Mid City’s Agave House Reinvents as Cajun-Creole Restaurant After Ten Month Run

Less than a year after opening the vaguely-Mexican Agave House in New Orleans’s Mid City, the restaurant’s owners have pivoted; reinventing the Banks Street location as a Cajun-Creole and craft cocktail spot called The Banks Drinkery & Kitchen.

Brothers Oscar and Allan Chimal opened Agave House last August after buying the building that held gourmet grilled cheese spot Melt until June (2549 Banks Street). The idea was to bring Mexican flavors to more traditional local dishes, resulting in items like chicken enchilada pasta and crawfish nachos, while also emphasizing their (very bright) margarita offerings.

Danny Holsomback joins the the Chimal brothers in executing the restaurant’s rebirth. Holsomback plans to draw from his experience implementing a craft cocktail program at Frenchmen Street music venue 30/90 to do the same at The Banks, building a menu around a growing list of locally-distilled spirits, as well as to bring in live music acts and daily food and drink specials. The restaurant’s focus will be on its Mid City neighborhood, Holsomback says, with aims to ensure excellent lunch service to the nearby hospital complexes and become a haven for nearby service industry workers.

Holsomback plans to gradually adjust the menu and roll out new items in the lead-up to The Bank’s grand opening on June 21, along the way seeking input and ideas from its locally-reared staff. Hours are Sunday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Check back for a final opening menu.

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• Restaurant with a “Progressive Look” at Mexican Flavors Now Open in Mid-City [ENOLA]
• A New Mid City Mexican Restaurant Is Plotting a Menu of Tacos, Guacamole, and...Pasta [ENOLA]
• Melt, Mid City’s Gourmet Grilled Cheese Hub, Has Closed Its Doors [ENOLA]