You Can Pay To Dine With A Ghost At Muriel's In New Orleans
New Orleans gets a reputation for being a mecca for foodies and ghost hunters alike, a city known for its distinctly unique culinary culture alongside its deeply haunted history. Considering Nola's relationship with both the delicious and the deceased, it comes as no surprise that there's a fine dining restaurant there where you can enjoy dinner with one of the many ghosts that reportedly inhabit the cobbled streets and alleys of the French Quarter.
Muriel's Jackson Square still reserves a table for the building's previous owner, a one Pierre Antoine Lepardi Jourdan, who bought the property over 200 years ago. Jourdan took advantage of the lower real estate rates due to the fire that raged through New Orleans in 1788 and purchased the property from the aristocrat Pierre Phillipe de Marigny, remodeling the house and turning the burnt-out dwelling into a spectacularly ornate mansion. However, he lost the deed in a poker bet and, rather than leave his home, committed suicide there. Some, like the owners of Muriel's, say he remains there to this very day, walking between the walls of what is dubbed The Séance Lounge. It is here where diners can enjoy hors d'oeuvres with Jourdan himself.
Creepy cocktails and ghostly grits
Although hauntings may sound like a tourist deterrent, the opposite is true about New Orleans. The Big Easy has made ghost tours, scary stories, and practitioners of Voudou and vampirism as part of its appeal. Of course, the Creole cooking is a big draw, too, but you can conveniently cross two points off your travel itinerary at Muriel's and order seafood gumbo, shrimp and grits, and andouille-crusted redfish right next to the spirit of Jourdan.
@ghoulplease_ Orb was a paid actor. For only $50, you can make a reservation to have dinner with a ghost at Muriel's Jackson Square in New Orleans... Who are you bringing?? 👻 murielsjacksonsquare murielsghosttable muriels ghosttable dinnerwithaghost hauntedneworleans hauntednola neworleans nola hauntedrestaurant hauntedtravels hauntedrestaurants hauntedtravel spookytravel spookydining spookytravels darktourism
♬ Gregorian chant-style majestic chorus BGM(1081842) – Aki
Although there's a table set for Jourdan with bread and wine in the dining area, patrons will have to reserve a spot at the restaurant's Séance Lounge upstairs for the spookiest experience. This is where the most supernatural activity occurs, and where people have reportedly seen a glowing orb of light and mysterious shadows and heard knocks on the wall and disembodied voices. You can also order cocktails and hors d'ouevres, complementing the drinks with a few spirits of another sort.
Jourdan and friends
Jourdan isn't the only ghost that roams the rooms of Muriel's. Guests have heard the voice of a mysterious woman, an unknown entity considering that Jourdan was a man. Over at the bar, there have also been reports of glasses flying across the room and shattering against the wall. Whether this is an act of anger, grief, or plain old mischief is up to interpretation, but considering that the property's origins date back all the way back to the founding of New Orleans in 1718, there's a whole host of possible hauntings.
Muriel's wants its patrons to know that despite this activity, none of the ghosts are malevolent. The owners stated that in all its years of operations, no one has ever felt threatened by an evil entity. On the contrary, diners have said that they feel safe and warm with no creeping chills, perhaps because Jourdan and his comrades from beyond the grave may merely be pleased that people are still celebrating with them in revelry. So why not join these spirits of the past for a drink and a meal?