The rebirth of Magazine Street from a place with few restaurants into one with many began with the opening of Joey K's. Even though many Uptown bistros appeared along Magazine a few years before, it wasn't until casual, inexpensive neighborhood eat shops began popping up that the Street Of Dreams became a phenomenon. Joey K's was the first such eatery. With slightly modernized versions of the classic New Orleans neighborhood restaurant, it grabbed the attention of a wide range of diners. These ranged from dressed-up Uptowners taking a break from renovating their nearby cottages to college students who liked the low prices and big portions. Two decades and one reverse renovation layer, Joey's K's keeps its attractions and stays busy.
It's a super-neighborhood restaurant, drawing customers from all over town with a menu bigger than is usually found in places that look like this. All the essential dishes of casual New Orleans eating are here, from beans and jambalaya to seafood platters and great old-time daily specials.
Joey K's opened in 1992, when neighborhood restaurants were in steep decline around town. In its early years the restaurant was self-consciously nostalgic, serving famous dishes that not many people ate in restaurants anymore. When neighborhood joints had a resurgence, particularly after Katrina,. Joey K's was a perfect example of the genre--especially after owners Sam and Cindy Farnet brought the antique decor that had been hiding under modren [sic] paneling back to light.
A big room has big windows on two sides (it's literally a corner cafe), with some nooks and crannies here and there for added space. The place looks (and is) much older than the current restaurant. Although it looks like the kind of place where the main clientele would be cab drivers and cops, in fact you see the entire assortment of Orleanians here. The wait stuff is fun.
Order light. They serve too much food here. Don't wear your best clothes. It's usually hard to get a table in the peak of lunchtime.
| Attitude | 1 |
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| Environment | 1 |
| Hipness | 1 |
| Local Color | 2 |
| Service | 0 |
| Value | 2 |
| Wine | 0 |
