Look Inside French Quarter, Now Open in Downtown Boston

Antique details and a zydeco soundtrack complement the New Orleans-inspired menu at the new Downtown Crossing restaurant.

By Jacqueline Cain· 2/27/2020, 3:18 p.m.

French Quarter brings Bourbon Street to Downtown Crossing. / Photos by Mike Diskin/Assembly Design Studio

Good times are rolling in Downtown Crossing, where Boston’s newest Southern-inspired spot, French Quarter, is now open for dinner with a menu of traditional New Orleans fare and the Big Easy’s classic cocktails. The design of the place—formerly Salvatore’s Italian restaurant—is just as transportive, and we have your first look inside.

The Bourbon Street vibes start with ornate details carved into the dark wood of the host stand, and a fleur-de-lis pattern on the tile floors. Bright blue accents the marble-topped, wrought-iron framed bar. Assembly Design Studio—the Boston firm responsible for local Nola-inspired spots, Buttermilk & Bourbon and Bootleg Special, among many other gorgeous local interiors—also preserved an original brick wall in the space, behind the booze. The restaurant’s chairs have tall, green leather-seated counterparts spanning the bar’s length. Other seating options are tufted velvet-backed banquettes; the space seats 86 for dining, and 22 at the bar.

Imagine the ceiling fans spinning languidly once humidity hits Boston again. Silver-potted ferns, antiquey chandeliers, and vintage show posters also evoke the Crescent City—and so does the soundtrack of jazz, zydeco, brass bands, R&B, and soul.

French Quarter is the latest from chef Paul Sussman (Back Deck) and Brad Fredericks (Fajitas and ’Ritas). “This is something that we think the area is missing right now,” Sussman says. “We want to bring the spirit of New Orleans to our city, through food, drink, music, and the general atmosphere.”

Check it out below. With a low-key debut just before Fat Tuesday, French Quarter is softly open this week, for dinner only. Full lunch and dinner hours start Wednesday, March 4, when it will be open daily, from 11:30 a.m. on weekdays and 11 a.m. for weekend brunch. Dinner is on until 9 p.m. Sundays and Mondays, 10 p.m. Tuesdays and Wednesdays, 11 p.m. on Thursdays, and midnight on Fridays and Saturdays.

545 Washington St., Boston, 617-542-5555, frenchquarterboston.com.