Now on Resy: Birdy’s, Maria’s Oyster Bar, Le Moyne, and More Local Favorites

Nothing like two industry vets coming together to honor Cajun and Creole foodways — and celebrate Gulf seafood while they’re at it, too. Maria’s comes from Farrell Harrison (whose Plates Restaurant is just down the street) and Christian Hurst (Le Moyne), and in addition to all of the superb oysters, crab cakes, and prime rib, there’s also an impeccable wine selection and cocktails, too.

Because this is brunch staple, through and through. Serving up Southern-inspired classics, chef Marcus Woodham (behind the dinner-only The Bower) has your breakfast, brunch, and lunch needs covered. Feeling really hungry? Share a Brunch Board, loaded with bacon, prosciutto, eggs, doughnuts, pancakes, fruit, granola, and more.

Because Tito’s serves superb Peruvian food — and not just ceviches, but also causa, chaufa, lomo saltado, and other essentials of the cuisine. As for the pisco part of it, Peru’s signature spirit is given major attention here — try the Piscorita with lime juice and a Creole shrubb.

You’re guaranteed to have fun at this cocktail lounge, hookah bar, and small plates restaurant. The energy level is on overdrive, the food menu will hit any and all cravings (shrimp and charbroiled oyster tacos, anyone?), and there’s a DJ dance party every night. Pro tip: Don’t miss the “Krawfish and Karaoke” special on Thursday.

Located inside an 1840s-vintage Magazine Street building (that was long the site of the beloved Bon Ton Café), this elegant, Cajun-accented establishment is one to put on your Hit List. Whatever you do, don’t skip the star of the menu — a USDA prime rib that’s been aged 40 days and roasted in a crust of salt.

The original (and iconic) Venezia has been delighting diners since the 1950s, and the feast continues at this Gretna offshoot. You’ll find every classic you might crave from fried calamari and fettuccine Alfredo to veal Marsala and a Caesar salad made tableside.

A ski lodge ambience might be the last thing you’d expect in New Orleans, but this deliciously offbeat steakhouse (from the team behind Pigeon & Whale across the street), is so colorful, cool, and high-spirited that its Alpine references seem to fit right in. Expect pasta, burgers, and plenty of meat (steak and otherwise), alongside fish and shellfish, too.

At this buzzy cocktail-meets-hookah parlor in Metairie, expect a range of premium shisha, a kitchen serving comfort foods, impeccable drinks, and a terrific outdoor space.

This quietly excellent New Orleans classic has been in business since the 1940s, and in the early ‘80s helped spearhead the modern Creole bistro scene. The vibe is homey and the food is multi-layered with flavor. The gumbo is essential, and seafood and veal are featured on the ever-changing menu (and if smoked softshell crab is available, order it).

What started as a stall at St. Roch Market is now a vibrant brick-and-mortar, where chef Charly Pierre goes deep on flavor-packed Haitian specialties. Get ready for Haitian fish fry, double-cooked pork, and smothered greens, plus an incredible Creole-style chicken, inspired by Pierre’s mother’s recipe.

St. James Parish-born star chef John Folse has served Cajun and Creole fare around the world for decades, and his urbane variations on these world-class cuisines at this warm NOLA essential are a high point of dining in the city. Don’t miss his trademark Death by Gumbo (with quail, andouille, and oysters). 

Famed culinary celebrity Emeril Lagasse’s flagship restaurant, a Warehouse District landmark since 1992, is now in the hands of his son, E.J. Lagasse, who’s definitely kicking it up a notch with an all-stops-out nightly tasting menu that might range from smoked salmon cheesecake with Petrossian caviar to lobster gumbo, to good old banana cream pie. 

When Fausto’s in Metairie changed hands a while back, the new proprietors knew just what to do: keep the romantic white-tablecloth atmosphere and not mess with the classic old-school Italian menu that’s been drawing diners for decades with chicken fettuccine Alfredo, veal marsala, and all the other dishes everybody loves. 

If you’re in Covington, you already know all about Torre and David Solazzo’s longstanding, world-class Italian restaurant, famed for its knockout antipasto plate, housemade pastas, and a garlic-rosemary grilled chicken that defines the genre. And if you’re in New Orleans? It’s less than an hour across the Causeway, and definitely worth the trip. 

You don’t have to be an Anne Rice fan to enjoy this vampire-themed bar and restaurant, where the atmosphere is spooky fun, the cocktails include a Blood Bag (i.e., vodka pomegranate lemonade), the menu ranges from oysters to panini to signature short ribs, and there are tarot card and tea leaf readings. You can even be custom fitted with a pair of fangs.  

Torre and David Solazzo’s popular Del Porto is a Covington essential for Italian fare, but you won’t want to miss their casual, high-energy gastropub a block away, where Italian dishes (including wood-fired pizzas) are supplemented with pitch-perfect references to Mexico, the Middle East, Central Europe, and beyond. 

Vyoone Segue Lewis is a classical clarinetist, a pediatric geneticist, and a real estate developer with French and Afro-Creole roots — so why wouldn’t she run a French restaurant in a historic Warehouse District building? Expect an impeccable French onion soup, duck à l’orange, and other Gallic classics that are well-loved.

At her Mid-City dining destination, evolved out of a popular pop-up, Vassiliki Ellwood Yiagazis features both Greek and traditional Jewish dishes (gyros, yes, but also matzo ball soup). Not to be missed: her signature Lambeaux — braised leg of lamb with whipped feta and onion-garlic jam on John Gendusa French bread.

Long before they launched their popular Uptown version of Vincent’s, Vincent Catalanotto and Tony Imbraguglio gifted Metairie with this warm and friendly Italian treasure, featuring dishes you know and love — cannelloni, chicken Marsala, osso buco — plus house specialties like artichoke hearts (battered and fried, with crabmeat and shrimp).

Chefs Blake Aguillard and Trey Smith, along with co-owner Drew Delaughter, used the wine bars and neobistros of France to create a neighborhood spot that highlights a wine-friendly experience. Head to the small, homey dining room for a ten-course tasting menu that reflects the seasons. In the mood for something more casual? Head to the garden patio (no Resys needed) for natural wines and classic cocktails.

Here’s a place to come for both the sizzle and the steak: a Colombian-style churrasquería, courtesy of Antonio Mata and chef Edgar Caro of Basin Seafood & Spirits fame, with steaks (plus a whole fish and a half-chicken) cooked perfectly on a wood-burning grill alongside five kinds of potatoes that’ll make you want to toss your low-carb diet on the fire.