Having been a humble French Quarter grocery store at 1001 Dauphine St. for more than a century, Matassa’s Market is set to expand into the restaurant business. Current owner Zahran Bazaar is seeking to change the zoning for the adjacent property at 1007 Dauphine St. to permit a standard restaurant. Bazaar also owns the nearby Lebanon Grill, and he recently told What Now New Orleans that the sit-down Matassa’s restaurant will offer similar Mediterranean flavors. The core of the Matassa’s menu will be wood-fired pizzas, he noted.
“People in the neighborhood, they know the Lebanon Grill, they know what’s planned for Matassa’s, and they’re excited about it,” Bazaar said.
Bazaar is currently in the midst of a compulsory neighborhood participation program that seeks feedback from the surrounding residents and businesses. Partly based on that feedback, the city will decide on a zoning change for a restaurant in the historic district.
“We’re trying to get everything together because there are certain things that are allowed and certain things you cannot do (in the Quarter),” Bazaar said. “We are trying to go above and beyond so things are clear for the city and the neighborhood.”
