Updated Nov 26, 2024 - Food and Drink
The 15 best French Quarter restaurants
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Brennan's has a great courtyard for when the weather is nice. Photo by Chris Granger
New Orleans' French Quarter might have one of the most densely packed collections of great restaurants in the entire country.
Why it matters: Attempting to pick a favorite is like purposefully trying to start a fight with everyone in the entire city.
The big picture: Living here, let alone writing about restaurants, I've gotten used to being asked to choose one.
- Whether it's because friends are visiting, or I'm meeting colleagues downtown, it's always helpful to have a list of the best French Quarter restaurants.
Here, I've gathered 15 tried-and-true favorites, in no particular order:
- Dig in: One of the best bars in the world, with classic cocktails, and a modern, English menu that's never boring.
- Go deeper: Jewel won a James Beard Award in 2024.
- Dig in: Maybe the word "iconic" gets tossed around a bit too much, but in this case, it's accurate. Beignets and cafe au lait are a perfect pairing, and no one does them better.
- Dig in: It might be known for old-school hospitality, but chef Ryan Hacker is finding new ways to drive interest at this nearly 80-year-old restaurant.
- Dig in: A relative newcomer, this sweet gem on the Quarter's edge is serving up some of the most exciting meals in the city.
- Go deeper: What I ordered on my own visit.
- Dig in: You might be able to find poboys on menus of more than half the restaurants in the French Quarter, but at this spot, lines are rare, and the sandwiches are always great.
- Dig in: A trendy raw bar with a great cocktail program. You can't beat the view of Jackson Square, either.
- Dig in: Other restaurants with food from the African diaspora have gotten headlines lately, but this one, serving dishes from Gambia and Cameroon, has been doing it since 1992.
- Go deeper: Recapping a lunch visit.
- Dig in: Exceptional Chinese dim sum in a small restaurant that doesn't take reservations.
- Dig in: A reliably great spot in a historic building just off Jackson Square, it opened in 2010 during the height of the gastropub trend. There's a good reason it's stuck around.
- Dig in: This fun spot on Rampart is always reinventing its menu, creating new reasons to return.
- Dig in: A Latin-Caribbean menu helmed by chef Alfredo Nogueira, this spot has been around since 2013, but was one of the New York Times' 25 best restaurants in New Orleans just last year.
- Dig in: When you need a crowd-pleaser and you didn't make a reservation, you can count on Pimm's Cups and muffalettas.
- Dig in: The French Quarter has a deep Sicilian history, and this family-run restaurant celebrates that in style.
- Go deeper: Try the crab pasta I loved.
- Dig in: You can't go wrong at Susan Spicer's flagship French Quarter restaurant.
- Dig in: Expect inventive approaches to seafood as chef Michael Nelson works toward reducing kitchen waste.