A Look Back at the First Deanie’s Seafood Location in Bucktown
A New Orleans institution for more than 55 years, Deanie’s Seafood Restaurant in Bucktown, 1713 Lake Ave., Metairie, is the original location of one of New Orleans’ favorite seafood enterprises. Family-owned and -operated, Deanie’s Seafood is an authentic “scratch house” — everything is made in-house using original recipes, local ingredients and Louisiana seafood from Deanie’s Seafood Market, which is adjacent to the Lake Avenue restaurant.
Deanie’s Seafood is synonymous with fresh local seafood and has a starring role in Bucktown’s history. Deanie’s Seafood is one of a hand full of restaurants that has a seafood market adjacent to their restaurant, offering customers the opportunity to purchase the same fresh, locally sourced seafood Deanie’s uses to create their authentic New Orleans cuisine. Opened in 1961, the market was the first seafood market in this quaint fishing village on the shores of Lake Pontchartrain and was one of the first markets to sell boiled seafood in New Orleans.
“Louisiana Seafood is such a big part of our culture and economy. We’re really proud to be able to contribute to continuing the tradition of great seafood, great friends and good times,” said Deanie’s Seafood proprietor Mrs. Barbara Chifici. 
For more than 100 years Bucktown has been a hub for the fishing and seafood community as many who live here make their living from fishing, crabbing or trapping. The restaurant and seafood market were the first in New Orleans to enroll in the Louisiana Department of Wildlife & Fisheries’ voluntary “Louisiana Wild” Seafood Certification program. The “Louisiana Wild” label certifies that the seafood served was landed and caught in local waters by Louisiana fishermen and processed in Louisiana.
If you’re looking for the ultimate New Orleans experience with a side of hot boiled crawfish, Deanie’s Seafood is the place to visit. Since opening its doors three generations ago, Deanie’s has built its name on preparing fresh Louisiana seafood with Deanie’s signature seasonings in a welcoming, neighborhood restaurant atmosphere. Known for large portions of fresh seafood meant to be shared, the restaurant is rated by locals as one of the best seafood restaurants in the city. Deanie’s is famous for its seafood platter, New Orleans barbeque shrimp, Crawfish Étouffée, Louisiana oysters, boiled crawfish, shrimp and blue crab, seafood gumbo, stuffed shrimp, po boys and much more. Deanie’s recipes have been showcased in Gourmet magazine and in cookbooks such as Chef John Folse’s “Hooks, Lies and Alibis” and Ann Benoit’s “New Orleans’ Best Seafood Restaurants.”
We’re proud to be a part of the community that has grown up around us. Over the years, Deanie’s has held a special place in our customers’ memories — a place to go to celebrate team wins, special occasions, dinner out with family, and even homecoming. We meet our neighbors at numerous fairs and fundraisers around Metairie. And this spring marks the 10th anniversary of our Pinch A Palooza Festival, scheduled for Sun., April 7 here in Bucktown, an annual crawfish festival celebrating Louisiana crawfish, music, and culture.
With a thriving seafood market, an {{cta(‘afe10c26-3f15-4fc6-a68c-689703f70d47’)}}, a catering business, as well as three successful restaurants in the New Orleans area–Deanie’s original location in Bucktown, a second location in the heart of the French Quarter, and our newest restaurant, Deanie’s Sea Food Kitchen on Magazine Street in the Garden District, there are plenty of ways to get a taste of Bucktown. With locations in every corner in the city, there’s no excuse to skip out!