"Serving Prime Aged Beef Since 1934"

In 1923, at the age of 15, John Vojkovich left his village of Sucuraj on the island of Hvar for New Orleans. He hoped to go to school when he arrived in New Orleans, but his father told him they both needed to work to save enough money to bring his mother and sisters to America. So it was off to Placquemines Parish to join his fellow Croatians working on an oyster boat. He lasted two months.

 

As he said later, the mosquitoes were too much for him so he headed back to New Orleans, found a room in a boarding house in the French Quarter and went to work. He worked in a few different restaurants downtown moving from dishwasher to busboy to waiter and eventually managing a restaurant at the corner of North Rampart and St. Philip Street. The restaurant business had gotten into his blood.

 

In 1934, at the age of 26, he opened Crescent City Steak House at its present location, and we’ve been here ever since. He decided to keep the menu simple and only offer steaks, but not just any steak: only the best, USDA prime aged beef from Chicago.

 

His was the first steak house to bring prime beef to New Orleans. But more importantly, he was the originator of serving “steaks sizzling in butter” for which there have been many imitators and which has become the signature “New Orleans style” of cooking steaks.

John passed away in 1990, but the restaurant is still owned and managed by the Vojkovich family. Crescent City Steak House is New Orleans’ oldest family owned steakhouse and three and four generations of families have patronized this popular establishment.

 

Even though Hurricane Katrina caused us to close temporarily due to flooding, there was never a doubt that Crescent City would be back. We are proud to be a part of rebuilding New Orleans.