Restaurant brings Cajun cuisine to Frisco

The Louisiana jazz music, the brick aesthetics and the smell of Cajun food can make customers think they have stepped into a French Quarter bistro.

But rather than make people travel to New Orleans for Louisiana cuisine, one chef brought New Orleans to Frisco.

NOLA Grill is an upscale Creole and Cajun restaurant in the heart of Frisco Square.

Executive Chef and proprietor Nick Totten opened the restaurant in 2013.

Totten worked with celebrity chef Emeril Lagasse at one of his restaurants, Commander's Palace, in New Orleans, NOLA Grill general manager Veronica Cull said.

There, Totten fell in love with the cuisine, she said. The restaurant has a chef-driven kitchen, and all the dishes are made from scratch, Cull said.

"He also has a little bit of a Low Country flair to the menu," Cull said. "So you'll see things like collard greens on the menu, shrimp and grits on the menu, she-crab soup is Low Country."

Even though the menu has a lot of Cajun and creole dishes, it still has a wide selection that will appeal to many people, Cull said.

"You don't just get the spicy Creole and Cajun cuisine," she said. "You also can get a nice steak. We have Kobe beef on the menu. We have a nice pork chop on the menu."

The restaurant also offers a Sunday brunch with several egg dishes, including the NOLA Benedict ($15) and the Crawfish Omelet ($11).

Many aspects of the restaurant are imported straight from the New Orleans area. For instance, the bread used for the po'boys comes from a New Orleans bakery, and the bar uses the Hurricane drink mix from Pat O'Brien's in the French Quarter.

Hanging on the walls are prints of Blue Dog paintings, painted by the late Louisiana artist George Rodrigue. The brick and wrought iron in and around the restaurant are also popular features in New Orleans, Cull said.

"When we have people here that are from that area, they're just like, 'Oh my god, we've been looking for you guys,'" she said. "You're not like a Pappadeaux. You guys are the real deal.'"

Adding to the New Orleans experience, the restaurant hosts live music performances every week.

A pianist performs Tuesdays and Thursdays, and a jazz trio alternates performances between Fridays and Saturdays each week.

Cull has been working with the University of North Texas and the Frisco School of Music to bring in a different variety of music, she said.

Cull said the staff is also very knowledgeable about the menu and can recommend different items.

"You're just going to get a great experience, from the staff to the food," she said.

Cull said NOLA Grill is not a typical Cajun chain restaurant. Rather, she said it is a local restaurant that will give guests the experience of a true New Orleans cuisine.

"It's something a little bit different to get a little taste of New Orleans," she said.

• 8898 Coleman Blvd.


• 972-377-6652


• www.nolagrillfrisco.com


• Hours: Tue.–Sat. 11 a.m.–11 p.m., Sun. 10 a.m.–6 p.m.