Irene's seem to prove that the way to get a high profile is to keep a low profile. Irene's doesn't advertise much, doesn't have a website, rarely shows up at festivals, doesn't do wine dinners, has no summer or early-evening specials. Yet it remains so popular that somehow every traveler to New Orleans who cares even a little about eating well seems to find their way to the corner of Chartres and St. Philip, and put up with inconveniences that would make one leave in search of another dining option if it were anywhere else. I like it, too. But if I could figure out why this place pushes the button while a bunch of other restaurants with equally good food, prices, and environments don't, I'd write a book about it and sell thousands of them to restaurateurs around the world. It's magic, as near as I can tell.
In a part of the French Quarter where most people on the streets are from out of town, Irene's stays full all the time with an enthusiastic mix of local diners and the most avid visitors. They are there for the best of reasons. The food here is lusty, aromatic, ample, simple, just offbeat enough to set it apart from other Italian restaurants, consistent... and something of a bargain. This formula has so much appeal that a major theme in any discussion of Irene's is "How long did you have to wait for a table?"
Irene DiPietro's family has run Italian restaurants around town for decades. She's related to the owner of Fausto's, for example. She and former partner Tommy Andrade--who departed to start up Tommy's in the CBD in the early 2000s--opened Irene's in the early 1990s. It was a hit from the first day, even in the face of a somewhat spartan space and an insufficiency of tables. But food conquered all.
It's in an old paper warehouse with many odd spaces. The kitchen, entrance, and bar are not where you'd think to find them. The dark main dining room isn't big enough to accommodate everybody who'd like to eat there, and some tables outside it are not very comfortable. The service is thoroughly friendly but usually a little scarcer than optimal.
Show up right when the place opens if you don't like waiting.
| Attitude | 1 |
|---|---|
| Environment | 0 |
| Hipness | 2 |
| Local Color | 2 |
| Service | 1 |
| Value | 2 |
| Wine | 1 |
