Nono Kitchen
Category: Cajun/Creole [Edit]
Neighborhood: Brooklyn/Park Slope293 7th Ave
(between 4th Ave & 5th Ave)
Brooklyn, NY 11215 (718) 369-8348
- Nearest Transit:
7th Ave (F)
- Hours:
Mon-Wed 5:00 p.m.-10:00 p.m.
Thu 5:00 p.m.-11:00 p.m.
Fri 12:00 p.m.-11:00 p.m.
Sat 10:00 a.m.-11:00 p.m.
Sun 10:00 a.m.-10:00 p.m. - Price Range: $$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Good for Kids: Yes
- Takes Reservations: Yes
- Delivers: Yes
- Take-out: Yes
- Waiter Service: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: No
- Outdoor Seating: No
- Good for: Brunch, Dinner
29 Reviews for Nono Kitchen
First, the service. It was awful. The place wasn't busy and seemed to have plenty of staff available, yet our waitress was completely oblivious to us. She walked by 4 or 5 times before she even looked at us and then a couple more before she took our order. She was perfectly nice, but really bad at her job.
Then there's the food. I had the seafood gumbo which, while not completely awful, wasn't very good either. I've eaten quite a few bowl's of gumbo in Louisiana, and this didn't even come close. The dish left me completely unsatisfied. My wife felt the same way about her dish. And we were both kind of grossed out by the collared greens.
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I decided to try this place out for dinner on a random night.
First off, I have to say that service was horrible. There were only two other tables in the restaurant besides ours and the service was slower than ever! The waitress ignored us for more than half the time we were there. It took close to 15 minutes for us to flag her down to take our order.
The food didn't have enough flavor. We ordered the Roasted Alligator Sausage for an appetizer, which was fine... but lacking in substance. The po boy that I had was horrible and there was too much bread in the bread to meat ratio. Even the bread itself was stale! I ended up picking out the meat with a fork and salvaging what was edible.
I haven't had the brunch that everyone else has been talking about, but after my experience there... I definitely will not be dining here again.
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NoNo Kitchen is my second favorite brunch place in Park Slope. I can't quite roar out for them with the same cartoonish zeal as I have for one other local establishment, but NoNo nevertheless is one of my top choices when brunching in the neighborhood. The rich, almost custardy banana pancakes will likely make you ponder a few laps of Prospect Park to work them off... But what better way to also bring back visions of that morning-after on Bourbon Street, assuming of course that you've been there? Did I mention they also have great coffee? Oh, um, yeah - solid lunch and dinner to.
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Amazing jambalaya, amazingly priced @ 17 bones. My wife enjoyed her crawfish and spinach omelette, but the opportunistic pricing any glee out of the process. Still and all, it's a nice little place and outpaces Stan's for cajun touches, even if it's a little too upmarket for our tastes--if not our pocketbook, too.
While walking down 7th Ave I noted this rather cute restaurant. The menu was interesting to include a number of "Po Boy" sandwiches. I am rather familiar with this fare as I have visited New Orleans a number of times. I orderd the shrimp Po Boy and it was served promptly but not until I had enjoyed the delicious corn bread they serve first. The service ws good, the wait staff pleasant, and the decor OK. The sandwich came wrapped in paper along with fries. It looked great! I wish I could say it tasted great. It was salty beyond belief. If I didn't have hypertension when I went in I surely had it when I left. Why the kitchen felt that a world's record in sodium was necessary is beyond me. Take a clue, ask about saltiness before you order.
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Brunch! Have the banana pancakes and have yourself a plate of wonderfulness dripping with syrup. I always wish for more vegetarian options even at places that are traditionally non-vegetarian buuuut overall a great brunch spot without a long wait!
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3.5 stars.
Nono Kitchen stands for North of New Orleans. This restaurant delivers great cajun themed dishes originated from the southern city. The first time I was here, I discovered this wonderful filler called the corn bread. It's given out to every table and I'm glad because I would buy them by the bushel if available on the menu. It's just awesome corn bread. The secret to them is in the shape; it's in the shape of a small loaf size corn bread which allows for crisping at every corner and edge. It's gritty, it's chewy and it's yummy.
I've ordered the po boy both times accompanied by the chicken and andouille sausage gumbo as the side dish for $1 more. The fried cat fish po boy was good; served on a long french baguette with tomatoes, lettuce and mayo. The catfish was lightly fried but I felt like it would have been better with a more textured fish. Today I tried the brisket po boy. Sure, it was fatty. Fat is good -- it adds flavor. Yes, this po boy was good.
The fries that come with the sandwich are excellent. Crispy, potatoey and what a perfect fry should be. The gumbo however, was oily and salty. There was a good amount of chicken and sausage but I tried skimming the oil off the top and then eating. I still felt like I downed a large amount of oil anyhow.
Service can be inconsistent. The first time I dined here, the waiter was inattentive as could be. The bus boy wound up bringing us our drinks and taking second drink orders. Today they were better. Maybe that was a one off.
I hope they don't one off the corn bread.
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This is a place that I really wanted to say great things about. I am from New Orleans and had their jambalaya during the Seventh Heaven street festival. That brought me back. Also, they carry various Abita beers.
I really like the interior setting of the restaurant. It reminded me of the casual cafes / restaurants in uptown New Orleans. Too many "New Orleans restaurants" try to hit you over the head with cajun music and cheesey tourist memorabilia. NoNO had a subdued and relaxed atmosphere.
I had ordered a coke but sent it back because it seemed flat. My friend had Abita Turbo Dog. The corn bread and hush puppies hit the spot. We ordered the jambalaya and the Creole chicken over fried cheesey grits. We waited for a good while even after the hush puppy appetizer was done. No attention to our water or if we needed anything else. I decided to order a salad. Tried to get a menu, finally got one from a waiter who was giving the vibe - why are you asking me; ask the waitress who has forgotten about you. I gave this same waiter my salad order who seemed confused why I kept going to him. Finally another polite waitress came over and confirmed that I wanted a salad. I said how long we had been waiting for the food. She came back in a moment with our food. I have the impression it was waiting at the counter for pick-up but we were completely forgotten. Then again, I think I overheard other tables complaining about the long wait for their food. The house salad shortly followed our dishes. I should note the place was not full and there seemed to be three wait staff.
Jambalaya was seasoned well, but far less meat than the Seventh Heaven Street Fair. The Creole Chicken was again seasoned well, but I shocked when I saw how much chicken - not even half of a breast, maybe not even a quarter. Major let down! The fried cheesey grits which the sauce and bits of chicken were served over were good. Grits and creaole red sauce sounds interesting, but where's the chicken I thought I was paying for?! The small house salad was good but not worth $6.
Paid the bill. Said good-bye to the friendly waitress. We were given almost a scowl from the other waiter. Maybe he was having a bad day.
We'll probably go back a few more times and give the place a chance. I'ld like to check out their brunch. I hope they add more meat to their dishes or charge a little less. Also, they need more attentive and polite wait staff - like the third waitress that finally brought our food. NoNO is a big improvement over most New Orleans restaurant wannabes, but it seems to still have a long way to go.
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When I was an elementary school-aged girl, one of my favorite activities was to create a little game for friends and family that gave them the freedom of choice. It went like this: I took a paper, divided it into columns, and marked each column by its contents ("face shape," "noses," "lips," "eyes," "ears," "hair, etc.). I would then draw several different types of each. I would give the paper to my lucky friends and/or family members and tell them to mark their choices with their initials. I would then produce for them on a large piece of paper their composite face based on their selections. I know, I know. How clever, I am. I basically paved the way for the design your own doll gimmicks now available through companies like American Girl.
You are probably wondering what the hell this has to do with North of New Orleans (NoNos). Well, I like my BBQ menus laid out exactly like I laid out puckered lips and schnozes. Choices, people, are key. The customer is also key....and always right, duh.
Last weekend, while visiting NY, I ate at NoNo's. I liked my food once it came to me, but getting there was a battle. I wanted pulled pork. So did my best friend. The two of us, hankering for the same thing, perused the menu only to find pulled pork available in two different sandwich options, but no other way. You could get chicken with sides, ribs with sides, but pulled pork only came on bread with french fries! We sucked it up and decided to be high maintenance, though I didn't think it was that high maintenance to say "No bread, just plated pulled pork," and to ask to substitute the fries for "Sweet Wedges" (aka sweet potato fries). Our waitress sighed and grimaced, and I am pretty sure she bitched to the bartender about us. The food, as I said, was good, once we got it, but the menu was hard to navigate and the service didn't make it any easier.
I will stick with my favorite BBQ places that let ME choose! Here's your meat column, here's your sides column, choose as you please, and would you like anything else, dear sweet customer, I ask you with a smile on my heart-shaped face?
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Finally tried the Nono. After a great early evening at Beer Table we busted a move on a cold, windy night. I wanted to try this place and we were in the hood and it was luckily just that close. Damn it can blow on the slope.
The place was pretty empty but the weather was unforgiving so I wasn't going to judge on that. Our server was super friendly (her smile was contagious) and very helpful with our questions.
The prices were a bit steep for spicy rice and andouille sausage (Jambalaya) but the Chicken Fried Steak looked great and the brief taste I was offered was awesome. For 4 dollars more I should have done more than consider the option. But the Jambalaya portion was large and I can forgive and forget when the taste was right and the belly is full. The cornbread and butter were also delish. The wines by the glass that we had were both pretty meh. They did offer a $125 bottle of something but I'm not sure if that's why you come here. It's for the taste of New Orleans. The service really brought this experience up to a 4 but I'm not saying the food was nothing. Definitely worth a try if you want something different and are in the area.
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What better way to prep for my first trip to Jazz Fest than to start familiarizing myself with the food? Nono Kitchen is everything I am anticipating New Orleans fare to be: flavorful, filling and deeeelicious!
We selected from the 'Dine in Brooklyn' prix fix menu and everything was excellent. I could have been full from just the cornbread that started the meal! Shrimp and grits were full of flavor, cornbread stuffed salmon and the steak were both parties in our mouths. The banana fosters to end the meal with was totally not necessary at that point as we both could not even finish the entrees, but well worth the indulgence.
I don't know if I am any better prepared for Jazz Fest, but with a great prix fix menu every Sunday through Wednesday that features four courses for $25 and excellent service, it is guaranteed I will be back to Nono.
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We really enjoyed our dinner at NoNo. It was a Friday night around 8, and only 1/3 full. That was sort of surprising, but it did not reflect the quality of the experience. Our waitress was very friendly and helpful above and beyond normal service. When we couldn't decide on a wine, she brought us back small glasses of the 2 in question, and let us taste-test.
Our crispy pork on apple slices was pretty good, but I thought the BBQ sauce resembled ketchup a little too much for my liking. The stuffed pork chops and Lenore's Chicken were outrageous, and the key lime pie was delish as well.
My only complaint is the ambience. The menu seems like upscale bar food, with better ingredients, a more skilled chef, and prices to match. So I was disappointed with the atmosphere - beige, brown, tan! BO-RING. It doesn't need to look like a Mardi Gras parade, but New Orleans culture is so fun and vibrant, is bland really the way to go?
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Medium awesome brunch.
I mean- the faaaaabulous host and the cornbread got us off to a kickin' start. Good mood- all set.
I couldn't decide between lunch and breakfast (hence brunch, but it was already 1pm and my stomach was confused)- and our lovely waitress gave me the lowdown on my po' boy options versus eggies. I went with the country breakfast, which overall- was lackluster. Eggs were good, but were just scrambled eggs- the 'smothered potatos' were cold and greasy- but the chicken sausage and grits were spot on.
My friend had the eggs and biscuits which she loved- esp. b/c the chef graciously offered to make her a veggie gravy (instead of sausage).
I want to come back for lunch/dinner... but overall- I think there are better brunch spots in the slope.
YESYES to Nono's yummy weekend brunch. There was something for everyone on a menu that had breakfast as well as lunch favorites with a N'Orleans twist to it. The menu had so many tempting sounding dishes it was hard to decide - chocolate pecan pancakes, biscuits, omelettes, po-boys, french toast, salads, and lots of sides with a southern twist (collards, sweet potatoes, red beans & rice, etc). The hostess was very gracious and the pace was unhurried for catching up with a friend I hadn't seen in a while. Looking forward to trying dinner.
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Came here before heading out to The Hold Steady at Prospect Park last night and was rather dissappointed. I didn't get an entree as they all seemed way overpriced and judging by the execution on my Po' Boy, I'm glad I held off. My friend and I started with jambalaya wontons, which were ok. Then we both had the fried oyster po'boys and they were really unremarkable. The bread was eh, the sandwich itself was not very hot and overall it didn't spark any fond memories of Jazz fest down in Nola. Needless to say, I wont be rushing back..........
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went there 3 times, first spectacular, second eh, third a big NONO. the food just plain sucked what the hell man, i could crap out a better meal, and probably a bigger portion. it just wasnt good the waitstaff was in a bad mood and took forever for service. no im not one of those pain in the ass customers who write bad reviews because im a fat lonely guy, not the case im quite skinny and still so after my meal at NONO. i wont be back
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I am a big believer in the hangover healing power of chicken fried steak. Try it sometime, that shit can raise the dead. But I was afraid that CFS would exist in only the frozen dinner variety in New york but I found it and it's fabulous. Our host was extremely nice, and very good at communicating to us about the status of our table.
Our waitress was unfriendly, indifferent, and may have had a family member die recently. I didn't ask. But the food was so good I got over the service pretty quickly.
Good mimosa too, wish they had a full bar but what can ya do?
Totally disappointing breakfast. Had some of the worst, slowest, most inattentive service here in recent memory. The waitress seemed be intentionally trying not to acknowledge us as the wait for our food grew more and more inexcusable. When the food came it was lukewarm. My eggs were gummy. I think it was supposed to be cajun-themed something, but it was just a sub-par version of an egg plate from any old diner, and way overpriced. It came with grits, which I guess might be exciting to someone, but the whole thing just made me long for a Waffle House, where the same food would have come in a tenth the time and cost a third as much.
Two stars for the cornbread and for making some sort of effort to liven up the usual 7th Ave scene.
Maybe we just went on a bad day, but I can't help thinking this place is coasting by on charm and Slopers' post-Katrina goodwill.
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I've been looking forward to try this place, despite its mixed reviews. I went on a Wednesday night with my friend - we had crabcakes (delicious, and I don't do crab normally), crispy pork on apple chips (yum!), gumbo (I had the chicken and andouille), and collard greens (don't bring a vegetarian here- they were good...and I think they had bacon?). The main complaint I had with the gumbo is that it wasn't spicy - I lived in New Orleans for a year, so I expect a lot of spice, but it was quite tasty, nonetheless.
The waitresses were really nice and the owner/chef/manager (not sure) was also there pitching in.
All in all, a nice experience. I will definitely come back. Fried chicken...oooh, or a catfish po boy....oh, yum.
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If you remember the former restaurant that used to occupy this space, India House, then you obviously understand what a vast, vast improvement Nono Kitchen is over that place. And if you don't remember India House, you're lucky.
I had dinner at this New Orleans-influenced restaurant recently and it was absolutely fabulous. I was so impressed with the tastiness of the food, the great service and the relaxed ambiance. The food is excellent! We had some Louisiana standards - gumbo, jambalaya and a po' boy and everything was well-spiced, true to character and very well executed. It's so nice to have something different in the neighborhood - we have so many french bistros, Italian restaurants and asian places. So glad to have something new!
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I went to NoNO Kitchen with my boyfriend. We chose the following: Jambalaya Won Tons, Andouille Pork Sausage, Chicken and Smoked Tasso. Jambalaya Wonton with Chipotle Sauce. Crispy Pork On Smoked Apple Chips, Pulled Crispy Pork on Smoked Apple Chips and Drizzled with Honey BBQ Sauce. Chicken Tortilla Soup. Honey and Cane Syrup Slow Roasted Pork Tender Loin Tender Pork Loin Served with Poor Man's Gravy Cornbread Dressing & Vegetables. Oyster Po-Boy. Bananas Foster. The Wontons are AMAZING! I was dissapointed with the crispy pork on apple chips. The soup was great. The Pork tenderloin wasn't anything fantastic. Tasty but not a signature NOLA dish in my opinion. Po'boy - My boyfriend devoured it. nuff'said. Bananas Foster - Pretty Tasty & Impressive Stuff! I look forward to returning and trying out the rest of the menu. Finally, a restaurant with seating that isn't cramped.
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In a word: yum. Ah, and try the much-touted jambalaya wontons -- they're well worth ordering.
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What's a restaurant gotta do to get 5 stars around here? Hands down, Nono is the best cajun/creole food I've had on this side of the mason dixon beating out Acme and Great Jones Cafe in my book!
The best part? $35 (maybe it was $25?) 3-course prixe fixe dinner menu from 8 - 10 PM!! We saw how huge the entree portions were when we were ordering so we wised up and ordered several appetizers and a bunch of side dishes.
When I happen to glance away at the Yankees game on the flat screen (visible by the bar area) for ONE little second, my boy had scarfed all the oyster bienville (oysters on the half shell topped with a shrimp, bread, onion stuffing then baked coated with bechamel)! The fried green tomatoes were simply amazing arranged like a tower of thin slices of crunchy goodness layered with a chicken & mushroom cream gravy.
I like to try out the basic basics of restaurants I go to, because if they can't get it right with the basics (like egg rolls in a Chinese place), fuggetaboutit. So I ordered Red beans and Rice and the Dirty Rice. The latter was definitely MUCH more interesting than the former - I was happy just with the Dirty Rice and the Pork Andouille sausage appetizers. The sweet potato fries that comes with the po' boys were amazing - they were fried just to the point where the outside edges started to caramelize but not to overburntness.
Okay, so gumbo should be more flavourful, spicier, and bolder, and the decor is like a weird generic yuppie living room but the back garden is pretty and clean. I'm going to grow a new side stomach so I can go back and fully investigate all the other items on the menu (they have Muffuletta). And yes, even for me, I'd go to Park Slope to eat here again.
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we had sub par service, which is really unfortunate -- the waitress might possibly have been new, but inexperience can be made up for with energy and enthusiasm, whereas she was just... slow and indifferent. oh well. the food was pretty good (i had the catfish, my parents both got fried chicken) but honestly, it didn't meet my expectations. i had heard such stellar things about this restaurant that when i finally ate there, i felt underwhelmed, even though everything we had was flavorful and the portions were generous. i might go back if i'm in the vicinity but i can't say i'd walk the 10 blocks from my apartment again, as there are a lot of restaurants along the way that are just as good, if not better.
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I was expecting more. Maybe it was the tantalizing idea that the place would be come my new favorite -- just around the corner from home! But no. Food was expensive, and good, but not great. Ribs: yummy. Side dishes: plain. Gumbo: Fine. Corn bread: good. It's cute, but brightly lit. I probably won't go back.
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I've been to New Orleans about 5 or 6 times with friends from college. You know, as part of those "Hey! We now have disposable income and no kids (yet!) and so can afford to travel, dine and stay out past 9:30pm" trips.
What I learned very early on about New Orleans, especially in the French Quarter, is that there are two kinds of restaurants: the good ones, which faithfully represent the local cuisine, and the ones that lure you in with the right amount of wood paneling and charming accents, but ultimately serve you reheated frozen dinners. NoNO is somewhere in between.
The restaurant has the right look, and the food is technically well prepared. Problem is, it lacks flavor (a weird thing to say about creole food). My pork ribs were very tender (no knife needed), and looked amazing. When I tasted them, however, I was let down. The best way to describe the flavor is mediocre at best. I mean, this is *creole* food, it's not supposed to taste like boiled English fare.
Other reviewers seemed to enjoy their meals much more than my guests and I did, so perhaps we went on an off night. I'll go again and see if my luck changes.
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I've eaten there a few times and always have had a good experience. I want to send NoNo big kudos for handling our large group recently. The staff was warm, friendly and very accommodating.
Food - Gumbo, stick with the gumbo. They do some nice things, specials, eggs, but gumbo is where it's at.
Delicious! I'm so happy I went in, even though it took me about 7 months to get there. The $10 Pulled Pork Basket is a great option if you are on a budget--the pork is tender and the BBQ sauce is fantastic. I've also had the Fried Chicken and Collard Greens, which was also good (and even better were the leftovers the next day) and the Crispy Pork on Apple Chips was definitely one of the best appetizers I've had in a long time.
Yeah, the service could use some work--I'm specifically talking about one female server who looks as though she had her smile permanently removed--as could the decor (I haven't yet seen the garden--it's cold now.) But it's a place to go for consistent good food and there seems to be a variety of price points on the menu. I hope this place does well, because I'd like to see it stay in the neighborhood.
On our walk back from seeing "The Departed" at the Brooklyn Pavillion, we discovered a new Cajun/Creole restaurant recently opened on 7th avenue in Park Slope. On Sundays, I normally cook. But tonight, jambalaya and fried chicken sounded too good to pass.
NoNO(north of new orleans) turns out to be spectacular, even on it's 4th night. Tonight, the menu was quite limited - we started with pork andouille, chicken and tasso wontons in a spicy bisque like sauce. Then my husband had the duck and cracklin gumbo, and I had the okra seafood gumbo. Both were great, but the seafood was better. For entrees, we tried red rice and beans and fried chicken breast, and the pork andouille, chicken, and tasso jambalaya. All of this food was perfectly prepared, not light on the spice, and incredibly DELICIOUS. Pure heaven.
The chef worked with Paul Prudhomme for 8 years. He's the real thing, and knows exactly what he's doing. The restaurant is surpringly well organized for being open less than a week. We got our food in a timely fashion, and although I did see the waitresses mixing up orders, I sense that they will be on track within no time.
Otherwise, the liquor license will be effective this week, but until then, bring your own. And the new 'expanded' menu starts tomorrow(oct 16th) and will feature shrimp and oyster po'boys, blackened catfish with rockefeller stuffing and crab pernod sauce, alligator and pork sausage, and many more delicious sounding additions.
Last thing - the place was already booming, and I reckon it will continue to do so. Go before it gets too busy!!!
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