31 July 2024
Junction Bar and Grill is one of two St. Claude Avenue spots closing in August. | Eater NOLA
Both Junction and Rosalita’s will have their last days in August
In a blow to affordable and late-night neighborhood dining along St. Claude Avenue in Bywater, two popular New Orleans restaurants are preparing to close their doors in August: Junction, an eight-year-old beer and burger bar from the owners of Molly’s at the Market, and Rosalita’s, a casual three-year-old taco joint.
Junction announced the news on Instagram on Tuesday, July 30, writing: “Due to many circumstances we’ve kept at bay for long, Junction will be serving the Bywater our last burgers this Saturday, August 3, at least for now. We’ll be taking August to determine what the future will hold for 3021 St. Claude Avenue, so stay tuned to this page for more to come.”
Eater NOLA
The bar at Junction in 2015.
Lloyd Miller and Trey Monaghan, the latter of which also owns beloved French Quarter dive bar Molly’s at the Market with his family, opened Junction in 2014 in a former convenience store one block from the railroad tracks separating the Bywater and Marigny neighborhoods. Abe Lemoine, formerly of Ralph’s on the Park, Muriel’s, and the Den at the Howling Wolf, developed the menu of eight carefully crafted grass-fed burgers, wildly-sauced chicken wings, fried pickles, fish and chips, and salads.
It’s been a neighborhood favorite for nearly as long; a friendly spot with a loyal crowd of regulars and a second place in town to get Molly’s famous frozen Irish coffee. The burgers, while not cheap, are very reasonably priced — the meat is sourced from Monaghan’s Monala Farms in St. Amant, Louisiana. It’s also a rare restaurant open late, with the kitchen serving food until 11 p.m. on weekends. Eater has reached out to Miller and Monaghan but hasn’t heard back.
Clair Lorell/Eater NOLA
Outside Rosalita’s in 2021.
A few blocks downriver, Rosalita’s Backyard Tacos at 3304 St. Claude Avenue is preparing to close its doors on August 10. Laurie Casebonne and Ian Schnoebelen, who first operated Rosalita’s as a hugely popular taco stand in their alleyway off North Rampart Street, opened the counter-service restaurant with a homey backyard dining area in January 2021. Casebonne tells Eater it was important to her and Schnoebelen to give their manager, employees, and “loyal neighbors, friends, and regulars” in-person notice, “Because we think it’s absolutely chicken shit when people just shutter up with a sign on the door.” As such, they’ve been alerting customers as they come in for the last few days.
“The restaurant business is tough; it typically means a lot of work to break even. I will cherish every moment, particularly the years in the alley when we first met y’all. We have loved getting to know you all and look forward to seeing you on the other side,” Casebonne says.
Casebonne and Schnoebelen opened Rosalita’s a few years after closing Mariza, their acclaimed Italian restaurant, on Chartres Street; that space is now home to Nina Compton’s Bywater American Bistro. Wanting to take a step back from the 24/7 restaurant life, they launched Rosalita’s, a weekend pop-up on Rosalie Alley. But after neighborhood buzz and national recognition helped grow lines that snaked down the block, the couple took over a former St. Claude Avenue bakery, Shake Sugary, for the restaurant. Their extensive menu of tacos, quesadillas, enchiladas, tostadas, burritos, and more remained staunchly affordable over the years as prices elsewhere grew, an exception in a neighborhood that’s seen a recent rise in upscale dining and tasting menu restaurants.
Junction will remain open through Saturday, August 3, and Rosalita’s through Saturday, August 10.