Evangeline Swamp Room

Chinatown’s Hottest New Bar Is a Love Letter to New Orleans | Eater LA

"Opened in mid-December 2024, this new Chinatown bar and lounge occupies a historic 1800s building that housed Chung Mee Cafe from 1939 to 1987 and seats 50 at the main room with a custom 15-seat bar and room for roughly 70 more as overflow. The interior is a striking transformation—gold ceiling tiles, preserved vintage hotel windows, and added Louisiana French shutters—while food is provided by the adjacent Little Jewel of New Orleans. The concept aims to transport patrons to New Orleans with “a sharply made Sazerac, mint julep, hurricane, French 75, and Ramos Gin Fizz,” and an abbreviated menu that mirrors the restaurant’s Creole-Cajun staples: red beans and rice, jambalaya, charbroiled oysters, alligator chili, deep-fried frog legs, crawfish-flecked macaroni and cheese, and French Quarter-style bread pudding. All cocktails are under $18 and the food ranges from $8 to $23; takeout from the restaurant is also available. On origins and timing the owner says, “We elected to do the restaurant first because we would have [had to rebuild] the bar,” and adds, “At the time, we were renters. But we also bought the building toward the end of the pandemic in 2023.” Upcoming programming will include weekend brunch and live events: “We will start doing jazz, seafood boils, and music with someone shucking oysters and flights to get ready for Mardi Gras,” Christiana-Beniger says. The ownership team includes longtime collaborators from the downtown nightlife scene—one partner was a former barback who suggested opening a bar years earlier—and the owner reflects, “When I first moved to LA, I wanted a loft to host parties in Downtown,” says Christiana-Beniger. “We’ve talked about this since I arrived from New Orleans in 1997. It’s weird to see it actually happen.” Hours: Wednesday–Thursday 6 p.m.–11 p.m., Friday–Saturday until 1 a.m., Sunday 1 p.m.–11 p.m." - Mona Holmes