Discover Trending Restaurants in New Orleans

Desi Vega's Steakhouse claims a prime location on the ground floor of the Lafayette Hotel, right next door to Lafayette Park on St. Charles Avenue, where diners can watch the streetcar come and go. Shortly after the steakhouse's opening, New Orleans Magazine named it one of the best new restaurants of 2013. The stars of Desi Vega's menu are prime steaks seared at 1800 degrees, and fresh seafood. Nods to local traditions with a trendy twist include the fried green tomatoes appetizer topped with crabmeat, a meatball po-boy, and the Freddie mac and cheese with andouille and crawfish.

Opened in 1933, Ye Olde College Inn is a real-deal New Orleans culinary landmark. A number of popular items, including the New Orleans po'boy and breaded veal cutlet, have been on the menu since the 1930s. The shrimp remoulade po'boy won best of show at the first annual Po'Boy Festival. Despite its menu of mostly traditional fare, Ye Olde College Inn claims a very long head start on a major contemporary trend — farm-to-table cuisine. They run the largest urban restaurant farm in Louisiana, right next to the restaurant in Uptown New Orleans.

Emeril Lagasse's flagship restaurant in the Warehouse District, now more than 25 years old, showcases the mastery of Creole and Cajun cooking that made him famous. Chef Douglas Braselman brings the flavors of his own Louisiana heritage to the menu, along with a dedication to using local and regional ingredients. Emeril's dishes often feature an international touch, as in the sugar cane-lacquered duck with crispy jasmine rice or duck liver mousse with pecans. Other highlights could only come from New Orleans, like homemade andouille and boudin sausages with Southern cooked greens, gumbo of the day, and a sweet potato custard tart with pecan cane syrup granola.

Emeril Lagasse's three-story NOLA Restaurant opened in the French Quarter in 1992, when the celebrity chef was an up-and-coming name. It won immediate critical acclaim for presenting bold flavors fusing Southern, Creole, Acadian, and global influences, and a solid spot among the best trendy New Orleans restaurants. NOLA revamped in 2017, putting the focus on rustic Louisiana cooking with hints of Southeast Asia. Small plates and snacks encourage diners to share a steady series of dishes. Emerging from the wood-fired brick oven are such creations as hot frog legs with garlic yogurt and pickles, a pizza topped with mushrooms, arugula, and fried pig's ear, and alligator sausage bao with house-made hoisin and kimchi.

Superior Seafood occupies a historic Uptown property on the St. Charles streetcar line, giving it eminent appeal to locals and tourists alike. With red leather booths, antique French chairs, and a full-service marble oyster bar inside the spacious dining room, the feel is of a classic Parisian brasserie, enlarged. The lengthy menu, which changes weekly, features new takes on Louisiana classics. Crawfish pop up in the cornbread, mac and cheese, bisque, and a savory cheesecake, while oysters come on the half-shell, char-grilled, bacon-wrapped, or in a salad with fresh apple. The frozen pomegranate mojito is the restaurant's signature cocktail.

Emeril Lagasse's fourth restaurant in New Orleans, Meril opened in 2016 in the hip-and-happening Warehouse District. The restaurant has a casual-chic vibe with an open kitchen, spacious bar, and interior garden terrace. The menu features mostly small plates that span the globe while keeping their roots firmly in Louisiana. Chef Will Avelar works with Lagasse to develop recipes that blend elements of the celebrity chef's personal favorite dishes with international and local influences. Highlights include crispy Spanish-style croquettes, catfish tacos, and a boudin tamale with roasted tomatillo and red chile sauce.

GW Fins opened in the French Quarter in 2011 and soon garnered considerable critical acclaim that secured its status among the best trendy New Orleans restaurants: The Times-Picayune called it one of top 10 best French Quarter restaurants in 2018 and Wine Spectator has given the restaurant its Award of Excellence every year for over a decade. Chef Tenney Flynn, an expert on Gulf seafood, creates a new menu daily, driven by the freshest seasonal catch. A notable original creation is the scalibut, a dish of halibut and sea scallops with a Royal Red risotto and seasonal vegetables. Options might also include Louisiana shrimp, speckled trout from Mississippi, and some meat and poultry selections, all prepared with the chef's signature light touch.

Mr. B's Bistro occupies a glorious French Quarter property with a pink facade, elegant white columns, and ornate wrought iron fixtures. Inside, the atmosphere is one of traditional fine dining, with glossy wood and white tablecloths lending the airy dining room an unstuffy sophistication. Since 1979, Mr. B's Bistro has presented contemporary Creole cuisine, offering long-perfected classics like the signature Gumbo Ya Ya, barbecued shrimp, and bread pudding with Irish whiskey sauce. The menu also has some creative modern iterations, such as a breakfast bowl of oven-roasted pork loin over creamy grits, topped with a fried egg, goat cheese crumbles, and caramelized onions, a standout on the Sunday jazz brunch menu.

More than one critic has called Mr. John's Steakhouse the best in New Orleans, praising their fastidious approach to presenting the highest-quality beef along with tradition-meets-trendy sides. The portions are generous, and the steaks (half a dozen cuts from petite filets to a porterhouse for two) sear under an 1800-degree broiler, seasoned simply with salt and pepper, before receiving a liberal dose of butter on a sizzling serving plate. Around a dozen sides include creamed spinach, broccoli au gratin, and Crystal hot sauce onion rings. Adding to the steakhouse's appeal is its picturesque Garden District setting on St. Charles Avenue.

Restaurant R'evolution opened in 2012 inside the French Quarter's Royal Sonesta Hotel, which it shares with the Jazz Playhouse. The voluminous space includes seven distinct dining spaces, with two kitchens (one exhibition, one standard) housing a rotisserie big enough for whole hogs, a wood-burning oven, and a custom smoker for the house charcuterie program. Chefs John Folse and Rick Tramonto jointly create menus featuring riffs on classic Cajun and Creole cuisine, delving deep into the European origins of New Orleans' culinary heritage. Examples include beer-battered crab beignets, the Death by Gumbo with roasted quail, andouille, oysters, and filé rice, and a Louisiana snapping turtle soup with deviled quail eggs.

Muriel's Jackson Square resides in a grand, mid-18th-century mansion on a busy corner in the French Quarter. The storied building was home to many important figures throughout New Orleans' history, and at times served as a saloon, a spaghetti factory, and home of the Heritage Hall Jazz Band. Muriel's took over in 2001 following an extensive restoration, which included the transformation of the second story into a seance room — diners can visit the lavishly decorated paranormal shrine upon request. The lunch and dinner menus (there's also brunch on weekends) features classic Creole cuisine elevated by fresh, local ingredients. Examples include a duck confit jambalaya, fried green tomato stack, seafood gumbo, and Louisiana satsuma salad.

Fine Creole cuisine with Asian and French influences is on the menu at the Pelican Club, a French Quarter fixture since 1990. Conde Nast Traveler called it one of the top 250 restaurants in America. The elegant 19th-century townhouse with rustic stone walls and a mahogany bar features three distinct dining rooms, each adorned with original works by local artists. Fresh fish and seafood is a staple on the menu, alongside duck, rack of lamb, and prime rib-eye. A signature dish is the seafood martini ravigote, a light, fresh salad of lobster, shrimp, crab, and potato. Over 200 labels grace the wine list, which has received the Wine Spectator Award of Excellence for over 18 consecutive years.

Ruth's Chris Steak House is a popular chain of over 100 upscale restaurants across North America, but it started in New Orleans (as Chris Steak House) in 1927. Ruth Fertel acquired the restaurant in 1965 and dotted the menu with classic Louisiana recipes like barbecue shrimp, creamed spinach, and sweet potato casserole with a pecan crust. The signature of Ruth's Chris is USDA prime steaks served sizzling in butter on a 500-degree ceramic plate, along with family-style sides and an ever-popular creme brulee dessert. The contemporary venue for Ruth's Chris in New Orleans is inside Harrah's Hotel in the Central Business District.

Fresh-shucked oysters have been a star of Pascal's Manale's menus since its opening in 1913, but it's most famous for inventing New Orleans-style barbecue shrimp in the 1950s. The nostalgic Uptown restaurant has served Italian-Creole cuisine since long before it was ever called fusion, and is now in its fourth generation of family ownership. On weekdays, regulars feast on half-price raw oysters during three-hour-long happy hours. The barbecue shrimp po'boy is a lunch staple, and steaks and seafood feature strongly among dinner options.