Frank Brigtsen has been delighting diners at his quiet, upscale Riverbend restaurant since 1986, with his personal approach to food and classic Louisiana menu items like New Orleans barbecue shrimp with calas, catfish des allemands, and crab-crusted Gulf fish. Desserts, particularly the seasonal strawberry shortcake, are a nostalgic delight.

Originally called Barrow’s Shady Inn, New Orleans’s favorite catfish restaurant Barrow’s is still run by two generations of the Barrow family, now on Earhart Boulevard with a Westbank location on the way. Along with light, cornmeal-dusted fried catfish and the celebrated potato salad, Barrow’s serves delicious fried shrimp, crab claws, gumbo, po’ boys, and barbecue ribs.

It’s impossible to say any shop has the best po’ boys, but these make a strong claim to that title. Domilise’s doesn’t look like much from the outside; the exterior is adorned only with a handprinted sign, and it’s been that way for decades. Inside, the counter service corner spot slings giant po’ boys to locals, politicians, visiting celebrities, and anyone with good taste — you never know who you might run into here. The po’ boys might be considered pricey, but they’re large and worth every penny, especially the melty roast beef and crispy fried shrimp, fully dressed.

Charlie’s is a 1930s-era steakhouse in Uptown’s Milan neighborhood that’s held onto its status as a New Orleans institution throughout the decades. New chef Aaron Burgau has only improved on the restaurant’s beloved old-school service, churning out high-quality steaks and classic steakhouse sides like onion rings, creamed spinach, and potato gratin, all served on metal dishware.

Per tradition, this classic New Orleans restaurant closes during the summer months as it has since it has since its 1919 founding, back when it was difficult to keep oysters cold during hot months. It makes the tiny, old-school spot more of an essential visit the rest of the year, for fresh-shucked raw oysters at the oyster bar; an oyster loaf (like a fried oyster po’ boy, but on toasted, thick, white sandwich bread); and a cold Dixie beer.

No surprise that Justin Devillier’s Uptown gem also has a spot on local, national, and international critically-acclaimed lists, known for dishes like crab beignets and turtle Bolognese. La Petite Grocery is a charmer that doesn’t disappoint for a business lunch or a special dinner occasion. Don’t miss the blue crab beignets, which were some of the first to pop up on fine dining menus in the city.

Saffron’s highly-praised debut on Magazine Street was years in the making: the Vilkhu family served a menu of modern Indian food to happy diners on the West Bank for five years, weekends only. Eventually convinced by loyal customers to go all in, the result is a modern, dazzling space with a buzzing energy and dishes that at times fuse Indian and Louisiana cuisines, and at times fuse Northern and Southern Indian. Among the many standouts are the lamb chops, goat masala, any of the shrimp dishes, and the paneer pudha.

Melissa Martin’s Mosquito Supper Club honors Louisiana, serving food that’s been passed down through generations in a homey, eclectic space that seems to nurture conversation and shared enjoyment among diners. Beyond the atmosphere, the restaurant celebrates Gulf coast seafood in shrimp okra gumbo, oyster soup, stuffed crab, and other elegant versions of the dishes from Martin’s childhood.

Addis Nola is a cherished addition to New Orleans dining, a charming spot where Biruk Alemayehu, husband Jaime Lobo, and chef Samuel Shiferaw, offer tummy-warming stews; sambusas and kitfo; and whole fried red snapper. Visit on vegan Monday and try “a taste of everything,” starring lentils, split peas, collard greens, mushrooms, sweet potato wot, and shiro.

At Marjie’s Grill, Herbsaint alumni Marcus Jacobs and Caitlin Carney make food based on the flavors of Vietnam, Thailand, and Laos with a Delta twist — think backyard barbecue meets night market. The seasonal menu offers bold dishes like crispy pig knuckles, chili butter head-on prawns, fried hard crabs, and slow grilled beef. Don’t miss the seasonal son tam.

Jeffrey Heard’s Central City restaurant Heard Dat Kitchen is a favorite for comforting, stick-to-your-ribs Creole-style soul dishes named after local landmarks. Heard’s blackened and fried seafood dishes, red beans, a traditional New Orleans combo of grilled cheese and gumbo, and plenty of seafood cream sauces fly out of the shop’s convenient takeout window on Felicity Street, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Cafe Degas sits on one of New Orleans’s dramatically tree-lined thoroughfares, Esplanade Avenue, just a few blocks from the house Edgar Degas lived in during his several-month stint in the city. The dining room, more like an open-air patio with a pecan tree growing in the middle of it, is the quintessential New Orleans setting for mussels and frites, escargot, French onion soup, and the seasonal soft shell crab dish, at surprisingly reasonable prices.

This horse-themed, no-frills neighborhood joint near the Fairgrounds attracts regulars and tourists for frosty goblets of Abita beer, bloody marys, fried seafood platters, and po’ boys. Known also for gumbo and an herbaceous barbecue shrimp po’ boy (actually a pistolette, or hollowed-out roll, rather than typical po’ boy bread), the star of the menu might be the only slightly less recognized garlic oyster po’ boy, stuffed to the brim with fried oysters.

One of New Orleans most endearing restaurants (and there are many), Cafe Reconcile doubles as a successful job-training program for teens and young adults. Led by hugely talented local chef Martha Wiggins, the old-school New Orleans soul food, like seafood stuffed peppers and fried catfish, stands on its own, served in a welcoming, art-filled setting in the heart of Central City’s Oretha Castle corridor.

This pre-Katrina favorite reopened in the Treme neighborhood in September 2017, and its customers returned as loyal as ever. The family-run restaurant serves indulgent takes on Louisiana cuisine in a white tablecloth, elegant setting, known especially for duck breast topped with fried duck skin cracklin’ (and for that matter, any of chef Greg’s duck dishes), barbecue shrimp pie, rabbit belly stuffed with grains, and a peppermint patty dessert.

Willie Mae’s juicy, tender, and somehow non-greasy fried chicken is often called the best in town, or even the best in the country. Situated on the edge of Treme, waiting in line for lunch at Willie Mae’s is a memorable experience on its own, with various languages and walks of life co-mingled. The menu of nourishing soul food that also features veal, baked chicken, and mac and cheese, is rounded out by top-notch sides like fried okra and Brussels sprouts.

McHardy’s is a tiny, quick-serve gem on North Broad Street that’s been serving up some of New Orleans’s finest fried chicken for decades: peppery, rich, and full of flavor. The sides are just as good as the chicken, especially the fried okra, rice and beans, and mac and cheese. Affordable and always busy, this family-run joint is a bright spot for its warmth and friendliness as much as its food.

It’s good to know your order when heading into this tiny Jewish/Italian deli and crowded lunch destination on Magazine Street, but if you’re really unsure, staff will (sometimes begrudgingly) help you pick the perfect sandwich. Stein’s is famous for its corned beef and pastrami, so a shining example of the shop’s abilities can be found in the Reuben or Rachel.

This Central City destination for Colombian cuisine sort of flies under the radar, but for those in the know it’s a frequent visit. Bright, colorful, and lively, Mais Arepas serves festive fresh fruit cocktails, layered Colombian specialties, and of course, a vast menu of savory arepas. Its sauces are also a standout — don’t miss the Maiz de la Rueda served with spicy butter or the salsa rosado.

This cozy purple cafe sits on a Lower Garden District stretch of busy Magazine Street near quirky antique and curiosity shops. The interior is simple, clean, and inviting, and the rich pho broth simmered for eight hours imparts a decadence that beckons a flurry of lunchtime diners daily.

One of New Orleans’s best new restaurants is Charly Pierre’s Fritai, a hub for Haitian specialties and exciting cocktails, a Treme restaurant-meets-lounge that became an instant neighborhood favorite. Try a clairin-based cocktail and try a fritai sandwich, pulled pork between two fried plantains with avocado, mango sauce, and pikliz; espageti with smoked herring; and mirliton salad with grilled carrot and candied plantain.

Herbsaint first introduced New Orleans to the now-prolific restaurateur Donald Link. Since then, Link has opened several more excellent restaurants — Pêche, Cochon, and Cochon Butcher, and most recently, Gianna — and helped build a new generation of New Orleans culinary leaders along the way. Of them all, the French, Italian, and Creole Herbsaint is a dazzling standout, one of the city’s best dining destinations with the bonus of romantic outdoor seating along the downtown portion of the St. Charles streetcar line.

Of the many historic, defining French Quarter restaurants, Arnaud’s has much to offer: Its James Beard Award-winning bar, the French 75, iconic dishes like the souffle potatoes with béarnaise sauce, and an ornate, dazzling setting that’s tough to beat, even in the Quarter. Also try the oysters Ohan, which are baked with eggplant and andouille, and be sure to end your meal with a fire show and order the cafe brulot.

New Orleans nearly lost this Treme institution during the pandemic, but a third generation of Baquets came through to reopen the family-owned favorite. Li’l Dizzy’s serves grilled catfish and grits, gumbo, po’ boys, and top-notch fried chicken in a fun, low-key corner building on Esplanade Avenue; walls covered in New Orleans, Saints, and Baquet family memorabilia.

Go to Vyoone’s for the great atmosphere, classic French food, and warm hospitality — the Warehouse District hidden gems excels in all areas. A local’s favorite for special occasion dinners, group dining, and private parties, it’s equally ideal for a date, especially if you scan snag a seat in the secluded, intimate courtyard. On the contemporary French-meets-Creole menu, try the escargot, French onion soup, and soft shell entree with maque choux and crawfish cream sauce if available.

Tan Dinh is not New Orleans’s only good Vietnamese restaurant located in a strip mall, but it is perhaps the one most universally-loved by East Bank and West Bank residents alike. Everything here is excellent, but regulars swear by specialties like the goat curry and lemongrass chicken wings. Few New Orleanians either haven’t tried it or has a bad word to say about this Gretna gem.

Fiorella’s may be best known for its award-winning fried chicken, but the decades-old family business that’s now headquartered in Gentilly offers much more. The old-school counter service shop is one of few area red sauce joints, and here the red sauce is sweet indeed, served over meatballs, veal, and chicken parmesan. Po’boys and Creole-leaning daily specials, like butter beans and rice and shrimp Creole, round out the quintessential New Orleans offerings.

Saint Germain is a standout in two ways: for wine and snacks in the backyard, or for a special tasting menu in the tiny dining room. Both menus offer Parisian-inspired dishes that are exciting to the eyes and palate, like on the snacks side, where vegetable crudités are rolled in crispy wild rice or caramelized whey is mixed with olive oil; and in the dining room, where a prix-fixe tasting menu that changes monthly highlights ingredients like white asparagus, venison, and geoduck.