Coastal Italian cooking shaped by Gulf seafood, Sicilian heritage, and the spirit of West End.

sala /ˈsaːla/ — noun. a great room in an italian palace or villa used for hosting guests, dining, and entertainment. a modern living room

A black and white photo of several people on a street, including a woman with curly hair and a man smiling, with buildings and street signs in the background.

A Family Tradition, Four Generations in the Making

The Riccobono family has been part of New Orleans' restaurant culture for more than a century. A story that began in Castelvetrano, Sicily, crossed an ocean, and found its home in the kitchens of the Crescent City.

At Sala, that legacy continues. Coastal Italian cooking shaped by Gulf seafood, Sicilian heritage, and the spirit of West End.

Aerial view of West End marina with numerous boat slips and a breakwater, adjacent to a body of water and a shoreline with greenery.
Aerial view of West End marina with numerous boat slips and a breakwater, adjacent to a body of water and a shoreline with greenery.

Rooted in West End

West End has always been a gathering place on the Lake. Our waterfront. Sailboats in the marina, seafood on the table, friends and neighbors relaxing over a meal after a long day on the water.

Long before Sala, West End was one of New Orleans' great seafood destinations.

Boats. Fishing. Running crab traps. Lakefront dining. That tradition never left, we're just bringing it into the next era.

Plate with Gulf Seafood covered in creamy mushroom sauce, roasted red potatoes, and asparagus spears.

Gulf Seafood Through an Italian Lens

Sala NOLA celebrates Coastal Italian cuisine—fresh Gulf seafood, delicious pastas, and bright Mediterranean flavors meant to be enjoyed together.

Our menu is inspired by the seaside cooking of Southern Italy and by New Orleans’ unique tradition of Creole Italian cuisine, where generations of Sicilian immigrants blended old-world recipes with the ingredients and influences of the Gulf Coast.

Collage of three black and white photographs: a man in formal attire standing near a table with flowers, a newspaper clipping of Josie and Joe Riccobono sitting outdoors, and a group of people smiling and walking on a city street.

Born in Sicily & Raised in New Orleans

Vincenzo Riccobono was born in Castelvetrano, Sicily in 1892 and immigrated to New Orleans as a young man. It wasn't long before he set his roots, opened his first restaurant, and started a family.  Over the next four generations, the Riccobono family has owned over a dozen vibrant restaurants throughout New Orleans.

See our family history below:

  • The Pearl on St. Charles Avenue: One of the first Riccobono establishments in New Orleans, rooted in the city before the mid-century boom.

  • Rick's Pancake Cottage on Canal Street: A popular breakfast café that became a neighborhood fixture for decades.

  • Four locations across the city — Bourbon Street, Carrollton Avenue, Airline Highway, and the West Bank Expressway. Named for the $1.49 steak, a New Orleans institution.

  • Captain Joe's Seafood on Bourbon Street: Gulf seafood in the heart of the French Quarter.

  • The King's Table on Rampart Street: A high-end steakhouse bringing white-tablecloth dining to a new address.

  • The Quarter Note & The Place in Fat City: Two music clubs at the center of New Orleans' flourishing new nightlife scene.

  • Riccobono's Peppermill on Severn Avenue in Fat City: A neighborhood staple that has outlasted the era that created it.

  • Riccobono's Panola Street Café located Uptown, in a historic corner grocery near the universities. A beloved breakfast and lunch spot that became its own institution.

  • Near City Park in Lakeview. The family tradition of neighborhood dining, continued and open today.

  • Located in West End, near the lakefront. Coastal Italian inspired by Gulf seafood and Sicilian heritage. The next chapter in a story that started over a century ago.

The Riccobono name has been synonymous with New Orleans hospitality for over a century.

Current locations include Riccobono's Panola Street Cafe opened in a historic old corner grocery uptown in the university area, and Cafe Navarre near City Park in Lakeview.

Sala NOLA is the newest chapter in this continuing story.

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