26 Best Restaurants in New Orleans, Louisiana

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.

At the Company Burger, your order is simple: the amazing signature burger comes with two fresh-ground patties, bread-and-butter pickles, American cheese, and red onions on a freshly baked bun. No lettuce and no tomatoes, but you can load it up with homemade condiments like basil or roasted-garlic mayonnaise and Creole honey mustard. Other options include lamb or turkey burgers and hot dogs with franks from Nueske's Meat. A daily burger special adds variety to the menu and there is a daily happy hour from 3 pm to 6 pm. Owner Adam Biderman grew up in New Orleans, but first earned burger fame in Atlanta. He's part of the wave of young transplants and returning natives not beholden to local traditions, who have reenergized New Orleans since Katrina. There is a second location in the CBD (611 O'Keefe Avenue).

At Dat Dog, the sprawling stand is painted in primary hues, as if the work had been outsourced to a talented kindergarten class, and the Hawaiian shirt–clad staff bustle about with the enthusiasm of amateur actors staging a musical. The menu is all about hot dogs, and frank options range from standard German wieners to Louisiana alligator sausages. Even fish eaters and vegetarians have options (the apple sage "sausage" is deceivingly meaty). The long list of toppings includes guacamole, wasabi, and andouille sauce. And what goes better with a brat than an ice-cold brew? Luckily, the menu offers an exhaustive list of domestic and international beers. There are additional Dat Dog locations at 3336 Magazine Street and 601 Frenchmen Street.

A rough-edge classic in every way, this no-frills eatery is a prime source for briny, chilled Gulf oysters; legendary shrimp, oyster, and roast-beef po'boys; and tender, expertly seasoned red beans and rice. Even locals can't resist, although most opt for the less crowded, if less charming, suburban branches (there's one in Metairie). Expect lengthy lines here in the French Quarter, often a half block long. Crowds lighten in the late afternoon, making Acme a choice respite for a mid-afternoon snack of a dozen on the half shell washed down with an Abita beer.

Every dish on the short menu here shows an obsessive attention to detail. The main attraction are the pizzas, which follow Neapolitan rules and use only flour, water, yeast, and salt for their dough; they enter an 800°F oven—imported from Naples—and emerge a minute later charred and fragrant. The starters prominently feature the sausages and other cured meats that hang inside a glass-walled room in the back. Despite the seriousness of the kitchen, the vibe out front is casual and contemporary. This welcoming pizzeria, like many other places on burgeoning Freret Street, suits the needs of neighbors but turns out food worthy of a visitor's attention.

Traditional Sicilian gelato, spumoni, cannoli, pastries, and candies are the attractions at this quaint little sweetshop, now over a century old. The crisp biscotti, traditional Sicilian desserts, and the lemon and strawberry ices haven't lost their status as local favorites. The shop closes at 10 pm weekdays, at 10:30 pm Friday and Saturday, and at 9 pm on Sunday. Plan to stand in line and chat with locals (and many smiling kids). On your way out, look for the brass plaque on the door that marks how high the water reached after the levees broke during Katrina in 2005.

This eatery has been a haven for Uptown seafood lovers since 1919. Family members still wait tables and staff the immaculate kitchen in back, while a reliable handful of oyster shuckers ensure that plenty of cold ones are available for the standing room–only oyster bar. Specialties from the diminutive menu include oysters lightly poached in seasoned milk; fried shrimp, trout, and soft-shell-crab platters; and a must-try fried "oyster loaf" sandwich (two thick slices of white bread stuffed with fresh and greaseless bivalves). Everything is clean, and nothing is superfluous. Even the houseplants have a just-polished look.

This old-fashioned grocery store, which creates authentic muffulettas, a gastronomic gift from the city's Italian immigrants, was expected to reopen in the late fall of 2023 at this writing. Made by filling nearly 10-inch round loaves of seeded bread with ham, salami, provolone and Emmentaler cheeses, and olive salad, the muffuletta is nearly as popular locally as the po'boy. (Central Grocery also sells a vegetarian version.) The sandwiches are available in wholes and halves (they're huge—unless you're starving, you'll do fine with a half). Eat at one of the counters or get your sandwich to go and dine on a bench in Jackson Square or the Moon Walk along the Mississippi riverfront. The Grocery closes at 5 pm.

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.

Just off Esplanade Avenue, Fair Grinds Coffeehouse is the neighborhood spot for fair-trade coffee, tea, and snacks—including vegan treats. There's an upstairs balcony for alfresco dining, and live music at least twice a week.

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 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.

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.

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).

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 you can also order the full menu outside). 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.

Former contractor Jay Nix resurrected more than just a dilapidated building when he reopened Parkway: he also brought back to life a dormant community spirit. You can find neighbors and regulars from other parts of the city sinking their teeth into Parkway's roast beef and grilled ham po'boys; some simply wander in for a hot dog and beer at the bar, and to take in the New Orleans nostalgia decorating the walls (President Barack Obama was just one of many famous guests). For dessert, choose from a selection of rum cake, bread pudding, and banana pudding—all made fresh daily. Since it's so close to the fairgrounds, Parkway really jumps during Jazz Fest. The famous fried oyster po'boy is available Monday and Wednesday only.

Every night, no matter the weather, people wait for more than an hour outside Port of Call for fist-thick burgers made from freshly ground beef, served with always-fluffy baked potatoes (there are no fries here). For the classic Port of Call experience, drink a Neptune's Monsoon (their mind-bending house grog) while you wait, and order your potato "loaded" (with mushrooms, cheddar cheese, sour cream, butter, chives, and bacon bits). A juicy filet mignon is also available. In the afternoon and early evening, it's a fun stop for kids. Port of Call is open until midnight Sunday through Thursday and until 1 am on Friday and Saturday.

Seasoned restaurateur Ralph Brennan has matched this beautifully renovated historic building with a menu that features innovative twists on contemporary Creole standbys. The culinary staff excel with full-flavored seafood dishes like the Parmesan-fried oysters and a variety of fresh fish. Prix-fixe, multi-course menus available at lunch and dinner are a great way to indulge. For Sunday brunch, which even has a kids' menu, the cane-glazed shrimp with pickled peppers and the chicken and waffles with boudin balls will remind you that you're way down in Louisiana. The solid wine list is constantly changing. The bar, where you can order the full menu, looks out on the oaks of City Park and has become a virtual public clubhouse for nearby residents.

Operated by the owners of the posh Arnaud's, Remoulade is more laid-back and less pricey but serves the same Caesar salad and pecan pie, as well as a few of the signature starters: shrimp Arnaud in rémoulade sauce, baked oysters, turtle soup, and shrimp bisque. "Tasters," or sampler plates of three dishes like gumbo, crawfish pie, and jambalaya, are a steal at $17.50. The marble-counter oyster bar and mahogany cocktail bar date to the 1870s; a dozen oysters shucked here, paired with a cold beer, can easily turn into two dozen, maybe three. Tile floors, mirrors, a pressed-tin ceiling, and brass lights create an old-time New Orleans environment with a family-friendly ambience. It's open daily until 11 pm.

Chefs across America are ditching the white tablecloths and applying fine-dining flair to burgers, bar food, and comfort fare, and here chef Scott Boswell attempts this with the 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 earthy Louisiana cane syrup and eggs Benedict are topped with homemade Cajun boudin. At lunch and dinner, 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.

The menu at this Uptown seafood specialist reads like a greatest hits collection from the New Orleans culinary canon: from po'boys and fried green tomatoes on the casual end to stuffed catfish and shrimp andouille brochettes on the fancier side. The cavernous space mimics a Parisian bistro, with a tad too much polish to feel authentic. But who cares about the inside, when the many windows offer views of streetcars rolling by on St. Charles Avenue. The owners also run the nearby but not terribly exciting Superior Grill (3636 St. Charles Ave.).

You can't miss this bright, yellow-striped building, but it's the smell of the meat—pork shoulder, pork ribs, beef brisket, and chicken—cooking in the custom-made smoker that will draw you in. In a town not really known for great barbecue, the Joint is an exception, which is why it draws hungry patrons from far and wide. The meat is the thing, but don't skip the side dishes, which go above and beyond in concept and execution, particularly the sweet-and-spicy baked beans and the crispy-on-the-outside mac 'n' cheese. Pecan, key lime, and peanut butter pies are fitting country desserts, particularly if you want to linger in the lush outdoor courtyard a bit longer.

A stalwart neighborhood joint, the age-old College Inn now occupies a newer building after decades in an older, now-razed structure next door. The flat, greasy burgers are still popular, particularly when ordered with french fries and a cold Abita, but the diner fare has been joined by more sophisticated plates. Many of the vegetables come from the restaurant's two neighboring urban gardens. Despite all the updates, you can still get the veal cutlet that's been on the menu since 1933.