Chef Cory Bahr is an award-winning chef based in North Louisiana, known for his ingredients-first approach to cooking and currently oversees three restaurants.
Insights
ItalianBakerySeafoodLocal ModernSeafoodUpscaleDinnerFine DiningCocktail Bar
Last updated: 7/7/2026, 5:48:35 AM
Key Information
Parish Restaurant is a Louisiana restaurant in Monroe, focusing on fresh, seasonal, and local ingredients. Led by Chef Cory Bahr, it offers a modern and moody ambiance, providing a refined yet soulful dining experience.
Customer Perception
Customers consistently praise the exceptional service, friendly staff (with specific mentions of Mr. Greg and Mr. Luke), and inviting atmosphere. The food is often described as fantastic, delicious, thoughtful, and incredibly well-executed, with elevated Cajun flavors. While many consider the dishes Michelin-star worthy, some reviewers felt the food and drinks, particularly the bread, were underwhelming for the price. There's also a comparison to KOKO, another restaurant by the same chef, with one reviewer preferring KOKO.
Always second to none service, food, drinks, selection and we love the atmosphere!
We especially love Mr. Greg and make it a point to ask for him! Not only is he awesome at what he does, he makes you feel welcome and like family! Always kind and smiling and an awesome personality!
They also have a new waiter, Mr. Luke and we were so excited when we learned we were his first table! He did an exceptional job! Everyone there is ready to make your dining experience the best!
You can’t go wrong dining with Parish! ✨💛
What an amazing experience! We loved how all the staff worked together to ensure the customers never had to wait for anything and they were all so friendly and helpful. The food was absolutely fantastic/delicious. We are still talking about the appetizers, main course and dessert. We will be back soon and we will bring our friends.
I have been wanting to try this restaurant for a while and was finally in town to do so! The service was great, and everyone was so friendly. The food was the best! My favorite were the Brussels and Caesar salad. I could eat those every week! The bread was fun to try! Elk was new for me but it was a great suggestion! Wish I lived closer, thank you to the front and back of house teams for a wonderful meal!!
We are here for a friends birthday, and we haven’t been here in quite a while. It was okay. Service was great as expected, but the food and drinks definitely left you wanting more for the price you pay.
I had an old fashioned and it was mediocre. Expected something way better for the price. Wife had the house Pinot and it wasn’t the best either.
Everyone raved about the bread and we had to try it……reminded me of the rolls we got in the cafeteria as kids. Quite bland. Nothing to rave about.
Grilled Ceasar and deviled eggs were good.
Charred romaine was a new taste for me that I liked.
I had the 60 layer lasagna which was good, but I thought the sauce would have had more depth.
Wife had the bolognese pasta. Pasta was good, but the bolognese was just very underwhelming.
Overall a great experience. Just expected more out of the food for the price.
If you’re debating between here and KOKO across the street just go to Koko. Same chef that owns both places but KOKO is far better in my opinion.
This place is something special. The vibe is modern and moody without feeling stiff or overdone, and the food is on another level. Every dish we had was thoughtful, comforting, and incredibly well executed — elevated cajun flavors done right. Easily Michelin-star worthy.
You can tell there’s an award-winning chef behind the menu who really knows what they’re doing, but nothing feels pretentious. It’s refined without losing its soul.
And the staff? Truly the best in NELA. Professional, knowledgeable, and genuinely warm. They knew the menu inside and out and made the whole experience feel seamless.
One of those rare spots where everything just clicks. We’ll absolutely be back.
