Must-see restaurants in Louisiana

  • Galatoire’s

    French Quarter

    Friday lunchtime is the best time to visit this revered institution for its traditional Creole cuisine. That’s when local ladies in big hats and gloves…

  • Marjie's Grill

    New Orleans

    In one word: brilliant. Marjie's is run by chefs who were inspired by Southeast Asian street food, but rather than coming home and doing pale imitations…

  • Boucherie

    New Orleans

    The thick, glistening cuts of bacon on the BLT can only be the work of the devil – or chef Nathanial Zimet, whose house-cured meats and succulent Southern…

  • Tan Dinh

    New Orleans

    It may look like a bog standard strip-mall Vietnamese joint when you walk in, but we'd happily contend that Tan Dinh is one of the best restaurants in…

  • Peche Seafood Grill

    New Orleans

    Coastal seafood dishes are prepared simply here, but unexpected flourishes – whether from salt, spices or magic – sear the deliciousness onto your taste…

  • Clancy's

    New Orleans

    This white-tablecloth neighborhood restaurant embraces style, the good life and Creole cuisine with a chattering joie de vivre and top-notch service. The…

  • Bacchanal

    Faubourg Marigny & Bywater

    From the outside, Bacchanal looks like a leaning Bywater shack; inside are racks of wine and stinky-but-sexy cheese. Musicians play in the garden, while…

  • Gautreau’s

    New Orleans

    There’s no sign outside Gautreau’s, just the number 1728 discreetly marking a nondescript house in a residential neighborhood. Cross the threshold to find…

  • Jacques-Imo’s Café

    New Orleans

    Ask locals for restaurant recommendations in New Orleans, and almost everybody mentions Jacques-Imo's. We understand why: cornbread muffins swimming in…

  • Commander's Palace

    New Orleans

    Commander’s Palace is a dapper host who wows with white-linen dining rooms, decadent dishes and attentive Southern hospitality. The nouveau Creole menu…

  • Mosca's

    Louisiana

    There's old school, and then there's Mosca's. This Italian joint looks like it's about to collapse into the mud, but it soldiers on, serving to-die-for…

  • Seaworthy

    New Orleans

    Many new restaurants in New Orleans have not lived up to the city's intimidating culinary legacy. Seaworthy is not such a place. They serve, simply,…

  • Coquette

    New Orleans

    Coquette mixes wine-bar ambience with friendly service and a bit of white linen; the result is a candlelit place where you don’t feel bad getting tipsy…

  • Restaurant August

    New Orleans

    For a little romance, reserve a table at Restaurant August. This converted 19th-century tobacco warehouse, with its flickering candles and warm, soft…

  • Drip Affogato

    New Orleans

    Drip serves all kinds of gelato and espresso, but it truly shines when it combines the two into an affogato – espresso or coffee poured onto ice cream…

  • Parkway Tavern

    New Orleans

    Who makes the best po’boy in New Orleans? Honestly, who can say? But tell a local you think the top sandwich comes from Parkway and you will get, at the…

  • Liuzza’s By The Track

    New Orleans

    Mmmm, that gumbo. This quintessential Mid-City neighborhood joint does some of the best in town. The barbecue shrimp po’boy is to die for and the deep…

  • Surrey’s Juice Bar

    New Orleans

    Surrey’s makes a simple bacon-and-egg sandwich taste – and look – like the most delicious breakfast you’ve ever been served. And you know what? It…

  • Wayfare

    New Orleans

    This former takeout joint has gone all-in and now hovers in that delicious middle ground between pub (with inventive craft cocktails such as the Porkbelly…

  • Carmo

    New Orleans

    Carmo isn't just an alternative to the fatty, carnivorous New Orleans menu – it's an excellent restaurant by any gastronomic measuring stick. Both the…

  • DTB

    New Orleans

    DTB is the new place on Oak everyone's talking about. Get melt-in-your-mouth meats, crisp salads and creative takes on Cajun comfort food (roasted…

  • 1000 Figs

    New Orleans

    Although the menu isn't exclusively vegetarian, 1000 Figs serves our favorite vegetarian fare in town. The falafel, hummus, baba ghanoush and lentil soup…

  • Mister Gregory's

    French Quarter

    That the French expat community of New Orleans regularly makes its way to Mister Gregory's should tell you something about the quality of this bistro's…

  • Compère Lapin

    New Orleans

    Chef Nina Compton became a household name via the TV show Top Chef, but her New Orleans restaurant is anything but a celebrity flash in the pan. This is…

  • Johnson's Boucanière

    Cajun Country

    This 70-year-old smoker business turns out detour-worthy boudin (Cajun-style pork-and-rice sausage), an unstoppable smoked-pork-brisket sandwich topped…

  • Shade Tree Cafe

    Cajun Country

    The Shade Tree is a diner, sure. But it's so much more. It's the concept of a diner – with comfort food like catfish and rib eyes and fried chicken –…

  • French Press

    Cajun Country

    This French Cajun hybrid is one of the best culinary things going in Lafayette. Breakfast is mind-blowing, with a sinful Cajun Benedict (boudin instead of…

  • Avo

    New Orleans

    Avo is a new kid on the Magazine St block, serving pastas cooked to perfection – as one would expect, with the owner-chef hailing from Sicily. It's clean,…

  • Ba Chi Canteen

    New Orleans

    Do not be skeptical of the 'bacos' ($3), as odd as they sound. These pillowy bundles of deliciousness – a banh bao crossed with a taco – successfully…

  • Coop’s Place

    French Quarter

    Coop’s is an authentic Cajun dive, but more rocked out. Make no mistake: it can be grotty and chaotic, the servers have attitude and the layout is…

  • Pizza Delicious

    Faubourg Marigny & Bywater

    The thin-crust pies here are done New York–style and taste great. The preparation is simple, but the ingredients are fresh and consistently top-notch. An…

  • Stein’s Deli

    New Orleans

    You may get a no-nonsense 'what?' when you step up to the counter, but it's just part of the schtick at this scruffy deli. For quality sandwiches, cheese…

  • Cake Café & Bakery

    Faubourg Marigny & Bywater

    On weekend mornings the line quite literally extends out the door here. Biscuits and gravy (topped with andouille – smoked pork sausage), fried oysters…

  • Dang's Vietnamese Restaurant

    Louisiana

    Everything at this Vietnamese institution is great, but have a slurp of the pho and you may whisper a prayer to the kitchen gods for favoring you with a…

  • Red's Chinese

    Faubourg Marigny & Bywater

    Red's has upped the Chinese cuisine game in New Orleans in a big way. The chefs aren't afraid to add lashings of Louisiana flavor, yet this isn't what we…

  • Dong Phuong Oriental Bakery

    New Orleans

    Come here for the best banh mi (Vietnamese bread rolls of sliced pork, cucumber, cilantro; locally called a ‘Vietnamese po’boy’) around, fantastic pho and…

  • Cochon

    New Orleans

    The phrase ‘everything but the squeal’ springs to mind at Cochon, regularly named one of New Orleans’ best restaurants. Donald Link pays homage to his…

  • Bayona

    French Quarter

    Bayona is one of our favorite splurges in the Quarter, and a pioneer of the slow-food movement. It’s classy but unpretentious, an all-round fine spot for…

  • Pho Cam Ly

    New Orleans

    After much exhaustive research, this is our go-to bowl of pho in New Orleans (short of driving to New Orleans East). The Pho Cam Ly broth is rich and…

  • Toups' Meatery

    New Orleans

    Cheese plates. Charcuterie boards. These are standard appetizers at restaurants across the land. But they are nothing compared to the chest-pounding glory…