A slice of New Orleans nightlife has quietly slipped into Pittsburgh’s Strip District, and you will not see it from the sidewalk.
Richard DeShantz Restaurant Group has opened Vieux Carré, a New Orleans-inspired speakeasy tucked inside Sea Monkey on Smallman Street. The intimate cocktail room hides behind an unmarked door and caters to late-night crowds, operating Thursday through Saturday evenings with service starting at 7 p.m. The concept pairs classic Crescent City cocktails with theatrical originals and a late-night food menu that leans luxe deliberately.
According to TribLIVE, guests enter Vieux Carré through that discreet interior doorway at Sea Monkey, then settle into an immersive, small-scale space built around an extensive bar program.
Sea Monkey itself opened on New Year’s Eve at 2305 Smallman Street, serving as the Strip District launchpad for the new speakeasy beside Coop de Ville, per Pittsburgh Magazine.
Where To Find The Hidden Bar
From the street, all you see is Sea Monkey’s unmarked entrance on Smallman. Behind it sits the main lounge, and beyond that the concealed doorway that leads to Vieux Carré. The Richard DeShantz Restaurant Group counts both Sea Monkey and Coop de Ville among its Strip District venues, creating a tight cluster of concepts within a short walk.
Local coverage has described Sea Monkey as an elevated lounge that helps anchor the block for late-night visitors, according to Pittsburgh City Paper, and Vieux Carré effectively serves as its more secretive counterpart.
Drinks And Late Night Bites
The bar leans straight into its New Orleans inspiration. Guests will find classics such as the vieux carré, sazerac, hurricane and St. Charles Punch, alongside original cocktails designed with a bit of showmanship. One of those, a bananas foster blue blazer, arrives with a fire-forward presentation behind the bar, per TribLIVE.
The food menu sticks to the late-night brief but does not shy away from luxury. A signature smash burger built with wagyu, truffled cheese, and a caviar sauce shares space with a tongue-in-cheek “happy meal” that combines ramen chicken nuggets with fries topped with caviar. The release names Brian Maxwell as the creative beverage director in charge of the bar program, according to TribLIVE.
What This Adds To The Strip District
Vieux Carré gives Sea Monkey a private, after-hours style counterpart and extends the DeShantz group’s footprint along Smallman Street. Roundups of upcoming openings describe Sea Monkey and its hidden speakeasy as part of a broader wave of new dining and nightlife projects reshaping the corridor, per Pittsburgh Magazine.
Reservations and experience bookings for Vieux Carré are handled through Sea Monkey’s OpenTable listing, which outlines hours, seatings, and booking options for the space. For event inquiries, the DeShantz group’s site lists both Sea Monkey and Coop de Ville as available venues.
