Restaurants: New Orleans-themed Voodoo Bayou reopens after fire in Palm Beach Gardens

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It was the worst possible time for a fire emergency at a popular restaurant: a busy Saturday night. But that’s exactly when a fire broke out on the roof at Voodoo Bayou in Palm Beach Gardens, a Saturday night, Sept. 25, forcing the New Orleans-themed restaurant to close for nine days.

“We got very lucky that the damage was minimal. The hood exhaust system did a good job of containing the fire,” said owner Curtis Peery, who was able to reopen the restaurant for lunch service Tuesday after repairs and inspections were completed.

When the fire broke out, the restaurant staff ushered out the evening’s diners, he said.

“Our managers did a great job getting everyone out of the building,” said Peery, who also owns Calaveras Cantina in Jupiter and Boca Raton.

A Halloween bash and slogan

Although the fire was contained quickly, Voodoo Bayou had to have the roof repaired, a new fire suppression system installed and a new hood exhaust fan put in before fire safety inspections could be passed, said Perry, who credited Palm Beach Gardens Fire Rescue for its rapid response to the fire.

There was no smoke or fire-related damage to the restaurant’s interior, he said.

“It could have been a lot worse,” said Peery.

He’s already busy planning a special Halloween bash called the “Hard to Kill Halloween Party.”

“That’s our new slogan because we’re hard to kill,” Peery says with a laugh. “Neither COVID nor fires can stop us.” 

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Not all is good news at the plaza, however. Just across the open-air pathway from Voodoo Bayou, one fellow eatery has shut its doors permanently. The French bistro Le Bouchon, located by the plaza’s carousel, recently closed.

Voodoo Bayou

11701 Lake Victoria Gardens Ave., Suite 5095 (Downtown Palm Beach Gardens, near PGA Boulevard and I-95), Palm Beach Gardens, 561-888-6703, VoodooBayou.com