New Orleans Restaurants

Here are my personal opinions about a few favorite restaurants in New Orleans. I have included links to web sites when I could find them. If you don't see a link, check the search sites at the bottom of this page for more information. These are all located in New Orleans unless otherwise noted.

I left out a lot of the famous ones like Galatoire's, Brennan's, Arnaud's, etc. They are wonderful too. But they are very old style and, for me, a bit formal. And of course there are lots of wonderful restaurants in New Orleans both old and new that I have never had a chance to visit — like the Palace Cafe and K-Paul.

Have fun.

Bayona — classy, in a restored, historic cottage in the French Quarter. Susan Spicer is the chef and owner. I want to eat there every time I am in New Orleans
430 Dauphine Street • Phone (504) 525-4455

Bozo's — fresh seafood and Cajun/Creole food. Family owned and operated with recipes dating back 75 years. Opened in 1928 in the French Quarter, the lure of the suburbs and easy parking led them to move to Metairie in 1985. Cold raw oysters, Chicken Andouille Gumbo, Fish, Shrimp, Oysters, Steaks, Chicken, Stuffed Crabs. Closed Sunday and Monday.
3117 21st Street in Matairie • Phone (504) 831-8666

Commander's Palace — the top place, one of the best in the country for food, service and decor. What else do you want? And the prices are very reasonable for what you get. Located in the Garden District.
1403 Washington Avenue at Coliseum Street • Phone (504) 899-8221

Emeril's Delmonico — originally opened in 1895, in the late 1990s Emeril Lagasse restored, rebuilt and reopened Delmonico. It is a beautiful setting for his Creole restaurant. Perhaps the best food and service of his three New Orleans restaurants, and that's saying a lot.
1300 St. Charles Avenue • Phone (504) 525-4937

Emeril's New Oreleans — the decor is a bit chilly and the food combinations tend to be somewhat non-traditional, even experimental at times. This is certainly a place where the serious foodie will not be disappointed. Try to sit at the counter where you can watch the chefs and see the final touches go on the food. In the Warehouse District.
800 Tchoupitoulas Street at Julia Street • Phone (504) 528-9393

Middendorf's — if you want to get out of town and have the best catfish ever, drive up to Manchac, a tiny village on the southern outskirts of Ponchatoula. They've got great gumbo, too. Drive up there through La Place and come back on the Causeway with New Orleans looming right ahead of you.
30160 Hwy. 51 in Manchac • Phone (985) 386-6666

Morning Call Coffee Stand — the home of the best café au lait and hot beignets in town moved from the French Market to Metairie years ago. It's the oldest operating coffeehouse in New Orleans and still has the old mirrors and dark wood panels from the original stand. The menu is limited, just coffee, beignets, milk, and hot chocolate — plus shakers of powdered sugar for your beignets. There's a news stand next door making this a popular place to sit and read the Times-Picayune.
3325 Severn Street at 17th Street in Matairie • Phone (504) 885-4068

Mother's — also in the Warehouse District, this place is famous for po'boy sandwiches and other local specialties. Cheap, wonderful plain food. Great after a couple days of fancy restaurant meals. Prepare to wait in a long line. It is worth it.
401 Poydras Street • Phone (504) 523-9656

NOLA — Emeril Lagasse's restaurant in the Quarter. It is noisy fun, with wonderful food and a happy staff. The tasting menu is a blast and even better if you sit at the counter by the wood burning oven. It's possibly my overall favorite restaurant.
534 Rue St. Louis • Phone (504) 522-6652

Pascal's Manale — a locals-only restaurant in the Garden District that's filled, of course, with people from out of town. Everybody loves the mis-named Barbeque Shrimp they created years ago. If you go for lunch, hope they have the Barbeque Shrimp sandwich on the menu. It's a warm, hollowed-out baguette stuffed with the shrimp and sauce. Everything I ever had there was wonderful.
1838 Napoleon Avenue • Phone (504) 895-4877

Praline Connection — there are two branches of this soul food restaurant, one in the Warehouse District, famous for their Gospel Brunch, and another on Frenchmen Street at the edge the Quarter. There's great traditional food and a happy staff. You won't have room for dessert so buy some of the home made pralines to eat later. They also have a cart at the airport in case you run out of pralines.
542 Frenchmen Street • Phone (504) 943-3934
Gospel & Blues Hall • 901-07 South Peters • Phone (504) 523-3973

There's only one of the famous restaurants I cannot recommend, Brigsen's, at Riverbend on the other side of the Garden District. Strange food ideas, poorly executed and badly served. The press and the guidebooks love this place so maybe we were there on an off night.

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