New Orleans, Louisiana · Founded 1918
A French Quarter Creole restaurant founded in 1918, now a multi-building complex with the French 75 Bar and Mardi Gras Museum.
Arnaud’s began in 1918 when French wine salesman Arnaud Cazenave opened a Creole restaurant on Bienville Street. Over time he acquired adjacent properties, eventually creating an 11-building complex that today combines classic dining rooms, the French 75 Bar, and the Germaine Cazenave Wells Mardi Gras Museum.
French wine salesman Arnaud Cazenave opened Arnaud’s in the French Quarter.
Source: Biz New Orleans, "A Century of Creole"; New Orleans & Company, "Arnaud's Restaurant in New Orleans to Celebrate 100 Years"
After Arnaud Cazenave died, his daughter Germaine Cazenave—later Germaine Wells—took over the restaurant.
Source: New Orleans & Company, "Arnaud's Restaurant in New Orleans to Celebrate 100 Years"; CYTIES, "Arnaud's French 75 Bar"
Germaine Wells sold Arnaud’s to Archie and Jane Casbarian.
Source: Biz New Orleans, "A Century of Creole"; New Orleans & Company, "Arnaud's Restaurant in New Orleans to Celebrate 100 Years"
A French 75 Bar profile says a former gentlemen-only dining room was restored as the Grill Bar.
Source: CYTIES, "Arnaud's French 75 Bar"
The former Grill Bar reopened as Arnaud’s French 75 Bar, according to a bar-history profile.
Source: CYTIES, "Arnaud's French 75 Bar"
Arnaud’s French 75 Bar received the James Beard Foundation Award for Outstanding Bar Program.
Source: New Orleans & Company, "Arnaud's Restaurant in New Orleans to Celebrate 100 Years"
Arnaud’s continues operating at 813 Rue Bienville under Casbarian family co-proprietors Archie and Katy Casbarian.
Source: Arnaud’s, "Contact"; Biz New Orleans, "A Century of Creole"
Every claim gets rated. A business's own website can never earn "documented."
The reliable sources reviewed identify Cazenave as a French wine salesman and refer to him as "Count Arnaud" or "The Count" without evidence of a verified hereditary title. The title should be treated as a public nickname or assumed style, not established nobility.
New Orleans & Company states that the restaurant has seen only two owner families—the Cazenaves and current owners the Casbarians—and identifies the 1978 transfer from Germaine Wells to Archie and Jane Casbarian.
The restaurant expanded by acquiring adjoining properties and is described as an 11-building complex. No reviewed source supports a single 1890 construction date for the current complex.
New Orleans & Company reports the 2017 James Beard Foundation Award for Outstanding Bar Program, naming the French 75 Bar and head bartender Chris Hannah.
Arnaud Cazenave was an authentic European count.
The reliable sources reviewed identify Cazenave as a French wine salesman who was known publicly as "Count Arnaud." No evidence reviewed establishes hereditary European nobility.
Source: Biz New Orleans, "A Century of Creole"; New Orleans & Company, "Arnaud's Restaurant in New Orleans to Celebrate 100 Years"
Arnaud’s is housed in one building built in 1890.
Arnaud’s grew by acquiring adjoining properties and is described as an 11-building complex. A single 1890 construction date for the whole restaurant is unsupported.
Source: New Orleans & Company, "Arnaud's Restaurant in New Orleans to Celebrate 100 Years"
French 75 received national recognition in 2003.
The current French 75 Bar format began in 2003. Its documented James Beard Foundation recognition came in 2017, when it received the Outstanding Bar Program award.
Source: CYTIES, "Arnaud's French 75 Bar"; New Orleans & Company, "Arnaud's Restaurant in New Orleans to Celebrate 100 Years"
Jackets are required for men in Arnaud’s Main Dining Room.
Arnaud’s says jackets are preferred for gentlemen in the Main Dining Room and private dining. Collared shirts are required, and shorts, T-shirts, and flip-flops are not permitted.
Source: Arnaud’s, "Contact"
Arnaud’s has remained in the hands of only two ownership families: the Cazenaves and, since 1978, the Casbarians. Its continued appeal rests on its French Quarter scale, long-standing Creole dining identity, family management, and the French 75 Bar’s nationally recognized cocktail program.
Arnaud’s was founded in 1918 by French wine salesman Arnaud Cazenave in the French Quarter.
Arnaud’s is owned and operated by the Casbarian family. Archie and Katy Casbarian are identified as fourth-generation co-proprietors.
The sources reviewed identify him as a French wine salesman known publicly as "Count Arnaud." They do not establish that he held a hereditary noble title, so the title should be treated as a nickname or assumed style.
The French 75 Bar opened in its current form in 2003 and received the James Beard Foundation Award for Outstanding Bar Program in 2017.
813 Rue Bienville, New Orleans, LA 70112
(504) 523-5433
Arnaud’s is in the French Quarter, off Bourbon Street. The official site lists dinner Monday–Saturday, Friday lunch, Sunday jazz brunch, and a walk-in Sunday French 75 brunch. Main Dining Room attire is business dress: jackets are preferred for gentlemen, collared shirts are required, and shorts, T-shirts, and flip-flops are not permitted. Verify service and reservations before visiting.