15 May 2025
Plus, MoPho and Maypop are closed in a double whammy hit, and Frey Smoked Meat Co. shutters after 10 years
Restaurants shutter for a grab bag of grim reasons. In New Orleans, summer is one of them, ushering in a parched desert of dried-up receivables, staff cut-backs, zero group business, and the overlaid anxiety that comes with hurricane season.
Here are the latest restaurants to close their doors.
The final blow for Tracey’s Original Irish Channel Bar after 15 years
Tracey’s Original Irish Channel Bar, a fixture on Magazine Street and ground zero for St. Patty’s Day revelers since 2009, will close after service on May 31. Known for a robust menu of po-boys and bar food, a myriad of beers, and epic crawfish boils in season, Tracey’s just can’t handle another summer, according to proprietor Jeffrey Carreras. With this year’s weather-related cancellation, not once, but twice, of the annual St. Patrick’s Day parade, the bar’s busiest day of the year, Carreras threw in the towel, calling it, “the final blow.” Although he moved to a larger location on Magazine Street last year, business hasn’t picked up. “We close our doors with pride in our tradition of good times and laughs, Saints fanaticism, green beer and Jello shots, roast beef po-boys, Buffalo wings and hamburgers,” Carreras and his wife Jamie wrote in a social media “love letter to Tracey’s supporters.”
Double whammy of both MoPho and Maypop closings
Chef Michael Gulotta and his partner, Jeff Bybee, closed not one but two restaurants, MoPho and Maypop, on May 4. Known for his creative riffs on Southeast Asian and Italian flavors, often powered by local ingredients, Gulotta’s originality couldn’t save the day. In the case of Maypop, a December 2024 building collapse across the street and subsequent street closings and barriers to both car and pedestrian traffic were the nail in the coffin. As for MoPho, the chef said business was down, and with summer looming, the partners felt it was time to cut their losses. MoPho at MSY airport, run by licensee Delaware North, remains open. Gulotta said he’s staying focused on Tana, the swanky Sicilian and Italian eatery in Old Metairie.
Justine from Justin and Mia Devillier ends its French Quarter run
Timing is everything. For many restaurants that opened in 2019, Justine included, high hopes sputtered when the pandemic changed the dining game, altering everything from dining habits to staffing and the cost of doing business. On the brink of summer, Justin and Mia Devillier, the husband-and wife partnership behind La Petite Grocery, decided to pull the plug on the 200-seat stylish French Quarter brasserie. The art-filled restaurant, known for its lively array of burlesque performances, drag branches and DJs, will close May 25. The proprietors posted the closure on Instagram, welcoming guests to come bid them adieu.
Frey Smoked Meat Co. closes after 10 years
Chef and owner Ray Gruezke opened Frey Smoked Meat Co. in 2016 after making a name for himself in the annual Hogs for the Cause barbecue charity event. He announced the closure of the Mid-City barbecue joint in March. Besides award-winning fall off the bone ribs, the casual restaurant was known for the tall “Half and Half” burger, which paired a well-seasoned beef burger with a spicy hot sausage patty and special Frey burger sauce.
“This decision has not been an easy one, but after ten incredible years, it’s time for a new chapter,” said Gruezke, the great-great-grandson of Andreas Frey, the founder of the local L.A. Frey and Sons meat packing company in 1865, a business the family operated for more than 120 years.
Zony Mash Beer Project ends a five-year run June 1
Zony Mash Beer Project, a Mid-City brewery popular for its beer, live music, movie nights, food pop-ups and community outreach, will close June 1. The brewery announced in a social media post that it will shut its doors after more than five years of operating in the historic GEM theater on South Broad Street. Opened during the pandemic, the brewery was a kid and dog friendly beacon of hospitality, hosting chefs, musicians and performance artists in its outdoor space.
“We will all find new homes throughout the city to continue doing what we all love to do,” reads the post. “So keep your eyes peeled for your favorite events, or your favorite beers to star in their own spin-off series on another network.” On Sunday, June 1, Zony Mash will host its farewell party and regular trivia night event, which will be Mike Judge themed. There will be a last movie extravaganza too, with “Beavis & Butthead,” “Office Space” and “Idiocracy” screened starting at noon and trivia at 6 p.m.