Hyatt Regency New Orleans is set to reopen on October 19, and with it will come a revitalization of the city's downtown dining scene. Check out some of the great culinary experiences that Hyatt Regency New Orleans will bring to NOLA:

8 Block Kitchen & Bar

One of the newest restaurants on the block will be 8 Block Kitchen & Bar, led by executive chef Eric Damidot (check out his photo below), a Caesar's Palace Hotel & Casino alum with 25 years of global experience. The restaurant, whose name pays homage to the eight blocks that comprise Upper Bourbon Street in the French Quarter, seats 360 people and will offer breakfast and lunch menus that feature locally, seasonally inspired dishes that fuse traditional New Orleans style with international flair.  

Vitascope Hall

Open 18 hours a day, the restaurant's 70-seat bar, Vitascope Hall, offers a carefully curated cocktail menu and gourmet bites served in a sidewalk café inspired environment. Named after the world's first for-profit movie theater built in New Orleans in 1896, Vitascope Hall will feature a state-of-the-art entertainment system outfitted with 25 flat-screen televisions and an interactive iPhone and Android application that will allow guests to influence the bar's music scene as digital guest DJs. The bar will had a wide selection of Louisiana craft beers and will offer signature dishes, including the Vitascope Hall Burger, a custom ground eight ounce potato chip crust burger served with brie cheese and carmelized onions, as well as a raw bar with a seasonal selection of locally sourced Louisiana seafood.

Guest Market

For quick meals and coffee on the run, the hotel will include a 60-seat Starbucks Café and Lagniappe Exchange, a 24-hour, locally-sourced fresh market and convenience store that stocks fruit, breakfast pastries and sandwiches, as well as a gumbo of the day, salads, hot and cold sandwiches, sushi and desserts, all prepared daily and ideal to keep on hand in the guestroom refrigerators.

Whole Hog Café

Devoted to the pursuit of barbeque perfection, Whole Hog Café employs top-secret cooking techniques to deliver award-winning dishes, including succulent pulled pork, tender beef brisket, smoked chicken and finger-licking BBQ ribs. Whole Hog Café sandwiches are available at Lagniappe Exchange and 8 Block Kitchen & Bar. 

Borgne

Rounding out the hotel's culinary offerings is Borgne, the latest restaurant from James Beard award-winning New Orleans chef John Besh.  Slated to make its debut this winter, Borgne will feature casual, coastal Louisiana seafood with a touch of Spanish influence, upholding Besh's passion for utilizing local ingredients while incorporating the global flavors for which New Orleans is known. Brian Landry, the longtime New Orleans native chef of Galatoire's and most recently the consulting chef for Louisiana Seafood, will be the chef de cuisine.

We don't know about you, but we can't wait for Hyatt Regency New Orleans to reopen so we can take our tastebuds on a New Orleans adventure!