The Resy Hit List: Where In New Orleans You’ll Want to Eat Right Now

Founded by filmmaker Aaron Walker and situated behind a high wooden fence on an obscure street, N7 provides few signs you’ve arrived, namely a small burned-in impression in the wood. But to step behind the swinging gate is to enter another world. A lush garden surrounds the small, open building. Candlelight glows. Within this petite French restaurant, beautiful people sip natural wines and share artfully arranged plates of French-Japanese delicacies deftly turned out by chef Yuki Yamaguchi. Pro tips: No guests under 18 are allowed, and during inclement weather, garden seating may not be available, so check with the restaurant (via your Resy confirmation; it has no phone).

Since 1905 regulars have been willing to stand in line for hours on the sidewalk to secure a table at this French-Creole institution. (Only recently did this policy change when the restaurant became a Resy partner.) Most regulars could not even tell you what the menu looks like. They rely on their trusted usual waiter to bring them what looks best from chef Philip Lopez’s kitchen. Shrimp with sauce remoulade and crabmeat maison are foolproof starters. If they are on offer, don’t miss trout almandine, broiled pompano, and fried soft-shell crabs — each of which will come ladled over with meunière sauce for the asking. (Pro tip: Ask).

Men must wear jackets in the dining rooms after 5 p.m. and all day Sunday. Pro tip: Wear a jacket. They will not let you off the hook if you forget, and you will be obliged to wear a soup-stained loaner. Sneakers, tank tops, and flip-flops are never welcome. Step it up and enjoy a classic.

Save for the seasonal appearance of crawfish in her temaki, there’s no inkling of chef Jacqueline Blanchard’s Assumption Parish upbringing at this very decidedly Japanese izakaya she tagged with a moniker meaning “delinquent girl” when she opened it in 2022. But there is an abundance of badassery in her masterful execution of the Japanese culinary arts (which so often remain entrenched in the boys’ camp, both here and in Japan). Blanchard’s restrained menu is limited to those handrolls, plus a few sides, and specials. The 16-seat bar with a view of Oak Street is scattered with spray bottles of house soy sauce, as well as miso from Moromi. The crabmeat used in the most popular temaki is from Higgins Seafood of Lafitte. Pro tip: Do not miss the potato salad.

Cooking demon Sophina Uong and her husband and business partner William “Wildcat” Greenwell turned a ho-hum former corner store into a tropical roadhouse named after their cat. It has become a go-to spot for “inauthentic” global cuisine from Uong and killer craft cocktails from Greenwell, with names like Daddy Issues and, yes, Uncle Butthead. The menu is subject to Uong’s considerable whims, but a dependable stalwart is the mind-blowing Kashmiri-spiced fried chicken. (Pro tip: Get an order for the table.) Appearances may be made by jelly doughnuts with orange flower water and cardamom sugar; chicken tinga chilaquiles; and Thai shrimp cake with eggs, mustard greens, curry, and fish sauce vinaigrette.

Juan’s first “lit up” on a funky stretch of Lower Magazine in 1997, just before Mardi Gras. If the trippy menu, heavy ink, and fun-house-meets-punker-music-club environment are any indication, they’ve been lightin’ up ever since. Loosely based on San Francisco Mission-style burrito joints, Juan’s differentiated itself with Creole-laced, super-fresh, Tex-Mex-ish food made to order and finished à la minute on the grill. Devoted to local food culture, it has expanded over the years to offer its Hecho En NOLA sensibilities from four locations. Various margaritas are the size of your head. Expect to wait for a table. Get a margarita, and deal with it.

See the menu here.

This mission-driven Ethiopian restaurant is situated on historic Bayou Road, a trading portage established by Native Americans before the arrival of the French, in what is now a cultural hub of Black-owned businesses. The space was designed by OI Studio and Nomita Joshi to evoke the Motherland. Chef Jaime Lobo mans the kitchen while Dr. Biruk Alemayehu and the couple’s engaging son, Prince Lobo, run the front of the house. The menu caters equally to vegetarians, pescatarians, and carnivores. The Ethiopian coffee service is not to be missed; nor is the Ethiopian honey wine.

Despite the city’s French heritage, classic French food is a rarity in town. In this intimate and atmospheric spot, chef Tom Branighan is rectifying this oversight both with bistro classics (cassoulet and côte de boeuf) and Louisiana cuisine (a take on gulf fish courtbouillon, which features both oyster dressing and sauce rouille) and salmon mi-cuit, in which just-cooked salmon is stuffed in a beignet. The baba au rhum is flambéed tableside. Sommelier Molly Wismeier’s list is a world tour that roves from France to Italy to California to Portugal. A tight space means a tough reservation, so get right on it.

Chef Eric Cook’s flagship is firmly rooted in New Orleans’ singular hospitality, with inspired takes on Southern cuisine. Expertly fried oysters make two memorable appearances. They are the main attraction on a salad with crisp little gem lettuce, thin shavings of radish, a scattering of blue cheese, and a hint of sugarcane vinaigrette. They also co-star in a fun take on a BLT alongside cubes of smoked pork belly and a complex tomato jam. Shrimp and grits are boosted by silken tomato butter and smoked sausage. And Cook’s deeply satisfying chicken and dumplings have the power to bring a warm smile to the stoniest of faces, thanks to a last-minute addition of fresh thyme. Nab a spot on the deep second-floor balcony overlooking Magazine Street for excellent people-watching.

High Hat has the food both knowledgable visitors and devoted loyal patrons seek out. Last August the beloved joint with time-worn familiarity changed hands to former employees Fredo Noguiera and Ryan Iriarte, who vowed not to change a thing. Some quick intel? Start off with pimento cheese served with house pickles, toast points, and creamy deviled eggs. Build your own plate with Southern-style smothered vegetables and sides. There’s fried catfish, fried chicken, and hot plate specials like red beans and rice on Mondays. Also a killer burger cooked on a flat-top griddle, served with or without pimento cheese.

Pro tip: Go for weekend brunch and ask for an off-menu pairing of waffles topped with roasted pork debris and gravy.

Find more info here. No reservations.

With this 65-seat bistro on a leafy street, chef Michael DiIonno brings his culinary journey and his family full circle. His wife, Patty, their daughter, Kat, and Kat’s partner, Jason, have joined the endeavor. The chef’s well-crafted menu includes crispy firecracker calamari, mushroom toast with cipollini onions, caper pesto, crispy garlic, and shaved radish on focaccia with cured egg yolk; and duck leg confit with butternut squash. Head bartender Josa Lazas’ Lavender Lady is just the thing to welcome spring. And an array of non-alcoholic cocktails keeps everyone happy.