Huey's 24/7 Diner Returning to New Orleans, Bringing Friends

Huey's 24/7 Diner had a very brief life in New Orleans once before, opening on Magazine Street in the CBD in 2003 but never quite being able to come back after its owner, the Doyle Restaurant Group, was scattered after Katrina. The group is looking to relaunch in the Crescent City this fall with a new location coming in Jax Brewery. The niche for Huey's 24/7 is its combo of traditional diner fare and New Orleans staples. So: Old-timey NOLA. Hence naming the place after Huey Long.

The opening of the new Huey's coincides with the opening of another concept called Press It Bistrot and Automat, an updated version of the old-school automat. That one will open in the recently-renamed New Orleans Exchange Centre at 935 Gravier. (That's the old Chevron building, the one that almost became City Hall in the waning days of the Nagin administration.) That brand will obviously be targeting the CBD's quick lunch types.

Both locations are slated to open in November.

The Doyle Restaurant Group is best known for The Wine Loft chain (we have one in Mandeville). The group also recently worked a deal with Chef Nanou to franchise La Crepe Nanou, with locations slated for Tulsa and Baton Rouge. A quick look through the Doyle website suggests that major expansions are in the works for Huey's and Press It, as well. (There's already a Huey's 24/7 open in New York City.)

It's worth remembering that the Times-Pic didn't really like Huey's 24/7 the first time around. See this 2004 review. But that was a long time ago, and the new location in Jax Brewery might be much more favorable to the concept. So we'll be following this one closely.

· Huey's 24/7 Diner at Jax Brewery [Facebook]
· Press It Bistrot & Automat [Facebook]
· Doyle Restaurant Group [Official Site]

[Photo: Wikimedia / Infrogmation]