Parkway Bakery and Tavern has been serving up the legendary poor boy sandwich and other local favorites for over 100 years. Since 1911, we’ve been a family run business with a reputation for high quality, delicious food, and real New Orleans hospitality. With plenty of seating and parking, plus a full bar, photo booth, and more, there’s something for everyone at Parkway.
We’re proud to symbolize home for many New Orleanians who’ve had to move away and continue to connect with their city through our food, laughter, and friendship. Whether you’re a local or a visitor, Parkway has a seat waiting for you.
Parkway Bakery and Tavern has been a neighborhood landmark since it opened in 1911. German baker Charles Goering, Sr. ran Parkway Bakery until 1922 when Henry Timothy, Sr. purchased it, with the intent of continuing to run it as the neighborhood bake shop. In 1929 he added the recently invented “Poor Boy” sandwich to feed the workers at the American Can Company. They operated twenty-four hours a day, so with the addition of the poor boy, so did Parkway.
You may have discovered Parkway through founder Jay Nix and General Manager and Head Chef Justin Kennedy’s many appearances on television, but they are just two of the incredible, hard working folks who are the heart and soul of everything we do at Parkway.
We’re poor boy experts, so it’s only natural that we share the fascinating history of the legendary sandwich. Back in 1929, Bennie and Clovis Martin’s hole-in-the-wall coffee stand became the birthplace of the poor boy–a hearty sandwich they invented for streetcar motormen who were on strike to improve labor conditions and wages. Bennie Martin said, “We fed those men free of charge until the strike ended. Whenever we saw one of the striking men coming, one of us would say, ‘Here comes another poor boy.'”
