Anyone familiar with the stylish dining and nightlife scene in New Orleans is familiar with the name Billy Blatty. The longtime NOLA resident opened Ampersand, NOLA’s first true dance-music nightclub with style 25 years ago, bucking the trend of college bars and cheap dives. He has launched several other brands and businesses, including the iconic Barcadia, over the years, and currently operates four exceptional venues in the Crescent City, with more to come, while an upcoming merger with a blue-chip hospitality company based in Denver will soon see him wield national influence.
Blatty’s current NOLA venues include Sofia, a super-stylish Italian eatery; Mr. Oso, a fun Latin American concept focused on “tacos, ceviche and smoke”; Ohm Lounge, a sophisticated Asian-themed nightclub; and Nagomi, New Orleans’ first omakase-only sushi bar. All also feature killer cocktails. Next up are Bohemia, a Tulum-inspired “culinary park”; A5, a high-end Japanese steakhouse with a focus on Wagyu beef; and a yet-to-be-named rooftop day club, lounge and pool at the Crescent and Park Hotel, slated to open in the Bywater next year.
Bohemia and A5 will be the first openings under Blatty’s new merger, and are set to take New Orleans dining to a whole new level of sexy style. And Sofia and Bohemia will be the first to go national when the new merger gets underway, taking Blatty’s brand to a wider audience in a move that could eventually see his concepts developed worldwide.
An alumni of Tulane University, Blatty graduated Cum Laude with a degree in psychology and pre-med. He was also a member of Tulane’s Division I undefeated football team in 1998. He still enjoys a challenge and has climbed Denali, the third highest mountain of the world’s Seven Summits, in Alaska.
Blatty has also raced in some major car rallies, and in 2013 and 2014, he won the famed Bullrun Rally and placed second in the same event in 2012, making him the event’s all-time top champion.
