50 Best American Restaurants in New Orleans

“The next time you’re in NO, make a reservation at August! You’ll thank us, I promise. 🤤 FIVE STAR REVIEW ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ The meal started out with a “gift from the chef.” A savory leek custard, topped with pumpkin mousse and a sprinkle of sweet & salty crunch, presented in a perfectly carved eggshell. We were given spoon bread as well, which was the lightest, airiest and creamiest corn muffin ever to cross my lips. The sommelier told us that the secret ingredient was sour cream. I guess the secret is out now! 😉 Our sommelier suggested Pinot Noir. Monty chose Belle Glos Las Alturas. Let’s just say that we started shopping for it online immediately after the first taste. It has a fuller body than a typical Pinot Noir, so smooth and juicy. Such a perfect pairing. 🤌🏼 Monty had the pecan-smoked venison tartare with celery root and mountain rose apple. The flavors and textures were out of this world! We combined a few bites of the tartare with a bit of spoon bread. Omg, I’ll say it again: Out. Of. This. World. 💥 I ordered the gnocchi "black and blue" with black truffles, jumbo lump crab and parmesan. Tender, yet slightly firm, with a delicate, pillowy texture, but the truffle took it to a whole ‘nuther level! They gnocchi’d it out of the park with this one. For dinner we shared duck three ways with Bayou Cora grits, foie gras, confit, chestnut mushrooms and cherry bounce. Y’all, I’ve had foie gras, but never before like this. An intensely flavorful silky texture that literally bursts on your tongue. It was absolutely divine. Dessert was hummingbird cake with creole cheesecake, bruleed banana and pineapple ice cream. I just don’t know what to say except the pastry chef knows exactly what she is doing!! This was definitely meal to remember with the love of my life, my favorite dining companion, and my partner in culinary escapades. I love our journey of flavorful adventures, seasoned with spice and a love that mirrors the diversity of a well-crafted menu. Here’s to more delicious chapters in our love story, baby, where every bite is a beautiful reminder of the incredible life we share! Cheers!! 🥂🥂“

“My husband and I were passing through and stopped for lunch. OMG! I miss good BBQ and this hit the spot. Highly recommend. The staff is amazing, they even brought my dog a bowl of water. I will be back when passing through again.“

“We just stayed at the Inn and it was beautiful! What I love the most are the staff. They’re very welcoming, helped us out a lot and made everything in our stay perfect! I didn’t quite catch their names but the bartender and the man that gave us breakfast Thank yall so much! We will definitely come back to stay again! Also the food and drinks are phenomenal!“

“Best Overall meal of our whole trip in New Orleans - from the food to the atmosphere to the service and the drinks. We had the muffaletta, gumbo, jambalaya, red beans and rice, and bread pudding. All was fantastic, and we will definitely go back next time we're in NOLA.“

“Delicious and charming! Go!!“

“My family and I absolutely love this place. We go to the Elmwood location most of the time! The staff is always friendly and helpful! Our only issue is we never know what to choose from because it’s all so good! Thank you District Donuts for always keeping your standards high and food fresh!“

“Amazing restaurant. Thanks Francesca and staff for a great meal.“

“Best breakfast I had ever had! Will think about this food till we come Back!“

“Can one of my most beautiful experiences? Louisiana delicious food and very friendly people very kind it really was wonderful to celebrate our anniversary in this place.“

“Bob Boudreau and I were in NOLA for 9 nights. Three of the nights we had reservations at other places with family. Our 1st night we looked up and found Jewel of the South. We loved it so much. we asked our nephew, his medical school advisor and his wife to join us. All three lived in NOLA and had never been here. All 5 of us would definitely go back in a heart beat. Great food. Great atmosphere. Great drinks. Great staff. GREAT ALL AROUND! FIVE STARS for Jewel of the South.“

“Great! Good good. Vibe good. Beer good. All good.“

“It’s dark, it’s cool, and they’ll play 60’s/70’s rock gems as the house music. The food is pretty good too. This is my favorite spot I’ve found after several years living in The Quarter. The vibe is perfect. Its the darkness and the music that really makes me not want to leave. It’s rock’n’roll without being a dive. Oh yeah, did I say the food is pretty good too?“

“Would highly recommend this place for breakfast! The food is absolutely amazing! I visited in February 2025 and I wish I found it sooner in my trip to New Orleans. If I visited New Orleans again I know where I’d be going for breakfast ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️“

“The food was not what I expected, it was hot, fresh, and beautifully presented.“

“Best Breakfast in New Orleans“

“Super friendly service. I ate alone at the bar. The mocktail I ordered was great. But the food was even better. I had the grilled romaine and the short rib entree. Definitely worth checking out. Plus the parking streetside was perfect for this expecting mama who can’t walk far in the summer heat.“

“Consistently delicious!! We make sure to always bring out of town guests here too!! It’s a definite New Orleans must eat!!! Love this place!“

“Love this place! Great cocktails and food.“

“Amazing food! Hip vibe! Avacado toast was the best!!“

“On a recommendation from a friend that was in New Orleans a few weeks ago I popped into Erin Rose to grab a Black Beer Beef Debris poboy. The depth of flavor is outstanding! I've been in town 5 days and it's the best thing I've eaten so far!“

“Un des meilleurs sandwich que j'ai mangé dans ma vie. Je recommande La "hot muffelatta". Un vrai délice !“

“My waitress T was amazing!!!!!!! Best ever👌😊😊😊😊“

“This was one of the best breakfast places I ate at while I stayed in New Orleans. i cant say enoigh positive things about this restaurant. The food was out of this world and the staff and service was 100/100 stars. Thank you so much for an fantastic food experience ❤️ ---- Lisa and Abby from Ontario, Canada“

“We waited an hour for our food but it turned out so good !! The staff was very busy and very helpful !“

“Amazing food and perfect vibes! The drum was rich and flavorful, easily the best dish I’ve had in a while. The atmosphere made the whole night feel special. Highly recommend!“

“Wonderful food in a beautiful setting with great service!“

“We really enjoyed Camilla’s Grill Uptown—delicious food and friendly, attentive service. The space is a little loud, but the lively atmosphere gives it a one-of-a-kind New Orleans feel.“

“Great service and food! Staff were really personable and went above and beyond!“

“One of the best meals I’ve had in New Orleans was at Toups! We had a charcuterie board with their house made hogs head cheese, chicken liver mousse and foie gras accompanied by house pickles. Simply incredible!! The hogs head cheese was the best I’ve ever had! I especially loved the chunkiness of it with nice pieces of tender pork! The crispy turkey necks! Oh my goodness… AMAZING! The braised lamb neck entree was exquisite with a generous portion and crispy spaetzle! Even leftover, it was great!! I also had their pork chop and applesauce cocktail which was creative and also delicious!! I highly recommend this restaurant! Great work Chef Isaac and team!“

“Great food and great service! The owner is very helpful. We own a small dive bar in MS and we have used many of the ideas that Cooter Browns does! This is a stop for us when we are in town.“

“Absolutely Amazing! One of my favorite places“

“Great brunch menu and tasty drinks“

“Very good food. Service was wonderful“

“Quite possibly the best breakfast I've ever had. Simply amazing! I will definitely be returning the next time I visit NOLA. Thank you so much! 😋👍“

“The food was excellent and our server Ashley was great!!“

“We truly enjoyed the crawfish Creole beignets!!“

“Best breakfast my wife and I have had in a restaurant ever! There Bennie’s are awesome. Can’t wait to go back and try more of their menu! We sat at the bar and the bartender was great!“

“Stellar food, service, and atmosphere!“

“Really wonderful meal. Authentic vibe, spinach salad was amazing it could’ve fed two people. Great service and price.“

“This is one of the truly great hotels in America. The rooms are wonderful, the Polo Club bar is fantastic, but what really makes the hotel is the staff. They are to a person, the most welcoming and professional staff you’ll ever meet in a hotel setting.“

“Craft cocktails the expert old fashion way“

“Meril, Meril how I love you This is one of our favorite spots to go for date night or just meeting some friends for dinner and delicious cocktails. Service is always top-notch. We usually have a main waiter and then someone assisting with the table. But don't take that as a stuffy, uppity place to be, it's very casual and nice to have servers taking care of the table all throughout the meals. Apps: we decided to make a meal out of appetizers, and we kind of went overboard. Definitely small plates but big enough to share with leftovers if you do it right. We decided to order appetizers and make that our meal. We chose the Bacon Braised Collard Greens from the daily specials. We also chose Smoked Fish Dip, Crispy Cod Sliders, Deviled Eggs, Korean Fried Chicken Wings and Pad Thai Cauliflower For cocktails we started with English Turn(grapefruit but not sour), Tchoup(cucumber deliciousness) and Albariño(smooth white wine). All so good! It was also our 11 year anniversary and they surprised us with some cotton candy and a sparkler! Perfection!“

“I had an absolutely fantastic experience! The atmosphere, and staff especially Darin were welcoming and went above and beyond to make sure our experience was perfect. I highly recommend the drinkery and will be definitely returning!!!! Thank you Darin you are amazing.“

“Alright so this place is sort of hidden-ish but I’m so glad I found it. I’ve been twice this past week and the reason I came back is because the bartender is also the DJ and he was so much fun (Noah, I think?). He was super helpful and played really great music. Might be my new regular spot for vibes alone!“

“AWESOME vegan gumbo !!! Horrible service - everyone out front acted as if we were inconveniencing them to order or pick up our food! I wish I hadn’t tipped 18% beforehand!“

“Delicious dog! 🤤 And the chicken tenders for my daughter were fresh.“

“We found Two Chicks Cafe by accident this morning and are so pleased! Excellent breakfast food, service and prices. Highly recommend this restaurant!“

“So amazing!! Elevated twists on the dishes!! Great atmosphere, and an incredible experience!! Never disappoints!!“

“This is the best breakfast ever! Friendly staff, great food, love the mom and pop atmosphere. ❤️“

“Amazing special entree of grilled redfish over bacon risotto and an Italian cream red sauce over the fish. College Inn also has great options for gluten free needs!!very attentive to food allergies and sensitivities! Fun atmosphere- you always know other people there!“