This former 1940s Harlem barbershop will now serve traditional Creole recipes

What once was a 1940s barbershop has just opened as Lavitta’s Creole located in Harlem. Instead of stools, there are now dining tables, and instead of trimmers, there are now forks and knives to dig into traditional Louisiana Creole food with creative gourmet twists.

Executive Chef and Owner Jimmy Thomas’ says he is paying homage to his mother, Lavitta—which practically means “ambition,” “beauty” and “inspiration,” he says—and his family’s own Creole recipes and hopes to contribute to the rich cultural environment that is Harlem. The neighborhood has always been a social and cultural hub, with jazz, comedy, and theater deeply ingrained in the social fabric of the community. But Thomas also noticed a void: the lack of a restaurant that represents truly authentic New Orleans Creole cooking. 

That’s when he decided to create Lavitta’s. Transforming the barbershop-turned-salon, into an intimate, homey restaurant, Thomas promises to deliver recipes rooted in a respect for his family’s culinary heritage and a commitment to extraordinary dining experiences. Behind this respect lies inspiration from his mother and grandfather—both restaurateurs and chefs who trained him both how to cook and how to love the process. Thomas took these skills to the Michelin-starred restaurant BlackBird and Otom in Chicago, and to Paris, where he dove into the food scene, and then to New Orleans, where he studied and mastered the art of Creole cuisine. He’s been featured on Food Network’s Supermarket Stakeout and has displayed his catering talents at esteemed events across the Tri-State area. 

Stand-out menu items at Lavitta’s include the Puffed Bowl, featuring a Creole aioli, grits with an eight-hour lamb red-eye gravy, wild shrimp po boys and blueberry pancakes. He also serves crawfish cakes, a wild shrimp avocado bowl and a mango cheesecake parfait. There are plenty of drinks to pair with your meal, including Interboro Spirits & Ales Bushburg and Pilsner, as well as steep wine, beer and spirits lists. 

With just 32 seats in the restaurant and sprinkled antique decorations that pay homage to the barbershop roots, Lavitta’s may just be the new Harlem hotspot.