Decimated by a Fire, a Pan-Latin Spot in Lake Charles is Getting a New Home

After a fire last year decimated the popular Latin restaurant Area 337 in Lake Charles , owner Gus Garden is making preparations to open it in a new location at 710 Dr Michael Debakey Dr.

While he will be bringing over many of Area 337’s dishes from its current location, which did reopen after the fire, the new menu will also pay tribute to the building’s former tenant, another popular Lake Charles spot called The James 710 . Given that Area 337 was already serving dishes inspired by several different Latin American cuisines, the new menu promises to offer all kinds of culinary cross-pollination. According to a report from The Advocate , the inclusion of dishes and cocktails from The James will depend on negotiations with that former restaurant’s owner Ben Herrera .

The new Area 337 is set to open on June 17, just a few weeks after the closure of The James. While the restaurant space was left in good shape, Garden must deal with red tape before reopening it. What Now New Orleans has reached out for comment.