The 10 best meals we ate in New Orleans in 2023
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The Gandolfini from Francolini's offers a stack of hot sopressata, fresh mozzarella, spicy olive salad, arugula and a Calabrian chili vinaigrette. Image: Chelsea Brasted/Axios
It's nice living in a foodie's paradise, amiright?! In New Orleans, we have something delicious in every neighborhood.
Driving the news: We've been eating around the city all year, and several meals stood out. Here are 10 of our favorites from 2023, in no particular order.
Worth noting: Many factors make a meal memorable — the food, the people you share it with and how the experience made you feel.
🦐 BBQ shrimp poboy
Where: Liuzza's by the Track.
What made it great: The signature shrimp dish has been my go-to for years when I want a good, casual meal with friends. This family-friendly neighborhood bar also makes great gumbo.
— Carlie
🦀 Celeriac remoulade with blue crab claw on pain perdu
Where: MaMou.
What made it great: It's been six months, and I'm still thinking about this dish, with its mustardy bite and the unexpected, savory way to serve pain perdu.
Worth noting: The restaurant has topped annual lists for Bon Appétit and the New York Times.
— Chelsea
☕ Fresh bread, lentil soup and Iraqi tea
Where: Almasgoof.
What made it great: This restaurant introduced me to Iraqi food and the style of cooking fish in a metal basket next to an open fire.
- The food was delicious, and the owners in this strip-mall Metairie restaurant made me feel like an old friend. (Go deeper)
— Carlie
🥣 Gumbo with grilled cheese and potato salad
Where: Heard Dat Kitchen.
What made it great: I went down a gumbo rabbit hole for a weekly series this year, and Megan Braden-Perry's recommendation for this gumbo will live rent-free in my brain forever. It's that good.
— Chelsea
🇵🇭 Filipino monggo salad
Where: Kusina Filipino pop-up.
What made it great: Some descriptions on the menu gave me pause — fish sauce cashew brittle for dessert? — but I trusted the chef, ordered one of everything and was rewarded with a meal I still think about months later. (Go deeper)
— Carlie
💜💚💛 Babka king cake
Where: Ayu Bakehouse.
What made it great: There's only so much time and so many new options during Mardi Gras, so it takes a lot for any king cake to earn a spot in my regular rotation. But this croissant-like, cinnamon and chocolate confection was an instant addition.
Worth noting: Ayu's non-king cake babka is available more frequently.
— Chelsea
🇹🇹 Doubles, a Trinidadian street food
Where: Queen Trini Lisa.
What made it great: Queen Trini's nailed everything my party ordered, but the doubles appetizer — curry chickpeas in turmeric flatbread — is what we were talking about the next week. (Go deeper)
— Carlie
🍅 Stuffed shells with the New York Times' Classic Marinara Sauce
Where: From a friend.
What made it great: I had my first baby this year, and for about two months, all my husband and I ate were dropped-off meals from friends and family. Among them was our dear friend Clare's homemade vegetarian stuffed shells. They were perfect, thanks in large part to this marinara sauce.
— Chelsea
🍤 Bang bang shrimp banh mi
Where: Banh Mi Boys (original Metairie location).
What made it great: This Vietnamese deli is attached to a gas station and is a solid option for quick, good food on the patio or for takeout.
- Iced Vietnamese coffee and a banh mi = perfect picnic food, IMO.
Worth noting: There's a location Uptown on Magazine Street, too.
— Carlie
🥪 The Gandolfini sandwich
Where: Francolini's.
What made it great: One of the things I missed most during pregnancy was sandwiches with cold deli meat.
- Enter Francolini's, which taunted me with Instagram posts for months until I finally got my postpartum hands on this sandwich, which was just spicy enough and oh-so good. (Go deeper)
— Chelsea