The Caribbean Room opened in the historic Pontchartrain Hotel in New Orleans in 1948. An elaborately decorated and formal dining room, it first served classical French cuisine to the hotel’s wealthy guests.

After the restaurant changed to serving local Creole cuisine, it became a treasured destination for locals and tourists alike. For generations, New Orleanians celebrated special occasions there and ordered its signature dessert Mile High Pie.

The deep and contrasting colors of this menu, the graphics and the font are all hallmarks of the best of vintage menu design and we believe this is from the late 1950s.

The Pontchartrain Hotel opened in 1927 and its illustrious guests included the great American playwright and screenwriter Tennessee Williams who wrote part of A Streetcar Named Desire in his suite of hotel rooms.

 The story of a Southern Belle called Blanche DuBois, who left behind her privileged life to rent rooms in a gritty part of New Orleans, the play debuted in 1947 and secured William’s reputation as one of America’s greatest playwrights.

Approaching its centennial, The Pontchartrain Hotel remains one of New Orleans’ luxury hotels. The Caribbean Room closed in 1994. It was briefly brought back to life in 2016 but is now, as part of a multi-million revamp, called the Jack Rose and serves casual Creole cuisine.  

*Courtesy The Chapman S Root collection at the Culinary Institute of America’s Menu Collection.