Best Restaurants in New Orleans

New Orleans may be the best food city in America. The culinary traditions here — Creole, Cajun, French, African, Caribbean — have been layering on top of each other for 300 years, and the result is a food culture so deep that even the gas station food is good.

The Icons

Commander’s Palace (Garden District) — The grande dame of New Orleans dining. Haute Creole cuisine in a turquoise Victorian mansion. The turtle soup, the pecan-crusted Gulf fish, and the bread pudding soufflé are legendary. Lunch is the best value — the 25-cent martini lunch special (yes, really) is a New Orleans tradition.

Café Du Monde (French Quarter) — Open since 1862. Open 24 hours. Three items on the menu: beignets (fried dough covered in powdered sugar), café au lait, and orange juice. That’s it. Sit at the open-air tables overlooking Jackson Square. Powdered sugar will get everywhere. It’s perfect.

Dooky Chase’s Restaurant (Tremé) — Leah Chase’s legendary Creole soul food restaurant. The fried chicken and the gumbo z’herbes are historic dishes. Civil rights leaders met here during the movement.

Po’Boys

Parkway Bakery & Tavern (Mid-City) — The best po’boy in New Orleans. The roast beef with gravy is the signature — debris (the bits that fall off the roast during cooking) is the pro order. Cash preferred.

Domilise’s (Uptown) — Tiny, neighborhood, no-frills. The fried shrimp po’boy is outstanding. Cash only. Open until they run out.

Verti Marte (French Quarter) — A 24-hour corner deli that makes the All That Jazz po’boy (grilled shrimp, grilled ham, fried turkey, and cheese with secret sauce). One of the best late-night eats in the Quarter.

Gumbo & Cajun

Cochon (Warehouse District) — Chef Donald Link’s Cajun restaurant. Smoked meats, boudin, gumbo, and cracklins. The most refined Cajun food in the city.

Willie Mae’s Scotch House (Tremé) — Fried chicken that’s been called the best in America. The batter is crispy, the meat is juicy, and the sides are homestyle. Expect a line.

Jacques-Imo’s (Uptown) — Cajun-Creole with portions designed for appetite, not Instagram. Shrimp and alligator cheesecake, blackened redfish, and a stuffed pork chop that feeds two.

French Quarter Dining

GW Fins — The best seafood restaurant in the Quarter. Scalibut, seared scallops, and a raw bar that rivals any in the city.

Sylvain — Intimate bistro in a French Quarter carriage house. Creative cocktails and a menu that changes with the season.

Central Grocery (Decatur St) — Home of the original muffuletta — a massive Italian sandwich with olive salad, salami, ham, and provolone on round sesame bread. A half is enough for most people.

Breakfast & Coffee

Brennan’s (French Quarter) — Bananas Foster was invented here in 1951. The breakfast is prix fixe and includes turtle soup, eggs Hussarde, and the famous flaming bananas for dessert.

Café Beignet (multiple French Quarter locations) — Less crowded alternative to Café Du Monde with the same beignets-and-café-au-lait formula.

French Truck Coffee (multiple locations) — New Orleans’ specialty coffee roaster. Cold brew and espresso drinks worth seeking out.

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