6 March 2023
One Eyed Jacks, Beard Papa’s, and Paulie Gee’s are the first closures of the year
Here, Eater keeps track of all the important bar, restaurant, bakery, and cafe closures New Orleans diners need to know about in 2023. See a closing that Eater New Orleans missed? Drop us a line.
February 2023
One Eyed Jack’s
For two decades, One Eyed Jacks in the French Quarter was known for dance parties spilling onto Toulouse Street, raucous live performances, and its Bingo Show. It relocated in early 2022 to Decatur Street, right by the French Market, to make room for new owners and a new live entertainment haven, the Toulouse Theatre. Now, One Eyed Jack’s on Decatur has closed, with owners announcing the end of the road for the venue on social media over the weekend (one of its original founders, Rio Hackford, died in April 2022). The folks behind it sound like they’ll stay in the business, continuing to produce performances as they did for the Toulouse Theater when it first opened.
Paulie Gee’s
Paulie Gee’s, a fabled Brooklyn pizzeria that’s expanded outside of New York with multiple locations, has closed its downtown New Orleans location, reports the Times-Picayune/New Orleans Advocate. Paulie Giannone opened the Crescent City slice shop in the short-lived Warehouse District home of Italian import Bonci pizza two years ago, specializing in neo-Neapolitan thin-crust pies and Sicilian-style pizza, also served by the slice. Giannone told the newspaper he’s “eager to reopen in a different location in New Orleans” and is currently looking for a spot that receives more foot traffic.
Beard Papa’s
The New Orleans location of a Japanese-founded bakery chain with more than 500 locations across the globe closed over the weekend, with its last day on Sunday, February 26. Local couple Thu Le and Hung Cao opened Beard Papa’s at 4712 Magazine Street in June 2021, posting to social media over the weekend, “Our very small business was started by our family as a dream to do more and be more. Unfortunately, the times are too hard and have taken so much from us personally to carry.” The now-enormous global chain was founded in 1999 in Japan by owner Yuji Hirota — the name and logo are inspired by his beard — and serves create-your-own cream puffs with various shell and custard flavors.