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New Orleans is one of the most culturally rich destinations in the U.S. The history and heritage, the music, and of course the food! Nola‘s culinary scene has been marinated in a melting pot of traditions (puns intended) for centuries, rooted in soulful Creole and Cajun cuisines, with French, Spanish, African and Southern influences. Food in “Nawlins” is a daily celebration. Iconic must-try dishes include: a hearty gumbo, boiled crawfish, po’boys, jambalaya, beignets, fried chicken, shrimp & grits, muffuletta, oysters, pralines, all while sipping on a sazerac… But the reality is, New Orleans’ gastronomy goes way beyond the traditional Louisiana soul food – it’s become a true foodie destination, where you can spend a lifetime tracking down the best eats and constantly evolving restaurant scene. So whether you plan to partake in Mardi Gras or the Jazz festival this year, or need a bookmark for your next getaway in the Crescent City, here’s a guide to help you navigate the best food in New Orleansl
⇒ The touristy musts:
Café du Monde
800 Decatur St
French Quarter
$
♥♥
www.cafedumonde.com
THE #1 Nola staple since 1862! This original French market coffee stand is the main New Orleans attraction in the middle of the French Quarter, with tourists constantly lining up for their famous fluffy beignets and café au lait. A bit overrated if you ask me, but let’s be real, if you don’t gram your Cafe Du Monde beignets, did you even go to New Orleans? Come early morning or late afternoon (or in the middle of the night!) for the shortest lines.
Open 24h a day !
Central Grocery
923 Decatur St
French Quarter
$
♥♥♥
www.centralgrocery.com
This old-school Italian grocery store is another main New Orleans staple since 1906, home of the original Muffuletta, Nola’s most famous sandwich along with the po’boy. If Italian cold cuts are your thing, this is as good as it gets! Come outside of lunch hours to avoid the longest lines.
⇒ The best sandwiches:
Turkey and the Wolf
739 Jackson Ave
Lower Garden District
$$
♥♥♥♥
www.turkeyandthewolf.com
A rare moment without a line
Central Grocery’s muffuletta is a staple, but for a more gourmet style of sandwiches, New Orleans has the country’s very best. Turkey and the Wolf is an iconic sandwich shop with a hipster vibe in the Lower Garden District. It’s hyped as serving the best sandwiches in the country, and has even been ranked as the #1 best new restaurant in America by Bon Appetit Mag in 2017! A bit farfetched if you ask me, but Turkey and The Wolf undeniably has the most surprising, inventive and tasty sandwich concoctions. Come for lunch, be prepared to wait in line and do not go without ordering the fried bologna sandwich & collard green melt with a side of cabbage salad (said no one ever before!).
Closed Tuesdays
Also check out their breakfast outpost Molly’s Rise and Shine (more below).
Who would have thought a collard green melt ($10.5) would be so decadent!
The famous Fried Bologna Sandwich with Leighann’s bologna, hot english mustard, potato chips, shrettuce, mayo, american cheese ($11.50)
Devilled eggs with fried chicken skins ($6)
Incredible cabbage salad with roasted chili vinaigrette, lime, sunflower seeds, herbs, fried garlic, pig ear crackling ($10.5)
Cochon Butcher
930 Tchoupitoulas St b
Warehouse District
$$
♥♥♥♥
www.cochonbutcher.com
For more casual eats than its original neighboring sister restaurant Cochon (more below) is this iconic butcher shop/sandwich counter/wine bar. Cochon Butcher is a higher end fast-casual favorite for meat and charcuterie lovers, with unique sandwiches like “Le Pig Mac”. This upscale deli shares the #1 “gourmet” sandwich prize with Turkey and the Wolf.
Cochon Butcher’s version of the Muffuletta
Killer PoBoys
219 Dauphine St
French Quarter
$
♥♥♥
www.killerpoboys.com
Two locations in the heart of the French Quarter, the “Big Killer” on Dauphine St and “Little Killer” at Erin Rose, for both classic and a more modern “gourmet” take on Nola’s signature sandwich. Also vegan options (a rare Nola commodity)!
www.killerpoboys.com
⇒ The overall best New Orleans dining experiences:
Coquette
2800 Magazine St
Garden District
$$$
♥♥♥♥
www.coquettenola.com
Coquette is one of my favorite restaurants in New Orleans, and definitely the best in the Garden District. It’s a trendy yet casual spot serving farm-to-table Southern classics with a modern, innovative twist. Great friendly vibe, delicious food (the fried chicken is a must) and cocktails. A definite must visit when in Nola for either dinner or brunch. Reservations highly recommended.
The best fried chicken in Nola!
Compère Lapin
535 Tchoupitoulas St
Warehouse District
$$$
♥♥♥
www.comperelapin.com
Signature Andromeda Cocktail
For the first years it opened, Compère Lapin was the hottest table to score in Nola. The buzz (thankfully) died down making it a lot more of an accessible dining destination. Located in the Old No. 77 Hotel & Chandlery in the Warehouse District, the restaurant was opened in 2015 by Nina Compton after her stint at TV show Top Chef, and almost instantly awarded the title of restaurant of the year. The exquisite food is a mix Caribbean cuisine from her Native St. Lucia, French gastronomy techniques and New Orleans flavors. Great for groups for both lunch and dinner. Reservations recommended.
Jerk blackdrum with sunchokes & radish
Bywater American Bistro
2900 Chartres St
Bywater
$$$
♥♥♥
www.bywateramericanbistro.com
If you love Compère Lapin and Chef Nina Compton, Bywater American Bistro is her newest restaurant concept. This one is more of a modern American neighborhood restaurant (it’s all in the name), located in an industrial space (an old rice mill!) in Bywater. The menu is inspired by small local farms, using ingredients that are seasonal and raised or caught with care. Serves dinner daily but weekend brunch alone is a reason to come, with a $29 prix-fixe deal and an awesome “proper cajun breakfast” for $20.
Brunch! www.opentable.com
Cochon
930 Tchoupitoulas St
Warehouse District
$$$
♥♥♥
www.cochonrestaurant.com
This James Beard Award winning restaurant is a tourist favorite and a must stop for most New Orleans foodie visitors. The names gives it away: you’ll have your fare share of decadent pork dishes, but also a wide selection of innovative Louisiana comfort food dishes. Signature dishes include the wood-fired oysters, fried alligator (!) and their signature rabbit & dumplings entrée. Great food and vibe for both brunch and dinner.
Ask to sit by open kitchen
Fried alligator with chili garlic mayonnaise ($14) & Chargrilled oysters in the background
Rabbit & dumplings ($24)
Louisiana cochon with cabbage, cracklins & pickled peaches ($24)
Herbsaint
701 St Charles Ave
Warehouse District
$$$
♥♥♥
www.herbsaint.com
Another Donald Link flagship, Herbsaint is an additional great option for a modern bistro type of place. Delicious contemporary, seasonal French-Southern cuisine (get the dirty rice and chicken and andouille gumbo) with elements of rustic Italian cooking. It’s open continuously from lunch to dinner so it’s also a great all-day spot for wine and small plates.
Closed Sundays
www.herbsaint.com
N7
1117 Montegut St
Bywater
$$
♥♥♥♥
www.n7nola.com
OK N7 is probably my favorite restaurant / wine bar in New Orleans. Not only because the name particularly speaks to me (derives from the “route 66” of France, the Nationale 7 (N7), also known as the “route des vacances”), but because everything about this place screams hidden gem. The restaurant is located off the beaten path in the Bywater neighborhood, behind a wooden fence amidst a garden, with indoor and outdoor seating. N7 is a French restaurant and wine bar with a Japanese touch. The food is exquisite and affordable, there’s a great wine menu (mostly European natural wines) and the atmosphere is unbeatable. It’s even been ranked as the most romantic French restaurant in the world! Do yourself a favor and run to N7 if you want to impress a date or a foodie visitor.
August
301 Tchoupitoulas St
Central Business District
$$$$
♥♥♥♥
www.restaurantaugust.com
August is a high end (i.e. pricey) French-Creole restaurant located in a historic 19th century building. This is a fine dining joint, but August is worth going for their awesome $29 lunch prix fixe – a steal!
Crispy Pompano, Swiss Chard, Royal Red Shrimp, Brown Butter, and Worchershire
Luke
33 St Charles Ave
Central Business District
$$$
♥♥
www.lukeneworleans.com
Luke is a classic for a Nola version of French bistro. Think steak-frites paired with your Louisiana fried oysters. This Creole-inspired brasserie is steps away from the French Quarter in the Central Business district and open all day.
Oyster Happy Hour 3pm-6pm!
La Petite Grocery
4238 Magazine St
Garden District
$$$
♥♥
www.lapetitegrocery.com
Another great Garden District option for lunch and dinner. This contemporary Louisiana bistro serves modern Creole food in a quaint cottage that used to be a 19th century grocery store. Get the bowl of turtle ragu!
Easy Reservations
Cute cottage that used to be a grocery in the 1800s
Upperline
1413 Upperline St
Uptown
$$$
♥♥♥
www.upperline.com
Upperline is a local favorite for elevated Creole fine dining in a beautiful in a charming 1877 townhouse. Early-ish dinner only, best for date night!
Closed Mondays & Tuesdays
opentable.com
R’evolution
777 Bienville St
French Quarter
$$$$
♥♥
www.revolutionnola.com
R’evolution is one of the most famous high-end restaurants in the French Quarter located in the historic Royal Sonesta Hotel. This is more of a corporate-card or dinner-with-the-parents spot, mostly to make the most of the hefty prices and 10,000+ bottle wine cellar! A bit stuffy, white-tablecloth kind of restaurant, with hit-or-miss new-Creole fare, but refined setting and impeccable service.
Overpriced yet tasty Bayou fare
Emeril’s Delmonico
300 St Charles Ave
Central City – Garden District
$$$$
♥♥♥
www.emerilsrestaurants.com/emerils-delmonico/
This legendary, century-old institution is the “Creole take on a steakhouse“. Located in elegantly restored historic building, this is more for a higher end, pricey dinner option close to the Garden district for a refined, modern style of Louisiana’s Creole cuisine. Go for dinner, Friday lunch and weekend brunch. Also check out sister restaurants Emeril’s (the flagship) in the Warehouse District and NOLA in the French Quarter.
New Orleans Carnival brunch spread – @delmoniconola
Patois
6078 Laurel St
Uptown
$$$
♥♥♥
www.patoisnola.com
Patois is an upscale French/New American spot opened by praised chef Aaron Burgau, previously at Commander’s Palace before he opened his own joint. Located in a beautiful old residence off the beaten path in the heart of an Uptown residential neighborhood, the rustic, cozy bistro setting has a charming, homey feel. As the name suggests, the menu focuses on French cuisine with New Orleans accents (or patois). Good for date night.
Happy Hour Wed-Sat 5:00-7:00pm
www.patoisnola.com
Clancy’s
6100 Annunciation St
Audubon
$$$
♥♥♥♥
www.clancysneworleans.com
Literally next door to Patois is the Audubon neighborhood favorite Clancy’s. Elegant and delicious Creole classics are the reason to come to this white-tablecloth gem off most tourists’ track. A local go-to for a splurge meal paired with martinis & a great wine list.
www.clancysneworleans.com
Bayona Restaurant
430 Dauphine St
French Quarter
$$$
♥♥♥♥
www.bayona.com/
Bayona has been a New Orleans staple for over 30 years for a romantic fine dining meal. The menu changes daily and serves creative Louisiana fare with local ingredients from regional farms, Bayona is a French Quarter go-to for a high end but unpretentious meal in a charming cottage setting. Sit in their lush courtyard!
Closed Sundays
Charming and romantic courtyard
Sylvain
625 Chartres St
French Quarter
$$$
♥♥♥♥
www.sylvainnola.com
A great dinner or drink option in the French Quarter. Sylvain is a cool neighborhood restaurant with a gastropubby / cocktail bar vibe. Delicious food with a menu full of elevated and refined takes on southern bistro classics. Sylvain is also great for just drinks, with great mixologist cocktails and organic wines. Located in a former carriage house from the 1700s, it’s welcoming, dimly lit and cozy, and also has a cute outdoor patio.
Also serves Friday lunch and weekend brunch
www.sylvainnola.com
⇒ The Best Oyster Bars / Seafood Restaurants:
Acme Oyster House
724 Iberville St
French Quarter
$$
♥♥♥
www.acmeoyster.com/french-quarter/
This French Quarter legendary oyster spot is not the most charming, but (po’)boy are the oysters good. The menu offers a vast selection of New Orleans comfort and seafood. Fresh and raw, cooked, broiled, chargrilled – the world is your oyster! But also great traditional po’ boys, gumbo (in a ‘poopa’ bread bowl) & other Cajun-Creole classics. A go-to French Quarter spot since 1910.
Best chargrilled oysters
Seaworthy
630 Carondelet St
Warehouse District
$$
♥♥♥
www.seaworthynola.com
Seaworthy is a Nola hotspot, opened in 2016 by no-other than the New York dream team behind my beloved Grand Banks. This trendy oyster bar is right next to the Ace Hotel and serves deliciously fresh seafood dishes and equally awesome cocktails. Best part: the menu only serves wild caught or sustainable seafood. Great for date night or late night bites and cocktails.
Cutest retro vibe for oysters and cocktails – seaworthynola.com
Pêche Seafood Grill
800 Magazine St
Warehouse District / Lower Garden District
$$$
♥♥♥
www.pecherestaurant.com
Run by the same team as Cochon (and Herbsaint), Pêche does for seafood what its sister restaurant does for the piggy. Pêche is the place to go for your seafood cravings in the Warehouse District, located in a cool, vibrant large space. Delicious fresh daily catches, best prepared simply over their wood grill. Come with a group and order a whole grilled fish, or come with a date for oysters and drinks at the bar.
Always order a whole grilled fish – www.pecherestaurant.com
GW Fins
808 Bienville St
French Quarter
$$$
♥♥
www.gwfins.com
GW Fins has been the French Quarter go-to for fresh seafood since 2001. An upscale-ish, white-tablecloth type of restaurant serving the freshest local catch. One of the best seafood gumbos in town!
gwfins.com
⇒ For when you want a break from all the local Southern/Cajun cuisine:
La Boca Steakhouse
870 Tchoupitoulas St
Warehouse District
$$$
♥♥
www.labocasteaks.com
labocasteakhouse.com
If you’ve had enough of oysters and shrimp, fulfill your steak cravings at La Boca, a steakhouse inspired by the Argentinean “parilladas”. La Boca offers the largest variety of cuts in NOLA and exclusively Argentinean wine list. Impeccable and perfectly cooked steak to be enjoyed with a Latin flare in a rustic space.
Late night Thursday, Friday, Saturday
Doris Metropolitan
620 Chartres St
French Quarter
$$$$
♥♥♥
www.dorismetropolitan.com/en/new-orleans
For more (high-end & pricey) meat cravings, Doris Metropolitan is as good as a steakhouse gets, in the heart of the French Quarter. I’ve been to the one in Houston and it was phenomenal, with several high-quality variations of steak and some exotic touches. You don’t need to eat meat to enjoy this place, a must-order is the “Beetroot Supreme”, a glorious creation with a whole beet stuffed with mascarpone-ricotta – one of the most memorable dishes.
Beetroot, cheese and walnut filling, crème fraîche glaze, mascarpone-ricotta cream ($15)
Otra Vez
1001 Julia St.
South Market District
$$
♥♥♥
www.otraveznola.com
Need your taco fix? No hay otro que Otra Vez! I’m a big fan of its New York sister restaurant Alta Calidad located in Brooklyn, so naturally had to include the Nola outpost to this list. Chef Akhtar Nawab cooks his signature innovative Mexican cuisine in a fun space in the South Market District for both lunch and dinner (and great brunch too). Buen provecho!
An example of Chef Akhtar’s Mexican magic
Costera
4938 Prytania St
Uptown
$$
♥♥♥
www.costerarestaurant.com
Para mas comida latina, Costera is the Nola go-to for tapas or paella. Opened in 2019 by two Donald Link alums, this is a great spot for awesome Spanish dining infused with traditional Louisiana influences.
Dinner and weekend brunch
www.costerarestaurant.com
⇒ The best brunch/breakfast:
Brennan’s
417 Royal St
French Quarter
$$$$
♥♥♥
www.brennansneworleans.com
If you have to have one breakfast/brunch in the French Quarter, it has to be at Brennan’s. In fact, in the words of novelist Peter S. Feibleman: “If you haven’t had breakfast at Brennan’s, you haven’t really been to New Orleans at all.” Brennan’s is a fine-dining landmark since 1946 for upscale Creole cuisine, and mostly known for its posh breakfast (and its banana foster dessert). You can go for dinner as well, but this is more of a breakfast institution.
Business casual dress code
Classic breakfast order with Brennan’s Eggs Benedict – www.brennansneworleans.com
Signature dessert and must order – Brennan’s Banana Foster – www.brennansneworleans.com
Commander’s Palace
403 Washington Ave
Garden District
$$$
♥♥♥
www.commanderspalace.com
Commander’s Palace is THE Nola institution for a fancy jazz brunch, WASP style. This legendary staple opened in the 1890s and has become a quintessential Nola restaurant and Garden District landmark. This is as classic and iconic old school New Orleans as it gets, the kind of place where you will see Louisiana families all dressed up for brunch after Sunday mass. Best for family outings or celebratory meals (lunch/brunch), serving classic Creole dishes in white-linen dining rooms and attentive Southern hospitality. Reservations are a must.
Strict dress code
Commander’s Palace – a Nola institution
Atchafalaya
901 Louisiana Ave
Garden District
$$
♥♥♥♥
www.atchafalayarestaurant.com
Awesome for casual New Orleans style Cajun brunch, which includes a bunch of decadent (definately not diet-friendly) dishes, a Bloody Mary bar and live music! Do not go without ending your meal with their signature “Blue Cheese Flan” – stop cringing and trust me on this one. Good for groups.
Reservations highly recommended
Amazing brunch spread at Atchafalaya – the heartier the better
Dessert highlight is by far the signature blue cheese flan – must order
Willa Jean
611 O’Keefe Ave
Warehouse District
$$
♥♥♥♥
www.willajean.com
Willa Jean is a café-style restaurant that has become a breakfast institution in Nola for its awesome everything: coffee/ baked goods/ food/ vibe/ friendly service. Don’t go to Nola without a morning spent at Willa Jean (and without trying their biscuits)! Great all-day & group spot.
Perfect breakfast spread at Willa Jean – Latte, Biscuit and Cornbread
Shrimp & Grits with poached egg ($16)
BBQ Shrimp Toast for lunch ($17)
Molly’s Rise and Shine
2368 Magazine St
Garden District
$$
♥♥♥♥
www.mollysriseandshine.com
Molly’s Rise and Shine is the breakfast spot from Mason Hereford, i.e. the genius quirky chef from Turkey & the Wolf. It opened in 2019 and has expectantly become a New Orleans breakfast hotspot. Open from 8am-2pm on weekdays, until 3pm on Saturday.
Closed Tuesdays
mollysriseandshine.com
⇒ The Best Bars:
Bacchanal
600 Poland Ave
Bywater
$$
♥♥♥♥
www.bacchanalwine.com
Bacchanal is by far my favorite hangout in New Orleans. Remotely located in Bywater, this cool wine bar is worth the hike for the awesome vibe and music in their back patio. This is where all the cool hipsters go for live concerts and affordable wine (you can even choose your bottle and cheese at their entrance cellar), and most of all, for the unbeatable atmosphere. Go late afternoon/early evening.
Best wine bar in Nola
The Delachaise
3442 St Charles Ave
Touro
$$
♥♥♥♥
www.thedelachaise.com
Great cozy Uptown wine bar / gastro-pub with a loungey vibe, cool patio and great elevated small bites. Good date spot or for groups.
thedelachaise.com
Barrel Proof
1201 Magazine St
Garden District
$$
♥♥♥
www.barrelproofnola.com
Barrel Proof is the bar for whiskey (and beer) lovers : no less than 300 types of whiskey (!) and more than 50 craft beers. A super cool, rustic neighborhood bar in the Lower Garden District, with a relaxed yet romantic vibe. Perfect for a bourbon lover date. Small bites served until midnight. Opens at 4pm daily until late.
Happy Hour 4-6 pm daily
www.barrelproofnola.com
The Carousel Bar
214 Royal St
French Quarter
$$$
♥♥♥
www.hotelmonteleone.com/entertainment/carousel-bar/
This is more of a touristy go-to but a pretty cool bar regardless. Located in the heart of the French Quarter in the Hotel Monteleone, The Carousel Bar is a Nola institution for its circular bar that revolves like a carousel. Order a Sazerac (duh).
A bar on a moving carousel!
Napoleon House Bar
500 Chartres St
French Quarter
$$
♥♥
www.napoleonhouse.com
Another New Orleans staple and one of the most famous bars in the U.S.! This 200 year old landmark on the corner of Chartres and St. Louis in the French Quarter is a tourist must for the Pimm’s cup and its cute courtyard. You’ll also find all the po’boy, muffaletta classics.
The drink to order: Pimms Cup – www.napoleonhouse.com
Sazerac Bar
130 Roosevelt Way
Central Business District
$$$
♥♥
www.therooseveltneworleans.com/dining/the-sazerac-bar.html
The Sazerac Bar is a high-class cocktail bar inside the Roosevelt Hotel, for more of a classy “old world” vibe in an elegant art deco interior. You’ve guessed it, order a Sazerac!
www.therooseveltneworleans.com
Mimi’s in the Marigny
2601 Royal St
Marigny
$$
♥♥♥♥
www.mimismarigny.com
A guaranteed fun time. When in the Marigny area, one must go to Mimi’s, a two-level bar serving tapas during the day, and later turns into a cool, chill bar with live music every night. This is definitely a local favorite, with regulars meeting up for a game of pool or to boogie! Open until late.
mimismarigny.com
Lost Love Lounge
2529 Dauphine St
Marigny
$
♥♥
www.lostloveloungenola.com
Another Marigny neighborhood bar, except that Lost Love Lounge is more of a dive bar known for its late-night Vietnamese food. Good for sports night, their weekly events, the cheap beers and friendly regulars.
AllWays Lounge & Theatre
2240 St Claude Ave
Marigny
$
♥♥
www.theallwayslounge.net/
And last tick on the Marigny list, but this one’s a quirky bar and funky alternative theatre for fun burlesque shows and indie music concerts.
ENJOY THE BIG EASY AND BON APPÉTIT!
