25 Best Restaurants in New Orleans, Louisiana

This women-owned bakery has killer sourdough bread, an assortment of sweets, and unique savory treats like the boudin boy, which has a Cajun sausage and boiled egg filling in a flakey croissant dough. The muffuletta bread sticks studded with olives and salami are not to be missed.

No visit to New Orleans is complete without a chicory-laced café au lait paired with the addictive, sugar-dusted beignets at this venerable institution. The tables under the green-and-white-stripe awning are jammed with locals and tourists at almost every hour, for very good reason. If there's a wait, head around back to the takeout window, get your coffee and beignets to go, and enjoy them overlooking the river right next door or in Jackson Square. The most magical time to go is just before dawn, before the bustle begins and can hear the birds in the crepe myrtles across the way. The metro-area satellite stores (there's even one at the airport now) typically lack the character of the original, although the newest addition in City Park is quite charming.

"Real food, done real good" is the motto at Elizabeth's, where the vinyl-print tablecloths look just like grandma's and breakfast really is the most important meal of the day. The menu offers everything from po'boys to a stellar seared duck, but the highlight is the lively weekend brunch served from 8 am to 2:30 pm that includes "lost bread" (also known as French toast), "redneck eggs" (fried green tomatoes with poached eggs and hollandaise), and a traditional country breakfast with a smoked pork chop (there's also bottomless mimosas, if you want to start the party early). The fried-oyster po'boy is huge and irresistible. The staff is spunky, and so is the Bywater neighborhood clientele. The praline bacon is a must. Breakfast is served every weekday as well, also from 8 to 2:30, and has almost the same options.

With its elegant table settings and canvases depicting British nobility, the Grill Room on the second floor of the Windsor Court is a beacon of class and a lovely setting for special occasions. Keep your eyes peeled: celebrities in town for local film shoots often snag tables here. The creative modern American dinner menu features seasonal dishes including lamp chops with curry aioli and grilled squid with romesco sauce. Expect insightful and unusual wine selections from a deep cellar with an extensive Bordeaux collection. There's also a $35 plate special offered at lunchtime weekdays, and jazz brunch on weekends. If you're looking for a splurge meal in town, this is it.

What owner Elizabeth Hess started as a coffee shop and bakery has evolved into a full-on café that serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Besides a robust coffee program and baked goods, you'll be able to find well-made salads, cheese plates, sandwiches, and pastas. There is a happy hour every Tuesday to Saturday, from 4 to 6 pm.

Once you find the place---tucked behind the other businesses in this complex---it's easy to see why Birdy’s is a local favorite for brunch. The covered outside patio is perfect for large groups, and there’s something for everyone: from a long list of specialty coffees, juices, and cocktails, to satisfying egg plates and several salads that are anything but boring. In front of the building, its sister restaurant, The Bower, serves locally sourced New American cuisine for dinner.

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.

This luxuriously appointed restaurant, located in a gorgeous, salmon-pink, circa-1795 building, serves lavish breakfasts, served by pink-bow-tied waiters, that include "eye openers" like the world's best brandy milk punch to start the day, alongside hearty but elegantly prepared dishes such as eggs sardou with crispy artichokes and accoutrements such as coffee-cured bacon and house-made English muffins. Don't miss sumptuous desserts, like the flaming bananas Foster, which was reportedly created here.

The only way to get closer to the Mississippi River at the outdoor patio of this fifth-floor restaurant is to dive in, and the spectacular views are what snagged chef Donald Link to partner with the Four Seasons New Orleans for this French Creole showplace. Try any of the expertly cooked steaks on offer, like the rib-eye spinalis or Kobe strip steak.

Good things really do come in small packages, like the outstanding falafel you can order at the back of this unpretentious, pocket-size Middle Eastern convenience store outfitted with a handful of tables and chairs. Grab a drink from one of the glass cases, then order from a menu of mouthwatering options, like lamb kebabs and beef gyros. The vegetarian sampler plate, with creamy hummus, smoky baba ghanoush, and fresh tabouleh is the must-order dish, though. Look for international grocery items, like pistachio cotton candy from Turkey. The kitchen is open 24/7, making it an ideal spot to grab a pita after partying. There is a smaller location at 117 Decatur St. in the French Quarter.

Nestled in the Eliza Jane Hotel, Couvant offers a modern and creative take on French cuisine while staying true to the classics like duck confit and boeuf bourguignon. The upscale but approachable interiors with low lighting, crushed velvets, and black and white tile floor set the mood for a comfortable dining experience.

In a quiet corner of the French Quarter, you'll have to look for the quaint Croissant d'Or Patisserie. Once you've found it, you'll understand why locals and visitors return to this colorful pastry shop for French croissants, pies, tarts, and custards, as well as an imaginative selection of soups, salads, and sandwiches. You can get your goodies to go, but try to get a table during the busy breakfast hours for great people-watching. During Carnival season they bake a traditional French-style king cake filled with almond paste. The café is open from 7 am to 3 pm.

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.

A coastal Mediterranean menu unfolds in a stylish, Instagram-worthy setting in this Kimpton Fontenot flagship restaurant. Expect modern, seafood-heavy takes on classics, like the sea urchin carbonara and crawfish risotto. There is a thoughtful selection of wines and beers to accompany your meal.

It doesn’t get more downhome than Li’l Dizzy’s, a generational soul food staple in the neighborhood that offers some of the best fried chicken in town. You can also find grilled catfish and eggs, shrimp and grits, and all kinds of po'boys on the menu.

This lively French Creole brasserie is a popular go-to on game days, given its proximity to both the French Quarter and the Superdome. The Gulf-centric seafood lineup includes oysters, boiled shrimp, Peruvian scallops, and Maine lobster. The dark chocolate mousse with toffee is a treat.

Along with po'boys, you can find just about every type of grilled, fried, and gravied specialty famous in New Orleans here, served with plenty of sides, 24 hours a day. Not everything is the best in town, but the food is cheap and fresh at any hour. Late night, you’ll be in good company among locals coming in for a hot plate.

In this second restaurant from Turkey and the Wolf chef Mason Hereford, attention is turned to the classics of breakfast food. Decorated with '80s and '90s pop culture memorabilia, Molly's Rise and Shine feels like a trip down memory lane, and so do its riffs on McMuffins and bagel bites. Though there is ample seating, be prepared to wait in line. Come early since the restaurant does sell out of its most popular dishes.

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.

Martha Gilreath's story of overcoming homelessness and drug addiction has gained lots of local and national media attention, but it's the incredible quality of her baked goods that have kept neighborhood regulars coming back to her shop. Her king cakes are renowned during Mardi Gras, but all year long she has a mouthwatering line-up of savory and sweet pastries ranging from crawfish bread, Friday pizza, and boudin danishes to banana bread, cookie specials, and made-to-order cakes. A pet-friendly outdoor courtyard and a fully stocked reading nook for kids makes Nolita a great hang for the whole family.

This revamped food hall offers visitors a chance to sample from a wide array of flavors. Expect a mosaic of local food artisans dishing both local favorites as well as global cuisine, ranging from Malaysian and Burmese to Mexican and Italian. There's also a chic oyster bar, bottles of wine, and a generous happy hour.

When chefs across America started ditching white tablecloths and applying fine-dining flair to burgers and bar food instead, chef Scott Boswell attempted to do the same with the rich, homey comfort food of Louisiana. Though some grumble about paying a premium for what is, at heart, New Orleans neighborhood fare, this crisply decorated café sits on a coveted corner of Jackson Square—and that view is priceless. At breakfast, pancakes are covered in Louisiana cane syrup and eggs Benedict are topped with homemade Cajun boudin. At lunch, oyster po'boys get an extra zing from rémoulade dressing with a touch of heat, and the Club Stanley is topped with spicy pesto Caesar dressing.

Husband and wife duo, Jonathan and Megan have turned their adorable and popular Bienville street bakery and coffee shop into a special gathering place. He handles the coffee while she takes care of the food. Sandwiches, quiche, meat pies, yogurt, and a variety of sweet and savory pastries all populate the menu.

With locations close to the Convention Center and in the heart of the CBD, Two Chicks dishes rib-sticking breakfasts and creative sandwiches.

A quick coffee and snack from this popular, sunny locale is just as enjoyable as their long, decadent brunches. Try any of the epic "biscuit situations."