A piece of Paris in America’s most Parisian city
On St. Charles Avenue, one block into the Garden District and on the riverside, you’ll find a building that’s very reminiscent of the Eiffel Tower. In fact, it bears more than just a striking similarity; what you see is, or was, an actual piece of the iconic Parisian monument.
In 1981, engineers discovered that the famous landmark, built for the 1889 Paris Exposition Universelle, was sagging. They decided that the restaurant, which had been added to the tower in 1937 and perched 562 feet up, was too heavy and had to be removed. A French businessman, Georges Lancelin, acquired the Restaurant de la Tour Eiffel in exchange for dismantling it. He planned to rebuild the restaurant elsewhere in Paris, but when city officials forbade him to reopen it anywhere in France, he instead sold it to American John Onorio and noted French chef Daniel Bonnot. The two paid $1.5 million to ship the disassembled restaurant to New Orleans.
Info
Address 2040 St. Charles Avenue, New Orleans, LA 70130, +1 504.525.2951, www.eiffelsociety.com | Hours Tue 7pm–11pm, Fri and Sat 11pm–closing| Tip While you can no longer dine at the Eiffel, Friday lunch at Galatoire’s (209 Bourbon St) is a long-lasting tradition. You can spot Friday line holders—students and hobos—seated outside the restaurant beginning at 8am, paid to save a spot for those who want to secure a table on the first-come-first-serve main floor. Visiting French president Charles de Gaulle was outraged by the no-reservation policy. When he demanded, ”Do you know WHO I am?” the maître d’ replied, “Why yes, Mr. President. Do you know WHERE you are?”
Upon arrival, they were faced with 11,062 small pieces of metal with instructions written in French. The restaurant was painstakingly reconstructed and opened on Thanksgiving Day, 1986, with a charity benefit. Invitations were hand delivered on the wrappers of freshly baked loaves of French bread to guests, each of whom paid $125 to attend. Yet, just three years after its grand rebirth, the restaurant closed. Over the next couple decades, a revolving door of would-be entrepreneurs tried and failed to install restaurants and nightclubs in the building.
The structure now houses an event space and lounge called the Eiffel Society. Sitting 14 feet in the air, the 6000-square-foot venue has been used for private and ticketed parties, receptions, art installations, and fashion shows. They hold Tango Tuesdays every week, and on weekend nights, the luxury space is open to the public as a unique nightclub that features dancing, entertainment, and cocktails.
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