Chemin à la Mer Reopens as a Louisiana Brasserie at Four Seasons New Orleans

One of New Orleans’ flagship hotel restaurants has a new address — one floor down. Chemin à la Mer reopened September 23 in a new first-floor location at the Four Seasons Hotel New Orleans (2 Canal Street), moving from its original fifth-floor perch and recasting itself as a Louisiana brasserie.

What changed

This is more than a move. The restaurant’s identity has been rethought around French, Creole, Cajun, and Gulf Coast influences — a brasserie in the Louisiana sense, meaning the full spectrum of the region’s cooking traditions under one roof. Chef Donald Link continues to lead the culinary direction, and his remit has expanded: he now also oversees the food menu at the hotel’s Chandelier Bar.

The restaurant serves lunch and dinner, with a weekend jazz brunch planned to follow — a combination that, if executed at Link’s standard, immediately becomes one of the most desirable weekend tables in the city.

The Link factor

Donald Link’s name carries as much weight as any in Louisiana dining. His restaurants — Herbsaint, Cochon, Peche — defined modern New Orleans cooking for a generation, and his continued leadership here is the single biggest reason to take this reopening seriously. A concept change without the right chef is a renovation; with Link, it’s a statement of intent.

What we’re watching

The Four Seasons says it will announce a separate concept for the vacated fifth-floor space later in 2026. That room — with its Mississippi River views — is one of the great unclaimed stages in American hotel dining. Whatever lands there will be one of next year’s most scrutinized openings. We’ll be tracking it.

The details

• Address: Four Seasons Hotel New Orleans, 2 Canal Street (first floor)
• Reopened: September 23, 2026
• Concept: Louisiana brasserie — French, Creole, Cajun, and Gulf Coast influences
• Chef: Donald Link (also overseeing the Chandelier Bar’s food menu)
• Service: Lunch and dinner; weekend jazz brunch to follow
• Coming: New fifth-floor concept to be announced later in 2026