Jeff Berry's Latitude 29 Heading To Iris Space This Fall

Tales of the Cocktail's social media reports that after years of searching for spaces, renowned tiki drink master, Jeff "Beachbum" Berry and wife Annene will open their highly-anticipated New Orleans tiki bar, Latitude 29, in the Iris space (321 N. Peters) this fall.

The buildout of Latitude 29 will begin in June, after Iris closes at the end of May. NOLA.com is also reporting that Berry has hired on designer Bosko Hrnjak for the revamp, which makes sense because Hrnjak's projects include Taboo Cove in Las Vegas, Mister Tiki Mai Kai Lounge in San Diego and Le Tiki Lounge in Paris.

Even more exciting, Steve Yamada (veteran of cocktail programs at Restaurant R'evolution, Victory, and Tivoli & Lee) will serve as Head Bartender and Co-General Manager, and Chris Shortall, currently serving his inventive barbecue at Twelve Mile Limit, will be creating an Asian-inspired menu for Latitude 29. (For those who fear the end of of the loaded tater tot era, no need for concern: Shortall's menu will still be found at Twelve Mile Limit.)

In Berry's announcement, he says of the Bienville House space:

We feel extremely fortunate to work with a hotel of the caliber of the Bienville House; it's not only an establishment with impeccable standards, but a place to which we feel personally connected. Annene and I are some of those people -- there are more with each passing year -- who were introduced to New Orleans through Tales Of The Cocktail, in our case back in 2005. Our subsequent stays at the Bienville House and our experiences at Iris, which housed one of the first local bars to feature world-class exotic drinks (by then-bartender Alan Walter), both contributed to our love of New Orleans and our desire to make it our home.

Considering that Latitude 29 will be on the same block as Felipe's Tiki Tolteca, it looks like downtown has its very own Tiki District.

Further Reading: Times-Pic, Gambit

· JEFF "BEACHBUM" BERRY'S LATITUDE 29 COMES TO THE BIENVILLE HOUSE HOTEL IN NEW ORLEANS' FRENCH QUARTER[Tales/Facebook]
· All Switcheroos [-ENOLA-]

— Nora McGunnigle