About Bistro Maison de Ville

The Bistro and Chef Greg Picolo

On October 13, 1986, The Bistro at Maison de Ville opened its doors. Inspired by the neighborhood bistros of Paris, The Bistro’s dining room was designed with red leather banquettes, beveled-glass mirrors, natural wood flooring and Impressionist-style original paintings. The Bistro’s goal was and is to offer its guests an exceptional and relaxing dining experience in the heart of the historic French Quarter. Over the years, The Bistro consistently has been regarded as one of the great restaurants in a city renowned for its food, and has provided its guests with a dining experience that is second to none in New Orleans. The Bistro’s policy is never to accept more than a single reservation for a table during lunch or dinner and all of The Bistro’s food is cooked to order from the freshest local ingredients. The Bistro also has a beautiful courtyard for al-fresco dining, weather permitting.

After Hurricane Katrina, The Bistro was forced to close for an extended period of time, and, after a brief reopening, The Bistro closed its doors again with no plan to reopen during June 2006. Thereafter, two long-time supporters of The Bistro, Jaydine and Michael Maimone, and Chef Greg Picolo of The Bistro were able to reopen The Bistro on May 27, 2007. The new owners of The Bistro were dedicated to continue The Bistro’s long-standing tradition of providing its guests with great food, an extensive, reasonably-priced wine list, friendly and efficient service, beautiful decor and a relaxing atmosphere for its guests to enjoy an extraordinary dining experience.

Since its opening in 1986, many of the premier chefs of New Orleans have worked in The Bistro’s tiny kitchen and have continued their distinguished careers by opening several of the famed restaurants of New Orleans. Fortunately for The Bistro, for the past 15 years Chef Greg has been working in the kitchen of The Bistro and for the past 12 years Chef Greg has been the Executive Chef of The Bistro.

Chef Greg is a New Orleans native of second generation French and Italian families who were great cooks. His paternal grandfather from Lyon, France, was a butcher, avid hunter and fisherman, who taught Chef Greg the importance of fresh-ingredient-driven cuisine in the French tradition. Chef Greg learned to respect the simplicity and purity of ingredients from the Italian side of the family. These two fundamental lessons form the foundation of Chef Greg’s creations.

After several years of family-taught and self-taught cooking, Chef Greg started working in kitchens throughout New Orleans where he developed a life-long passion for food. Chef Greg then attended culinary school and received his degree in Culinary Arts from Delgado. While in school, Chef Greg had the opportunity to work directly under master Italian Chef Ciro Cuommo at Restaurant Carmelo, who again showed him the importance of respect for ingredients and technique. Chef Greg’s experience and dedication in school earned him top honors in his graduating class and after graduation Chef Greg joined the innovative team of Chef Patty Queen at The Bistro, who introduced Chef Greg to a more global cuisine that blended various cultures and cuisines into a new and inventive style - a style that Chef Greg has mastered.

After dining, many of The Bistro’s guests visit the kitchen and are shocked at its size and the fact that all dishes are created by hand and are cooked to order in such a small kitchen. Indeed, The Bistro’s kitchen is diminutive, has limited space and contains no steam tables or heat lamps. These physical limitations coupled with Chef Greg’s dedication to create the best food possible result in all ingredients being ordered and prepared daily, and in all food being as fresh as possible.

The Bistro, through Chef Greg’s guidance, creates a product that is innovative and finely crafted, yet accessible and soulful. Due to Chef Greg’s passion, The Bistro and Chef Greg have received numerous awards, appeared on the Food Network, and been featured in local and national periodicals and newspapers such as Bon Appetite, Gourmet, Sante, The New York Times and The New York Post, to name a few. The Bistro has been rated as one of “America’s Top Restaurants” by Zagat, and Chef Greg is a member of James Beard Foundation and has enjoyed participation at Beard House Dinners.

Hours of Operation

*Please note: The Bistro at Maison de Ville is closed temporarily due to renovations.

For hotel accommodations, please visit the
Hotel Maison de Ville and Audubon Cottages,
part of the New Orleans Hotel Collection