The menu is mostly Greek but with an overlay of Japanese influences, from the raw bar selection to the cocktails, plus dashes of a high-dollar steakhouse. The décor is somewhere between taverna and neon-trimmed night club, complete with DJ station.
Kira restaurant in New Orleans serves a blend of Greek and Japanese flavors across its menu. (Staff photo by Ian McNulty, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune)
And somehow this restaurant managed to open in downtown New Orleans with nary a peep before its soft opening trial runs this week.
This is Kira, which opens to the public Thursday.
The bar glows in the dark setting of Kira restaurant in New Orleans. (Staff photo by Ian McNulty, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune)
The new restaurant took over and completely reimagined the space that was previously Mister Oso, a taco restaurant that found acclaim in Denver but had a short run in New Orleans, closing early this year. The space was once Barcadia, the not-too-grown-up arcade/burger concept.
It strains imagination to picture those old incarnations in the lush space created here now.
The entrance to Kira restaurant in New Orleans reveals a dining room with neon and intricate design pieces. (Staff photo by Ian McNulty, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune)
Walking in from Tchoupitoulas Street feels like drawing the curtain to reveal a party in a caravansary. The bar glows, the room curves around coves of tables, a DJ sets the beat on the weekends.
The lounge curves into coves at Kira restaurant in New Orleans. (Staff photo by Ian McNulty, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune)
Kira was created by a group that includes Andrew Duncan, who is part of Jolie, the high-style lounge/brasserie nearby, and Billy Blatty, a partner in Mister Oso and other local spots.
The Smoking Gun (left), a take on the Sazerac, and the Get Him to the Greek martini are on the cocktail list at Kira restaurant in New Orleans. (Staff photo by Ian McNulty, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune)
Josh Adamo, a consulting chef who earlier worked at the new-era Emeril’s and other high-end restaurants, was tapped to direct the culinary end.
On the menu
Looking over a menu that ranges from raw hamachi on fried sticky rice cakes to mezze boards to bang bang shrimp and a tomahawk steak with labneh, it can seem like dishes were drawn from different restaurants.
But as a visit plays out, Kira sets a common ground of dishes that could be easily shared and that can go from lighter and potentially healthy snacks to a more decadent dinner.
The lounge curves into coves at Kira restaurant in New Orleans. (Staff photo by Ian McNulty, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune)
An early first run at the menu brought hummus that crunches with fried chickpeas and sings with garlic, Wagyu koftas off the robata grill that slide from the skewers and melt in the mouth, tuna tartare with nori to make your own two-bite handrolls and chocolate torte as dense as fudge with a nutty streak of black sesame.
Cocktails, omakase en route
From the bar, a dirty martini in interpreted as “Get Him to the Greek” with a yogurt-washed gin, which is cloudy but not exactly creamy, lending the drink an appeal bordering on savory.
The Get Him to the Greek martini has a yogurt-washed gin on the cocktail list at Kira restaurant in New Orleans. (Staff photo by Ian McNulty, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune)
The “Smoking Gun” is a Japanese-style Sazerac with spicy notes of cinnamon and ginger between the rye and plum brandy.
The Smoking Gun is a Japanese-influenced take on the Sazerac at Kira restaurant in New Orleans. (Staff photo by Ian McNulty, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune)
There’s more Japanese coming into the equation here soon. Kira will add what Duncan describes as a high-end omakase experience, available for booking its own private dining room. This Kira Omakase is slated to begin in winter 2026.
601 Tchoupitioulas St., 504-335-1740
Daily 5-11 p.m.
