Beggars Banquet, 1330 Prytania St., located in the former home Seed, is the newest addition to the Lower Garden District restaurant scene.
THE BEGGAR THE BETTER
by Marielle Songy
Beggars Banquet is a family business with New Jersey native Kat DiIonno at the helm and her father, lauded chef Michael DiIonno in the kitchen. Kat grew up in the restaurant business, with her parents running various restaurants in their home state. Philadelphia-native chef DiIonno has quite a few restaurant openings under his belt, including Good Mojo in East Hanover, New Jersey, and Avenue Bistro Pub in Verona. Before that, he opened the Huddle Inn in Fairfield, 3 Central in Madison, and Lulu's in Livingston. A chef for over fifty years, DiIonno even competed on and won the Food Network cooking competition show 'Chopped' in 2011.
Kat found her way to New Orleans while attending Loyola University. Upon graduating, she opened a tattoo shop, Tough Love Tattoos, on Touro St. After convincing her parents to relocate from New Jersey to New Orleans, the family opened Beggars Banquet with chef Mike in the kitchen, chef Mike’s wife and Kat’s mom, Patty DiIonno working the floor, and Kat at the bar.
The restaurant's name, Beggars Banquet, has a special connection to Chef Mike. Kat explained, “When my dad was eighteen, he wanted to buy a soda shop with his brother for $500. He didn’t have the money, so he sold his Ludwig drum set to buy it. They opened the restaurant in 1973 and called it Beggars Banquet. We’re hoping that this will be his last restaurant, so the name just brings it all full circle.”
As they were looking for a location for the restaurant, Kat and her partner came across the former Seed location. She knew that it would be the perfect spot for Beggars Banquet. She said, “We loved Seed and we love this area. The Lower Garden District is such an incredible place to be. We wanted to cater to the community and tourists and this area is perfect for that; there’s a tight community here and we’re not far from the Convention Center and the CBD.”
The inside of Beggars Banquet underwent a complete renovation, with the restaurant's team making the space its own. Dark wood inside makes the restaurant cozy and ideal for a date. And a mesmerizing mural of a woman by artist Vivian Hava completes the space.
The team wanted to keep the menu selections classic. As Kat says, there are some seafood selections and a “really good" burger, but Beggars Banquet doesn't want to be boxed into just one category. “We wanted to include all of [chef Mike’s] years of cooking on one menu,” Kat said.
Some menu recommendations from Kat include Pork Belly served slow braised and Jamaican jerk-seasoned, with date mango chutney; Grilled Swordfish Steak with spicy watermelon salad, fresh mint, arugula, tajin, and sweet chili sauce; and Pan Seared Scallops with crab hash, potatoes, bacon, onions, and Old Bay aioli.
Other selections include Duck Leg Confit with butternut squash, onion, bacon, pecans, brown sugar, and hot honey; Grilled eight-ounce filet mignon with merlot syrup, and whipped potatoes; and 'Tangled Up in Blue' Burger with blue cheese, caramelized onions, and thick cut bacon, on a Brioche roll and served with hand-cut fries.
The bar program from Joseph Lazzas includes a mix of classic and unique cocktails, local beer, and a small, curated wine list by the glass and bottle. Cocktail selections include Parlor Old Fashioned with Bourbon Sarsaparilla, and orange zest; Lavender Collins with Ford's Gin, lavender, and lemon bubbles; Spicy Boi with tequila, grapefruit, Maraschino, Cointreau, Habanero; and Clover Club with gin, raspberry, lemon, Dolin Dry vermouth, and egg white. There's also a non-alcoholic cocktail called Carrot Dreamsicle with carrot, earl grey, cardamon, orange, and oat milk.
Beggars Banquet serves brunch and dinner five days a week. The restaurant is open Wednesday through Sunday, 11am to 3pm and 5pm to 9pm. See their website here.
by Marielle Songy
Beggars Banquet is a family business with New Jersey native Kat DiIonno at the helm and her father, lauded chef Michael DiIonno in the kitchen. Kat grew up in the restaurant business, with her parents running various restaurants in their home state. Philadelphia-native chef DiIonno has quite a few restaurant openings under his belt, including Good Mojo in East Hanover, New Jersey, and Avenue Bistro Pub in Verona. Before that, he opened the Huddle Inn in Fairfield, 3 Central in Madison, and Lulu's in Livingston. A chef for over fifty years, DiIonno even competed on and won the Food Network cooking competition show 'Chopped' in 2011.
Kat found her way to New Orleans while attending Loyola University. Upon graduating, she opened a tattoo shop, Tough Love Tattoos, on Touro St. After convincing her parents to relocate from New Jersey to New Orleans, the family opened Beggars Banquet with chef Mike in the kitchen, chef Mike’s wife and Kat’s mom, Patty DiIonno working the floor, and Kat at the bar.
The restaurant's name, Beggars Banquet, has a special connection to Chef Mike. Kat explained, “When my dad was eighteen, he wanted to buy a soda shop with his brother for $500. He didn’t have the money, so he sold his Ludwig drum set to buy it. They opened the restaurant in 1973 and called it Beggars Banquet. We’re hoping that this will be his last restaurant, so the name just brings it all full circle.”
As they were looking for a location for the restaurant, Kat and her partner came across the former Seed location. She knew that it would be the perfect spot for Beggars Banquet. She said, “We loved Seed and we love this area. The Lower Garden District is such an incredible place to be. We wanted to cater to the community and tourists and this area is perfect for that; there’s a tight community here and we’re not far from the Convention Center and the CBD.”
The inside of Beggars Banquet underwent a complete renovation, with the restaurant's team making the space its own. Dark wood inside makes the restaurant cozy and ideal for a date. And a mesmerizing mural of a woman by artist Vivian Hava completes the space.
The team wanted to keep the menu selections classic. As Kat says, there are some seafood selections and a “really good" burger, but Beggars Banquet doesn't want to be boxed into just one category. “We wanted to include all of [chef Mike’s] years of cooking on one menu,” Kat said.
Some menu recommendations from Kat include Pork Belly served slow braised and Jamaican jerk-seasoned, with date mango chutney; Grilled Swordfish Steak with spicy watermelon salad, fresh mint, arugula, tajin, and sweet chili sauce; and Pan Seared Scallops with crab hash, potatoes, bacon, onions, and Old Bay aioli.
Other selections include Duck Leg Confit with butternut squash, onion, bacon, pecans, brown sugar, and hot honey; Grilled eight-ounce filet mignon with merlot syrup, and whipped potatoes; and 'Tangled Up in Blue' Burger with blue cheese, caramelized onions, and thick cut bacon, on a Brioche roll and served with hand-cut fries.
The bar program from Joseph Lazzas includes a mix of classic and unique cocktails, local beer, and a small, curated wine list by the glass and bottle. Cocktail selections include Parlor Old Fashioned with Bourbon Sarsaparilla, and orange zest; Lavender Collins with Ford's Gin, lavender, and lemon bubbles; Spicy Boi with tequila, grapefruit, Maraschino, Cointreau, Habanero; and Clover Club with gin, raspberry, lemon, Dolin Dry vermouth, and egg white. There's also a non-alcoholic cocktail called Carrot Dreamsicle with carrot, earl grey, cardamon, orange, and oat milk.
Beggars Banquet serves brunch and dinner five days a week. The restaurant is open Wednesday through Sunday, 11am to 3pm and 5pm to 9pm. See their website here.