Jazzie Café is a true dive. Tucked away on 19th Street in the Heights, surrounded by mechanic shops and dilapidated houses awaiting gentrification, it feels like a discovery even when you get your food to go. The place is definitely a trip. All patrons place their orders at the badly disorganized counter that doubles as a desk. From there, you either take a seat at one of the three undersized tables inside or find a seat at one of the four well-maintained picnic tables on the covered patio. Our recommendation: bring a six-pack of your favorite beer and make an afternoon of it outside.

And it just gets quirkier: Jazzie is run by an Asian family, so there’s shrimp fried rice on the menu (for around $5) as well as egg rolls. Crawfish and pork boudin are under $4 and make good starters. Jumbo fried chicken wings are offered with the usual choices on heat (BBQ, spicy, and fire-hot spicy). They’re also available as sweet & spicy, lemon pepper, and teriyaki.

But the restaurant’s signature item is the authentic New Orleans po’ boy, served with your choice of fried seafood (catfish, oyster, shrimp, or soft-shell crab) on a sliced French roll. The key to a great po’ boy is the bread, and Jazzie nails it with an ideal blend of crusty and chewy, never doughy. The chef cooks the fried seafood with a very light flour crust, in generous portions. Soft-shell crab is especially good here, with a briny pop inside its light crust. For those avoiding fried foods, the “jazzed up” grilled tilapia po’ boy is more than an adequate substitute (the jazzed-up version adds a blackened Cajun flavor, with mushrooms).

In addition to po’ boys, the restaurant offers the same stellar seafood in a variety of different platters. All platters come with their Cajun-spiced french fries, salad, and, for some reason, toast. Rarely is the restaurant crowded, so it is likely you will get samples of other menu items while you wait. Beverages are strictly canned sodas and bottled teas, but, again, you are welcome to bring your own wine and/or beer. But come early—Jazzie closes just as most restaurants are starting to fill up for dinner.