Haunted New Orleans: Top Ten Haunted Restaurants

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Haunted New Orleans: Top Ten Haunted Restaurants
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New Orleans is known as the City That Care Forgot, but it is also often referred to as "The Most Haunted City in America".

New Orleans with its long and rich colorful history, it is easy to see why this is the case. And any visitor to Haunted New Orleans will tell you that, when it comes to haunted locations its hard to go very far without finding one!

A simple dinner for two can quickly turn into a Haunted party of more - if you know where to dine, that is! Many of the most haunted dining experiences can be had in the classic restaurants found in and around the famous French Quarter.



Restaurants included are rumored to be haunted as said by locals, as well as some properties where paranormal activity has been validated or confirmed by leading parapsychologists and paranormal investigators. Many New Orleans restaurants are reported that have had ghostly disturbances. Some Restaurants have played up the haunted tales while others keep the building's ghost sighting and haunting a inside secret.

1. Arnaud's Restaurant

In other cities, gourmands may get excited about a restaurant one minute and the next minute, the spot has been turned into a hardware store. Not so in old New Orleans, where restaurants can become part of the family. None of these moreso, it seems, than Arnaud's. New Orleans families have been visiting Arnaud's for generations, choosing it as the location where they want to commemorate their most important family events and milestones.

Founded by a colorful French wine salesman names Arnaud Cazenave, Arnaud's recently celebrated 80 years of serving New Orleans families and visitors the finest cuisine in a classic atmosphere that speaks of Old World grandeur and a simpler time.

In fact, so beloved has this dining institution become to New Orleanians that many have simply decided to spend eternity there.

Arnaud Cazenave is said to be the most active spirit in the restaurant, perhaps still hanging around to make sure that everything is being kept in order and to his liking. Cazenave, whom most New Orleanians came to call Count Arnaud, for no apparent reason as he was not nobility, was a stickler for service in the grand French style, and it is likely he still maintains these standards today. If silverware and napkins are not set to his liking, the staff says he has no qualms about moving them; If he does not like the set up at the bar, he will rearrange it until he does. The kitchen, the service areas, no space is off-limits to the ghost of Count Arnaud.

Just before Count Arnaud died, he let it be known that his successor was to be his daughter Germaine Cazenave Wells who guided the venerable institution through many years.

The Germaine Cazenave Wells Mardi Gras Museum was opened at Arnaud's Restaurant in her honor in 1983 by then-proprietor Archie A. Casbarian. Open free to the public during restaurant hours, the collection of Carnival court gowns, costumes and other memorabilia made in France provides a rare glimpse of the private side of Mardi Gras.

The museum has two basic themes-what Mardi Gras is and who Mrs. Wells and her family were. The museum brings together more than two dozen lavish Mardi Gras costumes, including 13 of Mrs. Wells' queen costumes, one of her mother's and one of her daughter's, as well as four king's costumes worn by Count Arnaud, (whose title was entirely local and honorary) and six children's costumes.

The spirit of Germaine Cazenave is said to haunt this area of the restaurant and Mardi Gras Museum most frequently. There have been reports from employees and patrons who have been startled to see a misty form appear among the many Mardi Gras gowns and keepsakes. That misty form is said to be the daughter of Count Arnaud.

The restaurant serves classic Creole dishes, including the Count’s own spicy recipe forRemoulade Sauce. The restaurant features many dining rooms and the French 75 bar.

813 Bienville St, New Orleans, LA 70112-3121

Official arunads Web site www.arnauds.com

2. Brennan’s Restaurant

Located at 417 Royal Street in the heart of the French Quarter, Brennan's Restaurant has been a culinary phenomenon in New Orleans since it opened its doors in 1946. The Brennan's menu is known and highly regarded throughout the world and most visitors do not want to miss an opportunity to have a meal at this famous location while visiting the Crescent City.

The Royal Street location that Brennan's now occupies was maintained as a private residence throughout the 19th century and into the 20th century, until Edward Brennan founded his famous restaurant. Most of the paranormal activity that has been identified at Brennan's is attributed to the families who owned and occupied this former New Orleans town house in the early years of the 19th century. The location passed through several owners and so the identity of the ghostly spectres cannot be verifiably traced, however, their presence is undeniable.

Members of the Brennan family who currently own and operate the restaurant readily admit that there are ghosts at the location. Once famous haunting there involves the infamous spectre of the second-storey Red Room. Said to be the spirit of a former owner who lost everything in financial ruin and who committed suicide after murdering his family, the ghostly atmosphere of the Red Room is usually all anyone needs to convince them that the place is haunted. Staff and employees, however, often have to go to the room for linens or tables and additional chairs, and there have been reports of a mysterious misty figure who literally haunts their steps the entire time they are working upstairs. Patrons who have rented the room for special events have reported the ghostly image of a man dressed in 18th century clothing seen peering in disapprovingly at the festivities. Some have encountered simply a feeling of his presence, an anger and foreboding, just outside the main door to the Red Room.

Another active spectre is said to the be ghost of the late Chel Paul Blange who created many of Brennan's signature dishes and helped build the reputation of the esteemed eatery.

European Chef Paul Blange, who worked for decades at the famous eatery and was so devoted to the restaurant that when he died the restaurant’s menu, a knife and fork were placed across his chest of his dead body as he lay in the coffin. "No one ever thought Chef Blange would leave Brennan’s, and apparently, he never did," says Jimmy Brennan, an owner of the establishment.

The Chef is said to lurk in the kitchen, his natural location in life, and many of the chef staff have reported the feeling of being watched, and even of something touching them while they are preparing meals. Late at night, when the guests have gone and staff are locking up, Chef Paul will bang doors and pots in the empty kitchen. And this is where the ghost is most often sighted.

Another former employee is said to haunt and be sighted in the wine cellar that he made famous. Herman Funk, a wine master whom Brennan's employed to build their fabulous cache of famous and renowned wines and spirits, is said to be still attached to his job even in the afterlife. Most employees don't like going to the wine racks alone, although they brave their way through it. For every clink of a bottle the employee makes, it is said, there is a mimicking "clink" of another bottle just out of reach. This, they say, is Herman Funk making his suggestion for a wine selection. Employees who have been there awhile admit that they will usually go with Funk's selection, in addition to what the guest might request, bringing patrons a choice "just to keep Herman happy."

For a haunting in the most sumptuous surroundings, Brennan's, the famous French Quarter restaurant, offers it's red dining room. Tucked away upstairs and lit by gas chandeliers, the room was the scene of a murder-suicide during the Civil War when the owner of the house killed his wife and son then hanged himself from the elaborate brass chandelier.

"I've seen the ghost there myself," says a waiter at Brennan's for10 years. "The cleaning crew won't go in there at night, but a lot of people request that room for dinner. They hope to see the ghost.

Official web site /www.brennansneworleans.com

3. Antoine's Restaurant

Since 1840, world-renowned Antoine's Restaurant has set the standard that made New Orleans one of the greatest dining centers of the world.

For over 160 years, Antoine's Restaurant's excellent French-Creole cuisine, service, and atmosphere have combined to create an unmatched dining experience for both locals and visitors to New Orleans.

Established in 1840, Antoine's is the country's oldest family-run restaurant. Antoine’s is more thanjust a Haunted New Orleans restaurant it is an experience, a museum and a walk back in time to old New Orleans. Ancestral spirits lurk within the great old walls of this 4 star fine dining experience. Make sure to tell the Ghost of Antoine hello.

It was spring in 1840, when New Orleans was queen city of the Mississippi River, when cotton was king and French gentlemen settled their differences under the oaks with pistols for two and coffee for one. "Dixie" had not yet been written, destined to become the marching anthem for Confederate forces in the War Between the States.

This was the city young Antoine Alciatore adopted, after two frustrating years in New York, to establish a restaurant that would endure under his family's direction for more than 150 years and set the standard that has made New Orleans one of the great dining centers of the world.

It was on St. Louis Street, just one block from the spot the famed restaurant occupies today, that the 27-year old Alciatore started what was to become simply "Antoine's" as a synonym for fine food. He felt at home in the French-speaking city of lordly aristocrats and their extravagances, an ideal audience for his culinary artistry.


The main dining room at Antoine's as it appeared in 1951. Even at that late date the gas chandeliers provided the only heat for the room during the winter months! [Louisiana Photograph Collection, New Orleans Public Library]
After a brief period in the kitchen of the grand St. Charles Hotel, Antoine opened a pension, a boarding house and a restaurant. It wasn't long before the aromatic odors wafting from his kitchen brought New Orleans to his door and, in five years, the Pension Alciatore was firmly established.

It was then that he made arrangements for his finacee' to join him from New York. She came to New Orleans with her sister and she and Antoine were married. Together they worked to build up their pension with culinary emphasis.

New Orleans' gentility was so taken with the restaurant that it soon outgrew its small quarters and Antoine's moved down the block and eventually, in 1868, to the spot on St. Louis Street where the restaurant stands today.

In 1874, Antoine being in ill-heath, took leave of his family, with the management of the restaurant in his wife's hands. He felt he had not much longer to live and wished to die and be buried in his birthplace in France. He told his wife he did not want her to watch him deteriorate and said as he left; "As I take boat for Marseilles, we will not meet again on earth." He died within the year.

Jules served as apprentice under his mother's tutelage for six years before she sent him to France where he served in the great kitchens of Paris, Strassburg and Marseilles. He returned to New Orleans and became chef of the famous Pickwick Club in 1887 before his mother summoned him to head the house of Antoine.

His genius was in the kitchen where he invented Oysters Rockefeller, so named for the richness of the sauce. They remain one of the great culinary creations of all time and that recipe remains a closely-guarded Antoine's secret ... though it has been imitated countless times.

Jules married Althea Roy, daughter of a planter in Youngsville in southwest Louisiana, and Marie Louise, the grand dame of the family, was born. A son, Roy Louis, was born in 1902 and headed the restaurant for almost 40 years until his death in 1972.

Many locals say that the ghost if the family still watches over it's fine dining establishment from the other side.

http://www.antoines.com/

Antoine's Restaurant • 713 Rue Saint Louis • New Orleans, Louisiana 70130

4. La Louisiane Restaurant

The Bar & Bistro at La Louisiane
725 Iberville St
New Orleans, LA 70130
(504) 378-8200

Old World charm fills this historic hotel restaurant, which has seen multiple closings and renovations since the early 1800s. Now fully restored--crystal chandeliers, gas lanterns and original artwork adorn the space--the Bistro offers an eclectic menu of French-Creole, Italian, Mediterranean and American dishes. Louisiana oysters are served with braised endive and melted cheese; gulf fish is pan-sauteed or grilled; and cane-syrup glazed carrots and parsnip mashed potatoes compliment the bone-in short ribs.

During the late 1800’s, this building was owned by Amaron Ledoux his widow, a philanthropist known for caring for destitute women. Her ghost has been seen recently, but was most seen in the 1960’s when the Playboy Club was located next door to the restaurant, and Playboy Bunnies reported that Mrs. LeDoux “watched over them.”

Leased by Louis Bézaudun and his wife Ann in 1881 as the site of a hotel and restaurant their ghost are said by locals to be see quite often dressed in all their finery walking in and out of the building. Ann Bézaudun's ghost is said to smell very exotic and the strange arouma of a old french perfume fills the air when she is near. If you happen to see this ghost she is always dressed in black and is said to smile and nod politely and go on her way.

New Orleans hotelier and restaurateur Brett Smith was renovating an 1809 building in the French Quarter, which was to become La Louisiane Restaurant and his upstairs residence. While chatting on the phone, he looked through the carpenter’s plastic drape, and saw a figure sitting on a ledge. Smith thought he was alone in the building.

"I saw the figure of a person watching me, and then felt a cold breeze float past. It wasn’t a cold day," says Smith. "The presence of another being or whatever was so real that I could feel the hair stand up on the back of my neck."

La Louisiane’s Brett Smith isn’t sure that he believes in ghosts, but he isn’t discounting the idea either. "Before my experiences, I didn’t believe in ghosts at all, but now I’m not sure. I do know something happened and another being is here. I’ve decided to accept the Playboy Bunnies’ version and to believe that the ghost in this building is watching over me and my family. She’s now part of our family as well."

5. Muriel’s Restaurant

801 Chartres Street, at Chartres. Occupying a large corner spot overlooking Jackson Square and just steps away from St Louis Cathedral, Muriel’s is a pretty place to dig into creative Creole cooking. Chef Erik Veney works with classic local elements, like crawfish, oysters, soft shell crabs in season, or duck confit in his own recipes and does traditional dishes like gumbo and turtle soup.

Muriel's used to be haunted by the ghosts of several slaves. However, many years ago the owners decided to block off an area of the restaurant (which can be seen from the street) and dedicate it to the slaves. They place fresh bread in the room each day, and ever since they started the tradition the ghosts of the slaves haven't been seen.

Although she never actually lived there, in theory Muriel is the woman who would own Muriel's Jackson Square. It was a a grand New Orleans home in the mid-1800s. Egyptian mummy cases mingle with tasseled lamps and a Ouija board in the upstairs Seance Lounge; velvet curtains are suspended alongside trees in the iron-furnished Courtyard Bar; the Virgin Mary hangs just outside a restroom ornamented with African tribal paraphernalia.

Muriel is an eccentric ghost they say. She likes chairs to slide over slippery wooden floors, and she plays spooky Gregorian chants in stairways illuminated by gaslights. One recent report is that she can be seen sometimes as a reflection in the windows looking out towards Jackson square,


There are at least three known actual ghosts at Muriel’s, and maybe more. The best known is Pierre Antoine Lepardi Jourdan, who built this structure as a home in 1789. He committed suicide upstairs in 1814, and his ghost can be seen wandering through the building.

The lounge on the second floor is haunted by Pierre Antoine Lepardi Jourdan. Mr. Jourdan built his house (the building the restaurant currently resides in) in 1789. The house was his dream home, and he loved it dearly. However, one night in 1814 Pierre Antoine Lepardi Jourdan bet his house in a poker game. Unfortunately, he lost the game and had to give up his home. But before he gave it up, he committed suicide on the second floor. Today people see his ghost wandering around the lounge. His spirit doesn't appear human, but instead he appears to be a block of sparkley light.

The two other ghosts are mischievous and throw glasses around the first floor bar and courtyard. One of them a small girl called francis is said to be heard sining and often slams doors and trips a waiter or waitress.

http://www.muriels.com/



6. Cafe Du Monde

1039 Decatur Street New Orleans, LA 70116 .The Original Cafe Du Monde Coffee Stand was established in 1862 in the New Orleans French Market. The Cafe is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It closes only on Christmas Day and on the day an occasional Hurricane passes too close to New Orleans. Many say ghost vampires and zombies have been seen from this vantage point looking towards the Mississippi River and Jackson Square.

Many of the locals swear of a ghost waiter that takes your order and dissapears. When the actual waiter shows up they usuall say oh that our ghost waiter walter or Blue as some call him.

The Original Cafe Du Monde is a traditional coffee shop. Its menu consists of dark roasted Coffee and Chicory, Beignets, White and Chocolate Milk, and fresh squeezed Orange Juice. The coffee is served Black or Au Lait. Au Lait means that it is mixed half and half with hot milk. Beignets are square French -style doughnuts, lavishly covered with powdered sugar. In 1988 Iced Coffee was introduced to the cafe. Soft drinks also made their debut that year.

The taste for coffee and chicory was developed by the French during their civil war. Coffee was scarce during those times, and they found that chicory added body and flavor to the brew. The Acadians from Nova Scotia brought this taste and many other french customs (heritage) to Louisiana.

Chicory is the root of the endive plant. Endive is a type of lettuce. The root of the plant is roasted and ground. It is added to the coffee to soften the bitter edge of the dark roasted coffee. It adds an almost chocolate flavor to the Cafe Au Lait served at Cafe Du Monde.

The Cafe Du Monde Coffee and Chicory is traditionally served Au Lait, mixed half and half with hot milk. However, people have a personal preference on how they like their coffee. People like their coffee strong and black, or with sugar; maybe with a little more milk, or maybe a little weaker brew. I suggest that the Coffee and Chicory be demonstrated using vacuum bottles to keep the coffee hot, and to give the customer the opportunity to experiment finding their personal preference.

Cafe Du Monde · 1039 Decatur Street New Orleans, LA 70116

Official Web site www.cafedumonde.com

7. Pat O'Brien's

The great bar and restaurant of the French Quarter is located at 718 St. Peter St. where it holds forth 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Operators estimated that possibly a billion people have passed through the grand old watering hole in the generations it has been open. Famous for the ass-kicking Hurricane (more than just a pretty glass!), the old establishment boasts a ghostly reputation almost as well-known as its menu.

Probably the two most haunted areas of Pat's are the Piano Bar and the upstairs Ladies Room.

Employees from the early shifts, when the old building can sometimes be almost empty of customers, have reported strange cold spots and footsteps in the Piano Bar area. One bartender, restocking the bar alone one afternoon, distinctly heard the sound of footsteps behind him followed by the tinkling of piano keys. He looked around and found no one else in the bar and no apparent source for the ghostly sounds. Needless to say, he was quick to complete his inventory. Others have reported cold spots and the feeling of being pushed when no one is around.

The Ladies Room is said to be haunted by the ghostly spirit of a restroom attendant. Ladies who have retired to a stall in a mostly empty restroom have reported hearing footsteps and the sound of sighs in nearby stalls. One woman reported hearing a sudden peal of laughter from the stall areas when only she and one the lone (living!) restroom attendant were present. New female employees are generally very uncomfortable in the grand old privy, though some of the older workers just laugh and say that they can take the sounds in stride, just as long as they don't SEE anything!

Other employees report poltergeist-like activity in the courtyard area where they insist that a spirit likes to move the wrought iron tables and chairs around, and sometimes likes to hide the workers' ubiquitous green jackets while they are busy preparing for the day's crowds.

An old tradition at Pat O's is to have a photo memento taken of an evening spent there. Although some people look a little worse for wear, or worse than they recall, several have commented in hindsight that the Pat O's photos might be a good place to look for photographic evidence of ghostly occurrences. If you have any Pat O's memento photos and notice anything odd in them, please let us know and we will be happy to post them on our Ghost Photos page!

Pay a virtual visit to Pat O's right now at www.patobriens.com

8. The Bombay Club Restaurant and Martini Bistro

Guests of the Prince Conti don't have to walk far to experience outstanding New Orleans cuisine.

Elegant, sophisticated and very popular with the local cognoscenti, The Bombay Club Restaurant and Martini Bistro is tucked away down the carriageway at the back of the Prince. The Bombay Club features Nouveau Creole specialties such as Louisiana Bar-B-Q Shrimp, Duck Duet and Bombay Filet Mignon with English Stilton cheese.

The bar is well known for the best and largest martini selection in town - 125 variations - single malt scotches, ports, reserved bourbons and premium cigars. Live music nightly showcases a changing cadre of small ensembles, jazz and cabaret performers.

New Orleans , so well known for her music, food, and spirits, has surprisingly few venues that offer a high quality sampling of all three. One of these rare places is The Bombay Club, a lovely candlelit spot tucked away in the heart of the French Quarter at 830 Conti Street . Although the club is located just a short half-block from the infamous Bourbon Street , its ambiance is miles away.

The ghost of a Storyville Madame is sighted often, she still haunts the bar area and kitchen area here. She has been seen and photographed at booth number three in the bar and amongst guest photos. She has walked in and out of the bar area many times and actually is said to bump into people then just dissapear. Unexplained paranormal occurrences have taken place in the kitchen. A dishwasher will turn itself on/off, sometimes not even going on when it's supposed to.

The Bombay Club, 830 Conti St 586-0972 Featuring live music nightly, the Bombay lays claim to being the "premiere piano bar of the city" and is renowned for its excellent martinis.

Offical Web Site www.princecontihotel.com/dining.html



9. Louis XVI Restaurant

A feast of lavish French cuisine and fine wines is presented with European-style service at the internationally-acclaimed Louis XVI Restaurant nestled in the historic St. Louis Hotel. A romantic evening overlooking the French restaurant's Mediterranean-style courtyard has become an integral part of the New Orleans experience.

When Louis XVI opened its doors in 1971, its mission was to provide true French cooking and service to a city where Creole had reigned supreme for centuries. After a quarter of a century, Louis XVI remains steadfast in its desire to be only one thing ... a fine French restaurant. Its standards have always required that the quality of product and service be maintained regardless of the cost.

And new ghost sightings as of recen , ex kitchen and current employees say Louis XVI Restaurant is very haunted. The many ghost are said to adjust the thermostat on the stoves and large ovens. Lock and unlock the store room and rearranges the vast wine Celler... Many think it's the past owners ghost! Waiters say they know he follows them to the tables making sure everything is just right.

Louis XVI, recipient of the prestigious Distinguished Restaurants of North America (DiRoNa) Award for unequalled levels of achievement in cuisine, service and presentation, also hosts wedding receptions and group functions.

Many of the ghost ofen are sighted in ghost photos taken at wedding receptions and around the Mardi Gras Season.

Louis XVI is a very fine and upscale French restaurant located right between Bourbon Street And Royal Street.

http://www.louisxvi.com/



10. Court of Two Sisters
The Court of Two Sisters offers a most extraordinary New Orleans dining experience. Our jambalaya Jams. Spicy Creole food and music, seven days a week. 613 Royal St. New Orleans, LA 70130 504-522-7261 ~ FAX 504-581-5804. Best Dining - Gold Award
Best Outdoor Dining Best Breakfast / Brunch Results of WHERE New Orleans, the city's premiere visitor magazine, survey of thousands of national and international guests.

It was two Creole sisters and the notions shop they owned on this site that gave The Court of Two Sisters its name. However, 613 Rue Royale has long played a significant role in the history of the French Quarter and old New Orleans.

the Court of Two Sisters, which has been ISPR-certified as haunted. Many locals tell haunted Tales Of the Two sisters ghost (Emma and Bertha Camors) watching over them as they enjoy their wonderful meals.


Originally known as "Governor's Row", the 600 block of Rue Royale was home to five governors, two state Supreme Court Justices, a future Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, and a future President of the United States. It is not surprising, then, that the original resident of our address was Sieur Etienne de Perier, royal governor of colonial Louisiana between 1726 and 1733. It has also been rumored that the outrageous Marquis de Vaudreuil, the colonial royal governor who transformed New Orleans from a marshland village into a "petit Paris", was once a resident of 613 Rue Royale.

The two sisters, Emma and Bertha Camors, born 1858 and 1860 respectively, belonged to a proud and aristocratic Creole family. Their "rabais", or notions, outfitted many of the city's finest women with formal gowns, lace and perfumes imported from Paris. Marriage, reversals of fortune, widowhood - nothing could separate the sisters. Indeed, as the Picayune was to report, the sisters died within two months of each other in the winter of 1944. United in death as in life, the sisters lie side by side at St. Louis Cemetery #3. And today they say there ghost do the very same and or often sighted sitting together at a table late at night.