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Cafe Giovanni

4.2
4.2
683 Reviews
$30 and under
Italian
Top tags:
Cafe Giovanni is a 4 star fine dining restaurant voted winner of the Wine Spectator Award. Duke LoCicero was voted the American Culinary Federation's Chef of the Year, New Orleans chapter. "Where Magazine" named Cafe Giovanni the restaurant with the "Best Ambiance in New Orleans."

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Additional information

  • Dining style
    Casual Elegant
  • Cuisines
    Italian
  • Hours of Operation
    Mon–Thu, Sun 5:30 pm–10:00 pm Fri, Sat 5:30 pm–11:00 pm
  • Phone number
    (504) 529-2154
  • Website
    http://www.cafegiovanni.com/
  • Payment Options
    AMEX, Diners Club, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Dress Code
    Casual Dress
  • Executive Chef
    Duke LoCicero
  • Private party facilities
    Private dining and banquet spaces available for up to 150 guests. Buffet dinners, cocktail receptions and sit down dinners available.
  • Private party contact
    Jennifer Frieberg: (504) 529-2154
  • Location
    117 Decatur Street, New Orleans, LA 70130
  • Neighbourhood
    Central Business District
  • Cross Street
    Canal St
  • Parking Details
    $5 Validated Parking at the Marriott Hotel on Canal St. $7 Validated Parking at Premium Parking Garage 716 Iberville St.
  • Public Transit
    Street Car – Canal St. and Decatur St.
  • Entertainment
    Live Music Entertainment Provided by Encore Wednesday, Thursday & Friday Evenings
  • Additional
    Banquet, Bar Dining, Bar/Lounge, Beer, Corkage Fee, Entertainment, Full Bar, Happy Hour, View, Wheelchair Access

What 683 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

4.2
4.2 based on all time ratings
  • 4.2Food
  • 4.2Service
  • 4.1Ambience
  • 3.7Value

Noise • Moderate

683 Reviews

  1. KMac

    Houston

    5 reviews

    5.0

    5 reviews

    Reviewed on August 20, 2017

    overall5foodserviceambience
    This restaurant rescued Valentines Day for My Wife and I. On our way to the restaurant a tractor trailer sprung a leak of some type of hydraulic fluid which covered our car and several others. I could not leave the car in this way, and I refused to follow my wife's suggestion to just go home - stating she understood, but she had just gotten over a little illness, I had to push on. Being so far from home, I went to a car wash and in my finest clothes I cleaned the oil from the car. It was a real mess and hard work. needless to say we were very late. We had phoned to inform the restaurant, explaining the incident. When we finally arrived, they treated us like gold, asking if everything was okay. They then sat us in the Opera room, which was certainly unavailable during our 6 month prior reservation call (tough to get Valentines Day reservations there period, but the Opera room - fah get about it !!!). We had one of the most enjoyable dining experiences. To top it off, they sang one of my wife's favorite opera songs - by coincidence or fate?. she nearly cried. It was a really special Valentines Day, and we were treated so special... Oh, the food was fantastic, but I must admit, the ambiance, romantic atmosphere, and treatment by all the staff may have us a bit biased, but no, all jokes aside, the food was really good and the restaurant is highly recommended. Thank you Chef Duke and staff.

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  2. SEPTARR

    Las Vegas

    20 reviews

    4.0

    20 reviews

    Dined on December 7, 2016

    overall4food4service4ambience4
    Have eaten here in the past and was not disappointed this time either.Food was very good(I love the New Orleans wedge salad) and there were a terrific piano player and a woman singer at dinner.Will definitely eat here again.

    1 person found this helpful

  3. DocO

    Chicago

    5 reviews

    3.0

    5 reviews

    Dined on November 13, 2016

    overall3food3service2ambience3
    Food was fair yet not accurately represented by the menu. Service was haphazard and chaotic. I sign of a poorly trained waitstaff. This was not our first time dining here but for the price paid and the lack of attention to detail, it will likely be our last.

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  4. OpenTable Diner

    New Orleans

    1 review

    1.0

    1 review

    Dined on November 12, 2016

    overall1food4service1ambience2
    Well if you've seen Fawlty Towers on TV this is what this restaurant was like. The usual woman who meets & greets guests and runs a tight ship wasn't there the night we attended. A young man was trying to fill her shoes. It took a long time before our waitress appeared and then it was to tell us she'd be right back. That took at least 10 mins for her to return. There were ample staff standing around at the back wall just surveying the restaurant whilst two other staff members ran their feet off. The young maitre-d had to resort to clearing tables etc. without calling on his hired staff to assist him. There were 3 in our party and 2 of us received our meals before the 3rd meal was brought about 15 minutes later. When we brought this to the maitre-d's attention his response was "That's the way Chef has decided to serve the meals". No proud Chef would only serve 2 out of 3 meals. When I pointed this out he said it wasn't a five star restaurant it was casual dining. We also had to pour our own wine. When I mentioned this as well he asked "Did you tell your server that you wanted your wine poured?" I thought that was their job!!! Most restaurants get upset if you pour your own wine. He had an answer for everything. We didn't want to ruin our night by getting upset so we left it at that & started to look at it on the humorous side of things. He gave us the late 3rd meal free of charge. Shame about the shockingly poor service that night as the numerous times we'd been there before the service and food has always been good. Not so this time for the service. Maybe the maitre-d's name was Manwell !!!!!!

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  5. lfleazar

    Raleigh

    80 reviews

    3.0

    80 reviews

    Dined on November 11, 2016

    overall3food4service2ambience2
    The asparagus appetizer was great, as was my friend's pressed duck with blackberry sauce. Due to a pepper allergy all the chef would serve me was chicken with linguini and Alfredo sauce, which was only fair. The piano player and strolling singer almost made up for it.

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  6. Rico

    New Orleans

    6 reviews

    vip
    1.0

    6 reviews

    Dined on November 3, 2016

    overall1food1service1ambience1
    They would not at all accommodate my wife's dietary need. Lactose intolerant. They said there's nothing on the menu that she could eat and the "chef" wasn't willing to accommodate. Terrible!

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  7. OpenTable Diner

    Philadelphia

    6 reviews

    5.0

    6 reviews

    Dined on October 28, 2016

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    This was my second visit to cafe Giovanni. It didn't disappoint coming back. Great strawberry martini. Amazing chopped salad with interesting flavors. Meatballs, chicken parm and delicious eggplant parm was our order. Chef Duke delivered our food himself. Can't go wrong here b

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  8. GiorgioDS

    New York Area

    25 reviews

    3.0

    25 reviews

    Dined on October 28, 2016

    overall3food3service3ambience3
    Cafe Giovanni calls itself an Italian restaurant but that's not quite accurate. It's really an Italian-influenced Creole restaurant. If you're aware of that fact before you go, you won't be disappointed. If you're looking for "authentic" Italian, you won't really find it there. (In fact, it's not easy to find authentic Italian in New Orleans, which is surprising given the Sicilian/Italian history and presence in the city.) Food was well prepared; I enjoyed the chopped salad and the "pesce venetian," which had nothing to do with cucina veneziana but was nonetheless quite tasty. The chef is fond of cream and cheese, which makes some of the food a bit too rich for my taste. Cafe Giovanni is very popular, with locals and tourists, so reservations are a must.

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  9. OpenTable Diner

    London

    5 reviews

    2.0

    5 reviews

    Dined on October 25, 2016

    overall2food1service1ambience2
    Poor service - waiters talking loudly about a basketball game and walking around with their hands in their pockets. Food very bland

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  10. LaineyGee

    New Orleans

    12 reviews

    1.0

    12 reviews

    Dined on October 22, 2016

    overall1food1service2ambience3
    Very disappointed. Came in with the smells of Italian cooking. Ordered garlic bread for the table...don't even know what that was. My husbands Carbonara was meh and he left most of it. The meatballs and spaghetti was fair at best. Tasted like the ones you get at Costco. The breaded veal and eggplant were overcooked and totally dried out. The Service was adequate, but not outstanding. And after making my reservation on Open Table for 5 people, someone from the restaurant called to confirm my reservation for 64!!! Turns out we were to be seated at Table 64. Won't be going back.

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  11. JulieB

    New Orleans

    11 reviews

    4.0

    11 reviews

    Dined on October 21, 2016

    overall4food4service5ambience4
    Good food. Great service!

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  12. PeterW

    Orange County

    32 reviews

    vip
    4.0

    32 reviews

    Dined on October 21, 2016

    overall4food4service5ambience4
    This was a fun spot for a dinner with our Tulane student daughter. Good food and our server, Brandy, was exceptional. Be prepared for a noisy environment, so probably would be difficult for larger groups to hear each other. The pianist and opera singer were talented and added to the sense of occasion. Easy to find, just a few steps off Canal Street. If you're driving, and don't know the area, you would be advised to figure out a parking strategy before you set out.

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  13. tmajan

    Minneapolis

    2 reviews

    5.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on October 13, 2016

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Great food, great service, fabulous live music! We had a fairly large group and split the bill. We each added a tip and as we were leaving our server literally chased us out the door to let us know gratuity was already included and had us remove the tip from our charges. Fabulous place to dine!

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  14. JeremyfromAlabama

    New Orleans

    1 review

    2.0

    1 review

    Dined on October 13, 2016

    overall2food4service1ambience4
    Service was on par with Applebee's, not white table cloth service in the French Quarter.

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  15. Rosie

    Minneapolis

    19 reviews

    4.0

    19 reviews

    Dined on October 9, 2016

    overall4food5service4ambience3
    Needed a quick spot for 8 people. Food was very good. Fresh warm bread. Server was fun and enthusiastic.

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  16. OpenTable Diner

    Alabama

    2 reviews

    4.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on October 9, 2016

    overall4food4service3ambience4
    Great food, friendly staff. Unfortunately the server messed up my shellfish allergy and recommended something with Shrimp. The chef was flexible though and adapted my choice (duck) with a different accompanying dish and it was wonderful.

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  17. OpenTable Diner

    Miami - Dade

    2 reviews

    4.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on October 7, 2016

    overall4food5service4ambience4
    Best Italian food i had in a long time. The night we were there they had a singer.

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  18. OpenTable Diner

    New Orleans

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on October 6, 2016

    overall5food5service4ambience4
    I was in for EMS conference 10/4-10/8 and found this place by accident. The food was terrific (I had the Duck) and the place very nice and open, with plenty of room at your table. During dinner and not in a pushy way, twice people other then the waiter checked to make sure we were enjoying our experience. As dinner was wrapping up a man approached and asked who had the duck? I said that I did and asked if he was the chef? He said I am the head chef and the owner. I thought that was very classy of him to do. I had dinner with 3 other friends and each raved about their meal. I don't normally write reviews, but in this case it would be unjust not to.

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  19. labirdgirl

    New Orleans

    18 reviews

    5.0

    18 reviews

    Dined on October 5, 2016

    overall5food5service4ambience5
    A rare gem in New Orleans! Have always wanted to try this restaurant, but always forget about it when in NOLA. The food was excellent and so abundant. One dish could feed 3. The Eggplant Parmasean was four thick slices stack in two rows. Absolutely delicious...and the best part was the piano player and the opera singer. Her rendition of Santa Lucia was breathtaking. Great time.

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  20. Uptown

    Raleigh

    8 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    8 reviews

    Dined on September 30, 2016

    overall5food5service5ambience4
    Needing a break from all of the New Orleans food, I was looking for good old school Italian. They did not disappoint. Great traditional Italian food, with a little New Orleans touch to everything. Nice wine list, very nice live music.

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  21. RobertW

    Denver

    17 reviews

    5.0

    17 reviews

    Dined on September 27, 2016

    overall5food5service5ambience4
    Nice quiet great presentation delicious attentive. Must return

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  22. OpenTable Diner

    New Orleans

    1 review

    2.0

    1 review

    Dined on September 24, 2016

    overall2food1service3ambience2
    Food was too salty the service was not great. We used to go quite often and had not been in a long time and I was very dissatisfied.

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  23. BruceC

    Philadelphia

    7 reviews

    4.0

    7 reviews

    Dined on September 17, 2016

    overall4food4service5ambience4
    My daughter and I went her for dinner. She is a freshman at Tulane and was very excited to eat off campus. We enjoyed the ambiance and the food. I'm a vegetarian and was very pleased with the number of options for me on the menu. The servings were large enough that my daughter had two boxes of leftovers to take back to her ravenous dorm mates. Our waiter was funny, helpful, and quick.

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  24. OpenTable Diner

    New Orleans

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on September 17, 2016

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Absolutely phenomenal- one of the finest meals of my life to date!

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  25. DebbieF

    New Orleans

    3 reviews

    5.0

    3 reviews

    Dined on September 17, 2016

    overall5food5service5ambience4
    Cafe Giovanni was a pleasant surprise! The food and service were remarkable and the Coolinary menu was so appealing that it made it hard to choose.

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  26. ReverendFred

    Portland

    32 reviews

    5.0

    32 reviews

    Dined on September 17, 2016

    overall5food5service5ambience4
    Excellent service. Food was very good.

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  27. Richard

    Washington DC

    46 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    46 reviews

    Dined on August 26, 2016

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Cafe Giovanni is a hidden gem in the French quarter. Service and food are ethereal. Live piano and awesome opera singers make this restaurant a great experience.

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  28. Dougiefresh

    Cancun

    9 reviews

    5.0

    9 reviews

    Dined on August 24, 2016

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    It was my wife's birthday and the opera singer sang Happy Birthday in Italian to her. It was a wonderful memory!

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  29. Demidogs

    Las Vegas

    11 reviews

    5.0

    11 reviews

    Dined on August 23, 2016

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Went to Cafe Giovani on the recommendation of a "local" friend while we visited New Orleans on vacation. We ordered from the "coolinary menu" and it was excellent. Very pleased with the restaurant in general, our waitress and the food. We would definitely go again.

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  30. RobertJ

    Naples

    8 reviews

    vip
    3.0

    8 reviews

    Dined on August 23, 2016

    overall3food2service3ambience3
    Service was very prompt but the veal was over cooked.

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  31. luckyone4744

    New Orleans

    24 reviews

    2.0

    24 reviews

    Dined on August 20, 2016

    overall2food3service3ambience1
    I have been wanting to eat at this restaurant for 10 years. It was a huge disappointment. The noise level was unbearable. You could not talk to someone across the table. I asked the piped music be lowered but it was not. The food was mediorcre. My piece of fish was half the size of the palm of my hand. the service was fair. Rolls we asked for were not delivered.

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  32. Scooter1056

    New Orleans

    141 reviews

    vip
    4.0

    141 reviews

    Dined on August 18, 2016

    overall4food4service4ambience4
    We went to Cafe Giovanni on a weeknight to take advantage of the Coolinary special. Being August in New Orleans, it wasn't very crowded. We were very pleased with our meal and our server and the piano and opera music made the experience special. The seafood caprese and the oysters Giovanni, which we had for our appetizers, were both delicious. The oysters were a little on the small side, but they were very well fried and the sauces were very complimentary and beautiful on the plate. I had the duck and risotto and my companion had the pork and potatoes. Both were very good, but when the waitress brought them out, they looked exactly alike -- same dish, same manner of presentation on the plate. It was off-putting. The tiramisu was tiramisu. I like a little stronger espresso flavor in mine, but it was fine. One thing that I thought was not so great happened after our meal. Because it was after 9 and they were starting to break down the dining room, we decided to take our wine glasses into the bar and finish our drinks there. The bartender was behind the bar, but didn't speak to us, which was a bit rude. While we were sitting there, a couple came in who were obviously tourists. They didn't speak English. It was quite clear that they were asking the maitre d if the restaurant was still open or "fini." He just kept saying he couldn't understand them and he didn't speak Spanish, although "fini" is not really Spanish. It was rude and it is hard to believe that the restaurant didn't have anyone on staff who could communicate with this couple -- be it in Spanish, French or Italian. This is bad form, particularly for a fine dining restaurant in the French Quarter. Being that it's Italian, they should have someone on staff who can communicate in Italian and they should absolutely have someone who can communicate in Spanish, and probably French, as well. Also, there was no reason for the rudeness...not a good way to portray our city.

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  33. OpenTable Diner

    Key West

    1 review

    3.0

    1 review

    Dined on August 12, 2016

    overall3food3service3ambience2
    Appetizers were okay but downsized for Coolinary menu. Entree was excellent for the duck but okay for all 5 others. Dessert was okay for tiramisu but dried out cheesecake with okay sauce on others. They may have had a good wine list but the waitress was in such a hurry I had to order quick. No one else was waiting but wait staff was rushing and interrupting the entire evening. Chef LiCerro came around to greet us but he seemed annoyed and it was not charming. The noise level was way too high with everyone trying to talk over the opera singer. The martinis were very good. Not up to par with the various choices for great restaurants in this city. Will not repeat or recommend. Exterior needs a cleaning too. No valet parking. They just did not bother to do their best work.

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  34. jhsev

    New Orleans

    39 reviews

    vip
    2.0

    39 reviews

    Dined on August 12, 2016

    overall2food3service4ambience1
    The food is OK or a notch above OK but the NOISE is insufferable, completely ruining the experience. It would be quieter to dine at the end of the runway at O'Hare. Impossible to converse, impossible to hear the server, the worst place I've been to in years in terms of the general level of racket, which got an extra boost from a piano player who wasn't bad but pounded it loudly, as in "y'all are going to listen to me whether you want to or not," and a Wagnerian singer who would bellow a few lines, then wander to another corner while bellowing, never finishing a song or even half of one. I guess that added a certain level of unintentional comedy to the deafening roar, but it would have been insufferable even without the musical accompaniment.

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  35. Live2Eat

    New Orleans

    4 reviews

    4.0

    4 reviews

    Dined on August 5, 2016

    overall4food4service4ambience4
    Our second visit. Food is delicious and thoroughly enjoy the opera singers

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  36. LydiaH

    New Orleans

    16 reviews

    5.0

    16 reviews

    Dined on July 30, 2016

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Chef Duke you have outdone yourself . The filet with crabmeat was magnificent, and the oysters Giovanni soooo good! Service, ambiance also outstanding. The value here is also amazing. Other restaurants in the quarter much more expensive! Highly recommend, and O will go back real soon!

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  37. Patriciacake

    Salt Lake City

    3 reviews

    5.0

    3 reviews

    Dined on July 28, 2016

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Excellent Italian food! The ambience was special because of a piano and a singer.

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  38. DavidH

    Dallas

    30 reviews

    3.0

    30 reviews

    Dined on July 28, 2016

    overall3food2service3ambience5
    Cold coffee, under cooked steak, and I eat a lot of steaks. Cooked very rare not medium as requested. Grilled veggies were bitter.

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  39. OpenTable Diner

    Chicago

    2 reviews

    5.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on July 16, 2016

    overall5food5service5ambience4
    Great food and service, excellent voodoo shrimp!

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  40. DeeS

    Orlando

    1 review

    2.0

    1 review

    Dined on July 7, 2016

    overall2food1service5ambience3
    My chicken was overcooked. The fettuccine was in need of more sauce. For almost $100 the meal was horrible. I should have known when I did not see but 2 tables being used. The singers and piano player were good but nothing else was.

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FAQs

Cafe Giovanni is rated 4.2 stars by 683 OpenTable diners.

Not available on OpenTable

Unfortunately, this restaurant is not on the OpenTable reservation network.

If you like, we'll notify you by email if this restaurant joins.

Is this your restaurant?
Claim this listing
Google Map for Cafe Giovanni

117 Decatur Street, New Orleans, LA 70130

Additional information

  • Cross Street
    Canal St
  • Neighbourhood
    Central Business District
  • Hours of Operation
    Mon–Thu, Sun 5:30 pm–10:00 pm Fri, Sat 5:30 pm–11:00 pm
  • Cuisines
    Italian
  • Dining style
    Casual Elegant
  • Dress Code
    Casual Dress
  • Parking Details
    $5 Validated Parking at the Marriott Hotel on Canal St. $7 Validated Parking at Premium Parking Garage 716 Iberville St.
  • Public Transit
    Street Car – Canal St. and Decatur St.
  • Payment Options
    AMEX, Diners Club, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Executive Chef
    Duke LoCicero
  • Entertainment
    Live Music Entertainment Provided by Encore Wednesday, Thursday & Friday Evenings
  • Additional
    Banquet, Bar Dining, Bar/Lounge, Beer, Corkage Fee, Entertainment, Full Bar, Happy Hour, View, Wheelchair Access
  • Website
    http://www.cafegiovanni.com/
  • Phone number
    (504) 529-2154
  • Private party facilities
    Private dining and banquet spaces available for up to 150 guests. Buffet dinners, cocktail receptions and sit down dinners available.
  • Private party contact
    Jennifer Frieberg: (504) 529-2154
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