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. This fall is also expected to bring an abundance of new restaurant options that will rival a most exciting summer of game-changing openings. New Orleans diners can look forward to a lively spot for Korean fried chicken, onigirazu, and beer towers; an Emeril Lagasse tapas restaurant featuring a jamón bar, and a late-night cocktail den promising sophisticated food served past midnight. Here are New Orleans’s most anticipated restaurants opening this fall.
Chi Chi’s Chicken and Beer
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 veggie, and Korean fried chicken sandwiches made with onigiri rice as the “bread.”
Aguasanta
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 from La Tia, serving modern fusion with Mexican and Latin American influences. A seafood bar will serve ceviche, tiradito, aquachile, tartare, and oysters. and a wood-fired oven will dish out roasted meats and vegetables. Diners can expect beautiful cocktails as well.
34 Restaurant and Bar
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, created in collaboration with son E.J. Expect tapas-style shared plates, Portugese specialties, and — perhaps most excitingly — a jamón bar sometime in September.
Junebug
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 nightly specials, past midnight. The food, described as sophisticated bar food, is a slight departure for Louisiana pitmaster Shannon Bingham: French-inspired but with familiar Southern twists — dishes like croquettes monsieur, picked 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: House 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.
The Coop
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 also be daily specials like yak-a-mein, a large menu of sandwiches, fresh-pressed juices, smoothies, and salads.
La Cocinita
Where: 4920 Prytania Street, Uptown
When: Fall 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.
Cajun Flames
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. It will also emphasize atmosphere and design — this time, aiming for a ski lodge vibe rather than a nautical one. Expect hearty pasta dishes, fancy burgers, seafood, game meats, and of course, steak.
Later this year
The Kingsway
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 nomination, but will instead meld East Asian and French flavors.
The Bell Nola
Where: 3125 Esplanade Avenue, Bayou St. John
Big-deal Charleston restaurateur Brooks Reitz is opening the Bell, a French-inspired 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.
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