and make sure to get chili on it instead of the brown gravy.

Overall Rating

Hot Sausage Po Boy (small)

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Posted By Lynne Wilkinson on October 26, 2010 10:58 AM

I love food almost as much as air. I can tell you this place is one of the best hidden treasures New Orleans has to offer. It took a tolley, cab and a bit of walking to get there, but man it was well worth it. The shrimp po-boy is incredible! The batter, sauce and bread were perfect. AND the beer was cold.

Overall Rating

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Posted By David Smith on January 19, 2010 11:11 PM

Domilise's feels like quite a find as soon as you enter. The wall has many clippings about the Mannings (Payton and Eli), acquaintances of the owner(s). I did not ask, but you should. Preface to my review: I am a food snob to a degree. When I eat an average gyro, I say, "The meat is good, but the pita is mediocre, and iceberg lettuce! Where is the creativity, good cooking, or great ingredients?"

My hot sausage po-boy was divine, hedonistically so. In watching its preparation, I was bracing myself for an analog of a bad gyro and regretting my affirmative answer to the question of "Do you want it dressed?" Dressed in this case means lettuce, pickle, mustard, Dijon mustard, and what I believe to have been mayonnaise. The globular nature of the mayonnaise is perhaps what concerned me the most. Given all these apprehensions, I was swept off my feet by the first bite, in the car. I was torn between driving and eating the entire po-boy. The po-boy was not innovative, nor was it delicately crafted. This was not a composition of great, fresh ingredients, but a better interpretation could not be rendered.

Rather than go to the best burger joint in the country, I would rather cook my own burger with grass-fed beef and eat it with a good ripe tomato and maybe a smoked poblano, but there is no improving on Domilise's po-boys. These are the "poor man's" po-boys and they are great because of it. I would not eat here weekly, but I will definitely return when I am next in NOLA. Avoid the gas station po-boys, come here for the famous New Orleans-style sandwich, and go eat it in a gorgeous place, which are easy to come by in this city.

Overall Rating

Hot Sausage Po Boy (small)

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