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Tujague’s

New Orleans, Louisiana  ·  Founded 1856

Oldest ClaimGreat Story

A French Quarter restaurant founded in 1856, now at 429 Decatur Street and closely associated with the Grasshopper cocktail.

Tujague’s traces its lineage to Guillaume and Marie Abadie Tujague’s 1856 restaurant near the French Market. Now operating at 429 Decatur Street, it remains a long-running Creole dining institution whose history includes the former Begue’s Exchange site, a legendary stand-up bar, and the Grasshopper cocktail story.

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The Record

Timeline

  1. 1856

    French immigrants Guillaume and Marie Abadie Tujague founded Tujague’s near the French Market.

    Source: New Orleans Restaurants, "History on the Move: Tujague's Changes Locations in 2020"; The Connected Table, "Tujague's New Orleans Celebrates 170 Years"

  2. 1914

    Tujague’s took over the former Begue’s Exchange, according to the restaurant's relocation-history account. The source does not establish that this was the business's first Decatur Street location.

    Source: New Orleans Restaurants, "History on the Move: Tujague's Changes Locations in 2020"

  3. 1918

    Tujague’s says Philibert Guichet created the Grasshopper for a New York cocktail competition, where the drink placed second. The original contest records have not been independently reviewed.

    Source: Tujague’s, "Celebrating 100 Years of the Grasshopper Cocktail"

  4. 1982

    A 2026 restaurant-history profile reports that the Guichet family sold Tujague’s to brothers Steven and Stanford Latter.

    Source: The Connected Table, "Tujague's New Orleans Celebrates 170 Years"

  5. 2019

    Owners Mark and Candace Latter announced that Tujague’s would not renew its lease at 823 Decatur Street and would relocate to 429 Decatur Street.

    Source: New Orleans Restaurants, "History on the Move: Tujague's Changes Locations in 2020"

  6. 2020

    Tujague’s moved from 823 Decatur Street to 429 Decatur Street. Its former mahogany stand-up bar remained at the old location because it was too fragile to move, while selected elements including the foot rail, fixtures, and Otis Guichet portrait moved with the restaurant.

    Source: Tujague’s, "The Bar at Tujague's"

  7. 2026

    Tujague’s remains in operation at 429 Decatur Street under Latter family ownership, according to current dining and restaurant-history sources.

    Source: Tujague’s, "Contact"; The Connected Table, "Tujague's New Orleans Celebrates 170 Years"

The House Standard

The Truth-O-Meter

Every claim gets rated. A business's own website can never earn "documented."

Tujague’s is New Orleans' second-oldest continuously running restaurant.
InventedUnverifiablePlausibleDocumented
Plausible

Louisiana tourism and multiple historical accounts identify Tujague’s as New Orleans' second-oldest restaurant after Antoine’s. Its 1856 founding is consistently reported, but the citywide ranking and uninterrupted operations were not independently established through comparative municipal records in this review.

  • Explore Louisiana, "Tujague's"
  • NOLA.com, "Tujague's Through the Years"
  • The Connected Table, "Tujague's New Orleans Celebrates 170 Years"
Philibert Guichet created the Grasshopper cocktail for a 1918 New York competition, where it finished second.
InventedUnverifiablePlausibleDocumented
Plausible

Tujague’s consistently presents this account, and outside cocktail-history coverage repeats it. No primary competition record was located in the sources reviewed, so the exact competition, date, and placing remain plausible rather than fully documented.

  • Tujague’s, "Celebrating 100 Years of the Grasshopper Cocktail"
  • Tujague’s, "The Bar at Tujague's"
  • Gastro Obscura, "Grasshopper"
Tujague’s operated at 823 Decatur Street until its 2020 relocation.
InventedUnverifiablePlausibleDocumented
Documented

Contemporary reporting announced the end of the 823 Decatur lease and planned move, while the restaurant's own bar-history page states that it relocated to 429 Decatur Street in 2020.

  • NOLA.com, "Tujague's Through the Years"
  • New Orleans Restaurants, "History on the Move: Tujague's Changes Locations in 2020"
  • Tujague’s, "The Bar at Tujague's"
The original Tujague’s stand-up bar was moved to the current restaurant.
InventedUnverifiablePlausibleDocumented
Invented

Tujague’s says the former mahogany bar could not make the move to 429 Decatur Street because it was too fragile. The restaurant did transfer some components and artifacts, including the foot rail, fixtures, and a portrait.

  • Tujague’s, "The Bar at Tujague's"
Highest-Value Content

Corrections

Commonly Stated

Tujague’s has operated at 823 Decatur Street since 1856.

The Record

Tujague’s was founded in 1856 near the French Market and occupied more than one location before moving from 823 Decatur Street to 429 Decatur Street in 2020.

Source: New Orleans Restaurants, "History on the Move: Tujague's Changes Locations in 2020"; Tujague’s, "The Bar at Tujague's"

Commonly Stated

Tujague’s moved its original stand-up bar to 429 Decatur Street.

The Record

The former mahogany bar remained at the 823 Decatur Street location because it was too fragile to move. The restaurant moved selected elements, including its foot rail, fixtures, and an Otis Guichet portrait.

Source: Tujague’s, "The Bar at Tujague's"

Commonly Stated

The Grasshopper's 1918 competition origin is conclusively documented by contest records.

The Record

Tujague’s and later cocktail histories consistently repeat the 1918 New York competition and second-place story, but the primary contest record was not located in this review.

Source: Tujague’s, "Celebrating 100 Years of the Grasshopper Cocktail"; Gastro Obscura, "Grasshopper"

Commonly Stated

The current Tujague’s building was built in 1890.

The Record

No reliable source reviewed establishes a 1890 construction date for 429 Decatur Street. The building date remains unresolved.

Source: No independently verified building record located in this review

The House Angle

Why It Survives

Tujague’s has endured through successive ownership families, adaptation of its menu and service, and a 2020 relocation within the French Quarter. The business preserved selected features and historical objects from its former location while continuing to promote its Creole dining and cocktail traditions.

Frequently Asked

Questions & Answers

When was Tujague’s established?

Tujague’s was founded in 1856 by Guillaume and Marie Abadie Tujague near the French Market. The exact original street number was not established in the sources reviewed.

What cocktail is associated with Tujague’s?

Tujague’s is widely associated with the Grasshopper. The restaurant says former owner Philibert Guichet created it for a 1918 New York cocktail competition, where it placed second; that contest account has not been independently verified from original records.

Where is Tujague’s located now?

Tujague’s operates at 429 Decatur Street in the French Quarter. It moved there from 823 Decatur Street in 2020.

Who owns Tujague’s?

Recent restaurant-history reporting says Tujague’s remains under Latter family ownership. A 2019 relocation announcement identified Mark and Candace Latter as owners; the current legal operating entity was not independently verified.

Visit

Practical Information

Address

429 Decatur St, New Orleans, LA 70130

Phone

(504) 525-8676

Visit Note

Tujague’s is near Jackson Square in the French Quarter. The official site lists daily opening, with brunch Friday through Sunday and dinner nightly. Check current menus, reservations, holiday hours, and dress expectations directly before visiting.