36 Best Restaurants in USA

In the main dining room of this grande dame of classic Creole restaurants, ornate etched glass reflects light from charming old chandeliers while the late founder, Arnaud Cazenave, gazes from an oil portrait. The ambitious menu includes classic dishes as well as more contemporary ones, including vegetarian options. The adjoining jazz bistro offers the same food in a more casual and live music–filled dining experience. Always reliable options are shrimp Arnaud (cold shrimp in a superb rémoulade), oysters Bienville, petit filet Lafitte, and praline crepes. Jackets are requested in the main dining room. There's also a fun Mardi Gras museum upstairs.

At the north end of town, making it a perfect drop-in after a hike at Ecola State Park, this colorfully decorated spot with its own little tiki bar serves big portions of creatively prepared Caribbean and Creole fare, along with a fittingly extensive selection of tropical cocktails (the Yellowbird, with fresh-squeezed tangerine and lime juice and Tia Maria, is a favorite). Kick things off with Dungeness crab fritters with mango salsa and Bahamian brown stew, before savoring a heartier main dish, perhaps braised pork tenderloin in a rich mushroom-Marsala sauce or New Orleans–style jambalaya with smoked pork shoulder.

No restaurant captures New Orleans's gastronomic heritage and celebratory spirit as well as this grande dame of New Orleans fine dining. The menu's classics include a spicy and meaty turtle soup; shrimp and tasso Henican (shrimp stuffed with ham, with pickled okra); and a wonderful pecan-crusted Gulf fish. The bread-pudding soufflé might ruin you for other bread puddings. Upstairs, the Garden Room's glass walls have marvelous views of the giant oak trees on the patio below. The weekend brunch is a not-to-be-missed New Orleans tradition, complete with live jazz—the band takes requests, so come armed with tip money. Jackets are preferred at dinner; shorts and T-shirts are forbidden, ripped jeans are not allowed, and men must wear closed-toe shoes.

With many of its recipes dating to 1905, Galatoire's epitomizes the old-style French Creole bistro. Fried oysters and bacon en brochette are worth every calorie, and the brick-red rémoulade sauce sets a high standard. Other winners include veal chops with optional béarnaise sauce, and seafood-stuffed eggplant. Downstairs in the narrow white-tablecloth dining room, lighted with gleaming brass chandeliers, is where boisterous regulars congregate, making for a lively and entertaining scene; you can only reserve a table in the renovated upstairs rooms. Friday lunch starts early and continues well into the evening. Shorts and T-shirts are never allowed; a jacket is required for dinner and all day Sunday. If the lines get too long, head to Galatoire's 33 Bar & Steak next door; it offers classic cuts and cocktails in a similarly adorned space.

The modest building that makes up Glenda's is just down the driveway from the actual kitchen in the owner-chef Glenda Broussard's house. Glenda has been making the down-home dishes on her menu like stuffed fried chicken, smothered ribs, and red beans and sausage for decades, and they taste like it, too.

Oak Street might look like any other sleepy urban thoroughfare by day, but once the sun sets, the half-block stretch containing Jacques-Imo's Cafe feels like the center of the universe. If you don't make a reservation (by phone, and only for groups of five or more), you might face a lengthy wait, but the bartenders are fast to get you a drink while you wait for a table in the swamp-theme dining rooms. No matter the wait, most agree the modest-looking but innovative food is worth it: deep-fried roast-beef po'boys, shrimp-and-alligator-sausage cheesecake, Cajun bouillabaisse, and fried rabbit tenderloin with Creole mustard cream sauce are among the only-at-Jacques-Imo's specialties.

Fried-oyster po'boys drenched in garlic butter, nightly pasta specials, and grilled Reuben sandwiches with succulent corned beef are some of the highlights here, but the pièce de résistance is a barbecue-shrimp po'boy, for which the shrimp are cooked in a lemon-pepper butter sauce with enough garlic to cure a cold. Liuzza's rewards the regulars who pour in almost every night with a rotating list of specials, so you'll always find something new here. The bar closes at 8 pm, and the kitchen closes before that, so make it an early dinner if you're planning to swing by.

New Orleans and North Carolina exist at two very different ends of the Southern spectrum, yet their cuisines coexist quite peacefully thanks to chef Sunny Gerhart, who worked under Ashley Christensen at Poole's Diner and later took over the lease of this historic former-storefront space in the heart of downtown Raleigh. St. Roch doesn't rely on Creole clichés, as NC barbecued shrimp gets a coconut curry broth, the gnocchi delivers alligator Bolognese, and the dirty rice is enriched by duck confit. The cocktail list is equally elegant without taking itself too seriously, with butter-washed whiskey, pimento bitters, and a Creole trinity (onions, celery, and peppers) syrup among the ingredients.

Though some people believe Antoine's heyday passed before the turn of the 20th century, others wouldn't leave New Orleans without at least one order of the original oysters Rockefeller—baked oysters topped with a parsley-based sauce and bread crumbs. Other notables on the bilingual menu include pommes de terre soufflées (fried potato puffs), poissonamadine or meuniere (fish prepared in toasted almond or brown butter-and-lemon sauce), and baked Alaska. Tourists are generally shown to the front room, but walking through the grand labyrinth is a must. Be prepared for lackluster service. A jacket is preferred, but casually dressed diners can order most of the classic menu at the adjoining Hermes Bar.

Even with reservations, expect to wait for weekend brunch at this Uptown institution, but your taste buds will thank you later. Locals tend to linger over sultry Creole creations like étouffée omelets and house-made boudin sausage, a DIY Bloody Mary bar, and jumping live jazz on weekends. At dinner, the food is just as delicious, but the vibe is more romantic. The shrimp and grits are a standout, as is the blue crab raviolo, but there are plenty of other excellent choices. As a bonus, the expertly cultivated wine list shows plenty of options for under $50.

Renovated and under new ownership by famed restauranteur Dickie Brennan, visitors in Audubon Park can eat in an airy dining room overlooking the park's golf course, or relax with a drink on the veranda.

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.

The good times roll at the city's definitive choice for New Orleans cooking. Brunch is the preferred meal here---it's worth the trip for the five $5 breakfast sandwich options---but it's just as good to come for a weekday lunch of gumbo or a fried chicken dinner when the scene is a little more subdued.

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.

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. 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 Seafood Platter, consisting of extraordinary, creative takes on New Orleans seafood classics. 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.

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.

A meal at The Chloe delivers modern, exciting takes on Creole classics. Memorable appetizers like the shrimp and pork dumplings and alligator wings are followed by a strong line-up of entrées---the duck confit and the blackened butter-crusted drum are just two great choices. Eat inside in the cozy dining area, outside by the pool, or in the front overlooking St. Charles Avenue and its famed streetcar line.

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 fried oysters with brie, 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 the volume of conversation might leave you yearning for earplugs. The expansive wine list has many New World and French options, with quite a few bottles available for under $100.

This famous spot has hosted multiple presidents, musicians, civil rights activists, actors, and literary figures, and you can soak in the history just by viewing the many pictures and articles from over the decades that cover the wall. Come for the lunch buffet during the week for a chance to sample the famous fried chicken, red beans, and other soulful staples. Dinner service is offered Friday and Saturday night only. Chef Leah Chase, the restaurant's beloved matriarch, passed away in 2019, but her legacy lives on.

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.

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 6 pm.

As Southern food goes, Huey's is decidedly more New Orleans than Coastal Georgia, as you'll discover with one bite of the sinfully rich beignets served with praline sauce—they are a taste of perfection. Although lunch and dinner items like po'boys and muffaletta accompanied by red beans and rice are delicious, the breakfast and brunch menu is the highlight.

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 comforts with local twists: po'boys with chipotle remoulade, Louisiana Blue Crab-stuffed grilled cheese, and duck breast glazed with sweet satsuma.

Also known as "the pink house," Mandina's has been a neighborhood favorite for locals since 1932. Although this Canal Street fixture right on the streetcar line has expanded over the years, nothing has diminished the full flavors of shrimp rémoulade, crawfish cakes, turtle soup, or (on Monday) the iconic red beans and rice served 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.

James Beard Award--winning chef Alon Shaya's love letter to Louisiana and the local dishes of his adopted city has culminated in Miss River, an airy restaurant nestled in the Four Seasons Hotel. Split a buttermilk-fried chicken for the table, presented whole and hand-carved, with chef Shaya's wife Emily's award-winning red beans and rice as a side. When the weather is good, dine alfresco in the spacious garden patio.

This flagship of the Morrow Restaurant Group, which now has restaurants in the French Quarter and Mid-City, draws a huge brunch crowd. Look for hearty southern specialties like shrimp and grits, crawfish pasta, and lobster mac-and-cheese from chef and co-owner Lenora Chong.

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).

Among Jackson Square's many dining spots, Muriel's is easily the most ambitious, in both atmosphere and menu. In the large downstairs rooms, architectural knickknacks and artwork evoke the city's colorful past, while diners indulge in hearty updates of old Creole favorites. The upstairs balcony has views of the square, with the occasional sounds of street music wafting in. The menu is diverse, ranging from shrimp and goat cheese crepes to pecan-crusted drum (a popular local fish also known as "red drum") with Louisiana crawfish relish, and offers a three-course prix-fixe dinner or à la carte options. Sunday brunch is accompanied by live jazz.

Occupying what used to be New Orleans's oldest music store, this Dickie Brennan stalwart is a convivial spot to try some of the more imaginative contemporary Creole dishes, such as andouille-crusted fish, crabmeat cheesecake, and pepper-crusted duck breast with foie gras. Desserts, especially the white-chocolate bread pudding and the homemade ice creams, are luscious. Drugstore-tile floors and stained cherrywood booths set the mood. The wraparound mezzanine is lined with a large mural depicting the city's famous musicians, like Louis Armstrong, Fats Domino, and Aaron Neville. The Parisian-style sidewalk seating bespeaks small plates, wine, and people-watching (though sights of Canal Street aren't always picturesque). The Sunday jazz brunch is New Orleans all the way, while the daily happy hour, offering half-price drinks and snacks till 7 pm, is one of the best in town.