2024 | Historic Renovation | 5,330 sq. ft.
French Quarter
Manolito
Manolito’s renovation came with a deceptively simple challenge: expand a beloved award-winning French Quarter bar and restaurant while making it feel like nothing has changed. Studio West’s design expanded Manolito from a 550 sf space with a modest mezzanine into a 2,600 sf full service restaurant with a courtyard. The design removed the existing mezzanine stair to create a passageway to the rear of the existing building, creating additional dining space and doubling the size of the mezzanine dining. Most importantly, the expansion gave access to the rear courtyard, which has been styled to be a French Quarter meets Havana outdoor space. We knew we had succeeded on opening night when someone exclaimed, “They even left the floor tile!”. We hadn’t, it was fully replaced.
Expanding a beloved bar without changing the vibe
To expand Manolito, Studio West worked with the State Fire Marshal and City of New Orleans to determine a path for bringing a space of this size into compliance with code. To allow occupancy of the mezzanine, which exceeded two-thirds of the floor area of the space, new automatic sprinkler and fire alarm systems were installed throughout all three floors of the existing building. A new commercial kitchen hood and exhaust system was installed through the two floors of existing apartments above the restaurant with fire separations. The new stainless-steel hood exhaust duct was craned above the roof and dropped into the pre-constructed shaft in one day.
Complex and challenging historic renovation
The design and operational objectives were only possible due to the careful technical coordination of such code modifications, allowing Manolito to triple their dining space and seat count without the need to relocate or change the vibe of their existing establishment. Construction took place over four months, with a six-week shutdown of Manolito to renovate and connect the new and existing spaces.
