Bonafide splash . . . For over a decade hungry diners have enjoyed fried chicken sandwiches and Belgian fries from Bonafried which began life in 2014 as a pop-up and started rolling as a food truck two years later. People would flock to the truck whether it was parked downtown near the hospital on Poydras or Uptown on the parade route during Mardi Gras. Early this year Bonafried’s founders Stephen Maher and Rebecca Elizabeth Hollingsworth opened a brick and mortar in the former Splish Splash Washateria off Esplanade Avenue in Bayou St. John and the joint is a-jumpin’. Loyal followers of the fried chicken food truck are ecstatic to have a spot to sit down and enjoy some of the best fried chicken sandwiches in the city.
(504) 777-6550, 3101 Grand Route St. John, @bonafriedtruck
Feed you? Feed me! . . . Long home to destination restaurants in the French Quarter, such as Marti’s and Peristyle, the Dumaine and Rampart street corner has a new tenant after being empty for over a decade. The historic space is now home to Succotash, Chef K’s (aka Kimberly Cochran) debut after honing her cooking skills as a private chef in Atlanta. “I like to say we take comfort food and elevate it just a touch, give it a little polish without losing the soul and personality of the dish…and me! I want people to taste the history in every bite, but also be surprised by something new.” Dishes include the Jacques, a salad with steamed and seasoned colossal LA shrimp, pickled English cucumber and fresh tarragon; a sous vide, crispy-skinned chicken, and oyster shooters.
1041 Dumaine St., (504) 290-8848, succotashnola.com
Need a lift? . . . High Grinds is a new coffee and THC bar launched by a group of local business partners including Beth and Scott Galante of local law firm Galante & Ross LLC. Located on St. Charles Avenue in the same block as Care Forgot Beercraft and Avenue Pub, the cafe bills itself as a “wellness” business with specialty coffee drinks from Mojo Coffee Roasters, Gracious Bakery pastries, and THC gummies and beverages designed to “lift your day a little higher.” Products include Make Em Say Uhh THC seltzer by Master P, Mambo Mixed Berry gummies, Cheech & Chong’s Space Chews and more.
1722 St. Charles Avenue, @highgrindscoffee
A dapper dive . . . After serving the Uptown neighborhood for nearly a century, the Milan Lounge closed its doors last spring and regulars were worried about its replacement. Would it still be the lovable neighborhood dive? Restaurateur John Michael Rowland, owner of The Husky and Pigeon and Whale on Freret Street, purchased the bar and after sprucing things up, relaunched around Christmastime dubbing the refurbished space as Soon Enough. Called a “high dive,” Soon Enough serves mostly craft cocktails at $13 a pop. Gone are the days of nicotine-stained walls and $3 PBRs and while some accept the change, others are mourning their beloved dive.
1312 Milan St., @soonenoughnola
Ice cream to empanadas . . . NOLA-natives and Cuban Americans Fredo Noguiera and Ryan Iriarte have opened a new restaurant mere steps away from their Freret Street restaurant High Hat Cafe. Formerly home to Ice Cream 504, the single-shotgun space on Jena Street is now home to Café Conmigo. Along with the stellar Cuban they sell at High Hat, the cafe’s focus is on Cuban-style, espresso coffee drinks and pastries from sweet croquetas and pastelitos to rich caramel flan. The Miami-style spot also offers cocktails like mojitos and daiquiris.
2511 Jena St., @cafeconmignola
For the burbs … Pomegranate Hospitality, the restaurant group founded by Chef Alon Shaya and his wife Emily, recently opened Safta’s Table, a “neighborhood Mediterranean” restaurant in Lakeview. Located in a new mixed-use building by the lakefront, the restaurant is open daily from breakfast to dinner, offering familiar Israeli-inspired bites from Shaya’s Uptown restaurant Saba, as well as Greek, Italian and Moroccan cuisine. An uber-casual style cafe, Safta’s also offers pre-packaged grab-and-go eats like hummus and heat-at-home lasagnas and casseroles.
129 Allen Toussaint Blvd., Ste. 103, saftastable.com
Still seafood . . . For nearly 50 years, the denizens of Marrero have been enjoying the daily catch at Sal’s Seafood, from fried fish plates and shrimp with jambalaya, to seafood gumbo. All that changed when its owners Sally and Ray Paninno, who were ready for retirement, approached Brandon Lefort of Lefort’s Seafood on Lapalco. “‘Would you maybe be interested’ were the words Sally asked when she called seemingly out of the blue.” Lefort’s, the little white seafood shack founded in 2004, is breathing new life into Sal’s old space offering boiled and fried seafood from crawfish and blue crab to bang bang shrimp and jalapeno cheese alligator kickers.
1512 Barataria Blvd., Marrero, @lefortsseafood
Fire burn and cauldron bubble . . . They’re brewing single-origin coffees and baking tasty treats on Canal Street at Witches Brew Coffee Co. Owners Paul DeSana and his partner Deanna Holdcraft launched the cafe early this year offering artisanal (and historic) baked goods, lattes, “elixirs” and matcha drinks. Witches Brew Coffee Co. is located beneath the Swan River Yoga studio so after poses and breathwork, settle in for a cup of Wild Coast loose leaf tea or yaupon also called “Carolina tea” to reinvigorate your day. Also, feline familiar-lovers rejoice as a portion of every purchase at the cafe goes towards supporting local cat shelters.
2940 Canal St., witchesbrew.co
*Article originally published in the April 2026 issue of Where Y’at Magazine
**Lead image courtesy of Madelynne Grace
