Akhtar Nawab Is Opening a Mexican Restaurant in New Orleans

New Orleans is about to get a major influx of Mexican flavors — Akhtar Nawab will open a Mexican restaurant in NOLA in early 2019, reports NOLA.com. Nawab’s name might be pretty new for NOLA, but not so elsewhere in the country — he has three restaurants in New York City, as well as an Italian restaurant in Birmingham, Alabama and a modern American restaurant in Washington, D.C.

Nawab’s New Orleans Mexican venture doesn’t yet have a name, though there is a location — The Standard building in the South Market District. Nawab said that the restaurant will be similar to his Brooklyn spot Alta Calidad (which has items like lamb ribs marinaded in Mexican Coke, queso fresco dumplings with horchata purée.) Nawab has also said he’s interested in exploring Louisiana ingredients.

Nawab — who grew up in Kentucky, the son of Indian parents — is considered a protege of Tom Colicchio and a mentor to David Chang.