Angeli's utterly disproves the myth that locals never go out in the French Quarter. This is a great little spot for late nights, and they cater especially to us folks that work in the tourism industry, i.e. get off at midnight or later. The food is just divine; in fact, the Divine Portobello appetizer is a highly recommended favourite. The selection of gourmet pizzas is also impressively creative and very good. There is a full bar (of course) and a decent little wine list offering both glasses and bottles. Being in the lower end of the Quarter, it doesn't suffer from the Bourbon Street chaos, although there is usually a steady, lively crowd as the wee hours progress.

The only negative is the service, which is terrible, despite being quite friendly. Since this is not really a place to go when you're in a rush, the slow service almost makes it better, because it gives a good excuse to kill a bottle of wine and chat with friends for hours, or as long as it takes.

Caveat: This is not a place for fussy diners. The relaxed New Orleans attitude permeates the atmosphere completely, and you must be prepared to chill and enjoy the moment in order to enjoy Angeli's. That being said, many great times are to be had at this fabulous little joint, and the food is beyond wonderful. Besides, who comes to New Orleans to hurry?

Angelis on Decatur is a stylish and hip Italian restaurant that is also casual and comfortable. The food was very good even if it wasn't the traditional Cajun and Creole that most people think of when describing New Orleans cuisine. I would highly recommend the mystical pizza accompanied by the Greek salad. The pizza was good enough that we went back a few days later for a past midnight, pizza snack. Like much of the French Quarter, Angelis is open til past 3a.m. The restaurant is decorated in an artsy combination of angels painted on the walls and a variety of disco balls hanging from the ceiling giving the restaurant a dark but sparsely chic look. The service was a bit slow due to the fact that the woman serving us was a bit overworked with too many tables than one person should have to handle. She, however, made up for it by being extremely nice and helpful despite being somewhat harried. Her authentic Italian accent was a delightful, lilting contrast to the smooth and easy southern accent heard in most parts of New Orleans. Angelis is a restaurant we plan on returning to on our next visit to the French Quarter.