Diners' Choice: Best Food restaurants in New Orleans

OpenTable

Updated January 05, 2025

Looking for restaurants with the best overall cuisine in New Orleans? You’re in the right place. Each month, OpenTable analyzes nearly 2 million global diner reviews from the past four months. We sort the results by location and category to help you discover new favorite restaurants. It's a great partnership: you reserve, eat, and review. We listen...and deliver the results for all to benefit. Enjoy!

Wild South

4.9

4.9 (18)

$50 and over

Creole / Cajun / Southern

Lower Garden District

About the restaurant

Take the right turn off of Magazine Street
in the Lower Garden District and you’ll
stumble upon Wild South.

Through the yellow doors lies a restaurant
that showcases local ingredients we
hold dear in new, innovative ways while celebrating
the signature elements that make up this Southern cuisine.

Whether you’re popping in for snacks at
the bar or want the full tasting experience,
Chef Michael Stoltzfus and his team invite you
to partake in the unique taste of the Wild South.
Wild South is now offering a la carte at both the bar
and dining room.

Top review

Owen

Dined on Jan 5, 2025

excellent meal, wonderful service, and lovely atmosphere. sorry to see it was the last ever dinner service at Wild South! Glad we got to experience a wonderful restaurant on its last night!

Bistro Daisy

5.0

5 (1335)

$30 and under

American

Uptown

About the restaurant

A quaint eatery nestled in the heart of Uptown New Orleans, Bistro Daisy -named for the daughter of owners Anton & Diane Schulte-opened in the summer of 2007. The Restaurant features fresh, seasonal and often local ingredients prepared in the American bistro style. Daisy's award-winning dishes and charming atmosphere have established this Uptown bistro as one of the city's premier dining experiences.

Top review

kathy

Dined on Jan 4, 2025

Lovely small restaurant. Food was very excellent as was the service. Met the wife of the chief, who are the owners—just lovely

Gallagher's Restaurant on Front

4.9

4.9 (812)

$31 to $50

Steak

Slidell

About the restaurant

Welcome to Gallagher's Restaurant On Front Street – Your Local Steakhouse! Try our award winning entrees featuring sizzling steaks, ribeyes, pork chops, and the best seafood Louisiana has to offer. Whether you prefer a fine wine or a fresh new cocktail, our team is always ready to help you find your perfect pairing.

Chef Pat Gallagher expanded his reach to bring Slidell some of the best steaks, seafood, and cocktails! Gallagher's Restaurant on Front Street will bring the cuisine that you love even closer to home.

Top review

linda

Dined 6 days ago

Only bad thing it was freezing cold! Our server did not tell us about the 3 course lunch specials. We heard the server at the next table but it was too late because we had already ordered. The food was excellent and our server was very nice.

Bon Sake Sushi & Bar

4.9

4.9 (84)

$31 to $50

Sushi

Covington

About the restaurant

BON SAKE sushi & bar
Sushi Restaurant
Hours: Mon-Thurs 11:00am-9:00pm • Fri & Sat 11:00am-10:30pm

We look forward to serving you.

Top review

RobynVIP

Dined on Jan 5, 2025

Bon Sake is the best sushi!! Every dish is delicious!

Cafe Reconcile

4.8

4.8 (21)

$30 and under

Southern

Lower Garden District

About the restaurant

Our innovative Workforce Development Program is designed as a positive youth development space that supports the career exploration and job readiness opportunities of young people 16-24 years old. Interns earn industry credentials, explore career and educational pathways that suit their individual abilities, and experience real-world, on the job training.

Led by a skilled team of industry professionals with shared lived-experience and incorporating a cadre of community-based partners, we work to build bright futures with and alongside our young people.

Café Reconcile is a destination lunch spot for a wide cross-section of New Orleanians as well as visitors from all across the country. Focusing on the kind of “soul food” for which New Orleans is known, the restaurant has earned high praise from local and national critics.

When guests dine in the cafe, funds go directly back into our Workforce Training Program ensuring Interns and Alumni have essential supports.

Top review

Patricia

Dined 6 days ago

The staff is always so personable and professional. The food is always great.

Shaya

4.9

4.9 (5092)

$31 to $50

Israeli

Uptown

About the restaurant

Originally inspired by the many amazing meals with family and dear friends throughout the Middle East, Shaya has been a trailblazer in modern Levantine cuisine. Drawing inspiration from the diverse cuisines & cultures of the Middle East, Meditteranean, and across North Africa, Shaya has set the benchmark for contemporary Mediterranean cuisine by honoring the age-old culinary traditions of the people who invented hospitality as we know it. Our fluffy hand-crafted pita bread baked to order in our wood-fired oven with delectable vegetable-driven dips, salads, and spreads will transport you to an exotic place. Today we hope that our food and hospitality will help you create delicious memories with your friends and family using the very best of our local and sustainably harvested ingredients, prepared and served by people who truly care.

Top review

AndrésVIP

Dined 7 days ago

The moment you step into this culinary gem, you're transported to the vibrant crossroads of Israeli and Mediterranean cuisine in the heart of New Orleans. The combination of hummus and fried chicken here is nothing short of exceptional – silky smooth with a perfect balance of tahini and lemon, creating a velvety canvas for the other dishes then chicken is added expertly seasoned with aromatic Middle Eastern spices, remains remarkably tender and juicy, paying homage to time-honored cooking traditions. In a city renowned for its culinary diversity, this establishment stands out as an authentic beacon of Israeli-Mediterranean excellence, offering a dining experience that feels both sophisticated and warmly familiar. AA

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4.9

4.9 (20094)

$50 and over

Seafood

French Quarter

About the restaurant

Experience the cuisine that has created Raving Fans of local diners & national & local food critics alike. Executive Chef Mike Nelson ensures the highest quality seafood by flying in products from around the globe & featuring only the best from local waters - both at their seasonal peak. This commitment to freshness & quality are some of the many reasons GW Fins prints its menu daily. We look forward to serving you soon so we may learn what you think.

We hope our dress policy is comfortable for all. Coats & ties are not required. Slacks, dress jeans, & dress shorts are great. We require that gentlemen wear a collared shirt. T-shirts, cut off shorts, & athletic wear, including baseball caps, are not permitted. We ask gentlemen to remove their hats in the Dining Room.

Top review

MattVIP

Dined 1 day ago

Always an outstanding experience. Food and service are always impeccable. Hands down, some of the best seafood around.

Restaurant August

4.9

4.9 (8169)

$50 and over

Contemporary French / American

Central Business District

About the restaurant

August is a Contemporary Creole restaurant creating unique dishes with a focus on Louisiana ingredients and inspired by classical training. Located in a historic 19th century French-Creole building in New Orleans’ Central Business District, the main dining room caters to the most unique dining experience. The interior is rich with original architectural details, gleaming hardwood floors, soaring columns, mahogany paneling and antique mirrors.

Top review

RichardVIP

Dined 4 days ago

An extraordinary restaurant. Friendly but unobtrusive staff. Lovely setting. Absolutely perfect duck and steak dinners.

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Popular dish

red snapper Pontchartrain

Popular dish

blackened grouper

Gallagher's Grill

4.8

4.8 (1560)

$50 and over

Steakhouse

Covington

About the restaurant

Welcome to Gallagher’s Grill – Your Local Steakhouse! Try our award winning entrees featuring sizzling steaks, ribeyes, pork chops, and the best seafood Louisiana has to offer. Whether you prefer a fine wine or a fresh new cocktail, our team is always ready to help you find your perfect pairing.

Gallagher's Grill, located at 509 S Tyler St in Covington, La. Rated Four Stars by Tom Fitzmorris, "Mr Food". Serving USDA Prime and choice steaks, quail, lamb and the largest selection of fresh fish on the Northshore! Open for lunch Tuesday thru Friday and Dinner Tuesday thru Saturday.

Top review

Kim

Dined on Jan 7, 2025

The food was amazing. Service was great and fast. My husband and I enjoyed our lunch.

Atchafalaya Restaurant

4.9

4.9 (6497)

$31 to $50

Creole / Cajun / Southern

Garden District

About the restaurant

Atchafalaya is a true New Orleans neighborhood eatery where the eclectic yet elegant atmosphere is only outshone by the attentive service and delicious local fare. Nestled under the oaks on the edges of the Irish Channel, Magazine Street, and historic Garden districts, this hidden gem is one the best contemporary Creole dining experiences that one can find in the city. Neighbors, locals, and out of towners alike will become regulars after experiencing the brand of hospitality offered by New Orleans’ only five “A” restaurant. If having standards such as a gumbo du jour, blue crab raviolo, or shrimp & grits, a nightly seafood special, or a filet paired with a selection from the world class wine program you will not be disappointed. The introductions of brunch, live music, cocktails, and now an extensive happy hour continue the newest culinary chapter for a storied local haunt, embracing New Orleans’ culinary culture while placing contemporary spin on traditional New Orleans cuisine.

Top review

Randy

Dined 4 days ago

Our waitress was the single best waitress at any dining establishment globally in the last 5 years. Food, ambiance, service was terrific. All 4 of us look forward to our next visit to Atchafalaya!

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Popular dish

Lowcountry Shrimp & Grits

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