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Where Y’Eat: Exploring a New Kind of Neighborhood Restaurant

Smoke & Honey, a neighborhood restaurant in New Orleans.
Ian McNulty
Smoke & Honey, a neighborhood restaurant in New Orleans.

The New Orleans neighborhood restaurant is an institution, readily recognizable by what it serves, and how it feels. There will be gumbo. There will be fried seafood. There will be local character galore. It’s Mandina's and Liuzza's and Frankie & Johnny's.

Lately, though, I’ve been visiting a different restaurant type has been taking root in New Orleans, one that feels like a next generation neighborhood restaurant.

These are casual, affordable spots that don’t specialize in specifically New Orleans food but feel like they belong in their neighborhoods, mainly because of how well they serve those neighborhoods.

Many change into different roles as the day progresses, a maximization and versatility tactic to manage a famously challenging business that has grown harder.

The same place that’s a coffee stop in the morning could serve as a wine bar in the evening. Some have community bulletin boards, and their plant games are strong.

For instance, I’ve been to Smoke & Honey in Mid-City or a one-of-a-kind gyro breakfast sandwich and again for a morning coffee to go. But what functions as a daytime deli with mostly Greek food switches at night to a casual Greek taverna, with a short menu of dishes fit for sharing, definitely a dinner destination.

A few blocks away, behind the classic Mandina’s, there’s the very modern Rosella. It can feed you like a full-fledged restaurant, but the flex here is how it also feels like a wine bar. There’s a retail shelf too, for wine or grab-and-go snacky things you might want if company suddenly drops in at home.

Down in the Ninth Ward, a well hidden spot called Lowpoint manages to merge coffee shop, deli, wine bar, bookstore and, occasionally, music venue all snug in a basement apartment.

And nearby in Marigny there’s Honey’s. From just about any table, there’s a view of everything — the morning pastries and espresso machine, the kitchen built around a single induction cooktop, the wine coming out as the day progresses.

You can come to drink, but it’s not a bar. You can come for dinner or a study session. So what is Honey’s? It’s the new New Orleans neighborhood restaurant, and like the others, it fits the bill well.

Ian covers food culture and dining in New Orleans through his weekly commentary series Where Y’Eat.