Cajun & Creole$$$$carrollton-riverbend
Dakar NOLA in New Orleans is Serigne Mbaye's James Beard Best New Restaurant winning Senegalese Creole tasting room, relocated in 2025 to a Carrollton.
Signature: Okra and crab soup, Gulf fish with jollof rice
Order: There is no choice; the tasting menu rotates with the season. The jollof course is the anchor.
Tip: Tickets sell out within days of release. Sign up for the newsletter for booking-window alerts.
Modern American$$$french-quarter
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.
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.
Modern Southern$$$garden-district
Coquette in New Orleans is the Magazine and Washington corner restaurant from Michael Stoltzfus, a 2008 modern-Southern room with rotating tasting menus.
Signature: Tasting menu, Charcuterie board
Order: Whatever the Blind Faith tasting menu is running that week. Trust the kitchen.
Tip: Sit upstairs for the corner-window view; downstairs runs faster and louder.
French Bistro$$$uptown
Lilette in New Orleans is John Harris's 2001 Uptown bistro on Magazine Street, named for the Mauri family matriarch he lived with in France and serving.
Signature: Bouillabaisse, Hanger steak
Order: The bouillabaisse, on the menu since opening. Order a glass of Cassis blanc with it.
Tip: Lunch service is the most relaxed; the dining room is dim and pretty in the evening.
Modern Israeli$$$uptown
Shaya in New Orleans is the Magazine Street modern Israeli room that won James Beard Best New Restaurant in 2016, now under BRG Hospitality.
Signature: Wood-fired pita, Lamb shawarma
Order: The wood-fired pita with hummus. Then the lamb shawarma.
Tip: Founder Alon Shaya now runs Saba up the road at 5757 Magazine; both rooms are worth a visit.
Modern Israeli$$$uptownWed-Thu 11:00-22:00, Fri-Sat 10:00-23:00, Sun 10:00-22:00
Saba in New Orleans is Alon Shaya's 2018 Magazine Street follow-up to Shaya, a modern Israeli room at Nashville Avenue with the whipped feta and whole.
Signature: Lutenitsa with whipped feta, Whole-roasted cauliflower
Order: The whole roasted cauliflower with whipped feta. Then the lamb ragu hummus.
Tip: Brunch on Sundays runs the shakshuka and matzo ball brioche French toast; book a fortnight ahead.