Satsuma Cafe
3218 Dauphine St.
New Orleans, LA

A word to the wise: the password for free wireless here is “mississippi”.

the front door

This is another hidden gem in New Orleans, technically  Bywater, (I will find all of them!) I have always been curious what yummy options there are for vegetarians in New Orleans and I came across this restaurant in numerous forums (yes, I read food blog forums).This place definitely has  a hipster vibe to it. And I did notice many spacious tables, free wi-fi and use of natural sunlight (which is probably why they close at 7 PM daily).

their menu and where you order

When I walked in, everything on the menu sounded delicious. The people working behind the cash register must’ve been used to first-timers or indecisive customers because they didn’t rush me at all. I had such a hard time choosing between the pancake of the day (which notoriously runs out early in the day), the stuffed french toast with apples and goat cheese or the monster BLT sandwich. They patiently waited and then when I initiated eye contact, they were very friendly and informative. My friend and I were both intrigued by the strawberry lemonade (all fruit juices are made on the spot with fresh local fruit!)

strawberry lemonade

My friend had the roasted veggie sandwich and she kept saying it was the best sandwich of her life! It came with zucchini, tomato, squash, arugula, pesto, basil, swiss on ciabatta bread. The bread looked amazing from where I sat and I could hear my friend really enjoying her sandwich.

roasted veggie sandwich

I had the monster BLT which is a BLT with avocado and goat cheese. I was hoping that the avocado and goat cheese flavors would really shine but it was the bacon that stole the show. The bacon was definitely high quality (not your microwaveable crap). Still, very yummy. Next time, I might go for the ciabatta bread.

monster BLT

I like the hipster vibe and the studying atmosphere. The walls are lined with power surge protectors (cuz everybody and their mom has a labtop and needs to plug in somewhere). The chairs are a bit on the older side and not as comfortable and the tables rock back and forth but hey, give me free wireless + a wall socket + air conditioning + delicious food and I’m all set (wow now that I list it like that, sounds like I’m high maintenance).

I treated myself to a Nueske’s bacon egg and cheese sandwich on a everything bagel. the bagel was on the thinner and denser side for my own personal taste. the sharp cheddar definitely stood out and so did the fresh bacon (very much appreciated). when I was eating, I was surprised by how oily the bagel was (probably from the scrambled eggs and bacon?)

bacon egg and cheese

I’ve also had the green Eggs and Ham sandwich aka the Dr. Seuss sandwich. scrambled egg, basil pesto and Nueske’s ham, red onion and swiss on a croissant.  the basil pesto was wonderful mixed in with the egg (how innovative) and the croissant tasted home-made! very delicious!

green eggs and ham