Cosse's Place is slated to reopen after 'tragic' fire, but not where you might expect

When Cosse’s Place caught fire in May of 2023, Milton lost a beloved staple for New Orleans-style cooking. Nearly a year later, owner Mike Cosse is planning to reopen the restaurant this spring, just in a new location.

Come May, Cosse will bring the traditional recipes from the original Cosse’s Place to a new location inside the former Chet’s Seafood Restaurant in Pace at 3601 US 90. The new restaurant will be about a 20-minute drive from the original Cosse’s Place building, which was deemed a total loss after the fire.

“It was tragic,” Cosse said of the restaurant fire. “It was and still is. Lots of memories and lots of memorabilia and things close to my heart.”

Nearby Cosse's Corner Shack, which offers a much pared down menu of casual News Orleans fare, will remain open.

While it will be sad to leave behind all the memories that have been created since he opened the original restaurant in 2017, Cosse said he had no other choice. He knew he had to get the restaurant back open.

“Everywhere I go, they’re like, ‘when are you open?’ Believe me, I want to be open as bad as anybody,” Cosse said. “In this business, you either love it or you’re a fool to be in it. Especially nowadays with the cost of everything. It’s just one of my passions. I love entertaining, I love people. I love 'the big show,' so to speak. It’s just in me. Real Louisiana, real New Orleans, nobody’s a stranger but everybody’s a friend.”

A friend called him to let him know that the Chet’s building was available last fall, and shortly after walking inside, he knew it had a similar feeling to what he created at Cosse’s Place.

“It’s got that New Orleans feel to it, you know what I mean? Just like the other building up the street (Cosse’s Place),” Cosse said. “When I walked in and saw the décor that has been there for all these years, it really suits it. That maritime camp, fishing camp style, color schemes. Everything worked.”

You’ll much of the same style décor carried over, such as the New Orleans Saints and Louisiana State University memorabilia.

He is hopeful the restaurant will have a broader reach beyond his Milton regulars, to draw from the Pace community and Pensacola. He knows just how ready people are for the restaurant's return.

During a crawfish boil at Cosse’s Corner Shack on Wednesday, Cosse got a taste of the community’s support, including his “family” of employees from before the fire. In a few months, about 90% of them will be returning for the Pace location.

“It was awesome and humbling at the same time," Cosse said of seeing familiar faces at the boil. "Everybody was excited. It was a great day, all the way around…like I said, New Orleans warm feeling."

Aside from the exterior changes, there will be some menu changes as well, including the addition of steaks, pastas and charbroiled oysters Cosse is also working on obtaining a liquor license, expanding their drink menu beyond beer and wine.

While Cosse is focused on getting the Pace location open in May, he is not turning down the idea of other locations down the road.

“I have in the past looked at locations in Pensacola. I just never pulled the trigger on it. I'm not opposed to it, but I got to get this open,” Cosse said.

More real-time updates and information can be found on the Cosse's Place Facebook page.

Hungry for more? Stay up to date on the latest restaurant news by subscribing to our free Pensacola Eats newsletter, delivered to your inbox every Wednesday. Sign up for the newsletter at profile.pnj.com/newsletters/pensacola-eats/

This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Cosse's Place, Milton's New Orleans restaurant, reopening this spring