Since 1992, Gabrielle Restaurant has served Cajun cuisine meticulously crafted by Chef Greg Sonnier. Chef Sonnier, along with his wife, Chef Mary Sonnier, and their daughter
Traiteur Fish. Photo courtesy of Gabrielle Restaurant
Gabrielle Sonnier Prudhomme, the restaurant’s namesake, have positioned Gabrielle as one of the quintessential New Orleans eateries that tops every local and visitor’s dining list.
Greg and Mary Sonnier’s journey with Gabrielle Restaurant is a testament to their passion for Cajun cuisine. They first opened Gabrielle at 3201 Esplanade Avenue, in a small building that only seated forty-five. With Greg crafting the dinner menu and Mary as the pastry chef, the couple quickly built Gabrielle into a New Orleans institution, despite the challenges they faced.
When Hurricane Katrina flooded Gabrielle’s original location in 2005, the restaurant went on a 12-year hiatus, reopening in September 2017 at its current location on Orleans Avenue in a building that once housed a convenience store and a Chinese take-out restaurant. Over the years, the Sonniers have dealt with their fair share of headaches on Orleans Avenue; street construction and floods have been a constant on the block. However, with street construction completed and plenty of on-street parking, Gabrielle is excited to welcome in customers without the added headache of dodging potholes and puddles.
Gumbo. Photo courtesy of Gabrielle Restaurant
It’s a relief for General Manager Gabrielle Sonnier Prudhomme, who carries her parents’ spirit in her day-to-day operations at the restaurant. Despite years of street construction and navigating the COVID-19 pandemic, as other businesses did, the restaurant is more popular than ever. Gabrielle regularly hosts dinner specials such as “Duck Fest,” which features a menu dedicated to… you guessed it, duck, and offers Coolinary and Valentine’s Day specials. In that spirit, Gabrielle will host special dinners in October in honor of Taylor Swift’s New Orleans stop on her Eras Tour, which has been crisscrossing the globe for over a year and is set to wrap in December. Details are still being worked on; however, special dishes will be created in honor of Swift’s biggest hits.
Fried Eggplant Pirogue. Photo courtesy of Gabrielle Restaurant
In addition to the excitement of specials at Gabrielle, the restaurant’s gumbo was recently honored for having the best gumbo in New Orleans. As a Cajun restaurant, gumbo is one of the dishes Gabrielle is most known for, and it offers two versions. The Seafood Gumbo is packed with shrimp, crab, crawfish, okra and country rice; and Guinea Hen Gumbo is made with smoked guinea hen, chicken-sage-apple sausage, dark roux and country rice. The restaurant’s menu changes a bit depending on the season, so the gumbo contents may vary, but you can’t go wrong with whatever Chef Sonnier prepares for you.
Other menu highlights include BBQ Shrimp Pie, a handmade pie shell filled with smashed sweet potato topped with New Orleans style BBQ shrimp; Duck Fat Fries, hand-cut salt and pepper French fries tossed in duck fat served with Lingham’s sauce; Slow Roasted Duck, mixed mushrooms, roasted red peppers, duck quacklin’ and orange-sherry sauce served over duckin’ dirty rice; Fried Eggplant Pirogue filled with baked spaghetti squash, purple hull peas, English peas, and lemon garlic butter sauce; and Traiteur Fish, seared filet of gulf fish, jumbo crab cake, and preserved lemon aioli. Please note that the menu changes by season, and Chef Sonnier designs it based on the freshest ingredients available.
Gabrielle Restaurant, 2441 Orleans Avenue. 504-603-2344. Open Wednesday through Saturday, 5 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
