There are many ways to cut into the New Orleans dining scene. Here are 26 of them, each a snapshot from eating around our ever more varied and rewarding restaurant realm through the year.
This is not a ranking. Instead, these are dishes, experiences and memories that have stayed with me through the year and that I think you’ll love.
Some are from new restaurants that arrived in 2025, others from restaurants I’ve been revisiting. I hope they give you ideas the next time you want to try something different (or something familiar from a different source).
A spread of dishes at Tuk Tuk Thai restaurant in Metairie include, clockwise from top, khua kling, stuffed chicken wings, nam prik ong with noodles, kao moo dang (a mix of roasted pork and pork belly) and pork belly with Thai kale. (Staff photo by Ian McNulty, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune)
I could have included many more, but you have to stop somewhere. I picked 26 in sync with 2026 to give a wide range of ideas for the year ahead.
It’s part of my year-end coverage of New Orleans dining, and you can find more of these stories with additional recommendations here.
Now let’s dig in:
Meatball at Pulcinella!, 1300 St. Bernard Ave.
There’s red sauce downstairs, while upstairs in the lounge, the acts sometimes go a bit blue. This is the Italian restaurant Pulcinella!, and its sister concept, the Original Nite Cap, both co-founded by local burlesque star Bella Blue. The cooking is down home, and the nonnegotiable dish for any visit is the meatball: a baseball-sized orb strung with herbs, draped with ricotta in a sauce that’s a little sweet, a bit chunky.
The striped bass with crab, asparagus and leeks has a crisp seared crust at Sylvain restaurant in the French Quarter. (Staff photo by Ian McNulty, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune)
Striped bass at Sylvain, 625 Chartres St.
A neighborhood saloon for the French Quarter, Sylvain has always been a blend of the timeless and the modern, with its evocative ambiance and modern menu free of touristy cliché. A new signature dish these days is the striped bass, pan-roasted for a burnished surface that crackles over the delicate fish, finished with crabmeat or shrimp according to the season. It’s both refreshingly different and also at home in a New Orleans restaurant.
The BBQ shrimp po-boy is a menu staple at Liuzza’s by the Track in New Orleans. (Staff photo by Ian McNulty, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune)
BBQ shrimp po-boy at Liuzza’s by the Track, 1518 N. Lopez St.
Don’t you love showing visitors the glory of New Orleans food? Sometimes it’s the casual joints that surprise and impress the most. So it was when an intrepid Kansas City Star reporter, in town for Super Bowl coverage, asked for a confab over Creole food. This tavern was just the ticket, and this “sandwich,” a knife-and-fork affair disguised as a po-boy, gushing with butter and bouncy shrimp, was the headline-grabbing centerpiece.
Canestri pasta with spicy sausage, fontina and kale is a specialty at Il Supremo, the pizza parlor in Old Metairie. (Staff photo by Ian McNulty, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune) and
Canestri pasta at Il Supremo, 619 Pink St., Metairie
This backstreet pizzeria started as a pasta pop-up and remains stellar, as proved by the canestri I ordered with a stack of takeout pizzas. The fat elbow shapes have an echo-y pop to the bite and carry a white wine creamy sauce, thickened with fontina, all garlicky with chunks of sausage. It’s the perfect plate of pasta. Ice cream phenom Super Witch has a soft serve shop under the same roof now; there’s a lot packed into this little spot.
Braised celery hearts are topped with smoked beef tongue at MaMou, a French restaurant in the French Quarter. (Staff photo by Ian McNulty, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune)
Braised celery hearts at MaMou, 942 N. Rampart St.
Seriously, celery. The humble ingredient makes a star dish thanks to chef Tom Branighan’s treatment. Seared, deglazed with whiskey, braised down to a tender delicacy, it pulses with bright and buttery flavors, with smoked beef tongue layered over the top. It was a fine curtain raiser for another fabulous dinner at this beautiful art nouveau-esque bistro.
Pollo con tajadas is served at Tia Maria’s Kitchen, a restaurant for traditional Honduran food on Tulane Avenue in Mid-City. (Staff photo by Ian McNulty, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune)
Pollo con tajadas at Tia Maria’s Kitchen, 2931 Tulane Ave.
Look for the tropical mural brightening up Tulane Avenue, and you’ve found this warm and welcoming Honduran restaurant with an extensive menu of traditional dishes. Among them is some of the finest fried chicken around, delivered in a tangle of crispy fried plantain (tajadas) and a shredded cabbage slaw. It’s shattering-crisp and juicy.
A crowd of familiar faces and visitors greets the World Famous Anita’s Grill when it reopened in a new downtown New Orleans location on July 4, 2025. (Staff photo by Ian McNulty, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune)
Eggs with pork chops at Anita’s Grill, 833 Howard Ave.
It could not have been more straightforward: two eggs over easy with a pork chop off the griddle, some hashbrowns and a mug of coffee. But it made my heart soar because it was Anita’s, a diner and low-key landmark through the decades that I thought we’d lost when it closed in 2024. But now it’s back in a new downtown location, still serving the type of inexpensive comfort food that can land like a godsend when you need it.
At Mời Vietnamese restaurant in New Orleans, the bun rieu crab and tomato soup is a hearty bowl of comfort food. (Staff photo by Ian McNulty, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune)
Bun rieu at Moi, 2809 St. Claude Ave.
This crab and tomato soup is a one-bowl buffet of different flavors and representative of the home-style Vietnamese cooking that sets Moi apart — the stuff rarely seen in restaurants. The clear broth is stacked with pork meatballs, fried tofu, a crab and pork cake, ham hock and congealed pork blood cake, minerally but otherwise mild. This is not your ordinary noodle shop.
Fried cauliflower with pepper jelly and crab boil aioli starts a meal in the patio at Rosedale restaurant in New Orleans. (Staff photo by Ian McNulty, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune)
Fried cauliflower at Rosedale, 801 Navarre St.
Here’s a great shared starter for the middle of the table, hit with pepper jelly, dabbed with crab boil aioli, airy and light under an exterior that’s crispy in a way somewhere between roasted and fried. Rosedale was created by Susan Spicer, now increasingly guided by her head chef Allison Birdsall, and it’s the neighborhood restaurant you wish was near you, with a New Orleans feel but a fresher take across the menu joined to a bistro-worthy wine list.
Manchego toast is served with fresh herbs and sherry cream at Hot & Soul, a tiny, eclectic restaurant in New Orleans. (Staff photo by Ian McNulty, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune)
Manchego toast at Hot & Soul, 2540 Banks St.
If you remember the old Mimi’s in the Marigny, I bet you’re still craving the Manchego toast, a standby on its late-night tapas menu. It’s back in modern form at this offbeat and always delicious little Mid-City spot (next to the new Trader Joe’s). The bread is better now, with a deep, dark crust standing up to the Manchego and sherry cream sauce that drapes piles of mushrooms.
Beef Wellington is a specialty at the Husky restaurant on Freret Street. (Photo by Chris Granger, The Times-Picayune)
Beef Wellington at the Husky, 4510 Freret St.
This stunning restaurant, with its “Gatsby mountain lodge” design, can put one in a mind of winter, even in a New Orleans summer. So it was that a dish that evokes sweater weather (what is beef Wellington if not a bundled-up tenderloin?) perfectly hit the spot one less-than-chilly night. The house martini on the side did not hurt one bit.
Dim sum brunch fills a table with dishes to share at Mister Mao, a New Orleans restaurant with an offbeat style. (Staff photo by Ian McNulty, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune)
Dim sum brunch at Mister Mao, 4501 Tchoupitoulas St.
This isn’t one dish but one heck of a good deal and a great way to do brunch differently. Order dim sum brunch and the table fills with a half dozen shareable dishes like dumplings, salad, egg rolls and garlicky noodles for $50, and that’s for two people. It’s tasty, affordable and in line with the fun style all around this funky, colorful spot.
Speck and arugula top a pizza at Nighthawk Napoletana in Algiers Point. (Staff photo by Ian McNulty, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune)
Fay Belle pizza at Nighthawk Napoletana, 141 Delaronde St.
There’s enough happening in Algiers Point that a two-night staycation over the summer wasn’t long enough to take in all the bars and restaurants now. This pizzeria right across from the ferry landing was abuzz on a Friday night, with inexpensive wine and wood-fired pies with nicely charred edges (the Fay Belle has speck, arugula and mascarpone). If you’re of age, build a visit around dinner and then drinks next door at the pocket-sized sake bar Rice Vice (143 Delaronde St.).
A whole chicken with sides, salad and chicken and dumplings fills a table at Here Today Rotisserie in New Orleans. (Staff photo by Ian McNulty, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune)
Rotisserie chicken at Here Today, 1245 Constance St.
Mike Stoltzfus is a fine dining chef (of Coquette, nearby) but he’s not out to make rotisserie chicken fancy. He just wants to execute this comfort food icon right, and that’s what Here Today does (even if there is a nice wine list along for the ride). These are plump birds with dark brown skin, some of it crackling-crisp, some of it slipping off with a caramelized chew. Get them whole for home, to share or done up in a bowl for a lighter lunch. And don’t miss the potatoes cooked in chicken fat.
15-hour lamb at Smoke & Honey, 3301 Bienville St.
The 15-hour lamb is served with mint chimichurri and orzo at Smoke & Honey, a Greek restaurant in New Orleans. (Staff photo by Ian McNulty, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune)
This versatile Mid-City restaurant is always Greek but has a dual identity. By day, it’s a casual café. In the evening, it becomes a Greek taverna with table service and a deeper menu. That’s when you’ll find the lamb, cooked down to tender strands and pressed into a cake that flakes apart under the fork. Mix it with exceptionally silky orzo, with a trickle of minty chimichurri to brighten the richness.
The duck neck sausage is served with mushroom pate at Jewel of the South in New Orleans. (Staff photo by Ian McNulty, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune
Stuffed duck neck at Jewel of the South, 1026 St. Louis St.
Even by the standards of Phil Whitmarsh’s modern British kitchen and its love of odd bits, this beak-and-all presentation is a head-turner. It’s also spectacularly delicious, with fatty, tender meat within the crinkly-crisp skin. I’ve had a summer version finished with light-tasting mushroom pâté and a richer winter version with trotter jus, and both dance in my favorite memories.
The Nikkei broil has local shrimp cooked in tamari and ginger under Havarti cheese at Nikkei, a pub inside the Broadside. (Staff photo by Ian McNulty, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune)
Nikkei broil at Nikkei Izakaya, 600 N. Broad St.
Nikkei is the tavern kitchen at the Broadside event space (open to the public, separately from ticketed events), and in some ways is the reincarnation of its founders’ former restaurant Carmo. It brings back Carmo’s excellent raw bar and adds fun bar food like this dish, which works like chargrilled oysters, but with shrimp. Each is nestled in an escargot pan under a cap of Havarti with ginger-spiked juice to sop up with bread.
A potato cannoli encases the steak tartare with creme fraiche on the dinner menu at Brennan’s Restaurant in New Orleans. (Staff photo by Ian McNulty, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune)
Steak tartare cannoli at Brennan’s, 417 Royal St.
Kris Padalino, the chef now leading Brennan’s in its contemporary trajectory, came up through the dessert and pastry realm. She applies the same artful eye to savory dishes, as is so flavorfully demonstrated with this “cannoli.” The finely-shredded potato forms a tiara of texture, giving a crisp, salty bite against the beef. Brennan’s marks 80 years in 2026; if your impression of it is still stuck in the past, it’s beyond time to revisit.
The banana brown butter tart with a glass of port finishes dinner at Herbsaint restaurant in New Orleans. (Staff photo by Ian McNulty, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune)
Brown butter banana tart at Herbsaint, 701 St. Charles Ave.
The realization that Donald Link’s first restaurant hit 25 years this fall was a jolt, because it still feels so current, the result of gradual change and globally curious chefs in a setting that has always been rock-solid consistent. Through a dinner that went from gumbo to crudo (with a subtle new interest in Japanese cuisine on the menu), I knew dessert would be this tart, the same in concept as I’ve been ending meals with here for years, with its sticky chew, soft caramel and rich crust.
Curried goat with sweet potato gnocchi is a signature at Compere Lapin restaurant in New Orleans. (Staff photo by Ian McNulty, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune)
Curried goat at Compere Lapin, 535 Tchoupitoulas St.
There is Louisiana Creole tradition and there is Caribbean Creole tradition, and chef Nina Compton’s vibrant downtown restaurant has always illuminated their interplay. The goat curry with sweet potato gnocchi demonstrates this beautifully, bursting with a global mélange of flavor between contrasting textures. Do it one better and get the buttermilk biscuits on the side to dunk.
Arroz negra, dark with squid ink, is a signature dish at Ana Castro’s new upscale Mexican restaurant, Acamaya, in New Orleans. (Photo by Chris Granger, The Times-Picayune)
Arroz negro at Acamaya, 3070 Dauphine St.
Squid ink gives the rice the color of a black leather jacket at Ana Castro’s modern Mexican stunner in the Bywater. What you perhaps can’t quite place is huitlacoche, a corn fungus that does to this rice what truffles do to risotto, inducing lust for the next bite. The whole dish is shot through with crispy bits of rice, equally distributed bite to bite. A summer version of this dish, made with tomato and clam, was equally good.
LUFU NOLA, an Indian restaurant in New Orleans, serves dishes drawn from regional cooking, including (clockwise from left), chole kulcha, mutton chukka and dahi ke kebab, in addition to cocktails. (Staff photo by Ian McNulty, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune)
Dahi ke kebab at LUFU NOLA French Quarter, 1117 Decatur St.
A second location for LUFU gives the cohort of young Indian chefs here a larger kitchen for a deeper roster of dishes from the various regions of the subcontinent. The description of this one — hung curd, fried onions and nuts — might not leap off the menu, but it is a dazzling first course, with that filling encased in a nest of crispy, thin kunafa rice noodles that crackle and pop over the savory, creamy center.
Pork belly with Thai kale is a specialty dish at Tuk Tuk Thai, a small restaurant in Metairie. (Staff photo by Ian McNulty, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune)
Crispy pork Thai kale at Tuk Tuk Thai, 901 Veterans Blvd., Metairie
This tiny Thai restaurant wowed me with its stuffed wings and deep list of chef specials. But it’s the kitchen’s affinity for pork, beautifully rendered in cracklin’, that keeps calling my name. This dish is a simple pairing of pork belly with Thai kale (better known as Chinese broccoli, leafy and bitter). Even awash in a garlicky brown bean sauce, the fatty, bubble-pocked pork sang with crunch — even the next day in a second meal of leftovers.
Doubles, or flatbread doubled over around chickpeas, are a Trinidad and Tobago street food classic serves at Queen Trini Lisa in New Orleans. (Photo by Chris Granger, The Times-Picayune)
Doubles at Queen Trini Lisa, 4200 D’Hemecourt St.
Flavors of Trinidad & Tobago are the basis for this joyful backstreet find. Start with doubles, a street food standard of puffy flatbread suffused with turmeric and folded around (or doubled over) a curried chickpea chana. It’s fresh and hearty all at once, a meatless option and a great bite on the go.
Crabmeat beignets start a meal at La Petite Grocery restaurant on Magazine Street. (Staff photo by Ian McNulty, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune)
Crabmeat beignets at La Petite Grocery, 4238 Magazine St.
How many meals have begun with these crisp orbs, bursting with creamy-fresh crab? They were back at our table to start things off as usual, and brought with them fresh appreciation for how sometimes quietly excellent restaurants like this one, from chef Justin and Mia Devillier, give a graceful comfort in their longevity as neighborhood fixtures.
Mississippi mud pie is finished with oyster cracker toffee at Delacroix, a riverfront restaurant in New Orleans. (Staff photo by Ian McNulty, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune)
Mississippi Mud Pie at Delacroix, 1 Poydras St.
Three words: oyster cracker toffee. This new riverfront restaurant from John Besh’s group is all about Louisiana tradition, from the oyster bar to the smoked duck gumbo and turtle sauce piquante. But desserts get a tad more playful, and so these delicious fried crackers add a sweet/buttery/savory spark to this intensely chocolatey tart. You can’t miss the view of the Mississippi River flowing by; don’t miss the Mississippi mud as a finale.
