Bywater American Bistro, Nina Compton’s casual but elegant neighborhood bistro, brings standout dishes like rabbit curry, blackened octopus, bresaola-style tuna toasts, fresh pasta, and classic cocktails to a former rice mill in the Bywater. The spaghetti pomodoro is a bowl of simple but meaningful goodness. Reserve a seat on one of the bar stools surrounding the bright-blue tiled exhibition kitchen for a view of Compton in action.

You can reserve up to 30 days in advance for a table at N7, a hidden gem of a French restaurant in the Upper 9th Ward. What awaits at this unassuming bistro tucked in a former tire shop behind a wooden fence just off of St. Claude Avenue is a gorgeous, candlelit courtyard, French pop music, bistro fare like steak au poivre and mussels along with mostly imported seafood in a can (think smoked sardines and spiced calamari). The wine list is excellent, to boot.

Burgers and beer. That’s the grand sum of it at this friendly neighborhood pub, which features 40 brews on tap and serves darn good 100 percent grass-fed, hormone-free ground beef on a soft brioche bun. Carnivores will love Junction’s specialty burgers like the Vermonter, with applewood smoked bacon, white cheddar, grilled apple, and a creamy maple sauce; or the Kansas City Southern, in which a brown sugar and cayenne laced patty is topped with yellow cheddar, grilled onions and mushrooms, and barbecue sauce. A black bean patty or fried cod fillet round out the non-beef options.

Chef Melissa Araujo offers sweet and savory modern traditional Honduran food at Alma, a charming neighborhood spot for breakfast and lunch. There’s a Honduran coffee bar and fresh juices (and now booze) along with breakfast from 8 a.m. that includes traditional American and Honduran breakfasts, the latter of which comes with eggs, refried beans, plantains, avocado, homemade crema, and queso fresco. Try the chicharrones, pastelitos (meat pies), mushroom toast, and salsa verde ceviche with local shrimp. Honduran burgers, cooked to medium, are ground there, with mix-ins like fresh herbs, onions and bell pepper and a secret sauce.

Sneaky Pickle is adored for its vegetable-forward menu, fresh drinks, and hip, cozy setting. For lunch, favorites include the smoked tempeh Reuben, Buffalo cauliflower and tofu salad, and a killer wagyu burger. At night, candles adorn the tables as the lovely corner space switches to Bar Brine, serving elegant plates of littleneck clams, tuna crudo, rice cake pasta with mapo tofu, and vegan-friendly dishes like King Trumpet mushroom served with cashew cream grits and pistachio chimichurri. The wine list features natural and small-production standouts, and cocktails are outrageously good — including the nonalcoholic options.

Every day (but Monday and Tuesday for now) is Oktoberfest at Bratz Y’all, the kid-and-dog-friendly Bywater biergarten that specializes in all things German, from beer to brats to freshly baked soft pretzels, and beer cheese dip. The Nola Schnitzel is a perfectly fried pork or chicken cutlet topped with crawfish remoulade, a beauty also available as a platter with warm potato salad. Sides are a wonder, including spaetzle with gravy and red cabbage slaw spiked with apples.

Suis is a neighborhood charmer, a quirky, under-the-radar cafe that serves inventive, vegetable-forward creations out of a small Burgundy Street storefront. Much of the menu, which changes entirely from week to week, is made up of dishes using produce from the owner’s small farm in Mississippi — creations like watermelon smoked tofu noodles with pickled dragon tongue beans and caramelized pineapple, or lamb meatloaf with satsuma glaze and harissa baked rainbow carrots. Sit on the sidewalk for dinner Friday through Sunday and enjoy people watching while you dine.

What’s not to like about the longtime, affordable breakfast and lunch haven on the corner of Piety and Dauphine? Frady’s is a hole in the wall for sure, but the egg sandwiches and po’ boys are made to order and the sides are pure comfort — mac and cheese, deviled eggs, fries with gravy. Plate lunch options change daily and the service is real deal New Orleans friendly. Settle in at one of the sidewalk tables and you’re sure to meet a character or two.

Open for breakfast and lunch Thursday through Tuesday, there’s often a wait for brunch at Elizabeth’s, the longtime neighborhood favorite famed for its strong bloody marys and praline bacon (yes, it’s good.) Meat and three stick-to-your-rib daily specials include the likes of meatloaf and chicken fried steak. Decor is mostly by Dr. Bob, the cantankerous artist whose studio is just up the road.

Everything at Stuph’d is well stuffed — from fried to order beignets filled with the likes of Creole crawfish, grilled chicken, fried shrimp, and barbecue. Two beignets to an order, one popular special is a Philly cheese steak beignet oozing grilled steak, cheese, and fried onions. Burgers are filled with mushrooms, Swiss cheese, jalapenos, and bacon. Yes, there are sweet beignets filled with sweet potato pie and cheesecake.

Bywater Bakery is a sweet spot for breakfast and lunch on Dauphine that (sometimes) offers live music on weekend afternoons. Owner and baker Chaya Conrad, who started baking at Arnaud's and Dickie Brennan's Steakhouse before overseeing operations at Whole Foods and Rouse’s, makes a splash with her king cakes during Carnival season (the Bywater berry chantilly is a big seller). Order a breakfast "go" cup filled with the boudin hash and eggs or shrimp and grits, then choose from sweet and savory pastries and a case full of cakes by the slice. Get the coconut.

Chef Jackie Diaz channels her husband Richard Rose’s Kingston roots at Jamaican Jerk House where the slow stewed oxtail is legend, a deeply flavored ragu served over pasta or with rice and pigeon peas. Then there’s jerk chicken, perfectly spiced and crispy. The same goes for jerk pork or beef ribs, wings, pork chop, burger, or jumbo shrimp, served with sides like Caribbean spiced mac and cheese and fried sweet plantains.

Grab a bottle of wine on the way into Bacchanal Wine and choose some cheeses and meats for the charcuterie board at this eclectic shop/wine bar/music venue on the bend of Poland Avenue, a hugely popular spot for outdoor live music and snacks. The menu is global in accent, with tapas including bacon-wrapped dates with chorizo and patatas bravas with chimichurri aioli for dipping. No reservations, so plan accordingly.