I hope you're hungry. Here are 25 tastes, snapshot style, of eating around New Orleans through another busy year covering this ever-changing dining scene.
This is not a ranking. Instead, these are dishes, experiences and memories that have stayed with me through the year. Many are from new restaurants from 2024, others from restaurants I've been revisiting.
I could have included many more, but you have to stop somewhere. I picked 25 in sync with 2025 to give you ideas for dining out in the year to come.
It's part of my year-end coverage of New Orleans dining, and you can find more of these stories here.
Roast beef po-boy at Brocato's Kitchen, 422 S. Broad St.
Here's a new restaurant with an old soul, the type New Orleans needs to freshen the ranks. It's all about po-boys and plate lunches, and the roast beef is a good intro. The meat is thin, wavy slices, with a dark richness that smacks on the palate with stock and gleaming gravy. You can taste the garlic and sometimes see slices of the cloves too.
Glazed octopus at TANA, 2919 Metairie Road
TANA is the reincarnation of chef Michael Gulotta's one time pop-up on a stylish and grand scale for high-end Italian cuisine, mixing the simplicity of fresh pasta and robust sauce next to more complex dishes that build layers of flavor. This dish is a picture of composed Italian fine dining. The thick leg of octopus is crisp on the edge, tender within, glazed with smoked bone marrow over a cake made from squid ink risotto.
Cote du boeuf at MaMou, 942 N. Rampart St.
Chef Tom Branighan's dishes are as intricately detailed and beautiful as the restaurant he and Molly Wismeier created. It's one of the best in town. But it was straightforward, classic French treatment of this regal steak that I keep thinking about after my last visit. The cut, all marbled and succulent, is ideal for sharing around the table, an even the accompanying potatoes were perfection.
Sicilian sashimi at Porgy's Seafood Market, 236 N. Carrollton Ave.
Porgy's combines an old-school fishmonger with a modern seafood deli. I'm constantly coming here for oysters and fresh fish for home (especially for DIY crudo). This dine-in dish demonstrates what you can do with a fish case filled with fresh catches. It's crudo 101, with just olive oil and salt, maybe capers and celery, and a changing variety of fish. Pair with one of the affordable wines by the glass.
Basque cheesecake at Aguasanta, 8312 Oak St.
Here's a sleeper hit still waiting to be discovered. It's the second restaurant from the owners of La Tia Cantina in Metairie, and goes more upscale and global. A Basque cheesecake for dessert seems to be streaked with chocolate sauce. But scoop your spoon through and this reveals itself as mole, the same as from the carnitas dumplings, bringing a chocolatey-chile savory contrast to the rich cake. It's outstanding. So are the cocktails; have another with dessert.
Hamburger at Revel Cafe & Bar, 133 N. Carrollton Ave.
This is the very template for the American tavern burger done to a T. It has no twists, no bells nor whistles. It's the result of a cocktail master turning his attention and diligence to the burger, and it's great. It's a burger that looks like the ones you see on TV commercials for chain restaurants, and a one that tastes the way you hope those would (though, alas, never do).
Laziji (dry chili chicken) at Miss Shirley's Chinese Restaurant, 3009 Magazine St.
Here's a dish for chili lovers, or for just lovers. It started as a one-off special as the restaurant has brought deeper regional dishes into play, and customers have embraced it. The chicken is chopped into bits on the bone, deep fried and then wok fried, and comes an avalanche of toasted red chilies, along with heroic doses of garlic and ginger. It's a dish I never want to stop eating, and one I keep thinking about when I must.
Whole branzino at Smoke & Honey, 3301 Bienville St.
A restaurant that functions as a mostly Greek deli by day (with a satellite espresso bar from Coffee Science too) turns into a casual taverna at night, with table service, reservations and an expanded menu with more dishes fit for sharing. That's how we took down this whole fish, with mild, yielding meat stuffed with ouzo-braised leeks under a golden-crisp surface sparkled with sea salt.
Mofongo at El Recoqueo DR Bistro, 809 Behrman Hwy., Terrytown
The signature dish of this strip mall Dominican joint starts with mashed plantain, smooth with olive oil, thick with garlic and shot through with bits of fatty fried pork. This is the basis for any number of dishes, though the fat-gleaming crown on the menu has to be the mofongo con chicharron, cut into thick squares like cracklin' fused to a cake of tender, roasted pork.
Lamb ragu at Ristorante Del Porto, 501 E. Boston St., Covington
Here's one of my New Year's resolutions: I'm visiting the northshore more often (and the Gulf Coast, and the West Bank, etc.). The St. Tammany dining scene is often on my mind, if not often enough on my schedule. This upscale Italian spot has been an anchor of it for decades now, and a return visit confirmed its excellent consistency. Lamb ragu has been in rotation forever here - simple, deeply flavored, always satisfying.
Redfish á la Maxime at Gautreau's, 1728 Soniat St.
The new owners and operators at this Uptown gem have been mixing their own signature with its long-standing style. This addition from chef Rob Mistry tells the tale, an elegant take on a local fish, "scaled" with thin potato slices and dappled with the briny burst of trout roe. The Vadouvan sauce gives the complexity of curry but with a gentler spice that makes it a good fit for seafood in particular.
Mortadella plate at Bar Pomona, 2352 St. Claude Ave.
There's a lot of good cooking on a small menu that is always changing. But one evening stuck in the middle of a sweltering summer it was the simplicity of an excellent mortadella plate and with house focaccia and a spritz that made this versatile Marigny café and bar the perfect solution, like an escape pod from the season for the duration of the meal.
Cannelloni at Vincent's Italian Cuisine, 4411 Chastant St., Metairie and 7839 St. Charles Ave.
It was the death of founder Vincent Catalanotto Sr. that brought be back to the Vincent's restaurants over the summer, to see how these Creole Italian classics were faring as the next generation took the helm. This dish was this epitome of comfort on a plate, with a blend of veal and spinach in fat pasta tubes in an Alfredo sauce baked to a creamy texture. The founder's legacy feels well tended.
Breakfast sandwich at Le Ponce, 3133 Ponce de Leon St.
Good bread, great prices, early morning hours - it's a simple recipe for a satisfying start to the day and that's just what this French bakery café from the family behind the adjacent Café Degas bistro delivers. The build-your-own breakfast sandwiches are everything they should be, with flaky croissants or dense baguettes assembled with French ham, smoky andouille and other good fixings to spec. You can walk it off with stroll at nearby City Park to make it full morning.
Jerk turkey necks at Afrodisiac, 5363 Franklin Ave.
This Creole-Caribbean fusion find in Gentilly has a delicious treatment of turkey necks with smoky, peppery morsels to pull between the ridges of bone. In nice weather, it's hard to beat the verdant patio here with cocktails from the bar. Note: hours change frequently, check its status via instagram.com/afrodisiacnola.
Raj kachori at Plume Algiers, 1113 Teche St.
Pani puri is an Indian street food snack of bite-size lentil cups; I'll order them anywhere I see them. This vegetarian showstopper is essentially a giant version at this tiny, destination worthy mom-and-pop in Algiers. The shell is the size of a small bread loaf, filled with potatoes and streaked with chutneys and yogurt and pomegranate for alternately creamy, sour, salty, fresh flavors as you break it apart to eat like nachos.
Fried chicken at Willie Mae's NOLA, 898 Baronne St.
This is the new, modern outpost from the family behind Willie Mae's Scotch House (the Treme restaurant that is still closed from a fire, but is slated to return in 2025). It brings a different vibe, and an expanded menu, but there's no doubt this kitchen revolves around fried chicken. It marks the return of one of the city's best renditions, a wet-batter style with an exterior shell that breaks into little pieces at the bite, with a subtle peppery backbeat within.
Onigirazu at Chi Chi's, 4714 Freret St.
I love a restaurant that brings something new, and this new hot spot surely does with Korean fried chicken and this other new addition. Onigirazu is like Japanese onigiri rice balls fashioned into a sushi sandwich, with the sour rice serving as bread banded together by nori. I like the spicy tuna variety the best, but you can also get these with filled with the Korean fried chicken to further mix things up.
Adobo cracklin' at Southerns, 4620 Veterans Blvd.
The new brick and mortar for this food truck phenom gives a fixed location for its best-in-class cracklin', which give an audible crack over meaty wonks that burst with fatty flavor. This adobo version, with a garlic-soy flavor and scatter of peanuts, is one of the subtle Asian touches augmenting the menu.
Vaucroissant at Lagniappe Bakehouse, 1825 Euterpe St.
New Orleans roots, an artistic aesthetic and culinary precision define this new bakery café in Central City. This grab-and-go savory snack is a good introduction, wrapping a link of local Vaucresson hot sausage (of Jazz Fest fame) in a lattice pastry. Get a coffee too, and sit for a bit under the oak out front.
Glacier 51 sea bass at Nobu, Caesars Casino, 8 Canal St.
The global brand Nobu is known for celebrity sightings, for eye-popping prices and for sushi. But it's the dishes from the kitchen, rather than the sushi bar, that revealed a restaurant bringing something else to the local scene. This fish is truly the Wagyu of sea. Its sweet skin stuck just slightly to the teeth, its white flakes separated effortlessly under the fork like waves, and a flavor bomb of aioli made with yuzu kosho (a mix of Japanese citrus, chile and sea salt) added acid, spice and pop. It's an exquisite taste from a restaurant built for indulgence.
Pepperoni pizza at Nighthawk Napoletana, 141 Delaronde St.
This is the yin to St. Pizza's yang, the Neapolitan counterpoint to the New York style pie (yes, it was a good year for pizza!). Nighthawk's crust is marked by dark, char-edged bubbles, with a crisp crackle and airy texture formed in the wood-fired oven. Every neighborhood needs a pizzeria. Algiers Point now has one I'd cross town to revisit, and, yes, cross the Mississippi River too.
Nariyal fish at Saffron NOLA, 4128 Magazine St.
It is stunning to me that this restaurant is approaching its eighth year, because every time I visit it seems like such a fresh revelation. This is especially so when I bring first timers is to experience it. This signature entrée beautifully demonstrates the synchronicity of Indian cuisine interpreted in New Orleans, with the spiced seared of the fish, the dollop of creamy curd rice, the bite of the mango pickle and sauces you'll want to drag some naan through.
Muffuletta sticks at Ayu Bakehouse, 801 Frenchmen St.
This simple twist on a local flavor is another compelling creation from this standout Marigny bakery. They don't look like much, but the texture in the pull of the bread had me yearning for the next bite, and each bite is a bit different with the mix of Italian meats, olives and cheese embedded within.
Lemon icebox pie at Clancy's, 6100 Annunciation St.
How to tie the right bow on a meal that starts with a Sazerac and moves through fried oysters with Brie and a smoked, fried soft shell crab (topped with more crabmeat). Of course this was at Clancy's, so the signature finale for this upscale Creole happy meal of a dinner would be the lemon icebox pie, singing with cool, tart flavor. This year saw the passing of longtime proprietor Brad Hollingsworth, but also the reassurance that Clancy's will endure under the next generation.
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