About Costera
Costera opened on 6 February 2019 at 4938 Prytania Street, on the corner of Robert Street in Uptown New Orleans, in the former La Thai space. It is the coastal-Spanish restaurant of chef Brian Burns and co-owner Reno De Ranieri, who set out to bring the seafood cooking of Spain's coast to a Gulf city that shares its love of shrimp, crab and oysters.
The food is built to share. Smaller plates run to gambas al ajillo with oregano, lemon and sherry; grilled Spanish octopus with charmoula and crispy lemon; beef-shank and potato bombas; and red snapper crudo with preserved citrus and pistachio. The showpiece is the seafood paella — shrimp, clams, squid and mussels, or a meat version with duck, ham and chorizo — built up in progressively larger pans by headcount, at around $26 a person.
The room is a 5,400-square-foot Uptown space set up for communal dining rather than a quiet date, and the paella runs as a seasonal centrepiece rather than a year-round fixture. Reservations are taken on Resy, and the bar pours a Spanish-leaning wine and sherry list.
The Room
Costera fills a large, casual Uptown corner room of about 5,400 square feet, set up for communal tables and shared platters. It is lively rather than hushed, with an open feel and a bar pouring Spanish wine and sherry — a room that suits a group passing plates more than a couple after a quiet corner.
Why It's Good for Team Dinner
It works for a team dinner because the whole menu is built to share: tapas down the middle of the table and a paella scaled to the size of the group, all in a room comfortable with noise and movement. The price stays reasonable for a group, and the format keeps everyone ordering and passing rather than locked into single plates.
Not For
Not for a quiet, formal date or a guaranteed paella night — the room is large and communal rather than intimate, it can get loud, and the paella is a seasonal centrepiece that is not always on. Anyone after a hushed white-tablecloth dinner should look to the Garden District's grander rooms instead.
Common Questions
Who is the chef at Costera? Costera is the work of chef Brian Burns and co-owner and restaurateur Reno De Ranieri, who opened it in February 2019. Burns runs the kitchen, cooking coastal Spanish food that leans on Gulf seafood, while De Ranieri handles the front of house and the Spanish-focused wine and sherry program.
What should I order at Costera? The seafood paella is the showpiece — shrimp, clams, squid and mussels built up in larger pans by group size, at around $26 a head — though it runs seasonally. Around it, order the gambas al ajillo, the grilled Spanish octopus with charmoula, the beef-shank bombas and the red snapper crudo. The menu is designed for the table to share.
How much does Costera cost? The seafood paella runs around $26 per person, with shared tapas plates priced individually below that, so a group meal stays reasonable for the quality. It is a mid-range Uptown restaurant rather than a special-occasion splurge — expect to build a bill from shared small plates plus a paella rather than from fixed multi-course menus.
Where is Costera and how do I book? Costera is at 4938 Prytania Street, on the corner of Robert Street in Uptown New Orleans, in the former La Thai space. It is a large, popular room, so reservations are recommended and are taken through Resy. If the paella is the reason you are going, call ahead to confirm it is on, as it runs seasonally.
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