Tucked behind the U.S. Customs House, a small corner café invites guests to linger over affordable, French-inspired meals or an alfresco evening glass of wine at a sidewalk table.
In what seemed like less than an eyeblink, a cozy cafe dubbed Izzat took the place of an old-school pizzeria on Iberville Street. Tables and large, potted ferns adorn the sidewalk inviting busy passersby to pause for a bite, relax and watch the world walk by.
Co-owners Ji Un Choi, Omkar Patil, and Abhijeet Patil – both of whom were trained in French cuisine and restaurant management – worked together tirelessly to transform what was once Papa’s Pizza into a charming sidewalk bistro—its tall windows flooding the space with light, vibrant artwork brightening the walls, and a fully renovated kitchen humming at its heart. “The amount of work we had to do to get this space to look the way we wanted it to was substantial,” explained Choi. “But we saw its potential.”
The new restaurant shares its address with Riverside Spa and dessert shop Mr. Apple, housed within a three-story brick building of Italianate Victorian design. Created in the late 19th century by noted Louisiana architect Thomas Sully, the structure originally served as the brokerage offices of Samuel Delgado and his celebrated nephew Isaac—the same Isaac Delgado who endowed the surgical center at Charity Hospital, founded the New Orleans Museum of Art, and whose will ensured the construction of Delgado Community College.
A collective effort runs through every layer of Izzat NOLA, whose name carries deep cultural resonance. Izzat—a Hindi word meaning honor, reputation, or prestige—embodies a social concept central to Northern India, where the maintenance of family and personal honor is paramount.
“The idea came to me from the heavens,” Choi says. “It’s about integrity, about standing by your people.” She laughs recalling how the lofty concept led to an unexpectedly playful menu idea: “I thought, this is kind of like The Count of Monte Cristo. Hey, we could serve Monte Cristos! And if we’re serving Monte Cristos, why not Croque Madames, too?”
And they do, Omkar and Chef Ishel Lachica (Izzat’s sole employee) flip crêpes from a shiny, cast iron griddle or “billig,” served filled with creamy Nutella and fresh sliced banana; grill ham and cheese sandwiches using Ayu Bakehouse bread, topping it off with creamy béchamel and a sunny-side-up egg; and steam briny mussels in white wine, dished with towering piles of crispy shoestring fries. “We poured our hearts and souls into this restaurant and we try to make every dish perfect.”
“There just aren’t that many French restaurants in the Quarter and next to none are affordable,” says Choi. “We wanted to fill that gap.”
Support for the new café has flowed in from the neighborhood, the “salt-of-the-earth” kind that New Orleans always seems to deliver when someone’s starting out. Nearby business owners, contractors, and even customers have offered help and encouragement. “On our first day open, I wanted to give Hoa from Riverside Spa a meal,” Choi recalls, “but she wouldn’t accept it. Instead, she left a hundred dollars on the counter. It almost made me cry.”
Drawing on her filmmaking roots, Choi’s creative mind is always in motion, storyboarding new scenes for the restaurant’s future. An unused, windowless back room is being reshaped into a tiny speakeasy, and Choi has already asked Canadian artist Danaé Brissonnet to create the atmosphere – the same woman who created the 14-story, fantastical mural on the Embassy Suites hotel in the Warehouse District.
“She’s going to do a jungle scene with golden scarabs and exotic birds,” explains Choi. “It’s going to be like this sexy little dark place with great cocktails that will probably seat 10-12 max.”
There are also future plans to offer charcuterie and cheese boards served with bottles and demi carafes of wine, a perfect setting for enjoying warm New Orleans evenings alfresco. “It’s so nice to sit outside (on Iberville) because we get that cool breeze. We want to be a spot that feels welcoming, that people can go to at any time and feel comfortable.”
*Article originally published October 2025 in the French Quarter Journal
