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

Still arguably the defining restaurant of New Orleans, in spirit, cuisine, and history. Over seven decades, the late Leah Chase built an iconic gathering place for the city, nourishing with spectacular renditions of Creole classics like shrimp Clemenceau, crawfish etouffee, and gumbo z’herbes. Today, the next generation upholds Chase’s legacy with the same attention to detail and emphasis on warm hospitality, along with a renewed dedication to fine dining and maintaining the iconic restaurant’s relevance today.

Since opening in 2018, Saffron has helped introduce a new favorite cuisine to the city, combining regional Indian cooking with a subtle undercurrent of New Orleans flavors and ingredients. In a sophisticated space, father and son Arvinder and Ashwin Vilkhu serve a menu that simultaneously comforts and excites by expanding a traditional repertoire: tandoori squash with pickled green chile yogurt, tamarind-cilantro chimichurri, and pepitas; salmon tartare pani puri; and crab pudha over lentil pancakes, for example. The tableside potato nest chaat with chickpea masala, two kinds of chutney, yogurt, crispy noodles, and lentils is an ideal way to experience the individualized care this family puts into its customers, as are the complex cocktails.

Saint-Germain is the little engine that could – a scrappy enterprise dreamed up by three friends with minimal investment, a small budget, and wildly ambitious goals. It has emerged as one of the very best restaurants in town, recognized nationally for a 10-course tasting menu that physically moves diners throughout its eclectic, romantic Bywater space. Chefs Trey Smith and Blake Aguillard channel modern Parisian bistros while infusing every course with remarkable creativity, using ingredients like white asparagus, guineafowl, lima beans, and geoduck. It is world-class dining in a kitschy, relaxed atmosphere. If the tasting menu is too much of a commitment (and splurge), the wine garden is worth visiting Thursday through Monday nights.

More than four years in, this Rampart Street hub remains one of the city’s most exciting Thai restaurants, dishing out dynamic specialties from the country’s Issan region in a bustling, upbeat space. It’s an ideal pre-parade destination for groups, thanks to counter-service ordering and rapid-fire delivery of dishes as they’re ready — don’t expect everything to come out at the same time here. Budsaba (aka Budsi) Mason’s versions of khai soi, waterfall pork, chicken larb, and green curry are vivid, fresh, and layered, but the menu also offers the chance to try lesser-known specialties like gaeng om gai, pad cha, and a house invention, Budsi’s noodles. The bar is a great spot for solo diners.

More info here. 

Opened at the end of 2023, this is not just the city’s most ambitious seafood market, meant to serve as a dedicated space for bycatch. It’s also a casual neighborhood restaurant, where a pair of talented chefs are serving New Orleans favorites with a sustainable twist. In addition to seafood gumbo, po’ boys, crudos, and boiled shellfish, customers can choose any fish in the case – maybe tilefish, sheepshead, porgy, or almaco jack — to have grilled, blackened, fried, or on a sandwich. The hope is that people will try something new, learn something new, and then seek it out. Fresh off a James Beard Award nomination, it’s a great time to visit.

After 15 years as a mainstay of Donald Link’s restaurant empire, Pêche still radiates warmth and graceful energy from the moment you walk in. The oyster bar off the entrance remains a good sign of what’s to come: fresh Gulf seafood prepared in elegant but approachable ways —  the kind of food you could eat weekly and never be disappointed. Current chef Nicole Cabrera Mills infuses ever more global flavors into dishes that still wouldn’t be out of place at a lavish cookout, like catfish with pickled greens in a chile broth; jumbo shrimp with purple rice; and fried oysters with pickled papaya and kimchi. That dynamism keeps us as interested as we ever were.

Famed chef Emeril Lagasse has ushered in a new era at his flagship restaurant in the Warehouse District, now helmed by son E.J. The young chef is making waves at the 35-year-old restaurant, not an easy feat, with his refined interpretation of classics that have helped define New Orleans cuisine. The 12-table restaurant offers a six-course tasting menu featuring a precise sliver of smoked salmon cheesecake, oyster stew frothing with Herbsaint cream and foie gras, and a version of boudin that brings the Cajun country specialty into a new light. The banana cream pie is both surprising and familiar, encapsulating the achievement of this restaurant in its current iteration.

This Magazine Street Chinese restaurant has a devout fan base that’s ever eager to line up for a table at — or before — 5 p.m., so plan your visit accordingly. (Pro tip: weeknights.) Shirley and Tang Lee, the original proprietors of Royal China in Metairie, have reasonably made Orleans Parish grateful for their move into the city. The menu of delicate dim sum; comforting soups; slick noodle dishes, and fiery Cantonese specialties is large but focused compared to Royal China, making every option a winner. The refreshed space has touches both modern and familiar, with comforting navy and gold highlights, glowing Chinese lanterns, and nostalgic fish tanks – a bonus for the many families with kids who dine there.

No reservations. More info here.

A hazy New Orleans-Cuba connection comes into sharp focus at this French Quarter cocktail bar, which has gained national acclaim and a fervent local following since opening in 2018. It pays homage to Havana’s El Floridita, where Manuel “Manolito” Aguiar held court serving the likes of Ernest Hemingway for over 20 years. Longtime local bartenders Konrad Kantor and Nick Detrich borrow from Aguiar’s playbook for a menu of drinks that are categorized: thrown, blended, shaken, or built in their glass. Examine the “Thrown” section to try something new, like the Bywater, an herby mix of rum, Averna, Chartreuse, falernum, and bitters. Snacks like ceviche, croquetas, an excellent Cuban sandwich, and ropa vieja offer a savory balance to the drinks in the recently expanded dining room — and in a new courtyard.

Recent years have brought the Caribbean roots of New Orleans cuisine to the forefront, sparked in part by Nina Compton’s Compere Lapin. Charly Pierre has picked up the torch at Fritai, where a mellow, attractive space gives but hints of the most inviting dinners in town. Pierre energetically explores New Orleans tradition in several dishes, but this is a Haitian restaurant at its core. Start with the crispy snapper collar, vegetable akara, and grilled shrimp pikliz, and try an entree with sos pwa, a deeply savory black bean sauce that you’ll want to drink straight from the cup. Order a setup of the Clairinha, and everyone at the table gets a sweet little punch bowl glass in which to enjoy the refreshing clairin-based cocktail.

Step back in time at this narrow, 1920s-era oyster house where the shuckers know regulars by name and customers eagerly anticipate its annual fall reopening (per tradition, it closes during the summer months). Wedge your way in at a table close to the oyster bar – which, like the rest of the restaurant, is outfitted with nostalgic, faded green and white tile – and order a dozen, then watch in awe as some of the most impressive shucking in town takes place in front of you. Also order the chargrilled oysters, Creole gumbo, and maybe an oyster loaf, and wash it down with a beer. Pro tip: It’s cash only, so hit the ATM first.

More info here.

Nearly 10 years after opening, N7 remains one of the hottest spots in town. And sure, we know it’s not for everyone — but those in the know are aware that slipping through the unmarked wooden fence on Montegut Street is like being rewarded with a mini-vacation. There, a backyard scene decorated with weathered furnishings and a dazzling blend of string lights, flickering candlelight, and lush plant life sets the scene for a menu that often blends French and Japanese sensibilities, with dishes like frog legs karaage and wagyu tataki, as well as purely Gallic efforts: French onion soup, snails, rabbit crepe, and steak au poivre. The vibe inside is pure French countryside, although the large menu of small production wines and rare spirits is pretty New Orleanian in its way.

Since its opening in 2015, Paladar has offered something decidedly different: California-style cuisine with an Italian tilt, using Gulf Coast ingredients. Fresh pastas like squid ink spaghetti with shrimp and crab and corn agnolotti are bright and balanced; the pizzas, especially the mushroom, leek, and fontina, and farm egg, bacon, and collard green, pack a flavorful punch; and the desserts are exceptional. Staff navigate the lively, loud warehouse atmosphere with artful grace, framed by the view of a large open kitchen that periodically dances with flames.

The backyard beckons in this, the home of the funkiest wine party in all New Orleans. Bacchanal can be credited with helping make Bywater a dining destination (though the long-lived Jack Dempsey’s down the street has about a decade headstart). Owners Joaquin Rodas and Adrian Mendez honor Bacchanal’s late founder Chris Rudge in every way, changing little since its opening in 2002 and maintaining its homey spirit. There are several ways to enjoy the near-daily lineup of live music: Grab a bottle of wine and choose cheeses, which the restaurant will plate, and head out back. Order small plates from the back window, like bacon-wrapped dates, papas fritas, mussels, and skirt steak with chimichurri. Or head upstairs for a less crowded setting in the treehouse. All involve good wine, great food, and prime people-watching.

No reservations. More info here.

The impossibly cool scene at this combination restaurant in Bywater is layered: there’s the hip clientele and staff, the quirky but serene atmosphere, and the wildly inventive menu that leans on vegetables and vegan-friendly ingredients while offering some of the best meat and fish dishes in town. There’s a rustic feel to items like the white bean dip sprinkled with fiery peanut salsa macha accompanied by misshapen grilled flatbread, or the fat, hand-ripped squid ink noodles with creamy crab and shrimp. Non-vegans stand by vegan dishes here, too — maybe grilled trumpet mushrooms atop cashew cream grits with pistachio chimichurri. But the wagyu bavette steak with blue cheese pistou competes with any steakhouse, and the pan-seared snapper gives the city’s grande dames a run for their money. Cocktails are outstanding.

Find more info here.

Tucked away on a Mid-City neighborhood corner is this family-run restaurant, Lisa Nelson’s cozy hub for the powerful flavors of Trinidad and Tobago. The doubles alone are worth the trip off the beaten path, warranting a monthly or even weekly visit: Savory and comforting, chickpeas are stewed with curry, cumin, and cilantro and top a fluffy, slightly spongy fried flatbread. The dish is brightened by grated cucumber and a trio of sauces: mango chutney, Scotch bonnet sauce, and the cherished tamarind sauce. The curry chicken and fried fish are more standouts, best accompanied by Caribbean spinach and rice and peas. The Queen, as she’s known, reigns over her busy kitchen while her friendly son greets diners at the door.

Find more info here.