Bar Frances and Cuzco recently opened their doors to the public on Freret Street. Bar Frances opened over Memorial Day weekend, and Cuzco made its soft opening on July 24.
Bar Frances, named after the owner’s grandmother, has a wide variety of special deals for students. The restaurant offers happy hours every day of the week featuring half-priced rosé and $1.50 oysters from various locations across the United States. The bar locale is open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
P.J. Rosenberg, Bar Frances’ owner, said his mother taught him hospitality, and he continued the tradition by opening Bar Frances with his business partner, Mark Latter.
“We’re very approachable,” Rosenberg said. “We have everything here in terms of a high-quality restaurant but also a place that you can visit multiple times and not spend a lot of cash.”
The diverse menu that Bar Frances offers allows customers to explore a wide variety of options. For Allison Whittinghill, Bar Frances’ manager, the menu is like a choose-your-own adventure.
“We bring classic cocktails but have a focus on wine,” Whittinghill said. “For a college student, we can be a chill place for you to have a snack, get a glass and sit on the patio when you need a break from the coffee shop.”
Split between four families, Cuzco, a new Peruvian restaurant also on Freret, offers ten dish options from Peru’s myriad traditional recipes. Seating 25 people, Cuzco has an intimate atmosphere with its home cooked meals and close ties to tradition. The restaurant is open Monday through Saturday from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., and from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday.
Monica Concha, one of Cuzco’s four owners, said they decided to open the restaurant on Freret Street to share their taste in New Orleans.
“Nobody knows about Peruvian food,” Concha said.
The recently opened restaurant is focusing on buying equipment necessary to make rotisserie chicken. This is a famous Peruvian dish Lucito Ampuero, a Cuzco chef and owner, wants to add to the menu.
With construction around Freret Street easing up, transportation to all of Freret’s attractions will reportedly be easier than in the past, allowing locals and students to have more access to newly opened restaurants.
“I love going to new bars,” Amanda Alch, theatre arts junior and beer seller cicerone, said, “The bartenders are enthusiastic and the selection is something different from what the community has seen. It’s a fun way to unwind.”
