Jewel of the South
Jewel of the South takes its name from the 1850s room where Joseph Santini built the Brandy Crusta, and it pours one: cognac, curacao, maraschino, in a sugar-rimmed glass.3
Why go
Chris Hannah tended bar at Arnaud's French 75 before this, and 50 Best says he built his name reviving classic drinks.3 His Jewel Sazerac pushes Rancio Sec and Madeira into the rye and bitters.2 He pours it in a Creole cottage dating to 1835, behind a zinc-plated bar, with a courtyard and wood-framed parlour rooms around him.32 The kitchen is not an afterthought. Foie gras parfait comes with duck fat brioche and strawberries, and Wednesday runs a happy hour they call Casual Caviar.2 It opened in 2019, and the two accounts of who opened it do not match: 50 Best calls it Victoria Espinel and John Stubbs' Jewel of the South
with Hannah as partner,3 while Axios calls it a product of Nick Detrich, John Stubbs and renowned bartender Chris Hannah.
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Order this / avoid
- Order: the Brandy Crusta. Cognac, curacao, maraschino liqueur, bitters, sugar-rimmed glass, and the drink the bar takes its name from.3
- Order: Hannah's rendition of the French 75, cognac and lemon and sparkling wine, which 50 Best puts alongside the Crusta as the pair not to skip.3
- Avoid: budgeting like it is a neighborhood bar. Zella Palmer counted
multiple cocktails that cost over $25,
plus caviar and wagyu beef tongue on the plates.4
What locals & experts say
- Zella Palmer, The Infatuation, 29 November 2023:
Jewel of the South puts equal emphasis on the food and cocktails, and both are extremely quality, if not a little bit over the top.
4 - North America's 50 Best Bars, 2026, No. 6:
Jewel of the South is a temple to New Orleans culture and the exquisite cocktail skills of co-founder, Southern cocktail pioneer Chris Hannah.
2 - James Beard Foundation, Outstanding Bar, 2024. Hannah, at the ceremony:
It's the highlight of my entire career.
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Good to know
- Which award belongs to which room. Axios puts the earlier one carefully:
Though the award didn't bear his name, Hannah is generally credited with the 2017 win for Arnaud's French 75.
The 2024 award is this bar's, in his name, for a bar he co-owns.5 - Two ways in. The Infatuation rates it best as a sit-down dinner in the plant-filled courtyard, and just as good for walking in for drinks and snacks at the bar.4
- Hygiene: not established. New Orleans publishes no inspection register this project reads, so there is nothing on file either way.
Jeff's take (his words)
- Note: "Jbf award 2024"
Verdict
must-visit — Two independent bodies put this room at the top and they agree with each other. The James Beard Foundation named it Outstanding Bar in 2024, and North America's 50 Best Bars ranked it sixth in 2026 with a fourth straight Best Bar in South USA title. Zella Palmer, writing for The Infatuation, is the one bylined critic to judge the cooking, and she rates the food and the drinks equally while warning that several cocktails run past $25. Jeff's own saved note flags the Beard award, so the rung matches what he already thought it was.