Chef Jeff Harris will reopen Jimmie Lou's, his New Orleans restaurant born at the Oakley Food Hall, on Tuesday, Nov. 3 in Pendleton.
The restaurant takes over the former Razzo space at 1201 Broadway St. and will serve jambalaya, po'boys, beignets, gumbo and etouffee, CityBeat reported. Harris plans to source fish from the Gulf of Mexico in Louisiana and add new dishes like roasted oysters and Louisiana-style fried chicken alongside the original menu staples.
Harris, a New Orleans native, originally opened Jimmie Lou's in June 2021 as a stall inside the Oakley Food Hall. It was his first solo restaurant venture.
CityBeat called the original location "one of the first restaurants in Cincinnati to truly nail authentic Cajun and Creole cuisine," and it built a loyal following among Hyde Park and Oakley diners before the food hall's collapse forced it to close. The exact closure date is unclear. CityBeat's reporting states the restaurant closed shortly after Harris opened his fine-dining restaurant Nolia in Over-the-Rhine in April 2022. Cincinnati Magazine, in an August 2026 item, placed the closure in 2024.
"People would always tell me, 'Hey, man, we love what you've got going at Nolia, but I miss going to Jimmie Lou's and getting a po'boy,'" Harris told CityBeat. He said he considered reviving the concept several times but nothing worked out until he and his wife walked into the Pendleton space and decided it was the right fit.
The restaurant is named for Harris's great-grandmother, Jimmie Lou Green, who sparked his love of cooking when he was four years old. Her influence also shows up at Nolia, where green is the primary accent color in her honor and a framed photo of her sits in the bar window, according to CityBeat's July reporting.
Harris is among Cincinnati's most decorated chefs, according to CityBeat. Nolia was a James Beard finalist for Best New Restaurant in 2023. Esquire Magazine named it one of America's 50 best new restaurants in 2023. Harris received a Beard nomination for Best Chef: Great Lakes in 2025 and was a finalist for the same award in 2026.
The new Jimmie Lou's will be more casual than Nolia, with a neighborhood focus. Harris told CityBeat in July that he is in talks to collaborate with nearby Pendleton businesses including Hart and Cru, Lucius Q, Urbana Cafe, Cantina and Pendleton Parlor. Inside, fleur-de-lis iconography lines the windows and the playlist features Harris's favorite New Orleans artists.
CityBeat reported in September that Harris planned a soft-opening pop-up on the patio for Sept. 20, previewing dishes including a shrimp po'boy, red beans and rice, bread pudding and the "pig mac," a mac and cheese with andouille and Harris's special sauce.
The restaurant opens at 1201 Broadway St. in Pendleton.
