Oak Street’s welcome revival continues with the debut of a modern, homegrown Japanese restaurant from Jacqueline Blanchard, the founder of upscale culinary shop Coutelier. Blanchard’s shop frequently brought her to Japan, inspiring an education of traditional izakaya. The result is Sukeban, a sleek shop that serves a succinct menu of sashimi specials, rotating handrolls, and a handful of traditional Izakaya sides, like Japanese potato salad and ohitashi, a dish of spinach, dashi, and bonito flakes, in addition to robust beer and sake offerings.

A second location of Metairie’s inventive cafe and bakery is now open in Orleans Parish as of March, taking over the charming Uptown location of the former Cafe Luna. The wonderful Asian bakery and dim sum destination brings an array of exciting food to the address, from intricate custom cakes and desserts like green tea, durian, and taro crepe cakes; its fruit-covered Wishing Cake; and egg yolk puff pastries, as well as an array of dumplings: scallop and shrimp; crawfish; onion and beef; crispy fried chicken; and char siu tofu pockets. And that’s not to mention noodle dishes, and spicy soups; and hot pots...there’s much to try.

Queen Trini Lisa opened the doors to her eponymous restaurant in January, serving a concise menu of curry and jerk chicken, island stir fry cabbage, fried fish sandwich on coco bread, and doubles, which is one of several vegan-friendly dishes. Her jerk chicken won the Marley Festival in 2019, and her doubles became highly-sought after she began popping up at Portside Lounge, so don’t miss either.

New England-style pizza and pepperoni cups have landed in Uptown’s Milan neighborhood, courtesy of Zander White and his food truck-turned-restaurant. White’s pizza is thin crust, with bubbly, crispy edges and a chewy center, a mashup of Neapolitan, New York, and Connecticut styles topped with the classics — nothing too crazy goes on the pizza here. Zee’s is undoubtedly one of the best pizzas in town, and the new, inviting space serves a bigger menu of whole pies, slices, and salads, and beer and wine.

Piece of Meat is certainly not new; it’s been locally and nationally acclaimed since opening as butcher shop and sandwich spot in 2018. Still, it has a significant new offering in its dinner service and a stylish, edgy new atmosphere as a modern steakhouse. Dinner begins with a beef fat candle served with grilled bread; steaks include rotating cuts like an 8-ounce filet; 16-ounce Mishima wagyu; 20-ounce prime ribeye; and 36-ounce bone-in ribeye for the table. Sides are served a la carte, like the Million Dollar Baked Potato, topped with crispy ribeye bits, herbed tallow, sour cream, cheddar, and green onions.

Chef Manish Patel opened his first restaurant in late March (after working as a pop-up and food hall vendor), breathing fresh life into the business-heavy neighborhood in between the Warehouse District and CBD. Patel’s contemporary takes on Indian street food with Tava are exceptional, from Chana salad to kati rolls, but diners can expect even more with the restaurant — new dishes like vegetable pakora and a version of Chicken 65, a spicy chicken dish hugely popular across South India, using chicken wings. Did we mention the restaurant is absolutely gorgeous?

New Orleans’s sushi scene has changed considerably in the last few years, with the arrival of restaurants like Yo nashi, Nagomi, and most recently, Yakuza House. Bisutoro continues the trend, one that comes from chefs trained classically in Japanese sushi — simple but elevated. It’s a promising new spot to try rare fish, specialty sake, and other traditional Japanese specialties.

A former longtime cabaret and lounge, Le Chat Noir is now playing the role of upscale-casual restaurant, the result of a partnership between James Reuter, the owner of Bearcat Cafe, and Gene Todaro, who owns the new restaurant’s building and founded its predecessor, Marcello’s. Chef Seth Temple heads up the kitchen, combining the vegetable-forward influence of Bearcat Cafe with an upscale approach to dinner dishes like heirloom carrots with tofu hummus and chiles; white anchovies with lime and chile; and sun chokes with walnut, preserved lemon, and mint.

Simple, focused, and intimate are some words to describe New Orleans’s new spot for Neopolitan pizza and natural wine, a corner restaurant in the 7th Ward that opened in April. Margot’s is from Brad Goocher and chef Adrian Chelette, and serves charred, bubbly pizzas — various meat and Margherita pies, as well a few white pies like the Cavoletti with shaved Brussels sprouts, ricotta cream, and lemon zest — all delicious. It’s cleanly adorned with large windows, muted yellow and green walls, wood booths, hanging bulb lights, and a gorgeous bar, where customers can dine in addition to the tables.

After nearly 8 years operating their popular Jamaican-Creole food truck Afrodisiac, husband and wife Shaka and Caron Garel have landed a permanent home in Gentilly, bringing a literal bright spot to Franklin Avenue that serves shrimp curry, jerk goat burgers, jerk chicken nachos, crawfish étouffée, gumbo, and more. Colorful and mural-adorned, the full-service restaurant and bar serves lunch, dinner, and cocktails inside the cottage or on the lovely patio Wednesday through Saturday, and lunch only on Sunday.