Dakar NOLA ★ 4.9
Dakar NOLA in New Orleans is James Beard winner Serigne Mbaye's Senegalese Creole tasting room in a Carrollton cottage, the 2024 Best New Restaurant.
19 splurge places in New Orleans, editor-picked. tasting menus and the full big-night-out treatment in New Orleans. All New Orleans food.
Commander's Palace ★ 4.8
Commander's Palace in New Orleans is the 1893 Garden District grande dame on Washington Avenue, the Brennan family flag with turtle soup, jacket-required.
OrderThe turtle soup with sherry tableside. It has been on the menu since the dining room opened in 1893.
TipBook the upstairs Garden Room for the live courtyard view; the dress code requires collared shirts at dinner.
Dakar NOLA ★ 4.8
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.
OrderThere is no choice; the tasting menu rotates with the season. The jollof course is the anchor.
TipTickets sell out within days of release. Sign up for the newsletter for booking-window alerts.
Saint-Germain ★ 4.8
Saint-Germain in New Orleans holds a Michelin star for a ten-course tasting in a Bywater shotgun, from chefs Blake Aguillard and Trey Smith.
Commander's Palace ★ 4.8
Commander's Palace in New Orleans is the 1893 Garden District grande dame, a Brennan family Creole flagship with turtle soup since opening and Sunday jazz.
Saint-Germain ★ 4.7
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.
OrderThere is no choice; the ten-course is what they serve. Add the wine pairing.
TipReservations open monthly. If you can't get a seat, the wine garden out back takes walk-ups and serves bottles with snacks.
Compere Lapin ★ 4.7
Compere Lapin in New Orleans is Nina Compton's James Beard Caribbean Creole room inside the Old No 77 Hotel on Tchoupitoulas, with goat curry on a Bocuse.
Mosquito Supper Club ★ 4.7
Mosquito Supper Club in New Orleans is Melissa Martin's Uptown communal-table Cajun room in an 1898 cottage on Dryades, with a fixed Bayou Lafourche menu.
Galatoire's ★ 4.7
Galatoire's in New Orleans is the 1905 white-tile French Creole room on Bourbon Street, where regulars hold the same Friday lunch tables and tip the captain.
Mosquito Supper Club ★ 4.6
Mosquito Supper Club in New Orleans is Melissa Martin's Uptown communal-table Cajun room in an 1898 cottage on Dryades Street, with a single fixed Cajun menu.
OrderThe crab stew and shrimp boulettes; the menu is fixed and arrives in courses.
TipReservations open the first of the month for the next month. Book the moment they appear.
GW Fins ★ 4.6
GW Fins in New Orleans is Tenney Flynn's Bienville Street fine-dining seafood room, with a daily menu sourced from the Gulf and the docks of Louisiana.
Brigtsen's ★ 4.6
Brigtsen's in New Orleans is Frank and Marna Brigtsen's 1986 Victorian-cottage Creole Acadian room near the streetcar terminus, a Paul Prudhomme alumnus.
Restaurant August ★ 4.5
Restaurant August in New Orleans is the 2001 modern Creole flagship in an 1830s Tchoupitoulas warehouse, originally John Besh and on the 2025 Michelin Guide.
Boucherie ★ 4.5
Boucherie in New Orleans is Nathanial Zimet's Carrollton tasting room, a former food truck turned Southern five-course with a Krispy Kreme bread pudding.
GW Fins ★ 4.4
GW Fins in New Orleans is Tenney Flynn's Bienville Street fine-dining seafood room, with a daily-changing menu sourced from the Gulf and the docks.
OrderWhatever runs as the daily catch. Then the warm biscuits, which arrive without prompting.
TipReservations are easier on weeknights; bar dining serves the same menu with shorter waits.
Arnaud's ★ 4.4
Arnaud's in New Orleans is the 1918 French Creole room on Bienville from Arnaud Cazenave, with mosaic-tile floors, the French 75 Bar next door and a costume.
Antoine's ★ 4.4
Antoine's in New Orleans is the 1840 St Louis Street dining room, the oldest family-run restaurant in the United States and the birthplace of Oysters.
Boucherie ★ 4.2
Boucherie in New Orleans is Nathanial Zimet's Carrollton tasting-menu room, a former food truck turned Southern-modern five-course degustation.
OrderThere is no choice; the five-course tasting changes with the produce. End with the Krispy Kreme bread pudding.
TipBourree next door is the daiquiri and wings spinoff; sit there first for a cocktail before dinner.
Restaurant August ★ 4.1
Restaurant August in New Orleans is the 2001 modern Creole flagship in an 1830s Tchoupitoulas warehouse, originally John Besh's room and now.
OrderThe truffled potato gnocchi, on the menu in different forms for two decades.
TipTasting menu is the most-rewarded path; book a window-side table for the brick-arch view.
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