New Orleans Haus offers down-home Lousiana cooking that, unlike the poor German replicas, doesn’t need long explanations of the history of the Cajuns in the menu to justify its existence. Owner Andrew Preble – actually a member of the ‘Big Easy Diaspora’ exiled by Hurricane Katrina – washed up in Berlin to work for the Berlinale last year, loved it, and decided a New Orleans café was what the city needed. Preble flung himself into the project with a DIY passion for no-nonsense, authentic food. The result tastes just right. New Orleans Haus’ minimal menu covers all the mainstays: Gumbo (€6.80), Jambalaya (€6.80), Shrimp Creole (€8.50) and Crayfish Étouffée (€8.50).

We started with a delicious spinach-artichoke dip and a portion of spicy grilled shrimp, which motivated us for more. The Jambalaya – a New Orleans evolution of Spanish attempts to make paella without saffron – contains plenty of chilli in a generous bowl of rice, chicken and smoked pork sausage (made-to-order for the restaurant by a Neukölln butcher). We also loved the Gumbo, a spicy soup made with okra and other veg, as well as chicken and sausage. For vegans, there is a meatless beans-and-rice dish (€5.80) – also available with sausage, of course (€6.80). Another option for vegetarians is the little-known New Orleans speciality “Macaroni and Cheese Cake”: basically, a large plate  of noodles with a thick and fragrant three-cheese sauce. Corn bread (€1.50), that soul-food staple, is near impossible to come by in Germany, so enjoy… Here it’s served in a delicious sweet version which we recommend you save to round off your meal, or for Kaffee und Kuchen time. New Orleans Haus is also a place to treat your sweet tooth. From lemon bars to dark-chocolate brownies, the desserts are all homemade and quite addictive. We gleefully gobbled down the “deconstructed” cheesecake, possibly the best we’ve had in Berlin.

The café’s location next to Görlitzer Park is perfect for summer days and it is a mere 10-minute walk from Schlesisches Tor. The cool, sparse interior, with a tiled floor and high ceilings, is filled with warmth provided by the service and the mellow swing of classic blues. And, of course, the satiating spices of the grub.