Best restaurants in New Orleans 2026: 15 tables worth booking

The best restaurants in New Orleans in 2026 come down to 15 tables, chosen from the first Michelin Guide American South and this year's James Beard Awards and checked against each restaurant's own website. If you can only book one, make it Emeril's, the city's only two-star kitchen, or Dakar NOLA, whose chef Serigne Mbaye was named Best Chef: South in June.

Michelin arrived in Louisiana on 3 November 2025 and found a city that needed little introduction. The inspectors gave stars to three New Orleans restaurants, a Bib Gourmand to eleven and a recommendation to eighteen more. The list below takes from all three tiers, and adds one Creole institution that needs no plaque to fill its dining room.

What sets the best restaurants in New Orleans apart is that the grand old rooms and the new tasting counters draw on the same Gulf pantry as Houston's Gulf-driven kitchens. For the cheaper side of the city, from po'boys to red beans, start with our guide to what to eat in New Orleans.

The grand old rooms and the new tasting counters draw on the same Gulf pantry.

Emeril's, Warehouse District

Emeril Lagasse opened his flagship at 800 Tchoupitoulas Street in 1990; his son E.J. Lagasse now leads the kitchen and took it to two Michelin stars at the first attempt, the only two in the city. Michelin also gave him its Young Chef award, and he was a 2026 James Beard finalist for Emerging Chef.

Dinner is a tasting menu, served Tuesday to Saturday. The Infatuation put the price at US$295 per person in June 2026; Resy listed a six-course format at US$225 in February. Expect oyster stew with Herbsaint cream and the banana cream pie that never left the menu. Book on Resy.

Saint-Germain, Bywater

Trey Smith and Blake Aguillard cook a ten-course menu for a twelve-seat dining room at 3054 St. Claude Avenue, and hold one Michelin star for it. The inspectors singled out a griddled cornbread cake and Carolina Gold rice with crab.

The menu costs US$250 per person, prepaid. Tables open online up to 60 days ahead, for no more than four guests, Thursday to Monday. The kitchen cannot work around dairy, gluten or fin-fish allergies.

Zasu, Mid-City

Sue Zemanick, a James Beard Award winner, runs Zasu from a cottage at 127 North Carrollton Avenue. The name comes from the Slovak word for once again, and the cooking sets Gulf seafood against French technique: Michelin's one-star citation mentions seared scallops and tilefish on Swiss chard. Reservations go through the restaurant's website.

Dakar NOLA, Uptown

Serigne Mbaye serves a seven-course Senegalese tasting menu on Magazine Street, built on Gulf seafood and South Louisiana produce and brought to the table family-style. On 15 June 2026 the James Beard Foundation named him Best Chef: South; Michelin lists the restaurant as recommended.

Listings put the menu at around US$175 per person, with a wine pairing at about US$100. Book through OpenTable.

Acamaya, Bywater

Sisters Ana and Lydia Castro opened this Mexican seafood restaurant at 3070 Dauphine Street, where Mexico City meets the Gulf. It holds a Bib Gourmand, and Ana Castro was a 2026 James Beard finalist for Best Chef: South. Michelin points to the hamachi tostada al pastor. Reservations are recommended; a few seats are kept for walk-ins.

Commander's Palace, Garden District

The turquoise house at 1403 Washington Avenue has stood in the Garden District since 1893, and chef Meg Bickford cooks Creole food with a rule that most ingredients come from within 100 miles. Turtle soup with sherry is US$12 at lunch; main courses run from US$25 to US$59.

The three-course jazz brunch costs US$44 to US$63 and the tasting menu US$90. From Wednesday to Friday, lunch comes with 25-cent martinis. Book on Tock.

Galatoire's, French Quarter

Galatoire's has occupied 209 Bourbon Street since 1905 and appears in Michelin's recommended selection. Order the crawfish étouffée, at about US$28 to US$32, and take a table in the downstairs dining room, where Friday lunch is the city's longest-running social event.

Dooky Chase's, Treme

The restaurant the late Leah Chase made famous, at 2301 Orleans Avenue, holds a Bib Gourmand for its gumbo, red beans and rice and fried chicken. A bowl of gumbo costs about US$18 to US$22. The dining room doubles as a gallery of African American art and a piece of civil-rights history.

Pêche Seafood Grill, Warehouse District

Donald Link, Stephen Stryjewski and Ryan Prewitt cook Gulf seafood over an open hearth at 800 Magazine Street. In 2014 Pêche won the James Beard Award for Best New Restaurant and Prewitt won Best Chef: South. Smoked tuna dip is US$11, grilled tuna US$36 and the whole grilled fish is priced by the market. Open daily from 11am to 10pm; Resy or walk in.

Herbsaint, Central Business District

Donald Link's first restaurant has served French-Southern cooking on St. Charles Avenue for a quarter of a century and sits in Michelin's recommended list. Link and Stryjewski were 2026 James Beard finalists for Outstanding Restaurateur. Resy files it in its mid-price band.

Cochon, Warehouse District

The group's Cajun room at 930 Tchoupitoulas Street holds a Bib Gourmand for a menu that runs, in Michelin's words, from wood-fired oysters to fried alligator. Reserve on Resy, or walk in for the bar, the chef's counter or the patio.

Saba, Uptown

Alon Shaya bakes pita in a wood oven a few steps from the tables at 5757 Magazine Street. The Israeli menu earned a Bib Gourmand, and the dish to order is hummus with blue crab and lemon butter. Happy hour runs Wednesday to Sunday from 2.30pm to 5pm; book on Resy.

Compère Lapin, Warehouse District

Nina Compton, born in St Lucia, cooks Caribbean food with Creole and Italian accents at 535 Tchoupitoulas Street. The curried goat with sweet potato gnocchi made the restaurant's name, and Michelin lists it as recommended.

La Petite Grocery, Uptown

Justin Devillier has owned this bistro at 4238 Magazine Street with his wife Mia since 2010 and won the James Beard Award for Best Chef: South in 2016. Blue crab beignets and turtle bolognese are the two dishes regulars will not let him remove. Lunch Tuesday to Saturday, dinner daily; OpenTable.

Turkey and the Wolf, Irish Channel

The cheapest table on this list has no tables to book: 739 Jackson Avenue is counter service only, open from 11am to 4pm and closed on Tuesdays. The collard green melt helped it to a Bib Gourmand, and Bon Appétit once named it America's best new restaurant.

Best restaurants in New Orleans: frequently asked questions

Which restaurant in New Orleans has the most Michelin stars? Emeril's, with two. Saint-Germain and Zasu hold one each; no restaurant in the American South selection has three.

How much does a tasting menu cost in New Orleans? Among the best restaurants in New Orleans, from US$90 at Commander's Palace to US$250 at Saint-Germain and up to US$295 at Emeril's, before drinks, tax and tip.

How far ahead should I book? Saint-Germain releases tables 60 days out and has twelve seats, so book on the day they open. Cochon, Pêche and Acamaya keep space for walk-ins, and Turkey and the Wolf takes no reservations at all.

Where can I eat well for less? The eleven Bib Gourmand addresses, including Dooky Chase's, Cochon, Saba and Turkey and the Wolf, are the value picks; our New Orleans food guide covers dishes under US$20.

How we chose the best restaurants in New Orleans

We started from the Michelin Guide American South selection published on 3 November 2025 and the 2026 James Beard Awards announced on 15 June 2026, then kept only restaurants inside the city whose addresses, hours or prices we could confirm on their own websites or in reviews from this year. Dish prices at Galatoire's and Dooky Chase's come from our own city guide. Last checked on 3 October 2026.