THE LATEST NEW ORLEANS RESTAURANT CLOSINGS, JUNE 2024

June 2024

Tony Mandina’s

Saturday, June 29 was the final day for Tony Mandina’s, the family-owned Sicilian restaurant that ruled in Gretna for 42 years. Known for being wonderfully old school and specializing in red gravy and family celebrations, the restaurant grew over the years from its smaller beginning in 1982. “It has been an incredible journey serving our community over the past 42 years,” wrote owners on Facebook. Venezia, the Mid-City Italian staple, will be opening a second restaurant in its place.

Bywater Brew Pub

Bywater Brew Pub is the latest New Orleans restaurant to shut down operations for the entire summer in hopes of enduring beyond the season. It will take an extended pause beginning July 1, father-son owners Nahum and Dylan Laventhal announced on Instagram this week. Doors will not remain totally closed, however — the brewery will continue to host occasional pop-ups, which have most recently included Chance in Hell SnoBalls (while they get their new permanent shop set up) and Lunch, a new Tuscan schiacciata sandwich pop-up. “Our plans beyond this summer are in flux, so stay tuned,” Laventhal wrote in the post.

Bakery Bar

June is the last month in business for Bakery Bar, an eight-year-old LGD staple known for desserts, cocktails, and savory bar bites. Charlotte McGehee and Charles Mary IV opened the corner restaurant set in the shadow of the Ponchartrain Expressway in 2016 as a showcase for their successful cake business, Debbie Does Doberge. It’s since evolved from its origins as a dessert and night-cap destination; in recent years it focused on brunch and dinner and introduced a menu incorporating Latin American influences and flavors. In an Instagram post announcing the news, owners said “it’s the right time” to close and “the right way to expand Debbie Does Doberge wholesale operations” and focus on Debbie on the Levee in Rivertown. Wednesday, July 1 will be its last day.

Kolache Kitchen

A Baton Rouge-based mini-chain with locations in South Louisiana and Florida has shut down all of its company-owned locations, including an outpost on Freret Street that opened in 2018 (another local location in the CBD that opened in 2020 has since closed). According to the Advocate, the decision was made as summer approached, following a “perfect storm” of a challenging labor market, inflation, and too-rapid growth. One Baton Rouge location, which is privately owned, will remain open.

2024-06-20T21:12:30Z dg43tfdfdgfd