It’s become common for upscale restaurants like Cochon to establish an adjacent secondary concept with a lower price point to make the restaurant brand more acceptable, and it appears a popular upscale Italian bistro on Decatur Street could be making a similar move.
According to a recent permit filing with the City of New Orleans, The Italian Barrel is planning to open full-service restaurant around the corner at 91 French Market Pl. Called The Little Italian Barrel Paninoteca, with “paninoteca” meaning sandwich shop in Italian, the new restaurant would be located in a space that used to be home to The Good Bar and Jinx Bar. To be clear. the name “paninoteca” infers a lower price point but details on offerings and prices have yet to be released. What Now New Orleans reached out for details but did not receive additional information.
The Italian Barrel has won high praise from locals and tourists alike. Situated around the corner from the French Market, it does tend to attract a fair amount of tourists, and out-of-towners seem to appreciate the upscale bistro’s quality and quiet reprieve from the rest of The Quarter.
