Ian McNulty: These New Orleans restaurants closed in a brutal 2023 and it may get worse

Covering New Orleans restaurants this year has felt like riding two divergent rails.

Many new restaurants have opened, and they keep opening, bringing sparks of excitement, delicious new flavors and new opportunities.

No sooner do I file such a story, though, then I’m on the phone with another chef or restaurant operator saying they’ve reached the end of the line and are closing, often in anguish.

Restaurants close. It is one of the things they do, part of the life cycle of any business landscape.

But 2023 has hit different, with operators citing not simply the financials but exasperation with  cascading issues they find at their door. What’s most distressing from my vantage is the number of restaurant people I talk to who keep going but feel like their toehold on viability is slipping further.

This is principally in the city, in New Orleans, with its high reliance on visitors, and primarily it’s small owner-operators who run precisely the type of places that give our restaurant community such depth and richness.

Below, I’ve collected a roster of restaurants we’ve lost in 2023, which does not include every one but is representative of the arc of the year. First, let's look at some of those issues restaurants are facing.

Issues national and highly local

The long shadow of the pandemic is one part of the equation. Restaurants that had to close temporarily in 2020 reopened to an economic picture that was different and keeps on changing. Even watching from the outside, it seems like trying to build a house of cards on a rocking deck. 

Higher costs for food and labor are factors at play across the country, changing the business model.

Locally, businesses also face astronomical increases in property costs from the state’s unabated insurance crisis and higher taxes coming through. The local customer base is contending with the same spiraling costs for their mortgages or rents, cutting into that dining out money.

The brutally hot, slow summer cut deep, with some restaurant people calling it the worst for business in memory (and that memory includes some historically hard times over the past two decades).

But those holding on for the expected boom in the fall in many cases say it did not come through, and they’ve been left wondering where everyone has gone.

The saltwater intrusion may not have materialized in the major population centers, but it certainly did not help draw people in the fall and brought much stress and expense to restaurants trying to cope with its threat.

City Hall is now reporting a drop in violent crimes year over year for 2023, yet crime in New Orleans has clearly had a chilling effect on the restaurant business in the city and has even driven some restaurants out. The popular downtown brunch spot NOLA Caye announced it was closing after Dec. 24, citing frustration over vandalism and auto burglaries.

Hard times, worse times?

Significantly, a large portion of the restaurants that closed in 2023 opened during the pandemic. Surviving the first few years in the restaurant business is a tall task in the best of times; these times have been confounding to say the least.

The coming year will bring many new restaurants, and even as the days whittle down in 2023 I’m busy tracking numerous new openings still.

But without some major shift for the business swiftly, I think we will also see a tide of closures.

My advice: Don’t take any restaurant you value for granted as they try to navigate these times.

Here's a progression of noteworthy restaurants that closed 2023.

Blue Giant, 1300 Magazine St.: American-style Chinese food was the thing at the stylish Lower Garden District spot which opened just before the pandemic began and closed three years later. There’s a new restaurant in the same location serving similar food called Chinese Kitchen Club.

Paulie Gee’s, 726 Julia St.: This was a slice drawn directly from the original in Brooklyn, and when it opened in 2021 New Orleans gained another legit New York style pie. The owner says he could reopen in a different location, but I have no updates on that yet. Meanwhile Bearcat Baked, a bakery café, just opened in its old address.

Brown Butter, 231 S. Carrollton Ave.: Southern flavor, as distinct from Creole, was the thing at this Mid-City neighborhood spot. Brown Butter lost its location after eight years, though it’s former address remains empty and on the market. Brown Butter has vowed to come back elsewhere, though, so there may be updates soon.

Egg Roll House, 3507 Veterans Blvd., Metairie: No matter what happened (floods, pandemic, alien invasion), people thought the Egg Roll House would always be there. But this Chinese restaurant did serve its last fried rice plate in the spring after four decades, citing rising costs. Its distinctive location has been demolished; the adjacent Thai restaurant Café Equator is now expanding at its address.

Brothers Ole New Orleans Café, 1502 Lapalco Blvd., Harvey: After 48 years in the business, Risha and C.J. Abadie were ready to retire, and the next generation had found other callings. So that marked the end of what was a daily breakfast club for regulars, and one of the longest-running restaurants in Jefferson Parish. The grocery next door bought the property to expand.

Augie’s Restaurant & Events, 6005 Jefferson Hwy., Harahan: Known as much for weddings and events as for its daily Creole Italian menu, Augie’s had a long run in Jefferson Parish, but came to an abrupt end in June, leaving people with events booked here in the lurch. That did at least inspire community outpouring of other venues offering to help on the fly.

Piece of Meat, 3301 Bienville St.: What started in 2018 as a butcher shop and deli became a specialty steakhouse as a pandemic pivot, but closed at the beginning of summer. Its location is becoming Smoke & Honey, a new restaurant for Greek and Jewish food slated to open in early 2024.

Le Chat Noir, 715 St. Charles Ave.: This was one of the most promising new restaurants in New Orleans from its debut late in 2021. A world-class oyster program was a particular highlight, as was chef Seth Temple’s way with modern American cuisine. It closed abruptly in the summer citing unmanageable costs.

Beth Biundo Sweets, 3917 Baronne St.: After six years of custom cakes and everyday treats, Bethj Biundo closed up shop this summer. However, a new neighborhood bakery called Mae’s Bake Shop from Emeril’s alum Jeremy Fogg is set to open here soon.

Tavolino, 141 Delaronde St.: Algiers Point lost its neighborhood pizzeria this summer after six years, though now Nighthawk Napoletana is now open here as a new neighborhood pizzeria.

Fullblast Brunch, 139 S. Cortez St.: This backstreet cafe went full bore on brunch when it opened in 2018, a niche that does well when visitors are in town, and suffers when they're not. It closed over the summer. The location is now a new neighborhood spot called Rosella.

Riccobono’s Peppermill, 3524 Severn Ave., Metairie: This was a heavyweight of the Metairie restaurant scene going back 47 years. When this branch of the Riccobono family retired, it sent shock waves, particularly through the Metairie breakfast scene where it was a hub. Others immediately stepped up, including Drago’s around the corner, and Sala, the West End restaurant from another branch of the Riccobono family.

Breakaway’s R&B, 2529 Dauphine St.: This Marigny restaurant opened in 2022 with an old soul, fantastic gumbos and Creole pot cooking and an appreciation for vegan diets in the mix.

The Post, 3125 Esplanade Ave.: Many were watching this picturesque cottage in Faubourg St. John, and they should be on the lookout again. The Post opened at Jazz Fest last spring with a modern casual American menu and a large outdoor patio. It’s now closed, though its operators say they are looking for collaborators to bring something new here.

Seafood Sally’s, 8400 Oak St.: Opened in 2021, this was a casual restaurant that brought a broader array of the local seafood catch and applied many of the same flavor profiles as its sister restaurant Marjie’s Grill (which is also closing). After temporarily closing and returning with a revamp this fall, it shuttered for good in November. 

Tava, 811 O’Keefe Ave.: From its start in a food hall, this downtown spot for modern Indian food and great cocktails opened in 2022. You could watch the dosa come together right across the counter.

Rabbit’s Foot, 2042 Prytania St.: Opened in spring 2022 as a modern bodega and café, this was a great place for a sandwich and to shop for specialty foods from local producers.

NOLA Caye, 898 Baronne St.: Known for brunch and island flavors, this downtown restaurant opened in late 2019 and seemed to be doing well through the pandemic years. But citing frustration with crime, the owners set the closing date as Dec. 24.

Marjie’s Grill, 320 S. Broad St.: The big sister to Seafood Sally’s (see above) is still open, but scheduled to close Dec. 20 after six years in business. The owners say a different version of Marjie’s Grill will return here with a different format. So this may not indeed be the end of Marjie’s Grill.

Lengua Madre, 1245 Constance St.: Ana Castro’s Mexican chef tasting menu drew many high-profile accolades in its brief run, opening right on the eve of Hurricane Ida in 2021. It’s scheduled for its last service on Dec. 31. Look for a new restaurant from Castro, Acamaya, opening in the Bywater in 2024.

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