Arnaud's in New Orleans is the 1918 French Creole room on Bienville Street from Arnaud Cazenave, with mosaic-tile floors, the French 75 Bar next door and a Mardi Gras costume museum upstairs.
Signature dishes: Shrimp Arnaud, Souffle potatoes
Must order: Shrimp Arnaud, the house remoulade. Then redfish with Hollandaise.
Tip: The French 75 Bar serves the canonical version of its namesake drink and seats walk-ups; no jacket required there.
Address: 813 Bienville St, New Orleans, LA 70112
Bayona in New Orleans is Susan Spicer's 1990 Creole cottage on Dauphine Street, a courtyard fine-dining room with the smoked duck PB&J that has anchored her menu for 35 years.
Signature: Smoked duck PB&J, Pepper-jelly glazed shrimp
Order: The smoked duck breast PB&J, the menu's longest-running dish.
Tip: Lunch is the better-value seating; book the back courtyard if the weather is kind that afternoon.
Cochon in New Orleans is Donald Link and Stephen Stryjewski's James Beard winning Cajun room on Tchoupitoulas, an ode to whole-hog cookery in a converted Warehouse District building.
Signature: Louisiana cochon with cracklins, Wood-fired oysters
Order: The cochon with turnips and cracklins. Then the rabbit and dumplings.
Tip: Cochon Butcher around the corner sells the same charcuterie at a counter; cheaper and equally good for lunch.
Herbsaint in New Orleans is Donald Link's 2000 St Charles Avenue flagship, a Louisiana French bistro with the streetcar passing the front window and a duck leg confit on the menu since opening.
Signature: Muscovy duck leg confit, Herbsaint shrimp and grits
Order: The Muscovy duck leg confit with dirty rice. Pair with a Sazerac.
Tip: Sit at the bar for the streetcar view and faster service; the kitchen sends the same plates.
Compere Lapin in New Orleans is Nina Compton's James Beard winning Caribbean Creole room inside the Old No 77 Hotel on Tchoupitoulas, with goat curry and conch on a Bocuse trained plate.
Signature: Curried goat with sweet potato gnocchi, Conch croquettes
Order: The curried goat with sweet potato gnocchi, on the menu since 2015.
Tip: The bar runs walk-in; the kitchen sends the same menu and the cocktails are sharper than most of the city.
Saint-Germain in New Orleans is the Michelin-starred ten-course tasting menu inside a Bywater double-shotgun from chefs Blake Aguillard and Trey Smith, with a natural-wine garden behind.
Signature: Ten-course tasting, Open-flame squab
Order: There is no choice; the ten-course is what they serve. Add the wine pairing.
Tip: Reservations open monthly. If you can't get a seat, the wine garden out back takes walk-ups and serves bottles with snacks.
Dakar NOLA in New Orleans is Serigne Mbaye's James Beard Best New Restaurant winning Senegalese Creole tasting room, relocated in 2025 to a Carrollton cottage near the levee.
Signature: Okra and crab soup, Gulf fish with jollof rice
Order: There is no choice; the tasting menu rotates with the season. The jollof course is the anchor.
Tip: Tickets sell out within days of release. Sign up for the newsletter for booking-window alerts.
Bayona in New Orleans is Susan Spicer's 1990 Creole cottage on Dauphine Street, a courtyard fine-dining room with the smoked duck PB&J that has anchored her menu for 35 years.
Signature: Smoked duck PB&J, Pepper-jelly glazed shrimp
Order: The smoked duck breast PB&J, the menu's longest-running dish.
Tip: Lunch is the better-value seating; book the back courtyard if the weather is kind that afternoon.
