The Warbler Hotel

The Warbler Hotel, a 58-room conversion of the former Trolly Stop Cafe on St. Charles Avenue, is set to open in late 2026 as real estate firm Verdad's first hospitality project, with a food and beverage program from New Orleans bar group CureCo.

The place

1923 St. Charles Avenue, at the corner of St. Andrew Street, on the streetcar line a short ride from the Garden District and the CBD.

The concept

Verdad Real Estate's first hospitality project, developed by principal Joe Mann: a six-storey, 42,000 sq ft conversion of the former Trolly Stop Cafe, which closed in 2021. Local architecture firm EskewDumezRipple and Los Angeles-based interior studio Jamie Bush & Co. are drawing on Streamline Moderne architecture and Jazz Age social-club aesthetics for the design. The property will be managed by Lark Hospitality.

Dining & wellness

Mildred's, a martini bar and restaurant, and Upstairs, a rooftop poolside lounge overlooking St. Charles Avenue's oak canopy, form the hotel's two dining venues. The food and beverage program is developed with New Orleans hospitality group CureCo (Neal Bodenheimer and Kirk Estopinal), with culinary collaboration from Andrew Zimmerman of Chicago's Michelin-starred Sepia.