Big Hamburgers And Polynesian Drinks Like Neptune’s Monsoon In The French Quarter
Port Of Call In New Orleans is more than a good burger joint.
It’s also a dive bar with tiki touches.
And Polynesian drinks.
With this combination, I could have stayed all day. Or night.
But I did like just about everyone who goes here. I finished my large burger and took what was left of my drink – the Neptune’s Monsoon, “an old recipe used frequently as a last request by pirates condemned to walk the plank” per its menu description – in a large signature to-go cup, patted my belly a few times and went back out to walk through the Quarter to experience more of that great New Orleans flavor.
Port Of Call serves half-pound hamburgers, regarded by many as the best in the city, certainly in the French Quarter. Not that there are many burgers in the Quarter but if you want one, this is the place to get it.
The burgers are half a pound (never frozen) and come with a baked potato. You can get any number of toppings on the potato – sour cream, chives, even crumbled bacon – at no extra charge.
The burger tastes like one right off the grill at a backyard BBQ. That’s the best way to describe them; it’s a familiar taste and you’re tempted to walk up to the host and say “that’s a really good burger Bill!”
I do wish the bun were a little thinner; it’s a bit too big in my opinion and takes away a bit of the great burger taste. I believe Ercoles in Manhattan Beach, CA, has the best bun for a burger. It’s thin enough to where the inside of the top and bottom kind of soaks up the juices and almost clings to the burger.
It’s interesting the Port Of Call burgers are served with a baked potato, not fries (the Erc’s burgers come with a bag of chips). It’s a pretty big one and with that large burger you’ll be plenty full, but not stuffed. And keep this in mind – with all the drinking one does in New Orleans, this is a great place to get a good “base” for what is to come later in the day and night.
Of course, Port Of Call has drinks, too. Locals love the Monsoon. Other drinks have those creative names that help make tiki bars so cool: Red Turtle (tequila based), Goombay Punch (a Bahama Breeze) the Windjammer (rum and fruit juice, kind of like the Monsoon) and the Huma Huma (“the drink of the Maui Chieftan. One sip and… Huma huma nuka nuka apua).
You’ll likely have to wait for a table. If there’s only two or three of you, I advice to look for a seat at the bar. This is more of a sit-at-the-bar place anyway.
A burger, baked potato and tiki drink will cost you $25-30, depending on how many toppings you get on your burger.
Port Of Call is open at 11-midnight Sundays thru Thursdays, and on Fridays and Saturdays until 1 a.m.
Port Of Call New Orleans Address,Location And Map
838 Esplanade (two block from the end of Bourbon Street)
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