16 July 2025
It’s summer, which always brings a slew of restaurant closings in New Orleans. This past month, some heavy hitters and much-loved staples have shuttered. Restaurants include a Canal Street staple, an omakase spot, and a Freret Street pizzeria.
Palace Cafe abruptly closes after 34 years
Canal Street without Palace Cafe is hard to imagine. The flagship restaurant for the Dickie Brennan & Co. restaurant group has anchored the edge of the French Quarter at 605 Canal Street since 1991. When it opened, the restaurant creatively reimagined the historic Werlein’s music store, creating three floors of a classic brasserie where organs, pianos, and sheet music formerly reigned. The menu was creative too, a modern, more casual reimagining of the Creole standards served at Brennan family restaurants for generations. There was also sidewalk seating, a novelty on the mile-long avenue.
But the Palace Cafe served its last piece of crabmeat cheesecake on July 7. A legal dispute around the original terms of the building’s sale is at the heart of the sudden closure, according to the company statement. Dickie Brennan informed the restaurant staff of the news on the day of the closure. Company spokesperson Lindsay Ross confirmed that about half of the restaurant’s 60-person staff were offered positions at other restaurants in the group, which include Pascal’s Manale, Dickie Brennan Steakhouse, and Audubon Clubhouse. Others are being offered severance.
“We were optimistic that we were going to buy the building based on a 35-year lease,” said Ross. “Having to go to court took longer than expected. And the terms of the lease going forward are close to five times the current amount. We operate on a thin margin as it is. And summer is always challenging.” The owners gave notice that the rent would go from around $8,000 to $45,000 a month. That, combined with a $4 million dispute in the asking price and Brennan’s offer, shuttered the restaurant, at least for now.
“The Palace Cafe is a beloved establishment,” said Ross. “We are open to moving it somewhere else if the location is right.” For now, locals can get their fix of signature dishes like that famous savory cheesecake and white chocolate bread pudding at the company’s Commissary or online at Goldbelly. “Although we are saddened to so suddenly have to close the doors, we are optimistic about a next chapter for Palace Café on Canal Street, or elsewhere in our city. Don’t count us out yet,” Brennan said in a statement.
Yo Nashi is closing on July 19 after five years
Yo Nashi, the omakase heralded for its 10-course menus, will close its CBD restaurant on July 19. Owner Kyle Payer announced the closure on Instagram, thanking supporters and inviting regulars in for one last time before closing the door. His immediate plan is to spend more time with his family. The restaurant opened in 2020, following a pandemic-related delay, with chef Mackenzie “Mack” Broquet, formerly of Commander’s Palace, showcasing a menu that highlights Gulf Coast ingredients. Broquet is now the executive chef at Little Bird in downtown Fairhope, Alabama.
Ancora exiting Freret Street
Freret Street wasn’t always a dining destination. Early adopters like Ancora proprietor Bryn Thompson made it so, opening his pizzeria in 2011 and serving Neapolitan-style wood-fired pizza and house-made salumi. His restaurant set the stage for a flurry of openings. Resistant to changing his model, Ancora is closing after service on July 31. The restaurant always catered to a dine-in crowd, resisting the onset of delivery apps, which come with high fees. Thompson, citing how “difficult this year has been on the city’s dining industry,” said he doesn’t want to “cave in to Uber Eats … cater to a different demographic. We are deciding to move on.”
Rosella closes after almost two years
Taking a break from the unpredictable world of filmmaking, partners Alix Petrovich and Paul McCaige opened the charming Mid City neighborhood restaurant Rosella in November 2023. Despite its good vibes and lovely shaded patio, the owners announced that the restaurant’s last day of service would be July 27. The eclectic restaurant, filled with plants and funky art, was known for its affordable wine program and fun menu, which includes charcuterie and snacks like plump corndogs and croquettes oozing with house-made pimento cheese. Petrovich’s mother, Romney Richard, and her husband, Charley Richard, who took over operations from the original partners, announced the closing.