If not for the large, colorful sign out front, a passerby would never know that there was a restaurant inside 7801 Panola Street in the Lower Carrollton neighborhood. And after 26 years in business, Riccobono’s Panola Street Café is truly part of the fabric of the neighborhood.
The restaurant even hosts the neighborhood association’s annual Christmas party.
“Every year I get the phone call,” recounted owner Vincent Riccobono. “I just leave the key for them.”
The Riccobono family has operated multiple restaurants in the New Orleans area over the course of the past century. It all started with Riccobono’s grandfather, who opened the legendary New York deli-style restaurant The Pearl on St. Charles Avenue just off Canal Street back in the 1920s. Riccobono’s father operated several steakhouses, along with the longtime Metairie fixture Peppermill. His son and daughter run Sala and Café Navarre, respectively.
This experience and love of the restaurant business are reflected in the Panola Street Café.
“We’ve been doing restaurants for four generations,” Riccobono said. “This is just a little neighborhood café, but our chefs, our menu, our preparation are more than you would expect from a place like this.”
Open from 8 a.m. until 2 p.m. daily, the café is a classic breakfast/brunch/lunch establishment, but as Riccobono said, “The menu is both simple and beyond typical. We’ve always seemed to have menus that cover a lot of bases.”
As one example, the brunch staple eggs Benedict comes in five different variations. The standard BLT is there — but so is the BLAST, which adds avocado and Swiss cheese to the classic sandwich. From the unusual crawfish etouffee omelet to the traditional liver and onions, “everybody can find something to be happy with,” Riccobono said.
Neighborhood regulars appreciate the food options and quality, the local art for sale on the colorful walls, and being greeted by name by the 14 staff members. Tulane and Loyola students are also frequent customers. At the same time, the Riccobono legacy and reputation draws people in from Metairie and the entire Greater New Orleans region.
Despite the loyal clientele and well-established rhythms, challenges do exist. As with virtually every restaurant around, staffing is an ongoing issue. And then there’s price of eggs: Riccobono reported that the case price has recently dropped to a mere three times what it was just two years ago. Chicken is also much more costly, though returning to normal more quickly, possibly answering the age-old “Which came first?” question. Reluctantly, he has raised menu prices to account for his increased expenses.
Overall, though, the family legacy and the long-term relationship with the neighborhood keep things humming pretty smoothly. Other than maintaining a website, the Panola Street Café does no advertising; business arrives via word of mouth. At peak times like Mardi Gras and Jazz Fest, locals regularly bring their out-of-town friends for an authentic New Orleans experience.
Having overcome everything from Hurricane Katrina to COVID to endless street repairs, Riccobono is happy to just keep on keeping on.
“I’m just thankful that we’ve been here this long,” he said. “It’s a sweet little restaurant. Keeping it going is the best thing that ever happened to me.”
Generations of satisfied customers would undoubtedly agree.
Panola Street Café
7801 Panola Street // New Orleans
504-314-1810 // Panolastreetcafe.com
FB: @panolastreetcafenola // IG: @panolastreetcafe_nola
