10548A Whyte Avenue, Edmonton NW

(Updated post below)

Da De O New Orleans Diner and Bar… I can’t even count how many times I’ve been here since I moved to Edmonton. Definitely too many, but finally had the chance to write a blog post about it. I can say that I’ve had some really great experiences here, and some mediocre experiences. Da De O’s serves up some classic Cajun cuisine like Po’ boys, jambalaya, and gumbo, in the setting of a retro 50’s style diner.They have vinyl booths lining the wall, and each table has a mini little juke-box that. It’s really cool go through the songs and recognize some really old artists! The venue is long and narrow, and they always have some pretty cool music playing. It’s an 18+ establishment so bring your ID!

As with most restaurants on Whyte Avenue, parking can prove to be a little bit difficult. There are always meter parking up along the north and south side of Whyte ave, but they are often taken. What I usually do when I want to eat on Whyte is I scope out the free parking on the adjacent avenue on 83rd ave. There’s lots of parking up and along that road. Worst case scenario, there are lots of impark parking lots nearby!

I think I’ve had every single Po’ Boy (Cajun-style sandwich) at one point or another, and I’ve also had their calamari, St. Louis Ribs, amongst other things. This occasion we went on a Tuesday, which is one of their cheap Po’ Boy night, so obviously I went with that! Every time we come here, it’s always ridiculously busy. Often times, the wait can be up to 30 minutes long, but it’s always relatively easy to make a reservation, so I’ve made it a habit of always making one before going.

One thing that I really like about Da De O’s is that at the beginning of your meal, they give you a little biscuit and some of their signature jalapeno jelly! It’s really a nice way to start your meal. I really like their jalapeno jelly. It’s nice and sweet, with a generous amount of jalapeno flavour. You can even buy jars of it out front! It’s been a little while since I’ve been here, and I remember the jelly to be a lot more vibrantly green, but still really good.

Anyways, for this occasion, we opted to start with the fritters. We decided to get one of each, which is a Crab and Parmesan, a Jalapeno cheddar, a sweet potato and a corn fritter. It can be a little bit difficult to decipher the fritters apart until you actually eat them. The corn one is actually a different colour, so that one is easy. My favourite fritter was the crab and parmesan fritter. I was looking for more jalapeno flavour from the jalapeno and cheddar fritter. If I were to get this appetizer the next time, I’d definitely go with four of the crab and parmesan. It’s nice a fluffy, and it’s served with a chipotle mayo-type dip! It really hits the spot.

Another side that we got was their chicken wings. This actually has to be one of the best chicken wings that I’ve ever hard. They are thick and hardy and have a great crunch. They have a few different flavours but we just went with the scratch BBQ. I definitely recommend ordering these!

Fried Tiger Shrimp Po’ Boy

The Po’ Boy that I decided to go with this time was the fried tiger shrimp. I’ve had it before, and it was really good. Of course I got them with a side of their famous sweet potato fries. Really good and a good amount of shrimp!

My sister ordered the blackened catfish po’ boy. The catfish was really good! It has really good cajun flavours and was cooked perfectly. It was so tender, and the tequila salsa really added to the sandwich and went very nicely with the lightness of the fish. I do recommend always getting the sweet potato fries as the side option. Da De O’s is quite famous for them, and for good reason. They are double fried, and come out with some really good cajun spice and dipping sauce.

Another staple of New Orlean’s is Jambalaya. I’ve always heard good things about the Jambalaya here, but it’s so hard to resist their po’ boys. I actually found the Jambalaya to be a bit on the bland side, and the rice was undercooked and crunchy. It’s more expensive than the po’ boys, and you don’t get sweet potato fries as a side, so I don’t see myself ordering this again in the future.

Lastly, we got a slice of their key lime pie to share. A pretty decent size. I can’t believe we had room to eat this. It was very limey and the crust was light. A great way to end the meal. I don’t often opt to get dessert but this was well worth it!

I’d definitely try going on a Monday or a Tuesday, where their Po’ Boys are only 14 dollars! Plus sweet potato fries, you can’t really complain for an 15 dollar meal! Other honourable mentions would have to be their andouille sausage, calamari, pulled pork, and philly cheese steak po’ boy. These other ones are really really good! Anyways, this place is definitely worth a try.

Updated post (Augustn 2019)

Recently came back here this summer on Monday for cheap po’ boys. I opted to get their Crab boy po’ boy.

I got a couple of their cocktails, the disco lemonade and the cherry mojo. the disco lemonade is vodka, blue curacao, and freshly squeezed lemonade. The Cherry mojo is southern comfort and cherry coke. Both really tasty and enoyable!

Again, their biscuits and jalapeno jelly are a table favourite. Delicious little bites!

On this occasion, I opted to get their calamari to start. It came out a little bit afterwards in the middle of my meal because there was a quality issue with the first batch, which I actually really appreciate. I much prefer for my food to come out right, and a little bit delayed.

For my po’ boy, I opted to get the crab cake po’ boy. It came out nice and hot. I really like the bun that they serve their po’ boys on. Nice and fluffy. The sweet potato fries came out tender and perfectly and overall this was a great meal.

Definitely check them out if you haven’t been!