This neighborhood French bistro in Algiers Point is led by two local industry veterans with big-time resumes: A.J. McAlear, a former general manager and sommelier at iconic French Quarter restaurant Antoine’s, and Freddy Augustin, most recently a chef at citywide brunch destination Atchafalaya. The all-day, Parisian-style cafe serves a menu of upscale bistro classics like French onion soup, ratatouille, jambon beurre, and escargot Bourgogne.

After a year of wowing diners with hand rolls, nigiri, and katsu sandwiches out of a tiny space on Veterans Boulevard, acclaimed sushi hub Yakuza House is now in a new, larger Metairie location — now with a new menu, booze, and more dining options. Here, there are more starters, dressed nigiri pieces, and hand roll sets, as well as donburi bowls and noodle dishes. There’s a main dining room and wraparound sushi bar that seats 16, a private omakase dining room, and an izakaya room, a bar/lounge area that serves its own snack-centric menu. Yakuza House is currently open for lunch and dinner Tuesday through Saturday.

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 hand rolls, 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.

New Orleans entrepreneur Larry Morrow has brought his signature touch to Bienville Street with Monday, the new restaurant and bar he opened with his mother, chef Lenora Chong. In a surprise move announced earlier this summer, they have partnered up with local developer Sidney Torres to take over the space formerly home to pandemic-born, outdoor-centric Trep’s. Monday offers an eclectic mix of typical bar food, Creole specialties like crawfish etouffee and red beans and rice, and creative twists on Southern specialties. Bonus: The restaurant already has happy hour and weekend brunch.

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.

New Orleans now has a second dedicated bagel shop (Humble Bagels being the first) on the Lafitte Greenway — and the city is excited. Flour Moon, a pandemic-born bagel pop-up from Breanne Kostyk, was such a hit she turned it into a restaurant, serving not only bagels (everything, rosemary salt, sea salt, sesame, and poppy seed), and cream cheese (plain and scallion), but breakfast sandwiches and bagel tartines topped with all sorts of fresh herbs. vegetables, and smoked fish. Up next, bloody marys and mimosas, sure to make it a top brunch destination.

Addis NOLA’s new space on Bayou Road merits a return to the heatmap, as a significant opening that broadens the offerings of the acclaimed restaurant in a historically significant location on what used to be known as New Orleans’s Black Wall Street. Co-owner Prince Lobo and family have created a full bar and stage for the restaurant’s traditional Ethiopian coffee ceremony, a stunning interior rich with deep colors, patterns, and Ethiopian art, and a menu of stews, stir fry, and specials like whole fried red snapper and mar mitmita shrimp that is elegant as ever. A new bar program is a significant addition, courtesy of a partnership with Turning Tables.

Bright and flirty with a Parisian vibe, the highly-anticipated modern French brasserie from New Orleans chef Tom Branighan and sommelier Molly Wismeiern opened on Rampart Street in November. Branighan has created a fine-dining level menu of Louisiana ingredients prepared with French techniques, dishes like braised celery hearts with smoked beef tongue; an escargot tartlet with romesco; and red beans cassoulet with fresh made hogs head cheese. Wine plays an equal role to food here, so don’t miss the chance to try something new.