Oceana Grill
Seafood restaurant · French Quarter ·
Classic New Orleans seafood, late-night dining, courtyard & lively atmosphere
Classic New Orleans seafood, late-night dining, courtyard & lively atmosphere
"Arriving in late August on the ground floor and helmed by executive chef Quinnton Austin, this full-service dining spot is inspired by Austin’s Louisiana roots and will offer a variety of oysters sourced from the Gulf and both coasts alongside New Orleans classics such as gumbo, shrimp Creole and grits, and crispy catfish, plus riffs on iconic cocktails like the Sazerac, Hurricane, and Vieux Carré." - Candice Woo
"On Bourbon Street, I see a tourist-centric, concierge‑recommended restaurant housed in a massive 500-seat building that draws almost exclusively tourists and is almost always busy, with lines often running down the block on Friday and Saturday nights. I note its parent company, Cajun Conti, sued Lloyd’s of London on March 20, 2020 — the same day the restaurant shut down — seeking coverage for losses while Louisiana’s restaurant dining rooms were closed, and that a split Louisiana appellate court ruled in Oceana Grill’s favor on June 15, finding the policy’s definition of “direct physical loss or damage” ambiguous and reversing a lower court by a 3-2 margin. I also recall its notoriety from a 2011 Gordon Ramsay Kitchen Nightmares appearance (after which the company tried to block the episode) and the subsequent 2018 defamation suit against Ramsay when an old clip resurfaced. The ruling, which interprets that physical damage need not be “obvious and observable,” was one of the first appellate victories for an insured business seeking COVID‑19 shutdown damages and, as reported, may pave the way for similar cases." - Clair Lorell
"Named after executive chef Quinnton Austin, Q&A Restaurant & Oyster Bar will be located in the Brick Hotel in Oceanside. The restaurant will serve chargrilled oysters and other New Orleans-style foods. The chef relocated from New Orleans to manage this venue after leading Louisiana Purchase." - Candice Woo
"A New Orleans seafood spot, Oceana Grill is listed among the clients of lawyer John Houghtaling II who are suing insurers over denied business-interruption claims tied to the COVID-19 pandemic." - Eve Batey
"A French Quarter seafood restaurant that became the first test case in a high-profile suit seeking coverage for coronavirus-related losses, with the complaint arguing that the virus can persist on surfaces (fomites) for extended periods and that such contamination combined with government closure creates property damage triggering business-interruption claims; the insurer named in the complaint declined to comment and the factual questions about surface persistence are likely to require expert witnesses." - Caleb Pershan