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$$$ | |
"New World" is the label Louisiana native Susan Spicer applies to her cooking style, the delicious hallmarks of which include goat cheese croutons with mushrooms in madeira cream, a Bayona specialty, and delightfully flavorful vegetable soups, like Caribbean pumpkin or cream of garlic. The imaginative dishes on the constantly changing menu are served in an early-19th-century Creole cottage that glows with flower arrangements, elegant photographs, and trompe-l'oeil murals of Mediterranean landscapes. A legendary favorite at lunch is the sandwich of smoked duck, cashew butter, and pepper jelly. Don't skip the sweets—a changing menu of homemade ice cream, panna cotta, and pastries.
430 Dauphine St., New Orleans, Louisiana, 70112, USA
Known For
- Famous smoked duck sandwich
- Global flavors from a stellar chef
- Homemade ice cream
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun. and Mon. No lunch Mon.--Wed.
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$$$ | |
Chef-owned restaurants are common in New Orleans, but this one builds on owner Donald Link's family heritage as he, working with co-owner Stephen Stryjewski (who received a James Beard Award for his work here), prepares Cajun dishes he learned to cook at his grandfather's knee. The interior may be a bit too hip and noisy for some patrons, but the food makes up for it. The fried boudin with pickled peppers is a must—trust us on this one—then move on to the rabbit and dumplings, and a hearty Louisiana cochon (pork) with turnips, cracklings, and cabbage. Despite the pork-centric reputation, all the vegetable sides, especially the braised collard greens, are excellent.
930 Tchoupitoulas St., New Orleans, Louisiana, 70130, USA
Known For
- Cochon de lait
- Rabbit and dumplings
- Fried boudin with pickled peppers
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Reservations essential
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$$$ | Garden District |
Every neighborhood needs a hangout, and the dwellers of the Garden District's elegant mansions tend to spend their time at this fabulous corner bistro, enhanced by elaborate chandeliers and a gleaming white-tile floor. The relentlessly creative chef changes the menu almost nightly, making every meal here a new adventure. The long bar downstairs fuels the lively scene, and the window seats here, looking out on Magazine Street, are always in demand. Those seeking a quieter evening head to the upstairs dining room, where chef Michael Stoltzfus has created a menu of seasonal modern-American offerings. The seafood dishes, in particular, are stellar. The kitchen opens at 5:30 pm, but the bar gets started at 4:30 pm.
2800 Magazine St., New Orleans, Louisiana, 70115, USA
Known For
- Creative menus focusing on stellar fresh seafood
- Warm vibe
- Nice views over Magazine Street
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Mon. No lunch, Reservations essential
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$$$ | Uptown |
This vine-covered neighborhood bistro doesn't have a sign, but that hasn't stopped the national food media from finding it. Lauded chefs cook with elegant confidence in a classic French style, but with surprising bursts of understated creativity, which can be seen in dishes like seared scallops with parsnip purée and pickled chanterelles. At Gautreau's, even the simple roasted chicken satisfies, and everyone should indulge in the caramelized banana split at least once. An older crowd of well-dressed regulars monopolize most of the tables in this dark, quiet space that once housed a pharmacy, but if you can get a reservation, you'll feel like you've gained admittance to an elite club.
1728 Soniat St., New Orleans, Louisiana, 70115, USA
Known For
- Well-heeled locals
- Hidden gem with hard-to-get reservations
- Caramelized banana split for dessert
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun. No lunch
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$$$ | Garden District |
If you're looking for an opportunity to converse with a top New Orleans chef, then Gris-Gris is your best bet. The first level of this Magazine Street restaurant is a wrap-around chef's table where you can watch all the action in the kitchen while enjoying homey and refined classics like shrimp and gris-gris grits and chicken gizzards served with grit cakes, carmelized peppers and onions, and gravy. On the second floor, you can sit at a lively indoor bar or on the balcony. Reservations are recommended.
1800 Magazine St., New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
Known For
- Engaging atmosphere
- Classy comfort food
- Great cocktails
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Recommended Fodor’s Video
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$$$ | Warehouse District |
Chef Donald Link (also of Cochon, Cochon Butcher, and Pêche Seafood Grill) turns out food that sparkles with robust flavors and top-grade ingredients at this casually upscale restaurant. Small plates and starters such as a daily gumbo, charcuterie, and homemade pastas are mainstays. Don't overlook the rich and flavorful Louisiana shrimp and fish ceviche. Also irresistible is the Muscovy duck leg confit with dirty rice and citrus gastrique. For dessert, banana brown-butter tart will ensure return trips. The plates provide most of the color in the lighthearted, often noisy, rooms. The wine list is expertly compiled and reasonably priced. The restaurant serves an abbreviated "bistro menu" between lunch and dinner.
701 St. Charles Ave., New Orleans, Louisiana, 70130, USA
Known For
- Homemade pasta
- Muscovy duck leg confit with dirty rice and citrus gastrique
- Convivial crowds
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun. No lunch Sat., Credit cards accepted
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$$$ | Uptown |
Hidden on a quiet residential corner, this bustling bistro could have been transported directly from Provence. The menu continues the French theme, but with a Louisiana attitude. Featured proteins often include crispy quail, mussels in tomato broth, duck confit, and Royal Red shrimp. Chef Aaron Burgau developed close connections with growers and fishermen while managing a local farmers' market, so his kitchen is stocked with the best. He knows what New Orleanians like to eat, and his Uptown neighbors, a mix of affluent young and older couples, have rewarded him with a full house nightly.
6078 Laurel St., New Orleans, Louisiana, 70118, USA
Known For
- Romantic date night
- Local produce
- French delicacies
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Mon. and Tues. No dinner Sun. No lunch Sat., Wed., and Thurs., Reservations essential
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$$$ | Uptown |
For more than 25 years, this gaily colored cottage filled with a museum's worth of regional art has defined New Orleans Creole bistro fare, combining traditional items like dark gumbo or étouffée with enough elegance to be worthy of white tablecloths. Boisterous regulars know their orders before the cocktails even arrive: perhaps fried green tomatoes with shrimp rémoulade, spicy local shrimp with jalapeño corn bread, or duck with ginger-peach sauce. Order the $48 "Taste of New Orleans" menu to sample seven classic dishes. Owner and local character JoAnn Clevenger presides over Upperline like the hostess of a party, and her work has not gone unnoticed: the resturant has been a finalist for a James Beard award multiple times.
1413 Upperline St., New Orleans, Louisiana, 70115, USA
Known For
- Fried green tomatoes with shrimp
- Historic gem
- "Taste of New Orleans" sampler menu
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Mon. and Tues. No lunch, Reservations essential
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$$$ | Central Business District |
Bon Ton's opening in 1953 marked the first appearance of a significant Cajun restaurant in New Orleans, and the now-famed crawfish dishes, gumbo, jambalaya, and oyster omelet continue to draw fans. The bustle in the dining room peaks at lunchtime on weekdays, when businesspeople from nearby offices come in droves for turtle soup, eggplant with a shrimp-and-crab étouffée, and warm, sugary bread pudding with whiskey sauce (it packs a serious punch). If you can sacrifice the afternoon for pleasure, try a Rum Ramsey cocktail. The veteran servers are knowledgeable and fleet-footed.
401 Magazine St., New Orleans, Louisiana, 70130, USA
Known For
- Crawfish, gumbo, and turtle soup
- Rum cocktails
- Business lunches
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed weekends, Credit cards accepted
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$$$ | Central Business District |
In a spacious dining room accented by nautical touches, floor-to-ceiling chalkboard panels, and local artwork, you'll find rustic Louisiana seafood dishes with a touch of city sophistication. Named after Lake Borgne in eastern Louisiana, the restaurant honors that area's many Spanish settlers with tapas and fish à la plancha along with more traditional renditions like the BBQ shrimp with cheesy jalapeño grits. Diners on a budget should note the $15 plate lunches and $5 tapas at happy hour, 3–6 pm daily.
601 Loyola Ave., New Orleans, Louisiana, 70113, USA
Known For
- Happy hour tapas
- Business lunches
- Raw oysters
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$$$ | French Quarter |
On one of the French Quarter's busiest corners is Dickie Brennan's biggest and flashiest restaurant yet (he also owns Palace Café and Dickie Brennan's Steakhouse), and it's a solid hit with seafood aficionados and—you guessed it—bourbon lovers (there are five flights to choose from and a vast selection of 90 American whiskeys to boot). The raw bar is prime real estate, with its sterling oysters on the half shell, chilled seafood platters, and antique, decorative oyster plates, but the elegant main dining room is more appropriate for digging into the Creole catalog—charbroiled oysters, boiled shrimp, and Gulf fish "on the half shell" with lump crab meat. Take your frozen bourbon-milk punch in a go cup.
144 Bourbon St., New Orleans, Louisiana, 70130, USA
Known For
- Bourbon-milk punch
- Classy raw bar
- Diverse bourbon flights
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Credit cards accepted
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$$$ | Carrollton-Riverbend |
Chef Frank Brigtsen's fusion of Creole refinement and Acadian earthiness reflects his years as a Paul Prudhomme protégé, and his dishes here represent some of the best south Louisiana cooking you'll find anywhere. Everything is fresh and filled with deep, complex flavors, and the menu changes daily. The butternut shrimp bisque defines comfort food. Rabbit and duck dishes, usually presented in rich sauces and gravies, are full of robust flavor. But Brigtsen really gets to unleash his creativity on the "Shell Beach Diet," a nightly changing seafood platter that might include grilled drum with shrimp and jalapeño-lime sauce and shrimp cornbread. Trompe-l'oeil murals add whimsy to the intimate spaces of this turn-of-the-20th-century frame cottage. Ask for a table on the enclosed front sun porch.
723 Dante St., New Orleans, Louisiana, 70118, USA
Known For
- Creative seafood platters
- Whimsical dining room
- Excellent butternut shrimp bisque
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun. and Mon. No lunch, Reservations essential, Credit cards accepted
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$$$ | French Quarter |
If local restaurants were judged solely by the beauty of their courtyards, Broussard's would certainly be a standout, but the food here is also outstanding. Expect dishes like crispy shrimp toast with pickled okra slaw; Creole crab croquettes; and broiled redfish with a rosemary-and-mustard crust. Fight the good fight for an outdoor table close to the fountain, and don't skip dessert. A three-course Sunday brunch features live jazz.
819 Conti St., New Orleans, Louisiana, 70112, USA
Known For
- Charming courtyard
- Sunday jazz brunch
- Excellent broiled redfish
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No lunch Tues.–Thurs., Credit cards accepted
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$$$ | Bywater |
The latest project from chef Nina Compton, Top Chef contestant and owner of popular Compère Lapin in the Warehouse District, is a real neighborhood place, a friendly yet refined bistro where friends can get together to enjoy a good meal. The atmosphere here is upscale and dinner is on the pricey side, but there is a warm and homey quality to the experience.
2900 Chartres St., New Orleans, Louisiana, 70117, USA
Known For
- Pasta and curries
- Tasty shared plates
- House-bottled negronis
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Mon. and Tues. No lunch weekdays
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$$$ | Uptown |
Understatement characterizes the mood at locally beloved Clancy's, and the classy but neutral decor reflects this, though the scene can get lively. Most of the dishes are imaginative treatments of New Orleans favorites. Some specialties, like the several renditions of veal on the menu, are exceptional. Other signs of an inventive chef are the smoked soft shell crabs almondine, and a deviled eggs rémoulade. The small bar is usually filled with regulars who know one another—and tourists who wish they were regulars. On more festive nights you may yearn for earplugs. The expansive wine list has many New World and French options, with many bottles available for under $100.
6100 Annunciation St., New Orleans, Louisiana, 70115, USA
Known For
- Local favorite
- Extensive wine list
- Exceptional veal dishes
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun. No lunch Mon.–Wed. and Sat., Credit cards accepted, Reservations essential
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$$$ | Central Business District |
Those tired of the white-tablecloth restaurants with decades-old menus of shrimp rémoulade and redfish renditions that populate so much of the New Orleans fine dining scene will be especially pleased with Compère Lapin, a unique and distinctly contemporary ultra-fine dining experience. At the root of Chef Nina Compton's cooking are the comforting flavors and spices of St. Lucian and Italian home kitchens, but presentation and execution of her dishes are that of a top-notch professional chef. Notable favorites are the conch croquettes, Caribbean seafood pepper pot, and semolina gnocchi. The ambience of the airy dining room, with lofted ceilings and hip, minimalist decor, is romantic and quiet at times, but loud and clubby when the popular craft cocktail bar is busy.
535 Tchoupitoulas St., New Orleans, Louisiana, 70130, USA
Known For
- Sweet potato gnocchi and conch croquettes
- Hip, minimalist decor
- Inventive cocktails
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$$$ | Central Business District |
Since 1969 the Cvitanovich family restaurant has been a fixture in Metairie, just a short drive from downtown New Orleans, so when it was revealed the family would open a second location inside the Hilton Riverside hotel, locals started salivating and the word quickly spread. The charbroiled oysters are the absolute must-order (you'll want extra bread to mop up the toothsome sauce). After that you can branch out to authentic Italian pasta dishes, Maine lobster, and fried seafood entrées. Families love the place—especially because of the kids' menu—and the warm apple cobbler is the sweet stuff legends are made of.
2 Poydras St., New Orleans, Louisiana, 70130, USA
Known For
- Charbroiled oysters
- Local institution
- Kid-friendly food
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Reservations not accepted, Credit cards accepted
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$$$ | Warehouse District |
Celebrity-chef Emeril Lagasse's urban-chic flagship restaurant is always jammed, so it's fortunate that the basket weave–pattern wood ceiling muffles much of the clatter and chatter. The ambitious menu gives equal emphasis to Creole and modern American cooking—try the andouille-crusted drum fish or the barbecue shrimp (one of the darkest, richest versions of that local specialty). Desserts, such as the renowned banana cream pie, verge on the gargantuan. Service is meticulous, and the wine list's depth and range mean that you shouldn't hesitate to ask your server for advice.
800 Tchoupitoulas St., New Orleans, Louisiana, 70130, USA
Known For
- Barbecue shrimp
- Decadent desserts
- Long wine list
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No lunch Sun., Reservations essential, Credit cards accepted
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$$$ | Warehouse District |
An evening at this corner restaurant combines a sophisticated night out with nourishing, down-to-earth food. Chef Rebecca Wilcomb, the former James Beard Award–winning Chef de Cuisine at Herbsaint, named the restaurant after her nonna, who is also responsible for the menu’s tortellini en brodo recipe, a hearty-yet-light favorite from Northern Italy. Elsewhere on the menu, Wilcomb draws inspiration from seasonal ingredients found at local farms. The five-course “Feed Me Menu” makes for a festive group meal, served family-style with optional wine and digestif pairings.
700 Magazine St., New Orleans, Louisiana, 70130, USA
Known For
- Seasonal, local ingredients
- Fresh pasta
- Group meal menus
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$$$ | French Quarter |
If you're looking for seafood, you won't be disappointed with GW Fins, which impresses with quality and variety—the bounty of fish species from around the world is among the menu's lures. Chef Tenney Flynn's menu changes daily, depending on what's fresh, but typical dishes have included luscious lobster dumplings, Hawaiian big-eye tuna, and sautéed rainbow trout with spinach, oysters, and shiitake mushrooms. For dessert, try the pretzel-crusted ice cream pie. The spacious dining room's attractive modern decor and the enthusiastic service make this a relaxing refuge from the French Quarter's crowds.
808 Bienville St., New Orleans, Louisiana, 70112, USA
Known For
- Fresh fish
- Modern setting
- Creative menu
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No lunch, Credit cards accepted
