Recommending the Metairie restaurant Dr. Jones (1325 Veterans Blvd.) often comes with a bit of explanation. Yes, it looks like a diner in a tiny storefront that can only accommodate a handful of people at a time. There are few amenities, less parking and no liquor license.
But a combination of culinary technique and creativity from its two chefs has won it a following. It ranked as one of the top new restaurants to debut in the New Orleans area last year and made NOLA.com’s list of the 30 best restaurants for locals last year.
Dr. Jones is a shoe box-sized restaurant with the feel of a diner between its counter and open kitchen.
Staff photo by Ian McNulty
Now Dr. Jones’ chefs are developing a new restaurant in Uptown New Orleans that will be much larger and, they hope, will offer a dining experience more aligned with the caliber of food they’re creating.
Chefs David Rouse and Billy Jones will open their new restaurant at 4842 Tchoupitoulas St., likely in early November. The location that was previously the sandwich spot Wonderland & Sea.
The name for the new restaurant is still in the works; it could still be Dr. Jones or take on a new name, the chefs said.
The move will mean the end of the original Dr. Jones, which will likely close sometime in October, a few weeks before the chefs open the new spot.
What’s to come
It will be an upscale neighborhood bistro, the chefs said, serving the type of food that has made Dr. Jones’ name in Metairie.
“The experience will match the food we’re trying to serve,” said Rouse.
Fried oysters are topped with fresh herbs and fermented yuzu kosho at Dr. Jones restaurant in Metairie. (Staff photo by Ian McNulty, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune)
That food has defied neat categorization, but has been consistently thrilling, with a basis of French technique and flavors augmented with global, often Asian influences.
Fried oysters with bright, citrusy yuzu kosho and fresh herbs, supple tagliatelle tangled around crabmeat with chili beurre blanc and chicken a la plancha with aioli and charred peppers are a few representative dishes, along with tapioca fritters suffused with Camembert.
Dr. Jones is a shoe box-sized restaurant with the feel of a diner between its counter and open kitchen.
Staff photo by Ian McNulty
It has drawn elbow-to-elbow attendance at the shoebox of a restaurant, which has about two dozen seats between tables and a small dining counter looking into the open kitchen.
At the new restaurant, with about four times the seating, they’ll be able to expand their menu and their repertoire, and offer wine and cocktails.
“We love being here and love our clientele, but some of the things we want for our restaurant just aren’t possible in the space,” Jones said.
The new restaurant’s design is intended to be refined but not formal. There will be a long bar extending from the kitchen, including a chef’s counter, and a main dining room of banquet seating and tables, while a covered patio will offer outdoor dining.
Billy Jones (left) and David Rouse opened Dr. Jones.
Photo by Ian McNulty / The Times-Picayune
Rouse and Jones are both northshore natives who have long worked in each other’s orbits. That included time in Chicago, cooking in that city’s Michelin star restaurant realm. Back in New Orleans, they would each eventually hold chef de cuisine posts leading kitchens for the Link Restaurant Group — Rouse at Herbsaint and Jones at Cochon. Jones later left to co-found Blue Giant, the American Chinese restaurant that has since closed.
The two started working together again with a catering business, and opened Dr. Jones early in 2025.
Grilled chicken is served with garlic cloves, sweet peppers and aioli at Dr. Jones restaurant in Metairie.
Staff photo by Ian McNulty
The location has been an incubator for bigger moves before. It was previously the first location of Yakuza House (2740 Severn Ave.) before that sushi standout also moved on to much bigger digs nearby.
The new restaurant will begin with dinner service, and perhaps add lunch later.
In the meantime, Dr. Jones remains open in Metairie, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tue.-Fri. and 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Saturdays. It is BYOB.
Dining and Cooking