🔥🔥🔥🔥
What to wear: Casual
What to order: Chilaquiles
About: Alma means Soul in Spanish and this café has a lot of it. Owner and Chef Melissa Arajuo is a 2024 best Chef of the South, James Beard Award Semifinalist, and it shows in her food. It’s worth the travel to the trendy Bywater for this delicious Honduran meal.
1/1/2025
Alma heals the soul
🔥 🔥 🔥
What to wear: Casual
What to order: Black berry glazed baby back ribs
About: Whether you’re coming to New Orleans for Super Bowl LIX or wanting to watch any type of sports game on TV, Lula Restaurant & Distillery is the perfect destination. Great service, good food, and a vibrant atmosphere are housed in a restored building. Look up at the wooden rafters and you’ll see various Krewe’s Mardi Grad flags, which is suiting for a restaurant right on the parade route. Enough room for a large party but comfortable enough for just two. Join your Krewe here anytime of year for a good meal.
1/12/2025
parades roll at Lula
🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
What to wear: Semi Casual
What to order: Shisho leaf hand-roll and a matcha green tea (iced or hot)
About: Don’t be afraid to venture into the suburbs for some of the most original sushi in the area. What started as a tiny locals only space has transformed into a well known vibing restaurant aptly named Yakuza House. The chef regularly brings in fresh delicacies from the Tsukiji Fish Market in Tokyo, Japan. Order your nigiri “dressed” so that he puts a unique twist on each bite. Enjoy sitting at the bar viewing the kitchen magic or share a more secluded booth with your party. It’s worth planning a drive to Metairie or making a stop on the way into the city from the airport. Either way, you won’t regret the trip.
1/15/2025
Kuchisabishii- look it up. A word with knowing.
🔥 🔥 🔥 🔥 🔥
What to wear: Semi dressy
What to order: Pani puri and Kashmiri Fried Chicken
About: The menu is always changing at literal hot spot. Influenced by the global cuisines of South America and Asia, most of the food has at least some heat.
The menu keeps you on your toes with new dishes at every visit, but you’ll come back for the old standbys time and again. Sharable plates and a hipster atmosphere add to the fun. Oh yeah, and don’t skip dessert.
1/26/2025
🔥 🔥
What to wear: Semi casual
What to order: For bunch, Chicken and Waffle Sandwich
About: This clubhouse restaurant sits right on an uptown 18 hole golf course and is perfect for brunch with family (it’s kid friendly) or a hefty meal after a round of golf with the guys. Sitting under the oaks with a stunning view of Audubon park, the building has a spacious wrap around porch with outside seating. The service was full of southern hospitality but the food was slow to hit the table. Worth the wait? I’ll let you decide.
2/1/2025
🔥 🔥 🔥 🔥
What to wear: Semi casual
What to order: Lamb Ragu Hummus
About: While there are many Mediterranean spots to eat in New Orleans, Saba might be the MVP. Try to score a seat at one of the few couches up front for a view of Magazine street while you try the salatim and sip on Israeli mock-tails. Touch down here while strolling in the uptown shopping scene or make it a destination for dinner. Inside or outside seating (if you can bear the humidity) options make room for any occasion – including sighting the celebs on Super Bowl Saturday.
2/7/2025
🔥 🔥 🔥 🔥
What to wear: Casual
What to order: Beef Jerky (Trust)
About: This secret is only kept because it is located about 10 miles outside of uptown New Orleans in Chalmette, Louisiana. Dishes are loud with spice and pack heat from 0 to 5.0 (“dangerously spicy”), which is reserved for “professionals” who have to talk to the kitchen staff before putting in their order.
Huge servings lend to sharing family-style with large groups of friends, which is the only way to taste more than one of these traditional Thai dishes cooked to perfection. Make room in the refrigerator for leftovers.
2/18/2025
🔥 🔥 🔥 🔥 🔥
What to wear: Semi Casual
What to order: Uni hand-roll
5/7/2025
About: Nothing delinquent here. Sukeban has sushi straight off the boat. Japanese. Traditional. And yes, a female boss (a Sukeban). Hand-rolls like toro and scallion or Louisiana blue crab are sliced and rolled while you talk to the chef. These delicacies are preceded by smaller bites of pickles, miso soup with mushrooms, and beautifully presented sashimi. Try them with the add ons like caviar, uni, or ikura for a special treat. The small friendly atmosphere and menu make you feel like you might actually be in Tokyo at Drunkeds Alley.
5/7/2025
Girl Boss
🔥 🔥 🔥 🔥 🔥
What to wear: Dressy
What to order: Banana Foster
5/15/2025
About: Celebrating anything? Arnauds’ makes the good time roll. Nestled in the heart of the French Quarter, you can choose a reservation in the main dining room or jazz bistro (come prepared to make a request with the musicians that play table side)-either way the old school rooms add to the ambience. If you have a large party, it’s fun to share appetizers like the puffed potato’s, and various oyster delicacies. I take my turtle soup with a hint of sherry. For the mains there is something for everyone: fish, fowl, and meat, so no one leaves with an empty stomach. But, you should try to save room for dessert.
🔥 🔥 🔥 🔥 🔥
What to wear: Casual
What to order: Large Quail Appetizer
About: Tan Dinh is worth the trek over the bridge to the New Orleans West Bank. I admit, I’m a regular here, and while everything is delicious (think roast chicken, duck, pho), my family’s order is always the same: Tofu spring roll with the darkest, most flavorful peanut sauce; large roasted quail appetizer; chargrilled pork vermicelli pressed noodles; and here is what we can vary based on our mood- shrimp or fried tofu lemongrass with rice or noodles. While most lemongrass sauces are orange, this one is a rich, dark, roasted coffee color making the flavor brighter and more pungent. For dessert, if we have any room left, is always the avocado boba tea. The Owner-Chef, Q, and his mother before him, make a menu worth having again and again
6/28/25
🔥 🔥 🔥 🔥 🔥
What to wear: Semi Dressy
What to order: Izakaya steak
About: Kingsway on the famed Magazine Street is a fresh spot that boldly fuses Asian and creole flavors. The chef, who also runs Saffron Restaurant across the street, brings his signature creativity to every dish. A must-try is the Izakaya steak, grilled to perfection with a smoky flavor, as well as the Refrigerator Noodles—cold, chewy, savory and tossed in a flavorful sauce and topped with crispy veggies. The vibe is modern, chill, making it a great place for a laid-back yet special meal. If you love Saffron, you’ll definitely want to check out Kingsway for more of the chef’s bold ideas.
7/16/2026
🔥 🔥 🔥 🔥 🔥
What to wear: Semi Casual
What to order: Biriyani
About: Like the name implies, Saffron Restaurant blends bold Indian flavors with local creole tastes in a charming yet stylish, welcoming space. The lamb biriyani is a standout- fragrant, tender, and perfectly spiced. You can order it with raita to cut the heat or eat it just as it comes. Other dishes like the grilled oysters bring creative twists to traditional recipes. Traditional dishes are here too like pork vindaloo and naan with chutneys. The service is warm and attentive without being overbearing. You can tell every detail, from the spices to the plating, has been considered to bring customers the best possible experience.
7/19/2026
Boudreau & Thibodeau’s Cajun Cookin’
Houma, Louisiana
🔥 🔥 🔥 🔥
What to wear: Casual
What to order: Crawfish etouffee
About: Boudreau & Thibodeau’s Cajun Cookin’, Houma, Louisiana is a warm and welcoming eatery that truly captures the essence of Bayou life. The highlight of the menu is their etouffée—rich, spicy, and simmered to perfection, with just the right balance of savory depth and tender seafood. It’s the kind of dish that screams Cajun with every bite. Equally impressive is their boudin: perfectly seasoned, soft, and packed with bold flavors that pay homage to traditional Cajun roots. Service is friendly, making you feel like you’re dining among family. If you’re craving authentic, hearty Louisiana fare head to Houma- this is a must-visit.
7/22/2025
🔥 🔥 🔥 🔥
What to wear: Semi Casual
What to order: Chicken Cutlet sandwich
About: This restaurant in Old Metairie is charming and stylish, with a warm, welcoming vibe. Housed in a lovely, century-old Creole cottage, it offers an amazing outdoor patio when it’s cooler out, and cozy indoor seating when it’s not. On the weekends, there is a brunch menu that includes a selection of both breakfast and lunch style sandwiches or other savory items. The kitchen and front of the house were very accommodating to some special needs of guests I had with me. Overall, it’s a great choice if you find yourself hungry in Jefferson Parish or, like me, you can make the trip just because it’s cool.
8/13/2025
🔥 🔥 🔥 🔥 🔥
What to wear: Semi Casual
What to order: The Feed Me
About: Named for two of the Chef’s children, Luvi is much more than a mom and pop shop, but the staff still welcomes you in like family. The atmosphere is cozy and perfect for a casual meal. Filled with delicious Japanese and Chinese dishes, the flavors are fresh and authentic. The menu has a nice variety to choose from and the feed me options, which the chef chooses for you from the raw bar of the day, is delightful. Non sushi fare like mala holla beef, bam bam chicken, and dumpling soup, won’t disappoint. Trust me, you’ll luv it.
8/26/2025
🔥 🔥 🔥 🔥
What to wear: Dressy Casual
What to order: Gumbo
About: Past and future meet on a tree lined street in lovely Creole cottage, setting the stage for a warm and welcoming meal at Brigtsen’s restaurant. Chef Brigtsen has been serving up traditional fare since the 1980s and yet his food does not feel at all dated- due in part to the fresh, flavorful Creole dishes made with a myriad of local ingredients. Highlights include speckled trout with a rich meunière sauce, as well as sausage gumbo with a brilliantly darkened roux. With friendly service, lead by the chef’s wife, and a cozy atmosphere – Brigtsen’s offers an authentic New Orleans dining experience that feels both special and familiar.
11/1/25
🔥 🔥 🔥 🔥
What to wear: Casual
What to order: Ropa Vieja
About: Manolito, in the Faubourg French Quarter, serves comforting, flavorful Cuban-inspired food that could compete with any fare from Miami. This is largely due to the restaurant’s adherence to the techniques and philosophy from Havana’s own El Foridita. The beans and rice are especially satisfying: simple, well seasoned, and perfectly cooked. Their sandwiches, including the Cuban, and small plates, like arepas and croquetas, taste homemade and hearty, without being heavy. The wide variety of frozen mocktails are second to none. Manolito’s cozy antiqued space and atmosphere fits right into the charm of the French Quarter and makes the meal feel even more welcoming. Service is friendly and relaxed, adding to the overall experience. It’s a great spot for anyone wanting delicious, comforting food in the heart of the French Quarter, that breaks the mold but still fits in with the vibe.
11/16/2025
🔥 🔥 🔥 🔥
What to wear: Casual
What to order: Mix it up every visit
About: It’s hard to decide what to order with such an extensive hot and cold sandwich menu, plus the daily specials-which today included prosciutto and Brie with a pear jam on focaccia and smoked turkey with apples and bacon on a seeded roll, as well as tomato soup with olive tapenade. When you arrive, step in line by grabbing a numbered ticket and the kitchen will call you when it’s time to order. Everything is made fresh daily in house making it possible that your first choice will be sold out, so be prepared with a back up order. There are a few tables and a patio are available for eat in, but all food is made to travel.
12/13/2025
Teen Gourmand 