The 8 Most Anticipated New Orleans Restaurant Openings This Fall
As the summer heat begins to wane in New Orleans — even temporarily — there’s fresh hope in the air: for a mild, uneventful end to hurricane season; that this year the Saints take the NFC South; and that the local crawfish supply returns plentiful.
The 8 Most Anticipated New Orleans Restaurant Openings This Fall
Diners can look forward to Korean fried chicken, a jamón bar, and late-night drinking food.
Where: 4714 Freret Street, Uptown When: September 7, 2024.
Perhaps the most exciting restaurant opening this fall is a Korean fried chicken and onigirazu (sushi sandwich) spot from couple Adolfo Garcia and Sophia Petrou, New Orleans natives who each descend from legendary New Orleans restaurant families. They’re preparing for a grand opening on Saturday, September 7, serving up a menu of double-fried, sauced-up chicken wings and sandwiches, steak katsu, kakigōri (Japanese shaved ice dessert), and onigirazu — specifically, spicy tuna cucumber, salmon jalapeño, seasonal vegetable, and Korean fried chicken sandwiches made with onigiri rice as “bread.”
Where: 8312 Oak Street, Uptown When: September 2024.
The folks behind La Tia Cantina, the popular Metairie restaurant known for its cocktails and regional Mexican specialties, are opening a restaurant on Oak Street this fall. Aguasanta, taking over the former location of Magasin, will differ in style from La Tia, serving modern fusion with Mexican and Latin American influences. A seafood bar will sling ceviche, tiradito, aguachile, tartare, and oysters; a wood-fired oven will roast meats and vegetables. Diners can expect inventive cocktails as well.
Where: 710 Baronne Street, Warehouse District When: September 2024.
Taking shape across the street from the CBD/Warehouse District Rouse’s in a huge historical building is 34 Restaurant and Bar, Emeril Lagasse’s “love letter” to his Portuguese heritage. Expect tapas-style shared plates, Portuguese specialties, and — perhaps most excitingly — a jamón bar sometime in September.
Where: 748 Camp Street, Warehouse District When: October 2024.
Junebug is a new Warehouse District cocktail bar from the restaurant group behind nearby Devil Moon BBQ and Brewery Saint X, promising to serve a full menu, plus daily specials, past midnight. The food, described as sophisticated bar fare, is a slight departure for Louisiana pitmaster Shannon Bingham: French-inspired but with familiar Southern twists — dishes like croquettes monsieur, pickled shrimp dip, blue crab gratin with pan con tomate, foie gras mousse with banana bread, and confit beef cheeks. The drinks have a twist, as well: Cocktails can be made two different ways, full-strength or refreshing. The restaurant, expected to open in October, will feature a bar, lounge area, and partially covered courtyard.
Where: 1030 Derbingy Street, Gretna When: Fall 2024.
James Beard semifinalist Marlon “Chicken” Williams is awaiting final inspections for the second outpost of his wildly popular restaurant, Chicken’s Kitchen. Also located in Gretna, the Coop will introduce a build-your-own breakfast option (doors open at 6:30 a.m.) and feature the beloved meat and three dishes that Williams is known for. There will be daily specials like yak-a-mein, a large menu of sandwiches, fresh-pressed juices, smoothies, and salads.
Where: 4920 Prytania Street, Uptown When: Late September 2024.
At their forthcoming Uptown restaurant opening this fall, La Cocinita food truck proprietors Benoit and Rachel Angulo are planning a bigger-than-ever menu of pillowy arepas, including vegan options, and a weekend brunch menu of empanadas, breakfast tacos, and breakfast bowls. Tropical cocktails, mimosas, margaritas, and mojitos, plus South American wines and beer are also on the menu.
Where: 1117 Decatur Street, French Quarter When: Fall 2024.
A year after opening one of New Orleans’s best new Indian restaurants, the chefs behind LUFU NOLA are branching out with a New Orleans-centric seafood restaurant in one of the most tourist-heavy areas of the French Quarter. Sarthak Samantray, Aman Kota, and Sachin Darade are working on a casual, drop-in restaurant focusing on oysters and fried seafood at the former home of Saint John (which has relocated to the CBD) to open sometime this fall.
The Husky
Where: 4510 Freret Street, Uptown When: Late fall 2024.
This nontraditional steakhouse is joining the Freret Street restaurant boom later this fall, opening in the space briefly home to Acropolis and before that, Wayfare. It’s from the owners and chef of Pigeon and Whale, an upscale, New England-centric seafood restaurant across the street. The Husky will emphasize atmosphere and design — this time, aiming for a ski lodge vibe rather than a nautical one. Expect filling pasta dishes, fancy burgers, seafood, game meats, and, of course, steak.
Later this year
Where: 4201 Magazine Street, Uptown
The Kingsway is opening late this year or early next, says the Vilkhu family. It follows Saffron, their acclaimed destination for fine-dining Indian cuisine that landed chef Arvinder Vilkhu a Best Chef: South James Beard Award nomination, and will meld East Asian and French flavors.
Where: 3125 Esplanade Avenue, Bayou St. John.
Big-deal Charleston restaurateur Brooks Reitz is opening the Bell, a French-influenced New Orleans restaurant with an English pub vibe on Esplanade Avenue sometime this year. It takes over the space briefly home to the Post, previously Nonna Mia.
