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New Orleans plays by its own rules, and constantly breaks them all the same. Thanks to a unique blend of Creole and Cajun culinary influences, the city’s home to food and drink that you simply won’t find anywhere else. New Orleans has a history of culinary excellence and rebellious creativity that stretches back centuries. From fiery gumbo to gourmet doughnuts and stacked po’ boys, trends have started here, and will continue to start here – there’s good reason New Orleans has consistently ranked as America’s top food city.
The Best Restaurants in New Orleans
Commander’s Palace
Commander’s Palace has served as the city’s signature fine diner since 1893, evolving from a tiny saloon in the affluent Garden District to a multi-award winning James Beard Foundation favourite. The theatrical aqua-coloured mansion has been a bastion of culinary mastery and perfected hospitality since, with the kitchen’s infinite creativity powered by chef Meg Bickford’s hyperlocal “dirt-to-plate” philosophy and complex flavour profiles.
Top tip: Opt for a traditional Sunday jazz brunch where hardened Dixieland musicians shuffle between tables. Just don’t forget to wear business attire. Or, head along for lunch on Thursdays and Fridays, where any entree comes with a 25-cent martini.
Don’t miss: Wild Louisiana white shrimp stuffed with house-made tasso ham, pickled okra and
sweet red onions swimming in a five-spice pepper jelly with Crystal hot sauce and beurre blanc.
Brennan’s
Don’t be surprised if the Bananas Foster almost knocks you off your chair. The fruity, flame-licked dessert is cooked table-side and was invented in this unforgettable painted dining room, all the way back in 1951. Brennan’s has long been a trendsetter for the rest of the USA. And while dinner is surely just as satisfying, it’s best conceived as a breakfast spot where turtle soup is spiked with aged sherry and the Brits watch their beloved scotch egg transformed into a Creole powerhouse, with red wine braised short rib debris (the extra tender bits of meat that fall off during the cooking process) and spiced potato breathing new life into the classic soft boiled egg with hollandaise.
Top tip: Don’t ignore the multi-award winning wine list if you end up here for lunch or dinner. And you’ll need a reservation. There isn’t a single day of the year where Brennan’s isn’t one of New Orleans’ most popular restaurants.
Don’t miss: Again, the Bananas Foster was invented (and perfected) here. Consider it mandatory.
Maypop
Asian-Cajun is on the menu at the arrestingly casual Maypop. Located just two blocks from the Super Dome, this fresh-faced restaurant is a mighty convenient spot for dinner if you’re in town for a sporting or music event. Big, complex flavours owe their depth to South-East Asia but Creole creativity pulls it all together. Think grilled octopus with potato-scallion mochi (rice cakes) and oystershire sauce, short rib debris with trofie pasta and truffled green curry, and pecan sticky pork belly with collard greens and red bean nước chấm (Vietnamese dipping sauce, usually featuring red chilli, garlic, lime and fish sauce). Indian, Vietnamese and Thai are reimagined through the lens of Louisiana’s longstanding traditions.
Top tip: Save some stomach space for a dessert of annatto sesame seed rolls with cultured butter and shellfish pepper jam.
Don’t miss: The angular mural strewn across the dining room with references to both the Mississippi and Mekong River deltas.
Sofia
The latest neighbourhood to undergo rapid modernisation in New Orleans is the brick-laden warehouse district. And those industrial bones host plenty of new and exciting concepts, such as the Italian-leaning Sofia with its narrow commitment to tradition. Unlike almost all restaurants in New Orleans, Sofia doesn’t rely on the multifaceted bent of Creole cuisine, instead keeping it simple with familiar pizza and pasta refined with exacting recipes. It’s a nice little escape when you’re feeling a bit too jambalaya’d out.
Top tip: Take some time to explore the surrounding warehouse district. This area of New Orleans is rapidly changing, primed as the trendy new area away from Bourbon and Frenchmen Streets.
Don’t miss: Pizza is done exceptionally well, with traditional Neapolitan options being the highlights.
Dakar NOLA
West African and Senegalese is on the menu at this dynamic fine diner, where chef’s tasting menus take precedence over a la carte and simplicity is key. That’s two things going against type for New Orleans, a city where complex recipes and a la carte are generally the favoured way to dine. Chef Serigne Mbaye works plenty of symbolism into each of his dishes.
Top tip: Dakar is a James Beard Foundation favourite. It won Best New Restaurant in 2024 and reservations are difficult to score. Book well ahead of your visit.
Don’t miss: The simple gulf shrimp with tamarind.
Restaurant R’evolution
Chef John Folse hates food wastage. His recently rewritten love letter to Louisiana is large in format, offering a great variety of classics lifted by snub-nosed precision. That’s why you’ll never taste Creole snapping turtle soup quite like the one here. Death by Gumbo is a particularly valuable order, soaked in the juices of a whole roasted quail with andouille, filé (a spicy herb seasoning), oysters and rice. An extensive caviar service is there for when the mood strikes, but you’re better off flirting with the cross-cultural references, like the simple tasso e pepe or fire-roasted oysters lafitte with jumbo lump crab.
Top tip: A selection of US$9 cocktails is available during happy hour between 4pm and 6pm, 7 days a week.
Don’t miss: The seasonal terrine is a great showcase for Folse’s talents.
Emeril’s
Commander’s Palace has long been an incubator for the city’s fine dining scene and nowhere is this more obvious than at Emeril’s. Chef Emeril Lagasse worked in the legendary kitchen for eight years before branching out on his own in 1990, bringing upscale Creole cuisine to the once rough-and-tumble Warehouse District. His son, E.J. Lagasse, carries the legacy well, working closely with a bounty of local farmers, fisherman and providores to plate magic like a signature smoked salmon cheesecake with caviar, oyster stew with foie gras, and red wine gumbo. A prestigious wine program is essential given Emeril’s is ever-present in discussions about the world’s top wine lists.
Top tip: Friday lunch would save you around US$100 with more or less the same dishes as dinner service, so head along when the sun is up and funnel those savings into a classic French Quarter ghost
tour.
Don’t miss: Cocktails are not to be taken lightly. If you’ve got a good group with you, set the mood with a punch jug of fresh blueberries, hibiscus and lavender.
The Best Bars in New Orleans
Jewel of the South
You’ll find Jewel of the South on the fringes of the French Quarter, hidden inside a blue, white and brick 19th-century Creole cottage. Inside plays as a rustic tavern modernised with handsome pops of dark woods set against exposed brick. Visually, it’s one of the most understated and brilliant spaces in the city. Nothing is ever as it seems at this World’s 50 Best Bars favourite so pick the dishes that sound the least exciting and get ready to have your expectations obliterated. Witty hyper-seasonal cooking is complemented by an even wilder cocktail list with favourites like the Righteous Harlot (a build of vodka with dragon fruit cordial, St Germain and sparkling wine) and the signature Brandy Crusta (Remy 1738 brandy, dry Curaçao, lemon, Luxardo maraschino and Angostura bitters). It’s the Commander’s Palace of cocktail bars.
Top tip: Book ahead to secure a spot in the leafy garden courtyard.
Don’t miss: The extensive caviar menu is heavily discounted during Caviar Happy Hour on Wednesday (5pm-10pm) and for Sunday brunch.
The Elysian Bar
Luxury is never found in typical spots when it comes to New Orleans’ best bars. The Elysian Bar is a great example. Housed inside Marigny’s eccentric Hotel Peter and Paul, the award-winning lounge is split into two decadent lounge rooms and a courtyard with wide arches and bamboo accents. The almost chaotic orange glow echoes a sophistication that regularly pulls the city’s upper crust from their Garden District mansions. Classics are done exceptionally well but there are a few tiki-style cocktails you should try. A heavily edited wine list has no room for imposters either, so lean on suggestions all night and you’ll have a good time.
Top tip: Happy hour skews late at The Elysian Bar so if you’re feeling the pressure from a poor exchange rate, head along on Friday or Saturday between 10pm and midnight.
Don’t miss: The bar favours everything European so go for anything with Campari and expect nothing less than perfection.
Peacock Room
Spiked high tea with bourbon, chai and citrus is a sure-shot winner at the sharply-dressed Peacock Room, where seas of blue and gold wrap you in an almost cartoonish ambiance. The jewel box design is lightened by bohemian artwork, papering the walls with an inimitable style. Brioche hot chicken sandwiches and ramen-inspired Bloody Marys are obvious choices, but if it’s earlier in the day, go for the Cartoon Network: a brunch cocktail inspired by cereal with Oxbox small batch spiced rum, earl grey syrup, oat milk and cinnamon toast crunch.
Top tip: Guests at Kimpton Hotel Fontenot are given preference so given the bar’s eternal popularity, staying a night or two is worth it.
Don’t miss: Go with a group of at least 8 (or convince some locals to join you) so you can get the Pineapple Express, a punch bowl of Absolut Elyx with Pimms, tepache (Mexican fermented pineapple beer), strawberry and lemon.
The Sazerac House
Cultural preservation is important in New Orleans and the city’s strong sense of identity, often at odds with the rest of the country, is one of its most endearing qualities. It then makes sense that there’s a place where the city’s favourite cocktail is treated with such reverence. The Sazerac House is as much a museum as it is a distillery and bar, thoroughly engaging across three levels where self-guided tours almost always end with a tasting menu showcasing just how adaptable this southern classic can be.
Top tip: Don’t miss the multi-media exhibition taking you through the history of New Orleans through the lens of the Sazerac.
Don’t miss: The micro-distillery tour is a must, taking you through the entire process before plying you with nothing but the best.
Lafittie’s Blacksmith Shop Bar
The oldest bar in the country has no shortage of A-listers coming through at all hours of the day. Standing at the comparatively calmer side of Bourbon Street, this beautifully preserved French colonial cottage is completely unstuck from time, offering an atmosphere unlike anything else in the city. Walls are covered with photos of celebrity visitors (Nicholas Cage appears at least four times) and you’ll find mostly tourists sipping on pre-made daiquiris in the dark, dilapidated space. It’s not everyday you’ll get to drink in a bar that’s 300 years old so Lafittie’s Blacksmith Shop Bar is worth it, even if the drinks are stock-standard.
Top tip: Try and shuffle in when there’s a performance. This is one the only piano bars in New Orleans.
Don’t miss: Forget the sugary premade daiquiris and order up a Bloody Mary.
Fritzel’s
Every popular genre of music can be heard marching out of the many bars of Bourbon Street, but nothing is as omnipresent as jazz. The sound of freedom is a staple of New Orleans and its preservation is of the utmost importance. You’ll find the best of it at Preservation Hall but if you
want the best jazz bar on Bourbon Street you’re heading straight for Fritzel’s. The intimate bar is papered in fairy lights and attracts the best performers all day, every day.
Top tip: Don’t forget to tip the band as you walk out once you’ve had your fill of world-class live jazz.
Don’t miss: A seat as close to the stage as possible. New Orleans’ performers are a friendly, obliging bunch so they’ll make you feel like family even if there’s no conversation involved.
The Carousel Bar & Lounge
You wouldn’t expect to find a fairground ride in the French Quarter’s most prized hotel. But then again, this is New Orleans. Strut on into the swanky, old-timey Hotel Montoleone and take a right to find this gilded 25-seat merry-go-round with a panoramic bar handcrafted into the centre. The Carousel Bar typically operates on a one-off, one-on basis so wait your turn before taking a seat and enjoying the ride. Sazerac in hand, of course.
Top tip: Carousel is busiest during the early afternoon so head in just before sunset for an easier ride.
Don’t miss: Brunch cocktails are popular amongst hotel guests and you’ll see bartenders constantly shaking up favourites like Brandy Milk Punch and Ramos Gin Fizz.
Dew Drop Inn
The Dew Drop Inn, a chiseled New Orleans institution, has been around since the mid-1940s but has only recently taken a new perspective thanks to an extensive refurbishment in 2024. Preservation is sacrosanct in New Orleans so that vintage-minded atmosphere is still there, echoing a legacy that has drawn legends like Ray Charles and Fats Domino to its supersized music hall.
Top tip: There are two bars at the Drew Drop Inn so if the music hall is too loud you can escape to the pool room.
Don’t miss: The signature lemon drop martini with sweet peach liqueur is a stone-cold classic.
Columns Bar
The luxurious Columns Hotel is an icon of the Garden District and a great reason to catch one of those colourful street cars up St Charles Avenue. The aptly named Columns Bar is a great spot for an afternoon drink after you’ve explored the many historic graveyards and lavish mansions of the upscale neighbourhood, welcoming you into a former World War I boarding house where drinks are best taken under those massive chandeliers. Classics done well is the best approach so sink into the old-world atmosphere for a sazerac or two and take a break from the gas-lantern ambiance of the French Quarter.
Top tip: Columns Hotel is an institution but the same crew has just opened Hotel Henrietta further down St Charles. Stay here if you want a more contemporary experience.
Don’t miss: The chance to converse with New Orleans’ upper crust. Columns are a favourite for the rich and famous, but regulars are anything but snobby when it comes to conversation.
Bacchanal Fine Wine & Spirits
From the outset, Bacchanal is your typical neighbourhood wine shop hidden away on the industrial side of Bywater. The petite bottle shop hosts all sorts of biodynamic drops from around the world, as well as a hefty cheese selection full of international imports. Pick your favourites and the friendly staff will build a gorgeous cheese board so you can take your wine, pick up a bucket of ice, and drink in the sprawling backyard patio to the sounds of live jazz.
Top tip: Time your visit right by calling ahead as live performances are broken up throughout the day.
Don’t miss: The opportunity to wind down and just relax far from the chaos of Bourbon Street. Even with the live music, Bacchanal is the most peaceful bar in New Orleans.
The Spotted Cat Music Club
Here’s another live music bar simply inseparable from any New Orleans experience. Yet instead of Bourbon Street, you’ll find this rustic bolthole on the calmer Frenchmen Street, which has grabbed some of the limelight from the French Quarter’s rowdy strip in recent years. The Spotted Cat is the best jazz bar on the historic Marigny street, located right next to a daily designer’s market with a charmingly casual approach where the band plays in a tiny corner and the audience sit on a vintage bench.
Top tip: The Spotted Cat is at its best during the late afternoon.
Don’t miss: Frenchmen Street is an audible gumbo pot of sounds that go far beyond just jazz. You’ll hear all types banging from the many bars that line the three-block section of 7th ward, from Americana to reggae.
