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New Orleanians are obsessed with food. Over lunch they're likely talking about dinner. Ask where to get the best gumbo, and you'll spark a heated debate among city natives.
Everyone, no matter what neighborhood they're from or what they do for a living, wants a plate of red beans and rice on Monday, has a favorite spot for a roast beef po'boy, and holds strong opinions about the proper flavor for a shaved ice "sno-ball."
The menus of New Orleans's restaurants reflect the many cultures that have contributed to this always-simmering culinary gumbo pot over the last three centuries. It's easy to find French, African, Spanish, German, Italian, and Caribbean influences—and increasingly Asian and Latin American as well. The speckled trout amandine at Antoine's could have been on the menu when the French Creole institution opened in 1840. Across the Mississippi River on the West Bank, Tan Dinh serves fragrant bowls of pho that remind New Orleans's large Vietnamese population of the home they left in the 1970s. And at Compère Lapin, Chef Nina Compton brings expert French and Italian fine-dining traditions to the down-home flavors of her St. Lucia childhood, and of her new home in the Gulf South.
For years New Orleans paid little attention to food trends from the East and West coasts. Recently, however, the city has taken more notice of the "latest things." In Orleans Parish you'll now find gastropubs, gourmet burgers, and numerous small-plate specialists. In a town where people track the crawfish season as closely as the pennant race, no one has to preach the virtues of eating seasonally. New Orleans is still one of the most exciting places to eat in America. There's no danger that will change.
This convivial spot is more than just your average corner bar: it streams European soccer games (opening as early as 7 am to do so) and hosts a popular trivia night on Monday. The kitchen serves sophisticated pub food.
If you're trying to find the quintessential New Orleans neighborhood restaurant, look no further: team pennants and posers vie for space on the paneled walls of the low-ceiling bar and dining room, while a jukebox blares beneath them. From the kitchen's steaming cauldrons come boiled shrimp, crabs, and crawfish, piled high and ready to be washed down with ice-cold beer. The daily po'boy roster might feature fried crawfish tails or oysters, meatballs in tomato sauce, or roast beef with gravy, but the fried-shrimp po'boy is Frankie & Johnny's calling card.
The rustic interior, reminiscent of 1920s and '30s Louisiana fish camps, is the perfect backdrop for shrimp gumbo, spicy boiled shrimp, fresh Gulf fish, hearty fisherman's stew, and a lemon icebox pie that will make you fall in love with New Orleans all over again. Except for freshwater catfish and Canadian mussels, all the seafood comes from the Gulf of Mexico and often straight from the fishermen. Produce and pork are also local, and salad dressings are homemade. Near Harrah's Casino, Grand Isle is generally packed, but it's worth the wait (which also gives you an excuse to spend some time at the elegant mahogany bar).
At this cozy (read: small) restaurant in the heart of the French Quarter, diners are wowed by the inventive and globally inspired cuisine, though the service is a bit eclectic, too. Menus change regularly, but may feature apple cheddar French toast and beet burrata kale salad for lunch, or a bacon sundae with pecan-praline ice cream for dessert. The staff weave through the tight space with the grace of gymnasts, keeping the crowds both well fed and well lubricated with specialty cocktails. Tables are set outside when the weather's nice.
Even given a few modern touches—like the vegetarian gumbo offered daily—this place evokes a sense of old New Orleans. The menu is chock-full of regional culinary anchors: jambalaya, shrimp Creole, rémoulade sauce, red beans and rice, bread pudding, and seafood and chicken-and-sausage gumbos, all heavily flavored with tradition but easy on the wallet. The patina on the ancient painting covering one wall seems to deepen by the week, and the old tables and bentwood chairs have started to seem like museum pieces. Reservations are accepted only for groups of 10 or more.
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.
The allure of Hermes Bar is that you'll have your pick of the classic dishes that made Antoine's (founded in 1840) famous, without committing to a full-price meal in its austere dining room. Elegant bar snacks such as oysters Rockefeller, shrimp rémoulade, and fried eggplant sticks make just as grand a meal, with the added benefit of a front-row view of the Bourbon Street crowd. Expertly mixed old-school cocktails, such as the Sazerac and Ramos gin fizz, are a tradition here. Hermes is connected to Antoine's, but there is a separate entrance next door. It's open until midnight on weekends. Daily happy hour specials are available from 4 to 7 pm.
The walls here are festooned with enough snapshots, garlic braids, and crockery for at least two more restaurants, but it all just adds to the charm of this cozy Italian-Creole eatery. From Irene DiPietro's kitchen come succulent roast chicken brushed with olive oil, rosemary, and garlic; delicious, velvety soups; and fresh shrimp, aggressively seasoned and grilled before they join linguine glistening with herbed olive oil. Waits here can stretch to the 60-minute mark during peak dinner hours, which is just enough time for a bottle of wine in the convivial little piano bar.
Strangely enough, good po'boys are hard to find in the French Quarter, but Johnny's, established in 1950, compensates for that scarcity with a cornucopia of overstuffed options, even though quality can be inconsistent and the prices somewhat inflated for tourists. Inside the soft-crust French bread come the classic fillings, including lean boiled ham, well-done roast beef in garlicky gravy, and crisply fried oysters or shrimp. The chili may not cut it in San Antonio, but the red beans and rice are the real deal. Johnny's closes at 4:30 pm.
Named after former Louisiana Governor Huey P. Long, who went by the nickname "Kingfish," this stylish French Quarter restaurant pays homage to the Jazz Age, with its pressed-tin ceilings and suspendered bartenders (the excellent craft cocktail list was written by local legend Chris McMillian). Drinks do not disappoint, and as for food, expect Southern-inspired small plates with a local twist, like mirlitons (a type of squash) stuffed with cornbread dressing and smothered in an arugula and mushroom Alfredo sauce.
Need a break from the bounties of the sea prevalent in New Orleans restaurants? Book a table at this classic Argentine steak house, where wine and meat are simple but satisfying priorities. While most steak houses are clubby, masculine, and hard on the wallet, this Warehouse District eatery feels more like a party. The kitchen coaxes flavor from less expensive cuts, like flank and hanger steaks. Sides include empanadas, thick rounds of provolone grilled and sprinkled with oregano, and homemade pasta, a nod to Argentina's large Italian population. After dinner at La Boca, you'll walk outside and be surprised to discover that you're not in Buenos Aires.
French chic for the budget-minded is the style at this welcoming neighborhood bistro, where during peak hours there might be a half-hour wait for a table. Woven café chairs on the sidewalk and awnings that resemble metro-station architecture evoke the Left Bank of Paris, and the Gallic focus is also evident in dishes like the filet mignon, served with a choice of several classic French sauces. Other good options are the pâté maison, moules-frites, and the lavish dessert crêpes.
The cheese plate is filled with fromage from beloved local cheese shop St. James Cheese Company.
Space is a little tight in the oddly configured dining areas, but the whimsical paintings and profuse greenery combine to create an inviting feel.
Flower shops sometimes bloom into intimate fine-dining establishments in New Orleans, and this one, with just-bright-enough lighting and a sturdy mahogany bar, has caught on in a big way with the locals. In the kitchen, chef-owner Justin Devillier draws on contemporary American tastes, using Louisiana raw materials whenever he can. He's been quietly developing a reputation across the country (and scored a nomination for a coveted James Beard Award). Signature items include the blue-crab beignets and Gulf shrimp and grits with smoked bacon, though many locals return to the red-leather banquettes for the signature burger and a round of cocktails.
Proprietor-chef John Harris uses French and Italian culinary traditions as springboards for Lilette's inspired dishes. Look for Italian wedding soup, roasted Muscovy duck breast, and fresh crudos. A slightly syndicated lunch menu is equally satisfying. The wine list has been thoughtfully chosen. Framed mirrors hang along the maroon walls of the intimate front dining-room-cum-bar, and there are also a few tables filling out a second room and a heated patio.
Fried-oyster po'boys drenched in garlic butter, bowls of sweet-corn-and-crawfish bisque, and grilled Reuben sandwiches with succulent corned beef are some of the reasons you might decide to tolerate the poor ventilation in this barroom near the racetrack and Jazz Fest grounds. The pièce de résistance here is a barbecue-shrimp po'boy, for which the shrimp are cooked in a bracing lemon-pepper butter with enough garlic to cure a cold. The Creole chicken and sausage gumbo with shrimp is always good too—thin on body, but heavy on spice (the shrimp is cooked to order and can be left out if you have dietary restrictions). The kitchen closes at 7 pm.
This bar, courtyard, and dining room are a nice spot for a margarita, fresh seafood, or a Southwestern-style snack. The menu pays homage to surfing pioneers with bios and specialty dishes. On weekends, tables are cleared near the bar for impromptu dance parties.
What happens when a fine-dining chef opens a po'boy joint? You get delicious local shrimp, hand-cut french fries, and nontraditional menu items like chicken livers with coleslaw or fried oysters "dressed" with rémoulade sauce. Despite the ambitions in the kitchen, this restaurant still feels like a low-key neighborhood hangout. The crowds are equal parts working class and professional, with a good number of families. The po'boy is New Orleans's own version of fast food, but here the waits can sometimes stretch to half an hour. It's wise to avoid peak meal times, or, if you're not in a hurry, order an Abita beer and settle into a seat on the patio.
Also known as "the pink house," Mandina's has been a neighborhood favorite for locals since 1932. Although this Canal Street fixture has expanded over the years, nothing has diminished the full flavors of the shrimp rémoulade, the crawfish cakes, the turtle soup, or (on Monday) tender red beans with Italian sausage. Excellent étouffée, po'boys, fried seafood, and pastas are also on the menu. And if you're looking for the ideal bar and restaurant to spend a football Sunday in, complete with flat-screen TVs and the iciest beers in town, this is also your place.
Tourists and locals line up for solid, if unspectacular, down-home eats at this island of blue-collar sincerity amid downtown's sea of glittery hotels. Mother's dispenses baked ham and roast beef po'boys (ask for "debris" on the beef sandwich and the bread will be slathered with meat juices and shreds of meat), home-style biscuits and jambalaya, and chicken and sausage gumbo in a couple of bare-bones yet charming dining rooms. Breakfast service is a bit slow, but that doesn't seem to repel the hordes fighting for seats at peak mealtimes. Service is cafeteria-style, with a counter or two augmenting the tables.
Those who wonder if there really is a New Orleans restaurant that can properly cater to both tourists and locals need look no farther than Mr. B's. Using as many Louisiana ingredients as possible, the chef offers a hearty braised Louisiana rabbit, an irresistible honey-ginger-glazed pork chop, and one of the best barbecue shrimp dishes in the city. First-timers must try the "Gumbo Ya-Ya," a rich chicken and sausage gumbo, and no meal here can end without the hot buttered pecan pie. Upscale yet accessible, Mr. B's is still on the map because of its just-right seasonings, its windows on the French Quarter world, and its dedication to service. Don't miss Sunday brunch, featuring a live jazz trio and "eye openers" (also known as brunch cocktails).
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