Now on Resy: Dooky Chase, Dakar NOLA, Gautreau’s, and More Local Favorites

This elegant little gem of a place, installed in an old Uptown pharmacy building decades ago, has new owners, but maintains the same kind of sophisticated and modern French-American-international menu that has long made it an under-the-radar favorite.

Bring a crowd to this clubby-looking Lakeview venue from the team behind Wrong Iron and Velvet Cactus, and dig into the menu of shareable plates (don’t miss the muffuletta eggrolls) and the let’s-have-everything roster of entrées. For a knock-out finale, order The Celebration, an indulgent fantasy of cotton candy, ice cream, cake, and berries.

As one of the most iconic, and defining, restaurants in the country, Dooky Chase needs no introduction. And now, it’s a little easier to get a table at the historic restaurant — reservations are now available via Resy.

Don’t expect your typical Indian menu at this homey restaurant in the CBD: The owners are from southern India, and while you’ll find a few familiar offerings here, you’ll want to try specialties like sambar wada and blackened goat with coconut.

It’s pretty obvious from its name why you’d come to this Warehouse District delight: a table on the breezy greenery-ringed second-story patio and the chance to dig into a treasury of impeccable oysters from all three coasts — but you won’t want to miss the cocktails, either.

Expect the unexpected at this Senegalese jewel, where chef Serigne Mbaye, a James Beard Award finalist and veteran of Atelier Crenn and Commander’s Palace, conjures up a multi-course pescatarian menu unlike any you’ve encountered, based on local seafood, spices from Senegal, and his family’s treasured recipes. 

Don’t miss this brick-lined Decatur Street mecca for classic Cajun fare and genre-defining cocktails (the Sazerac is epic). Gulf oysters are a specialty, and one preparation — chargrilled, with herb-butter sauce and cheese — is an absolute essential.

The dining room adjunct to the Hotel Monteleone’s legendary Carousel Bar, Criollo blends traditional Creole dishes with urbane international fare in an elegant atmosphere of dark wood, limestone flooring, and warm lighting. Pro tip: Save room for the signature butterscotch bread pudding with sea salt gelato.

Say bonsoir to this sexy Parisian-style French Quarter brasserie with Louisiana accents (the cassoulet is made with red beans) from Emeril’s and Longway Tavern alumnus Tom Branighan and former Restaurant R’evolution sommelier Molly Wismeier. Hot touch: the baba au rhum is flambéed tableside.

There are more than 20 locations of Jennifer and Erich Weishaupt’s brunch-centric restaurant chain around the South, but this one, near the site of their now-closed original, holds a special place in the hearts of hungry locals. Come for the beignets, the omelets, or the shrimp and grits, but don’t miss the prize-winning Bloody Mary.

Note: Reservations are available for groups of 8 people minimum.

You’ll want to be a regular at this laid-back Mexican restaurant in a converted Freret Street gas station, nestled in an oasis of a setting, from the team behind Cure and Cane & Table. The menu is brief, tasty, and enticing, simply divided into “Tacos” and “Not Tacos.”