This swanky new Metairie restaurant that took over a former home and garden store leans into its country club-esque property with individual gazebo dining. Garrison Kitchen + Cocktails’ menu is upscale American, utilizing ingredients from its onsite herb and vegetable gardens as well as beef from a local cattle farm, Gulf and East Coast oysters, and some fittingly country club-style dishes like tuna niçoise and caviar artichoke dip. It’s open for dinner Wednesday through Sunday.

Sun Chong is the third restaurant from Larry Morrow, the New Orleans entrepreneur behind hotspots Morrow’s and Monday. It’s arguably his most stylish restaurant yet, and his most meaningful — it’s named after his grandmother, who also leads the kitchen (with help from Morrow’s mother Lenora Chong and chef Christian Green). In addition to Korean specialties like bulgogi and bibimbap, the menu features Asian American classics like fried rice (crawfish or vegetable), lettuce wraps, sweet and sour pork, bacos, and dumplings. Overall, Morrow aimed to create a “cool, intimate spot with classic hip hop music being played and dope food,” and Sun Chong is just that.

This highly-anticipated pop-up-turned-restaurant from chefs Sarthak Samantray and Aman Kota added to an exciting slew of new restaurants downtown in July. In a gorgeous, artsy atmosphere the pair serves an upscale menu of chaat, curry, and regional specialties like dahi ke kebab, a Mughlai dish of fried yogurt dumplings, mirchi bhajji, a South Indian street food of stuffed banana peppers; and Mumbai-style biryani, as well as excellent cocktails and dessert. It’s open for lunch and dinner Tuesday through Thursday.

The latest addition to the ever-growing South Market development is Dahla, a stylish, contemporary Thai restaurant that shares a building with Tava, the Indian street food hit that opened last year. It’s from the owners behind former Metairie restaurant Thai Ocha, but Waraphon Chittrakul and family have kicked everything up a notch at the new spot downtown, from ambiance and cocktails to menu offerings like the extravagant crispy duck curry, seafood tom yum fried rice, and siam steak. It’s open Monday through Saturday for lunch and dinner.

This new LGD charmer is a family-run affair, from the front of the house to the kitchen. The Dilonno family has put a great deal of care into the renovation of the space that was formerly home to restaurant Seed, creating a comforting but chic space featuring brass and neon light fixtures, small family antiques, and beautiful, big ’70s-inspired murals. Serving lunch, weekend brunch, and dinner, the menu utilizes seafood uncommon to New Orleans menus, like calamari, scallops, swordfish, and mahi mahi, and has a strong cocktail and wine program. It’s a great neighborhood spot for drinks and snacks in the stunning bar area, a romantic date night, or a group dinner.

Serigne Mbaye’s dazzling Senegalese tasting menu dinners are now a permanent fixture in New Orleans, after holding Dakar NOLA dinners at various locations including the Southern Food and Beverage Museum (SoFab) and Mosquito Supper Club over the last two years. At the new restaurant of the same name, Mbaye serves riffs on traditional West African and Senegalese dishes, mostly gluten and dairy-free, that blend West African and Louisiana ingredients, like habanero peppers and dehydrated seafood powder with okra and red beans. Dakar NOLA holds one seating per evening for 30 guests, Wednesday through Saturday.

After conquering breakfast and lunch, Mason Hereford and the team behind Turkey and the Wolf have opened Hungry Eyes, a splashy, ’80s-themed dinner and drinks restaurant. The menu ranges from “drinking snacks” to medium plates that top out at $20, like grilled pastrami kebabs and a seafood curry with calamari, catfish, and hearts of palm served with roti. The food is designed to compliment the drinks, and Hungry Eyes mixes a menu of classic martinis and not-so-classic cocktails, like a pandan old fashioned made with rum and bourbon and an Ube Baby Baby made with coconut, pineapple, and rum.

The much-anticipated debut of this Italian restaurant arrived in early April to the delight of fans of Magazine Street Spanish restaurant Costera. For their second restaurant, partners chef Brian Burns and Reno De Ranieiri drew on inspiration from Piedmont, Liguria, and other regions in northern Italy for a menu of fresh pasta like blue crab radiatori, wood-fired pizza with clam and broccoli rabe, antipasti like red snapper crudo, and roasted meat and fish entrees, like rack of lamb with pistachio verde. A very blue, airy dining room centered around an open kitchen with an adjacent bar area is open for dinner Wednesday through Sunday from 4 to 9 p.m.

This fun, funky fast-casual spot with a focus on fried fish, chicken, and frozen drinks opened in May. Wonderland & Sea serves kale and cous cous salads; sides of flash-fried bok choy, rice fritters, and grilled collard greens; fried chicken and fish sandwiches; and fried chicken and fish platters served with a sweet potato biscuit, crunchy cabbage, and house pickles. There’s even a vegan crispy chickpea tender sandwich. Prices are extremely fair given the restaurant’s claim of antibiotic-free chicken and locally caught fish; everything except the fried fish platter is priced at $10 or less.