Bon Ton Cafe Is Now Bon Ton Prime Rib — What Happened After the Show?
Current status
As of September 2026, this address now operates as Bon Ton Prime Rib — confirmed via Bon Ton Prime Rib's own current website/social account, accessed April 24, 2024. Now: Bon Ton Prime Rib (formerly Bon Ton Cafe).
Last verified
What the source shows: A WhatNow New Orleans article dated April 24, 2024 reports Bon Ton Cafe closed in March 2020, was bought by CentraArchy Restaurant Group, and was delayed by a September 2023 renovation fire; the business's own website, checked September 7, 2026, confirms the address is now operating as Bon Ton Prime Rib.
- Season / episode Season 2, Episode 3
- Address 401 Magazine Street, New Orleans, LA 70130
- Current name Bon Ton Prime Rib
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What happened after Best Thing I Ever Ate?
Bon Ton Cafe was a Creole and Cajun restaurant at 401 Magazine Street in New Orleans's Central Business District, prized for dishes such as crawfish etouffee, turtle soup, and bread pudding with whiskey sauce; it was, by its own account, among the oldest restaurant addresses in the city, behind only Antoine's and Tujague's. According to a WhatNow New Orleans report dated April 24, 2024, the restaurant closed in March 2020 just before COVID-19 shutdowns began, and the CentraArchy Restaurant Group purchased the property afterward; the same report says a fire in September 2023, sparked by oily rags left from renovation work, further delayed reopening. The business's own website, btprimerib.com, checked September 7, 2026, describes the location as "where Magazine meets Natchez" and says the restaurant "is now known as 'Bon Ton Prime Rib,'" open daily starting at 5 p.m.
The episode featured Bon Ton Café's classic Cajun cooking, including its longstanding crawfish étouffée and gumbo, served at the restaurant's Central Business District location on Magazine Street. According to nomenu.com, the Bon Ton first opened in 1953 and was long considered the third-oldest restaurant in New Orleans, behind Antoine's and Tujague's. The restaurant closed at the end of 2020, and RGGC reported that Chophouse New Orleans proprietor Jerry Greenbaum bought the space with plans to revive it, though a fire during renovation work delayed the reopening further. The location has since reopened at 401 Magazine St. as Bon Ton Prime Rib, a steakhouse concept with executive chef Jared Gassenberger serving prime rib, classic steaks, and regional seafood, according to the restaurant's own website. This entry is treated as an appearance for the same Magazine Street location, already tracked as Bon Ton Prime Rib.
Featured on Best Thing I Ever Ate
- Original air date
- Not confirmed
- Episode title
- Cheesy
- What was featured
- Cajun-Creole classics including crawfish etouffee and bread pudding with whiskey sauce
- Role
- Featured restaurant
- Name on the broadcast
- Bon Ton Cafe
- Show
- Food Paradise
- Original air date
- Not confirmed
- Episode title
- Southern Comfort Food
- What was featured
- Bon Ton Café's classic Cajun dishes, crawfish étouffée and gumbo
- Role
- Featured restaurant
- Name on the broadcast
- Bon Ton Cafe
Frequently asked questions
Is Bon Ton Cafe still open in 2026?
As of September 2026, this address now operates as Bon Ton Prime Rib — confirmed via Bon Ton Prime Rib's own current website/social account, accessed April 24, 2024. Now: Bon Ton Prime Rib (formerly Bon Ton Cafe).
What happened to Bon Ton Cafe after Best Thing I Ever Ate?
Bon Ton Cafe was a Creole and Cajun restaurant at 401 Magazine Street in New Orleans's Central Business District, prized for dishes such as crawfish etouffee, turtle soup, and bread pudding with whiskey sauce; it was, by its own account, among the oldest restaurant addresses in the city, behind only Antoine's and Tujague's. As of September 2026, this address now operates as Bon Ton Prime Rib — confirmed via Bon Ton Prime Rib's own current website/social account, accessed April 24, 2024. Now: Bon Ton Prime Rib (formerly Bon Ton Cafe).
What is Bon Ton Cafe called now?
Now: Bon Ton Prime Rib (formerly Bon Ton Cafe). As of September 2026, this address now operates as Bon Ton Prime Rib — confirmed via Bon Ton Prime Rib's own current website/social account, accessed April 24, 2024. Now: Bon Ton Prime Rib (formerly Bon Ton Cafe).
Where is Bon Ton Cafe located?
401 Magazine Street, New Orleans, LA 70130. That is the address on the record as of September 7, 2026.
What season and episode of Best Thing I Ever Ate featured Bon Ton Cafe?
Season 2, Episode 3 of Best Thing I Ever Ate. The episode is titled “Cheesy”.
Every status on this site carries a confidence label and a date, and names the source it rests on. Read the Editorial & Corrections Policy for what each label means and how quickly we act on corrections. The questions above are generated from this record's own published fields — we never publish a question we cannot answer from the data.
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Visit info
- Address
- 401 Magazine Street, New Orleans, LA 70130
- Venue type
- restaurant
- Official website
- btprimerib.com
- State hub
- TV restaurants in Louisiana
Businesses change fast. Always confirm directly with the restaurant — call ahead, or check its own current website or social media — before making plans around anything on this page.
Sources
- whatnow.com — https://whatnow.com/new-orleans/restaurants/reimagined-bon-ton-cafe-seemingly-set-to-reopen-as-bon-ton-prime-rib/
- btprimerib.com — https://www.btprimerib.com/
- Yelp — https://www.yelp.com/biz/bon-ton-prime-rib-new-orleans
- nomenu.com — https://nomenu.com/posts/goodbye-bon-ton
- rggc.com — https://rggc.com/news/historic-new-orleans-restaurant-finally-eyes-return-after-changing-hands-devastating-fire/
- btprimerib.com — https://www.btprimerib.com/about-bon-ton/
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Record btiea-0111 · last verified .