For the last three years, Marcus Christiana-Beniger and Eunah Kang Beniger of Little Jewel in Chinatown have been slowly, steadily renovating the vacant storefront next to their New Orleans-inspired sandwich shop into an everyday cocktail lounge. Now, after months of permit-related delays, the Evangeline Swamp Room is opening to the public on Friday, December 13. Inspired by the iconic dives and cocktail bars of the French Quarter, the casual 50-seat bar will serve a menu of traditional Southern drinks and dishes associated with the Crescent City. In the new year, the couple also has plans to roll out a lively jazz brunch on the weekends.
For Christiana-Beniger, a New Orleans native, the Chinatown bar is an homage to all the places in the French Quarter he once snuck into as a teenager. He draws a parallel between L.A.’s Chinatown and NOLA’s French Quarter. Both are historical neighborhoods frequented by an eclectic mix of locals, tourists and sports fans. The aim with the Swamp Room, as the couple abbreviate the bar’s full name, is to be a neighborhood watering hole. This translates into classic cocktails like mint juleps and French 75s at everyday prices ($12–18), plus a TV behind the bar to watch the latest game.
Housed in a 144-year-old building, the Swamp Room preserves the space’s original bones, albeit with a heavy dose of Southern charm. During the renovation process, the Benigers unearthed large hotel windows, to which they added Louisiana French shutters. They also preserved remnants of turn-of-the-century wallpaper, which has been integrated with the bar’s dusty green paint. Ornate fleur-de-lis gold-colored ceiling tiles complete the look and add a hint of polish to the otherwise fairly casual space.
The focal point of the Swamp Room is the bar itself, which features disco balls, gas lamps and a “Feeling Lucky?” neon sign. (The sign comes from the old lottery shop around the corner, which no longer exists.) The Benigers initially rented the Little Jewel space, while two other businesses—the aforementioned lottery shop and Gin Herb Co, a Chinese medicine and import market—occupied the rest of the Ord Street property. Over time, they took over the lease of the lotto shop, then the former market later on. In a surprise twist during the pandemic, the Benigers were able to purchase the entire building in 2021.
Their original vision for the bar predates the pandemic, which put their expansion plans on hold for several years. “In some ways, it’s not terrible how [the pandemic] happened, because at least we own the building now,” Christiana-Beniger says.
Bartenders working behind the bar will stir and shake up classic cocktails, including a Sazerac and a French 75. A soon-to-arrive slushie machine will serve Dodger blue daiquiris, plus an additional rotating flavor. The kitchen at Little Jewel next door will also be churning out the likes of charbroiled oysters, jambalaya fritters and crawfish macaroni and cheese—in other words, Cajun-inspired drinking fare.
There’s also slightly more exotic fare like alligator chili and deep-fried frog legs. Anything on the Little Jewel menu is fair game as well, including the sandwich shop’s standout oyster po’ boys and Christiana-Beniger’s weekly specials.
“It’s a little classy, it’s a little trashy, it’s comfortable. It’s a drinker’s bar, ultimately,” says Christiana-Beniger. “It’s a place to go and enjoy yourself. Conspicuously, even.”
The Evangeline Swamp Room will host its grand opening tomorrow on Friday, December 13, from 8 to 11pm. Initial hours of operation will be Wed, Thu 6–11pm; Fri, Sat 6pm–midnight; and Sun 6–11pm. Weekend jazz brunch is slated to start in mid-January.
