The 43 Best Restaurants In New Orleans For Every Price Point

Sure, you come for the po-boys, stacked with fried shrimp or dripping in beef gravy, consumed curbside or in a rundown corner store. You come for the gumbo, be it a fast bowl at a favorite like Napoleon House, or something to linger longer over, like Commander’s Palace at dinner. Coming to New Orleans strictly to eat is nothing new—be it fried chicken or fried oysters, a 1am snack after a midnight Jazz show, or a hot dog from a cart on a sunny Sunday (hey, we would not judge you for a Lucky Dog). You are not inventing the wheel to laude a beurre blanc sauce or revel in a remoulade in the Big Easy.

Yet, so much is new over the last half decade. Commander’s Palace named Meg Bickford as executive chef in 2020. She is first woman to run the place in more than 120 years. Tasting menus are trending tremendously, from three courses to a lofty 10-plate experience at one Saint Claude Avenue establishment. Furthermore, the world has arrived at tables, from Amalfi to Senegal, Thailand to Oaxaca, and the dishes are educational. Accolades have been plentiful in the last two years, as well, from James Beard nominations to Food & Wine naming several Best New Chefs. 

This port city is shining hotter than ever for dining, and as a local food writer, ranking where to eat numerically is a near impossible task. Here's my guide to the best of the best, in every price point and in every neighborhood, in alphabetical order.

$ (Entrees < $10)

Ayu Bakehouse

On the corner of Washington Square Park, this Marigny bakery’s interiors are calming and chic. The design by local firm Farouki Farouki combines a curving stone counter, mix of terracotta hues, and gleaming pastry cases. This is the domain of Kelly Jacques and Samantha Weiss, who between them have worked with Emeril and New York culinary luminary, Michael White. Their hard-earned pedigrees result in inventive creations, like the Boudin Boy. It starts with Louisiana’s famous Best Stop Boudin, paired with boiled egg and encased in croissant dough. Like a sausage roll on steroids, it is their bestseller, seconded by items like buttery, brioche egg sandwiches, and seasonal Louisiana strawberry Danish.

“We feel like the Boudin Boy really captures what we're trying to do with Ayu; to highlight the local flavors and ingredients that we love,” says Kelly Jacques.

Bub’s Nola

What’s better than a smash burger? Bub’s does them real justice, with thin, double all-beef patties packaged between soft, steamed, brioche buns. Their classic comes with vinegary, house-made bread and butter pickles, melting American cheese, and the secret sauce. The menu includes a great, plant-based patty for your vegetarian cohorts and some of the best onion rings in the South. 

Camellia Grill

A grand, white house on St. Charles Avenue sits aging beneath stately oaks. Their signature pink neon decorates the scattering of iron, outdoor tables, but for a first visit, opt to sit at the counter. This is one of America’s last, great, authentic diners, open since 1946. Line cooks call out orders, from patty melts to milkshakes. The pecan pie, which is warmed atop the griddle, is best with vanilla ice cream. The place gets lively, particularly on weekend mornings, as church-goers swap hellos across the ripped, green barstools and waiters greet regulars they’ve known for decades. If there is a line, it’s worth the wait.

Croissant d’Or Patisserie

French Quarter residents count this bakery as a second living room on the weekends. Angelo Brocato’s name is spelled out in tiles at the threshold, a nod to the building’s former tenant, who manned a famous ice cream parlor during in the 1920s. In 1983, it was purchased and reopened as this French patisserie. The space retains a 1920s, European feel, via subway tile walls, stained glass art, arched ceilings, decorative moldings, and a quaint courtyard. Sit for a Ratatouille Omelet, with roasted eggplant, zucchini, tomatoes, peppers, and onion, covered in grated Parmesan cheese, or grab-and-go fresh ham and cheese or almond croissants.

Domilise’s Po-Boys

Old wood walls, a blue neon beer sign, weathered barstools and humming beer coolers—vibe here is delightfully haphazard. And, has been since 1918. The longevity of this sainted institution is due to the jaw-stretching, classic po-boys. To say it’s beloved is a garish understatement. When Domilise’s reopened in the wake of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the line of emotional regulars stretched several blocks.

Frady’s One Stop

Some of the city’s best meals can be found at corner stores. These iconic buildings, named for the doorway placed at the corner of two streets, began (and remain) as small markets. Many date to the 1850s. They serve an amalgamation of needs, from lightbulbs, Clorox and cat food, to fresh, fast, affordable meals. 

Frady’s is a must-visit, open since 1972. Kirk Frady is often behind the counter inside this canary-yellow building in the Bywater, serving up debris-style roast beef po-boys, deviled eggs, and fried catfish plates on Fridays. “We started that in the 1970s,” he says, “when the Catholics couldn’t eat meat. The Bywater back then was a real working-class neighborhood.” 

Galaxie Tacos

Architect Walter Dorwin Teague was a godfather of the Art Deco, streamlined style, and he created rest stops immediately recognizable. 

“I first looked at the space years ago, when I used to get brake pads there,” laughs Galaxie owner and developer Patrick Finney, who saw charm in the Teague-designed former gas station. “The building was really, really ugly. It had been bricked over in the ‘70s with this sort of faux roof.”

Finney and his team restored it to Route 66 style, keeping moments like a Texaco star and the big bay rolling doors, adding dark purple paint and plenty of al fresco seating. Galaxie opened in 2019, with mouth-watering, authentic Mexican tacos and sides, plus craft cocktails featuring artisan tequilas and mezcals. Oaxacan-born Pablo Reyes joined in March of 2023, as a new chef and partner, and his menu stays true to the original mission of great Mexican street eats. 

Le’s Baguette

In a small, nondescript cottage Uptown, Le’s Baguette puts out some of the city’s best Vietnamese food, using not much more than a hot plate. Big bowls of pho feature sliced flank and tender meatballs, fresh basil and onion, in fragrant, anise-infused broth. The bao buns are a great starter, packed with your choice of protein, be it fiery shrimp or five-spice, sugary Chinese pork. 

Val’s 

Val’s, like Galaxie, is another example of a great restaurant group saving a defunct, corner gas station, turning it into Mid-Century magic. Located Uptown on bustling Freret, it’s invitingly colorful—from bright-green AstroTurf to pale-pink chairs. Val’s offers indoor and outdoor seating, and the culinary stylings of chef and partner, Alfredo Nogueria (also behind neighboring cocktail bar Cure, and Cane & Table in the French Quarter). Haute/hot salsas, seasonal ceviche, pickled vegetables, and pit beans all make the menu, playing supporting roles for excellent tacos, like his Fried Fish, with chipotle mayo, cabbage, and pickled red onions.

$$ (Entrees $10 to $18)

Budsi Thai 

Budsi holds no punches, plating Bangkok’s traditional dishes, with flavors equal to what you’d find in Thailand. Furthermore, huge portions come at enticing price points. The scene is usually bustling, where you line to order at a counter. Find a table or a bar seat (ideal for access to fresh twists on Southern craft classic cocktails), or venture outside to the sidewalk seating.

The entrees are great for sharing, like the grilled pork shoulder, with tender bits of char and fat, served with their specialty Jaew sauce, made from  garlic, soy, chilies, and herbs. The Green Curry is spicy-but-herbaceous, as basil and cilantro mingle with chilies, coconut, and lightly sour citrus.

Café Reconcile 

Café Reconcile is one of the best soul food lunches in the city, and it’s also a philanthropy. This workforce development initiative has seen more than 2,000 young men and women graduate from the program, with skills in the sectors of hospitality and culinary.

Reconcile was founded in 1996, by a group of caring community members, who sought a safe space for school children and their families to New Orleans’ historic Central City neighborhood. The men worked hard to understand the needs of the neighborhood, and using funds from generous donors, they purchased a blighted, historic, five-story building at the corner of Oretha Castle Haley Blvd and Euterpe. This still serves as the center of Café Reconcile’s operations and is a cornerstone for the broader rehabilitation of the neighborhood.

Dian Xin 

The tiny dim sum hotspot on Decatur Street in the French Quarter was so popular, the owners opened a second French Quarter location in 2022. Either one is a fine place to grab a chair, and watch the delicious action, as soup dumplings are carried from the tiny kitchen, giving off puffs of fragrant steam from bamboo baskets. Filled with garlicky ground pork, they are an explosion of flavor. It’s hard to forgo ordering some for your own table, and they marry well with a basket of the snackable popcorn chicken, sprinkled with fried basil and special seasonings. The Shrimp Hargow here are pillowy, with a nuanced flavor of seafood, brought out by dashing them in chili sauce, vinegar, and soy. 

The Green Room 

A fervently loved, local hangout for drinks and excellent nosh, The Green Room was opened by chef and owner Matt “the Hat” Ribachonek. Ribachonek makes his ancestors proud in working-class, Eastern European renditions, from house-made borscht to kielbasa, blinis aside a great list of imported beers. The momemade potato and cheese pierogis are a recipe from his grandmother, absolutely addictive and topped with fried onions and sour cream. Furthermore, this is the only restaurant serving them in New Orleans

The Joint BBQ 

Deep in the Bywater, across from a small park, sits a ramshackle wooden building, decorated in tattered flags and fading, yellow stripes of paint. A smoker sends out heavenly plumes, alerting you to the prowess of the brisket and the burnt ends before you even get enter the doors. Inside, the mood is convivial, as patrons swap gossip from deep booths or swiveling barstools. A big, icy cup of sweet tea, gooey macaroni, vinegary slaw, and a half-rack of St. Louis-styled ribs—that’s heaven on a platter.

La Boulangerie 

Open, airy, with a lovely, French bakery feel, from stone floors to woven chairs to the L-shaped bakery case counter, Boulangerie is ideal for breakfast or lunch; or, catching up with friends in the anterior, sunny courtyard space, after a day of shopping on Magazine Street. Chef Maggie Scales and her team craft artisan sourdough loaves, bagels and croissants, as well as fresh quiche and gooey cookies. La Boulangerie also offers seasonal items, from local fruit Danishes to acclaimed king cakes.

MoPho 

Slightly southwest of City Park, you’ll find MoPho—a temple to fusion, with a colorful but industrial design aesthetic. Chef and owner Mike Gulotta and his team take bold, Southeast Asian flavors like Makrut lime, Thai chilies, and galangal, and weave them into Louisiana proteins, from seasonal crawfish to farm-raised heritage pork. Go early before the crowds arrive, and score a back patio table, beneath an umbrella. You’ll want some shade, because your mouth is about to sweat it out, in the best way. 

Napoleon House 

Sometimes, places are touristy with good reason. Napoleon House is one such moment, and while a lot of the tall tales about the building’s history are just that, there is real history here easily witnessed, from the peeling walls to the haunted rooms above the shady, small courtyard. 

The bartenders often sport mutton chops or handlebar mustaches, suspenders, and crisp white shirts. They look central casting to the two main rooms, where much of the art was gifted to cover outstanding bar tabs. The oldest part of the building at 500 rue Chartres was built by Claude Francois Girod in 1797. The portion used now for the restaurant was finished by his brother—then Mayor Girod—in 1814. 

Big stories and even bigger sandwiches, you come to Napoleon House for that history, but also the Muffuletta. It’s the size of a frisbee, and between crunchy slices of sesame bread is a towering pile of ham and salami, olive spread, and provolone. 

Parkway Tavern 

The bread is key for any good po-boy and Parkway uses Leidenheimer’s—a historic bakery servicing hundreds of restaurant clients in town with fresh-daily baguettes with soft, yeasty centers and crunchy, toasted exteriors. There’s so much history in this seemingly simple hoagie-style sandwich, and to eat at Parkway Tavern—amongst the floor-to-ceiling vintage memorabilia or out back at the long, communal plastic tables—is to experience a great slice of it. 

Po-boys got their start in 1929, when the Martin Brothers—Bennie and Clovis—got the grand idea to feed striking railway employees. Thousands were in picket lines, and the Martin’s offered up a working-man’s lunch—a little roast beef, a lot of gravy, and a few fried potatoes, sandwiched in French bread. The call of “here comes another poor boy,” resulted in the name. Parkway Tavern had been open for 18 years by 1928, but they saw a solid food trend emerging and added the sandwiches to their own menu that very year.

Turkey & the Wolf 

Mason Hereford and his team quickly garnered national acclaim opening this inventive, over-the-top sandwich shop in 2016. You'll understand the attention once you join the fast-moving line to order at the counter, find a picnic table outside, and adjust your jaw for the undertaking of the monstrous creations. One of the most lauded is their Fried Bologna sandwich, which rewrites the story of the oft-lamented ‘80s lunch meat. It’s thick, griddled pieces of artisan bologna, with hot mustard and shredded lettuce. Crunch comes from a topping of potato chips, all between grilled white bread. 

$$$ (Entrees $20 to $40)

Brigtsen’s 

You want great gumbo? The warmth of fine dining in a casually comforting setting? A place tenured for Barbecue Shrimp and Shrimp Remoulade? Make reservations here. 

“We might change things two or three times per week, but certain things never come off the menu,” says Frank Brigtsen, who got his first lessons under Paul Prudhomme at Commander’s Palace back in 1973, spending more than a decade studying Cajun, Creole, and Southern cuisines, before opening his namesake in the mid 1980s. “Our Broiled Fish with Crab Crust and a lemon crab sauce has been on for 35 years. I’d be in trouble if I ever even suggested taking that off.”

Couvant

Located in The Eliza Jane hotel on Magazine Street, Couvant's menu is a modern take on a French bistro with a little bit of Louisiana woven in. Chef Ryan Pearson serves classics like Beef Bourguignon and Moules Marinière, as well as dishes like Gulf Fish Chaudree with snapper, Grande Island shrimp, carrots, and a creamy shellfish broth. Open breakfast through dinner, it's a fun spot for happy hour with fancy snacks like beef fat fries and Gruyere gougeres, oyster specials, and a menu of spritzes.

Crescent City Steaks

On a given night inside this 1934 steakhouse, you might find a Tulane students on a first date, a family celebrating a 40th birthday, and a group of lawyers discussing a case quietly in a corner. Perhaps it’s the history of the room, which bears marks of age, from scratched wood to the private booths with their petite curtains. Perhaps, it’s the icy, enormous Martinis, with queen olives skewered on the rim. And, perhaps, it’s the steaks, which, while not the fanciest in town, are salty, expertly cooked to preferred temperature and arrive sizzling in a pool of compound butter. It’s tough to say what makes this joint so special, but it’s surely all of it and more.

Dooky Chase 

The late Leah Chase—chef and co-owner behind Dooky Chase—remains the undisputed Queen of Creole Cuisine and a much-missed, beloved culinary icon across America. When she passed in 2019 at the age of 96, The New York Times recounted her passion and her grit, citing her role in feeding the Freedom Riders during the turbulence of the Civil Rights movement and also mentioning her warm sense of humor. She once admonished President Obama for splashing hot sauce in her gumbo. 

Her work in food not only brought dishes like Shrimp Clemenceau and Creole Gumbo to the lexicon of American dining, but it also brought people together in the fight for equality. To dine here is to dine in a historic space, which continues to be an anchor for culture in the city.

Elysian Bar

The on-property restaurant/bar at Hotel Peter & Paul is one of top places to dine and drink in New Orleans, featuring multiple spaces to enjoy an all-day menu of beautiful Southern-inspired seasonal small plates. Roasted Gulf Shrimp with pineapple and Calabrian chili puree or Beet Salad with cashew cream are enjoyed aside awarded craft cocktails. You can dine al fresco in the enclosed courtyard, in The Parlour, with its heavy, saffron velvet curtains and roaring fireplaces, or in the bar, where lacquered millwork walls and a hand-painted bar impress the design savvy. Weekend brunch is served in the sanctuary, as Hotel Peter & Paul is housed in a restored church.

Lilette 

This corner building in the Garden District was first an apothecary, then a laundromat. Sammie Davis Jr., as the story goes, washed his clothes inside, back when he was a traveling vacuum cleaner salesman. Today, it’s Lilette, an adored, upscale dining institution since 2000. There’s a divine Steak frites with marrowed bordelaise and a duck confit salad landaise, expertly paired with a long list of wine labels from Europe. If you want to splash out on a rare bottle, this is the place, be it a Domaine Dujac Vosne Romanee Premier Cru 2020 or a Chateau Rayas Chateauneuf de Pape 2010 Reserve.

MaMou 

This 2022 newcomer to North Rampart Street reimagines what New Orleans’ dining scene would look like, had France kept the city as a colony. The Gulf Fish ‘Court Bouillon’ has oyster dressing and rouille and the Braised Celery Hearts are a perfect share option, with Smoked Beef Tongue on top. Executive chef Tom Branighan named the colorful, one-room restaurant for his great-grandmother, and he brought on Molly Wismeier (formerly of Restaurant R’evolution) to create a stellar wine program, that includes several by-the-glass rarities.

Marjie’s Grill

One might best describe the interiors and the team behind this Mid-City spot as ‘plucky.’ The visuals feature a tropical foliage mural and tables built for communing inside. Out back, the nights get lively on the fenced-in patio. The conversation at Marjie’s frequently revolves around the food in front of you, because there’s an unstoppable force of flavors. Marjie’s chefs blend the Gulf Coast with Southeast Asian ingredients. The menu rotates, but past iterations have included Grilled Tuna Crying Tiger—lightly charred Gulf of Mexico-caught fish with miso honey butter and cucumber salad—and Oak Smoked Mississippi Beef Tongue, that takes the team ample hours to create. It has a green garlic nam prik (a favorite condiment of Thailand) and a pile of sticky rice on the side. 

Osteria Lupo

This buzzy, spring 2023 opening is by Chef Brian Burns and Reno De Ranieri, who own the popular Spanish-inspired restaurant Costera.

“Brian and I have had the vision for a Northern Italian concept for quite some time,” says De Ranieri, who grew up in San Francisco and was exposed to rustic Italian cuisine at a young age. “When the opportunity arose to open Uptown, not far from Costera, we knew it was meant to be.”

Standouts include the Pesce Crudo, usually an American Red Snapper or Bluefin Tuna, served with a tomato-walnut pesto, fresh oregano, chilies, lemon zest, and crispy fried capers, and the Black Truffle Arancini with Umbrian truffles over a creamy Val d’Aosta fonduta. If you can feast your eyes on something besides the plates, the design is by New Orleans architect Brooks Graham, with sleek, industrial elements complemented by natural woods and warm coastal blues, an exhibition kitchen, and mosaic tiles.

Palm & Pine 

With the tagline of South and south of that, Palm & Pine’s menu celebrates Louisiana, fused with the flavors of the Caribbean and Central America. Amarys Koenig-Herndon and Jordan Herndon are business and life partners, and the two celebrate New Orleans culture at the restaurant, from burlesque shows to private dining, brunch to late-night secret menus.

One of the top reasons to visit Palm & Pine is the beverage program, helmed by New Orleans cocktail luminary, Kimberly Patton-Bragg. Gregarious and easy to spot with her trademark fiery curls, Patton-Bragg commands a glass like no other, in tipples like the Knowing Glance, with Rittenhouse Rye, Plantation O.F.T.D. Rum, Lillet Rouge, and Sorel Spiced Hibiscus Liqueur.

Saba 

Alon Shaya’s restaurant, on a corner of Magazine Street in the Garden District, might feel like a restorative revelation if you’ve been spending too much time on fried food and cheap beers. He celebrates his Israeli heritage in a handful of hummus variations, house-made pita bread, tabbouleh, and labneh. The experience is visually stunning, whether you choose to dine in the main room, on the side lounge sofas, or right out on the sidewalk, underneath Saba’s big white tent.

Tana

Tana, chef Michael Gulotta’s (Maypop, MoPho) latest restaurant, opened at the end of 2023 in Old Metairie. The menu marries Gulotta's native home of New Orleans, with his ancestral home, Italy, through dishes like Veal Marsala with local mushrooms and roasted fennel, and an appetizer of savory zeppole with Cajun caviar. The restaurant has three distinct spaces: a "classically Italian styled" main dining room with cobalt walls, wood beams, and warm hanging lights; a lounge with a sleek bar and cozy upholstered seating; and The Villa, a lighter, brighter dining space that has a coastal feel. There's also a pasta-making station and wine cellar.

$$$$ (Entrees $40 ++)

Emeril's

Emeril Lagasse is synonymous with New Orleans, and one of the first names that come to people's minds when they think of the city's food scene. And while the famous chef shows no signs of slowing down, a new generation—his son, E.J. Lagasse—has taken the helm of his namesake restaurant. After months of renovations, Emeril's reopened in fall 2023 with a revamped menu. Now, diners can choose from two tasting menus. The "classic" menu is a showcase for seafood, with dishes like lobster gumbo, oyster stew, and smoked salmon cheesecake. The "seasonal" menu pairs the best of what's fresh with proteins like quail, snapper, and crawfish.

Also new to the restaurant is The Wine Bar at Emeril’s, a more casual option for small plates and desserts, plus access to the restaurant's extensive wine cellar.

Arnaud’s 

One of the largest, privately owned, family-run restaurants in America is also one of the most historic, open and operating on Bienville and Bourbon in the heart of the French Quarter since 1918. Arnaud’s is everything you love about old-world, European fine dining, from the glittering chandeliers and antique tile floors of the large main room to flaming Café Brulot poured tableside. 

Request one of the 17 private and semi-private dining rooms, which ensconce you in gilded trappings for a true treat. Jazz Brunch is also legendary here and a great way to immerse yourself in the unique culture of the city. 

Bayona

Chef and owner Susan Spicer opened Bayona in 1990, in a Creole cottage in the French Quarter. A lot has changed about the city since those days, but Bayona remains a steadfast in warm, romantic dining. Take the courtyard, for example, where jasmine blooms up brick walls, Edison bulbs cast a faint glow, and light Jazz issues from hidden speakers. Or inside, where waiters move through the petite dining rooms like ghosts, refilling a wine glass before anyone asks. 

Spicer’s menu brings the world to a plate, from French to Spanish influences, moments of Italy and Greece. It might change daily, but you can count on it always being up to the task of memorable flavors, whether you’re celebrating an engagement or a Wednesday.

Brennan’s 

Called a “one man Chamber of Commerce,” Owen Edward Brennan was one of America’s first branding masterminds, and the creator of Brennan’s, open since 1946. He was competitive entrepreneur, and, when Francis Parkinson Keyes published Dinner at Antoine’s, Brennan began advertising “Breakfast at Brennan’s.” He took the most important meal of the day and made it a social event spanning three to four hours. It remains the cornerstone of dining here. Although, dinner is pretty good too. If you come, come in style. It’s a dressy affair, befitting the bottles of Champagne that they famously uncork using a saber on the patio.

Commander’s Palace

“I've been the line cook, the a.m. sous chef, the p.m. sous chef, and a purchaser. I’ve worn a lot of hats at Commander’s Palace,” says Meg Bickford.

She wears the ultimate hat now—that of executive chef. Bickford became first woman to hold the title in the restaurant’s 128-year history in 2020, and her food continues a legacy of winning awards. Commander’s Palace, with its seven James Beard Awards, is a premiere place to put a white napkin in your lap and dig into exceptional, haute Cajun and Creole classics.

Dakar Nola 

Serigne Mbaye spent his childhood in Senegal, and his first cooking lessons came at the behest of his mother. He went on to work for some of the globally lauded names in food, from L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon in New York to Commander’s Palace in New Orleans. Dakar is his restaurant, opened in late 2022, after years of successful pop-up dinners. 

It’s a tasting course menu, with seven courses served Thursday to Sunday, for 30 guests, and a smaller, three-course option on Wednesdays. West African with a twist, you might find tamarind aside fresh crab meat, millet and bright lime, and traditional dishes like rice-based jollof and spicy yassa. 

Doris Metropolitan 

Ita Ben Eli grew up in Northern Israel. He developed a passion for cuisine and the art of fine butchering. Eventually, he found himself operating a bespoke butcher shop, where he pioneered a technique for dry-aging steaks. A lifetime of global travel later and a partnership with Itamar Levy and Sash Kurgan resulted in three Doris Metropolitan locations. The New Orleans outpost opened in 2013, right in the middle of the French Quarter, in a historic building.

You arrive to a warm greeting from both the staff and the steaks. The latter are visible, through a glass-encased aging room, front and center. The opposite wall is decorated in rows of wine bottles, speaking to a list painstakingly curated from Germany to Bordeaux, as well as new-world options from Napa and Sonoma.

Wild South

For a taste of Louisiana that extends beyond the city of New Orleans, head to Wild South on Magazine Street. The newly opened restaurant by chef-owner Michael Stoltzfus (Coquette, Lengua Madre) and executive chef Bret Macris takes its inspiration from ingredients from the southern part of the state, like cane syrup, andouille, and gulf shrimp. These elements come together in dishes like grilled cobia with squash, greens, and shiitake mushrooms (pictured above). Diners can choose from a five-course tasting menu ($85 per person), a three-course prix-fixe menu, and an à la carte bar menu.

N7 

This one-of-a-kind location in the Bywater was originally a stable. It truly feels a discovery, when you enter through the tall privacy fence, to courtyard that could easily be in Tuscany or rural France.

“In 2016, we received Bon Appetit's ‘Best New Restaurants of America’ award, says cofounder and filmmaker, Aaron Walker, “and after that, everything changed. The kitchen and menu expanded, and the food continued to exceed what it had been. We began to look towards certain restaurants in Paris, Lyon, Tokyo, and Kyoto and going more in that direction, drifting more towards casual fine-dining in both service and the menu. We still held on to our rustic roots but just grew more serious as a restaurant.”

Dining al fresco is the way to go at N7, amidst the Oleander, Bird of Paradise, and box hedges, where one glass of Pastis leads into a fine French white rather effortlessly. Bring friends for sharing steamed mussels and salty pomme frites.

Saint-Germain

“It was a pizza place called Sugar Park when we bought it. We still have the neon Sugar Park sign on front. We essentially had no money when we opened Saint-Germain, so we left the sign. Fortunately, diners we’re able to find us and came to eat. As time went on, we didn’t really see a need to change the sign, so we just left it,” laughs Trey Smith, co-owner and chef, who runs this tasting experience inside a little house on Saint Claude Avenue. Reservations are key for the dinners that run Thursday to Sunday. However, the backyard is open to walk-in guests who’d like to have a drink and little snacks are available.

“In November of 2022, we changed from a 5-course format that was served completely in the dining room to a 10-course format that begins in our bar and is finished in the dining room. We’ve really had a lot of fun with the change,” Smith says.

San Lorenzo 

Located at the Hotel Saint Vincent (a must-visit property that also serves serious historic restoration appeal, tropical cocktails, and Vietnamese lunch), San Lorenzo honors the Italian immigrants of old New Orleans in the menu. Here, you’ll find fresh takes on Amalfi classics, like Zucchini Fritti and Wood Grilled Octopus. The house-made linguine and fried calamari will take your right to Positano, in a design that features red chandeliers above a black and white tile floor, velvet chairs, and white walls. 

Yakuza House

“Our fish comes in from Japan every Tuesday and Thursday, and on the packaging, there is a tab for us to check the temperature throughout the entire delivery,” says Huy Pham, chef at Yakuza House—a minimalist, chic shrine to sushi, located in the suburb of Metairie, about 15 minutes by from downtown. Yakuza, from menu to meal experience, feels like spot you might discover in Tokyo’s upmarket neighborhood of Ginza. That’s due to Pham’s dedication to his craft.

“On the sushi side of the menu,” he continues, “it’s always changing. Whatever comes in fresh to the dock in Japan is what we get. We let them decide, and they send us a random assortment. Something doesn’t meet our standards? We send it back.”

Uni, sweet shrimp, clams, foie gras, and wagyu are frequently menu highlights. The Sake Toro is melting salmon belly with garlic almond chili oil and chives. The freshwater eel is topped with a cured egg yolk, and Pham includes a half-dozen vegan handrolls, like the Shiso, with fried perilla leaf, and fermented plum.