HISTORY
Located just one block off Bourbon, 400 Dauphine has a history of being the spot “where there's always something goin' on”.

The building Déjà Vu Restaurant & Bar now calls home was constructed in the 1850's when the area from Canal Street to Toulouse was known as the red light district of New Orleans. With the booming population of sailors and tradesmen in the area, the working girls would at times find themselves with no indoor accommodations and would, at a discounted rate, toss a rug on the street and offer their services al fresco.


In 1885 it was an “notorious” opium den owned by a blind Chinese man and his brother, until they were chased out of 400 Dauphine and moved to the building next door. The yellow fever of the late 19th and early 20th centuries put more of a damper on the raucous behavior in the area than the authorities ever could, although the US Army and the federal government managed to end legal prostitution in 1917 during World War I. But, as Mayor Martin Behrman said at the time, "You can make it illegal, but you can't make it unpopular."

In more recent years, the building has been host to more than a dozen different nightclubs and bars, including Mary Jane's Night Club, The Sheriff's Den, Clyde's Bar & Luther Kent's Rising Sun Bar. In 1985 it was first opened as Déjà vu and ownership changed several times until, in 1999, the brothers Herman and Al Salzer bought their piece of French Quarter history.

The current “new” Déjà vu has managed to outlast any of it's predecessors, which can be attributed to the close supervision of Herman Salzer (d.10.06). With a fully stocked bar that produces one the best and most talked about Bloody Marys in town, Herman also insisted upon an extensive and constant menu that includes breakfast, burgers, po-boy's & steaks at the most affordable prices in the French Quarter. All served 24 hours a day, it's just natural that Déjà vu is a favorite and a staple for locals and visitors alike.