If you ask most natives where to get the best “New Orleans Food”, the answer will be their grandma’s house. To save everyone’s grandma the trouble, we put some of our favorite restaurants below for classic New Orleans cuisine. This list below is organized into spots for regional cuisine and then spots that aren’t necessarily serving regional cuisine but still amazing and worth your time.
Po’ boys. Get the surf n’ turf dressed, extra gravy (it’s fried shrimp and hot roast beef). Also get a Barq’s root beer. And the debris fries. Go for lunch or dinner. Counter service.
Three words: fried chicken plate. You may not feel great after. Go for lunch or dinner (note that they close at 8 pm).
Seafood gumbo and red beans and rice. Lunch is typically a buffet, hit that up and also order their gumbo. Best for lunch.
Go here for a muffuletta (muh-fuh-lot-uh), a gigantic sandwich with layers of meat, cheese, and olive salad—made famous by the city’s Sicilian immigrants.
Did you know New Orleans has a gigantic and vibrant Vietnamese population? If you’re by chance looking for an amazing bowl of pho or Bun Bo Hue and don’t mind a 20-minute drive a little out of the city center, this place is amazing. Plus the attached bakery makes what some people say is the best king cake in town during Carnival season. (If you don’t want to go out of the way to get THE BEST Vietnamese in the city, these Vietnamese spots are closer and still very good: Lily’s Cafe, 9 Roses, Magasin)
Old-school Italian desserts in an adorable old cafe setting. They’ve been open for over 100 years. Get a cannoli. Get a spumoni. Get an espresso. Get some gelato.
This is one of those things that is like very touristy but also very fun and any local that tells you it’s dumb probably isn’t a New Orleans native who has memories of going out for Sunday morning beignets and getting covered in powdered sugar. If you want the classic New Orleans beignet experience, go to Cafe du Monde (but avoid weekend mornings, the line is too long) and get an order of beignets and a cafe au lait. Going here after dinner is also very very nice. If the line is too much when you show up, head over to Cafe Beignet.
It’s so lovely when you find somewhere that is both formal and right on the money when it comes to their food and wine program—Bayona is it! It’s so so good, and if you like to geek out over wine, their wine list is roughly the size of a bible. Check it out for a cute, somewhat buttoned up French Quarter dining experience.
They bill themselves as “the oldest French-creole fine dining restaurant in New Orleans,” and yeah that sounds about right. It’s over 170 years old and serving up many famous New Orleans dishes in a truly ornate setting.
In our opinion, this place is more about the dining experience than it is about the food. You’ll have like seven waiters, your water will be filled constantly, etc. This is a great spot to try some historic New Orleans dishes (like turtle soup!), but the food is not necessarily any better than a lot of places in the city that are a bit more relaxed. However, it is a New Orleans classic and a historic spot, even if a bit stuffy for our personal taste.
Incredible, creative, and affordable food that is mostly sourced locally. It’s got plenty of vegan and vegetarian options, and any meat on the menu will come from local farms. It’s truly wonderful. Our favorites: cauliflower tofu salad, the tempeh reuben, and the real meat flatbread. Located in the Bywater.
It’s basically elevated stoner food. It’s quirky, cute, and a local favorite. Try them out after a day of shopping along Magazine Street. The wedge salad is covered in everything bagel seasoning. Fuck yes. Located in the Lower Garden District.
Incredible Chinese food with dim sum, right in the French Quarter. Everything was amazing, but the pork bao and the chive cakes were shining stars!
Traditional Ethiopian food in Mid-city with an incredibly friendly staff and beautiful plates filled with lentils and injeras and spices and sauces.
Part butcher shop part lunch counter—this Mid-city spot has wonderful sandwiches and lunch plates. We got the steak sandwich and the pastrami sandwich and both were * chef’s kiss *
A cute Garden District spot with a great bar. Go for brunch, which is when they have a family-style fried chicken platter for the table with deviled eggs and pickles and buttermilk ranch. Yeah. Get some mimosas, and eat allllll that. Dinner here is also fantastic, and a bit romantic.
French and Southern fusion in a cozy French Quarter setting. Intimate and loud and dark (in a good way) with an amazing cocktail program. Check it out for brunch or dinner. Located in the French Quarter.
N7 (dinner only)
A very very cozy neighborhood spot with a wine bar and a menu full of French favorites. Bon Apetit awarded them Best New Restaurant a few years back when they first opened, so, like yeah you should probably check it out. It’s kind of hard to find since it’s hidden behind a fence and literally in the middle of a neighborhood but look for the small sign that says “N7” and you’ll be fine. Located in the Bywater.
A no frills restaurant and bar set in the center of the French Quarter. The spot delivers a quality product but at its heart is a true neighborhood joint. Check out the courtyard and their happy hour, which is from 4-7 pm and offers $5 Sidecars, Moscow Mules, Daiquiris, and select wines. You’re hereby required to order the English Peas.
Italian inspired food in a truly amazing warehouse-ish setting (think massive ceilings, huge windows, lots of concrete, somehow still comfy). They’ve got an incredible line up of affordable small plates and pizzas, as well as larger entrees that will blow your mind. Of course, as with basically everywhere on this list, their cocktail and wine programs are great.