15 Best Restaurants to Try in New Orleans

New Orleans is the kind of city where your best-laid diet plans go to hang up their apron for good. Famous for its bold flavors, from Creole classics and spicy Cajun dishes to Gulf seafood that'll make your taste buds sing, it's pretty much foodie heaven. But with so many options, figuring out where to eat can be a whole lot harder than getting the pronunciation of "Tchoupitoulas" right after a couple of drinks. That's where this guide comes in to save the day.

We've rounded up 15 of the best restaurants in New Orleans, from centuries-old institutions and beloved local favorites to newer spots putting creative spins on the city's culinary traditions.

Antoine's has been serving New Orleans since 1840, making it one of the city's most historic restaurants and the oldest continuously family-run restaurant in the United States. It's still owned and operated by fifth-generation relatives of founder Antoine Alciatore, and it remains at 713 St. Louis Street in the French Quarter, where it moved in 1868.

When it comes to food, you can't go wrong with its classic French-Creole cooking. Antoine's is the birthplace of famous dishes including Oysters Rockefeller and Eggs Sardou, while its soufflé potatoes are another long-standing favourite. You can stop by for lunch, dinner, or Sunday jazz brunch, and the restaurant also has an impressive selection of private dining rooms. Basically, if these walls could talk, they'd probably have several very good dinner stories.

Commander's Palace serves up sophisticated New Haute Creole cuisine in New Orleans' Garden District. The Brennan family took over the restaurant in 1974, and today co-proprietors Ti Adelaide Martin and Lally Brennan continue the family's legacy alongside Executive Chef Meg Bickford.

The menu blends Louisiana traditions with a modern approach, featuring dishes such as turtle soup, gumbo, seafood, and seasonal local ingredients. One particularly impressive detail is the restaurant's "dirt to plate within 100 miles" policy, which aims to source 90 percent of its ingredients from within 100 miles.

Lunch, dinner, jazz brunch, cocktails, wine, and private dining are all on the table, making this a great pick when you want your New Orleans meal to feel a little fancy without losing its Louisiana soul.

Galatoire's has been a New Orleans institution since 1905, and you'll still find it at 209 Bourbon Street. Founder Jean Galatoire came from Pardies, France, bringing his family's French culinary traditions with him. More than a century later, the restaurant continues to serve classic New Orleans cuisine influenced by those French roots.

Expect plenty of Gulf seafood, oysters, fish, crab, and other Creole favourites. But Galatoire's isn't just about what's on the plate; the lively atmosphere is part of the experience, particularly during its famous Friday lunch. The dining room is closed on Mondays, while service runs Tuesday through Saturday and on Sunday.

One thing to know before you go: there's a dress code, with jackets required for gentlemen from 5 p.m. and all day Sunday. So, yes, maybe leave the flip-flops for the hotel room.

Arnaud's opened in 1918 when French wine salesman Arnaud Cazenave decided to bring his vision of Creole dining to New Orleans. More than a century later, the restaurant remains a French Quarter classic at 813 Bienville Street.

The menu focuses on classic Creole cuisine, with lunch, dinner, Friday lunch, and Sunday jazz brunch available. There's also a tasting menu if you're feeling particularly indecisive and would rather let the restaurant make the difficult choices for you.

Arnaud's is also home to the Mardi Gras Museum and the French 75 Bar, making it easy to turn dinner into a full evening out. The French 75 Bar specializes in classic cocktails and has become a destination.

Brennan's opened in 1946 and is now located at 417 Royal Street in the French Quarter. It's a standout among New Orleans restaurants, known for its Creole-inspired cooking, elegant dining rooms, and memorable breakfast service.

And then there's Bananas Foster. The famous dessert was created at Brennan's in 1951 after Owen Brennan challenged chef Paul Blangé to come up with a dish featuring bananas. The flambéed creation became an instant classic and remains one of the restaurant's signature orders.

Turtle soup, seafood gumbo, Louisiana crab claws, oysters, and plenty of other New Orleans favorites round out the menu. And yes, if you're celebrating 80 years in 2026, you have officially earned the right to have dessert first.

Dooky Chase's opened at its current location on Orleans Avenue in 1941 and remains one of New Orleans' most historically significant restaurants. Founded by Emily and Dooky Chase Sr., it grew from a sandwich shop and bar into a celebrated family restaurant, with Leah Chase playing a pivotal role in developing its Creole cuisine and cultural legacy.

During the Civil Rights Movement, Dooky Chase's became a meeting place where activists could gather and strategise. Leah Chase also helped turn the restaurant into an important showcase for African American art, with works displayed throughout its dining rooms.

As for the food, red beans and rice, gumbo, shrimp Creole, po'boys, and other Creole favourites are among the dishes to look out for. Lunch is served Tuesday through Friday, while dinner is available on Friday and Saturday evenings. Reservations are highly recommended.

If fried chicken is your love language, Willie Mae's NOLA deserves a spot on your New Orleans itinerary. Willie Mae's Scotch House began as a bar in the historic Tremé neighborhood in 1957 and became famous for its fried chicken, earning widespread recognition as "America's Best Fried Chicken."

Today, the full-service Willie Mae's NOLA operates at 898 Baronne Street in the Downtown New Orleans Business District. The menu remains centred around its famously crispy fried chicken, with lunch, dinner, and weekend brunch available.

The current location opened in November 2024, bringing the restaurant's long-running legacy into a new chapter. Just remember ordering "just one piece" is a bold claim when the chicken smells this good.

Herbsaint arrived on the New Orleans dining scene in 2000 at 701 St. Charles Avenue and remains the flagship restaurant of Chef Donald Link's Link Restaurant Group. Today, Chef de Cuisine Tyler Spreen oversees a kitchen focused on contemporary French-Southern cooking with touches of rustic Italian cuisine.

The menu changes with the seasons and highlights Louisiana ingredients, including local seafood. You'll find dishes such as gumbo, fried oysters, Gulf shrimp, and other creative takes on Southern staples, alongside an eclectic wine list.

Chef Donald Link's James Beard Award for Best Chef: South in 2007 is another reason Herbsaint has remained such a respected name in the city's dining scene.

Willa Jean is the kind of place where breakfast, brunch, baked goods, and Southern comfort food all happily share the same table. The restaurant and bakery is currently located at 611 O'Keefe Avenue and is open daily from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The menu puts a playful spin on Southern favourites, with options ranging from pastries and biscuits to sandwiches, salads, and hearty breakfast and brunch dishes. Local ingredients feature prominently, while the bakery side of the restaurant makes it particularly tempting for anyone who believes a trip to New Orleans should include multiple baked goods per day.

Whether you're after a relaxed breakfast, a quick lunch, or something sweet to take with you, Willa Jean is an easy addition to your itinerary.

Compère Lapin opened in June 2015 inside the Old No. 77 Hotel at 535 Tchoupitoulas Street in the Warehouse District. Chef Nina Compton runs the restaurant with her husband and business partner, Larry Miller.

The cooking draws on Compton's Caribbean upbringing, French culinary training, and experience with Italian cuisine, creating a menu that's distinctly her own. Current dishes include curried goat with sweet potato gnocchi, Gulf shrimp, jerk pork belly, and other seafood and vegetable-forward creations.

Compton was named one of Food & Wine's Best New Chefs in 2017 and won the James Beard Award for Best Chef: South in 2018. So, yes, that curried goat deserves your attention.

Pêche Seafood Grill opened in the Warehouse District in 2013 at 800 Magazine Street, bringing together chefs Donald Link, Stephen Stryjewski, and Ryan Prewitt. The restaurant focuses on Gulf seafood, oysters, and locally sourced fish, with an open-hearth cooking style that keeps the ingredients front and centre.

The menu also takes inspiration from South American, Spanish, and Gulf Coast cooking, so expect plenty of flavour without overcomplicating the seafood. Pêche's reputation is backed by some serious hardware: in 2014, it won the James Beard Award for Best New Restaurant, while Ryan Prewitt was named Best Chef: South that same year.

If you're in New Orleans specifically for seafood, this is one restaurant that should be high on your list.

La Petite Grocery sits at 4238 Magazine Street in Uptown New Orleans, inside a more-than-century-old building with a surprisingly busy past. Before becoming a restaurant in 2004, the space served as a coffee and tea depot, grocery store, butcher shop, and florist's studio.

Chef Justin Devillier and his wife, Mia, took over ownership in 2010, and Devillier puts a creative spin on traditional New Orleans cuisine. Standout dishes include Turtle Bolognese and Blue Crab Beignets, while the menu continues to evolve with seasonal ingredients.

Devillier won the James Beard Award for Best Chef: South in 2016, adding some serious culinary credentials to this charming Uptown favourite.

MaMou opened in November 2022 at 942 North Rampart Street in the French Quarter, bringing a modern European brasserie concept with a strong French influence and a Creole twist to the city. The restaurant was created by Tom Branighan and Molly Wismeier and focuses on an intimate dining experience.

The menu features dishes such as tuna crudo, escargot with pesto, steak tartare, shrimp risotto, and redfish pasta, with the menu changing to reflect seasonal ingredients.

MaMou currently serves dinner Wednesday through Sunday, and reservations are recommended given the restaurant's limited seating.

Lilette has been serving diners at 3637 Magazine Street since 2001, when chef and owner John Harris transformed a late-1800s corner drugstore into one of Uptown New Orleans' most stylish restaurants.

The menu combines French and Italian influences with fresh seasonal ingredients. Long-standing favourites such as bouillabaisse and duck confit share space with new seasonal creations, so there's always a reason for regulars to come back.

Lilette is open for lunch and dinner Monday through Saturday and closes on Sundays. Its romantic, dimly lit dining room also makes it a particularly good choice when your dinner plans need a little more atmosphere.

Tucked inside Hotel Peter & Paul, a beautifully restored former Catholic church and school complex in Faubourg Marigny, The Elysian Bar is one of those places where the setting is almost as memorable as the food. You'll find it at 2317 Burgundy Street, where the restaurant combines European and Mediterranean influences with touches of New Orleans flair.

The menu includes dishes such as soft-shell crab, littleneck clams, risotto, chicken paillard, and fried snapper, while breakfast brings in New Orleans-inspired options such as housemade boudin and catfish Benedict. The restaurant also serves craft cocktails and wine, making it an easy place to linger long after you've finished eating.

In a nutshell, New Orleans has no shortage of places to eat, whether you're after a historic Creole institution, a seafood-focused grill, a plate of legendary fried chicken, or a modern restaurant putting its own spin on Louisiana flavours. From Oysters Rockefeller and Bananas Foster to gumbo, shrimp Creole, and Gulf seafood, these places to eat in New Orleans give you plenty of delicious excuses to ignore your diet for another day.

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