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A bowl of Brigsten’s New Orleans-style BBQ Shrimp with Shrimp Calas — BBQ Shrimp with shrimp calas from Brigtsen’s

Where to Eat in New Orleans’s Riverbend Neighborhood

Great options to satisfy cravings for breakfast, lunch, and dinner in Carrollton-Riverbend

by Beth D'Addono Jan 24, 2022, 12:52pm CST

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BBQ Shrimp with shrimp calas from Brigtsen’s

| Brigtsen’s Restaurant

by Beth D'Addono Jan 24, 2022, 12:52pm CST

New Orleans’s Riverbend is a pretty Uptown neighborhood stretched roughly between Carrollton Avenue and the levee next to the Mississippi River. A treasure trove of restaurants clustered on the main thoroughfares of Carrollton and Oak Street, it’s super for exploring, with lots of locally owned shops, coffee houses, and boutiques to peruse.

When it comes to food, the neighborhood is dotted with vegan bakeries, romantic bistros, and new-school cafes, offering options for French, Lebanese, Vietnamese, and Creole cuisines. This line up doesn’t cover every restaurant, coffee shop, or bar worth visiting, but the gist is clear — lots of delicious goings on in these parts. Here is a guide to dining in New Orleans’s Riverbend, arranged geographically as always.

Did we miss your favorite Riverbend destination? Let us know.

Health experts consider dining out to be a high-risk activity for the unvaccinated; it may pose a risk for the vaccinated, especially in areas with substantial COVID transmission.

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Breads On Oak

The breads are all good at Breads on Oak, but there’s so much more. This vegan bakery and cafe dazzles with organic, plant based dishes, salads, and sandwiches. The mighty melt is a good example, a veggie burger packed with beetroot, mushrooms, and soy protein. Add vegan provolone, roasted tomatoes, roasted onions, and jalapenos for a great lunch.

8640 Oak St suite a, New Orleans, LA 70118

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The Mighty Melt from Breads on Oak

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Brigtsen's Restaurant

Frank Brigtsen is one of a handful of New Orleans chefs still upholding the traditions of Creole cuisine while showcasing its very best, as he has since 1986. His quiet, upscale Riverbend became famous for the (not fried) seafood platter, paneed rabbit, and Parmesan-crusted Gulf fish topped with crab meat. He and his wife and partner Marna have been a pillar of strength and a beacon of hope during the pandemic.

723 Dante St, New Orleans, LA 70118

Visit Website

BBQ Shrimp with shrimp calas

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Cooter Brown's Tavern

Located exactly at the river bend, Cooter Brown’s is a much loved sports bar with a damn good beer list and tasty bar food. All kinds of po’ boys and fries are on the menu, along with a veggie burger and spinach salad. Open 11 to 1 a.m. every day.

509 S Carrollton Ave, New Orleans, LA 70118

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The Camellia Grill

A true classic, Camellia Grill is an 1940s-era, feel-good Riverbend diner. A long countertop weaves its way through the pink restaurant so diners can perch on stools while they order breakfast or hamburgers. Everything is cooked behind the counter in full view, so kids are entertained. Save room for Camellia Grill’s chocolate freeze.

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626 S Carrollton Ave, New Orleans, LA 70118

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Ajun Cajun

At Ajun Cajun, garlicky grilled rib eye arrives piled high on a toasted Dung Phuong roll, soy marinated bites of carrot and cucumber adding crunch under a slathering of gooey melted mozzarella cheese. Doesn’t get any better. Used to be that this yakiniku po’ boy (created by chef Momo Young) was only available at festivals. But now that Ajun Cajun is on Oak, get the Japanese-meets Cajun po’ boys, yakisobi, and ramen any time.

8433 Oak St, New Orleans, LA 70118

Visit Website

Yakiniku po’ boy from Ajun Cajun

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Seafood Sally's

Chef Marcus Jacobs and Caitlin Carney, the partners behind Marjie’s Grill, opened Seafood Sally’s last year on Oak, a seafood-centric based on the typical crab trap eateries that dot the Gulf and East Coast. There’s a raw bar — served with Jacob’s trademark nuoc cham mignonette, Viet-Cajun style boils, fried seafood, Gullah style crab rice — all delicious. The menu is laced with the chef’s signature Southeast Asia-meets-Southern treatment of sauces and pairings.

Open in Google Maps

8400 Oak St, New Orleans, LA 70118

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Also featured in:

Jacques-Imo's

A tradition of Cajun goodness since 1996, Jaqques-Imo’s is a New Orleans staple that is, yes, geared towards tourists, but beloved by many locals. Known for dishes like shrimp and alligator sausage cheesecake and a rich duck and and andoullie gumbo, all the Creole hits are on this menu, of course including blackened redfish, crawfish etouffee, and fried chicken. Reservations are taken a month out and only for parties of five or more.

8324 Oak St, New Orleans, LA 70118

Visit Website

Also featured in:

21 of New Orleans’s Finest Restaurants for Group Dinners and Private Parties

Mukbang Seafood and Bar

Family recipes power Mukbang, a third generation business from Kim Nguyen and her husband and partner Luu Tran. Tran concocts the sauces for the Viet-Cajun seafood boils in flavors like tamarind garlic butter, flaming Cajun and Mukbang, a lemon forward butter sauce with a top-secret spice rub that gives platters of boiled and steamed shrimp, lobster, snow crab legs, blue crabs, clams, mussels, and fish its distinctive tang.

Open in Google Maps

8312 Oak St, New Orleans, LA 70118

Visit Website

Satsuma Maple

Satsuma Maple delivers the same kind of tasty breakfast and lunch options as the original Bywater location. Try the green sandwich, an egg on a bagel with avocado mash and swiss, green eggs and ham with basil pesto or the chicken wrap with bacon. Open for breakfast and lunch daily, this spot has booze too, along with fresh juices.

7901 Maple St, New Orleans, LA 70118

Visit Website

14 Parishes Jamaican Restaurant

Great news that 14 Parishes has its own digs after being part of the Pythian Market for so long. All the better to enjoy this down-home destination named for the 14 parishes of Jamaica. The family-run eatery dishes homeland classics like beef patties and jerk chicken paired with sides like sweet plantains and cornbread.

Open in Google Maps

8227 Oak St, New Orleans, LA 70118

Visit Website

Chais Delachaise

Love this sister bistro to the original French-inspired wine bar on Delachaise. Chais Delachaise has more elbow room to enjoy wine from around the world, a dog-friendly patio, and plates of goodness including cured salmon deviled eggs, split pea soup, and steak frites. Happy hour is 3 to 6 p.m. and wine is half off.

7708 Maple St, New Orleans, LA 70118

Visit Website

Also featured in:

18 Hidden Hangouts in New Orleans

Maple Street Café

Maple Street Cafe dishes Mediterranean and Italian fare in a comfy, neighborhood setting. Try stuffed shrimp, pasta with wild mushrooms, or sauteed veal with a brandy demi-glace. The eggplant and shrimp soup is divine.

7623 Maple St, New Orleans, LA 70118

Visit Website

Hangout Ramen

Ramen, noodles, and fried rice are the three pillars of the all-day menu at Hangout Ramen on Carrollton. Ramen simmers for six hours, delivering meltingly tender meat as a base for what’s to come. Choose heat levels for popular combos like chicken katsu ramen, with its creamy pork broth and fried chicken cutlet and the house special Hangout ichimi ramen, a garlicky pork broth spiced with chiles, rounds of crisp pork belly, and skewered fried shrimp.

1340 S Carrollton Ave, New Orleans, LA 70118

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A post shared by Hangout Ramen Restaurant (@hangoutramen)

Kindred

This newish women-owned restaurant with an emphasis on plant based and gluten free options gets better and better. Kindred’s specialty is comfort food, including fried chicken made from house-made seitan, po’ boys, salads, and baked goods. Craft cocktails too along with a nice lineup of non-alcoholic cocktails.

Open in Google Maps

7537 Maple St, New Orleans, LA 70118

Visit Website

Also featured in:

Boucherie

Chef Nathanial Zimet expanded Boucherie during the pandemic to include a climate controlled outdoor dining room. All the better to enjoy the chef’s take on contemporary Southern eats, dishes like the shrimp and grits cake, collards and grit fries, andouille Wellington, and whole hog pulled pork. Great drinks and wine list, too.

8115 Jeannette St, New Orleans, LA 70118

Visit Website

Also featured in:

Lebanon's Cafe

Settle into this neighborhood spot, with its colorful murals and expansive menu of Middle Eastern specialties. Enjoy Lebanon Cafe’s creamy hummus, kabobs cooked over charcoal, chicken shawarma ,and rosemary spiked grilled lamb chops. Bring your own

1500 S Carrollton Ave, New Orleans, LA 70118

Visit Website

Also featured in:

Bourrée

Boucherie’s sister restaurant around the corner Bouree is a Cajun smokehouse specializing in barbecue and some of the best frozen daiquiris in town. The wings are super, or sub out the chicken for fried cauliflower with sauces like kimchee and lemon grass or mango barbecue. Live music too.

1510 S Carrollton Ave, New Orleans, LA 70118

Visit Website

Also featured in:

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Breads On Oak

8640 Oak St suite a, New Orleans, LA 70118

The breads are all good at Breads on Oak, but there’s so much more. This vegan bakery and cafe dazzles with organic, plant based dishes, salads, and sandwiches. The mighty melt is a good example, a veggie burger packed with beetroot, mushrooms, and soy protein. Add vegan provolone, roasted tomatoes, roasted onions, and jalapenos for a great lunch.

8640 Oak St suite a, New Orleans, LA 70118

Visit Website

The Mighty Melt from Breads on Oak

Brigtsen's Restaurant

723 Dante St, New Orleans, LA 70118

Frank Brigtsen is one of a handful of New Orleans chefs still upholding the traditions of Creole cuisine while showcasing its very best, as he has since 1986. His quiet, upscale Riverbend became famous for the (not fried) seafood platter, paneed rabbit, and Parmesan-crusted Gulf fish topped with crab meat. He and his wife and partner Marna have been a pillar of strength and a beacon of hope during the pandemic.

723 Dante St, New Orleans, LA 70118

Visit Website

BBQ Shrimp with shrimp calas

Cooter Brown's Tavern

509 S Carrollton Ave, New Orleans, LA 70118

Located exactly at the river bend, Cooter Brown’s is a much loved sports bar with a damn good beer list and tasty bar food. All kinds of po’ boys and fries are on the menu, along with a veggie burger and spinach salad. Open 11 to 1 a.m. every day.

509 S Carrollton Ave, New Orleans, LA 70118

Visit Website

The Camellia Grill

626 S Carrollton Ave, New Orleans, LA 70118

A true classic, Camellia Grill is an 1940s-era, feel-good Riverbend diner. A long countertop weaves its way through the pink restaurant so diners can perch on stools while they order breakfast or hamburgers. Everything is cooked behind the counter in full view, so kids are entertained. Save room for Camellia Grill’s chocolate freeze.

Open in Google Maps

626 S Carrollton Ave, New Orleans, LA 70118

Visit Website

Ajun Cajun

8433 Oak St, New Orleans, LA 70118

At Ajun Cajun, garlicky grilled rib eye arrives piled high on a toasted Dung Phuong roll, soy marinated bites of carrot and cucumber adding crunch under a slathering of gooey melted mozzarella cheese. Doesn’t get any better. Used to be that this yakiniku po’ boy (created by chef Momo Young) was only available at festivals. But now that Ajun Cajun is on Oak, get the Japanese-meets Cajun po’ boys, yakisobi, and ramen any time.

8433 Oak St, New Orleans, LA 70118

Visit Website

Yakiniku po’ boy from Ajun Cajun

Seafood Sally's

8400 Oak St, New Orleans, LA 70118

Chef Marcus Jacobs and Caitlin Carney, the partners behind Marjie’s Grill, opened Seafood Sally’s last year on Oak, a seafood-centric based on the typical crab trap eateries that dot the Gulf and East Coast. There’s a raw bar — served with Jacob’s trademark nuoc cham mignonette, Viet-Cajun style boils, fried seafood, Gullah style crab rice — all delicious. The menu is laced with the chef’s signature Southeast Asia-meets-Southern treatment of sauces and pairings.

Open in Google Maps

8400 Oak St, New Orleans, LA 70118

Visit Website

Jacques-Imo's

8324 Oak St, New Orleans, LA 70118

A tradition of Cajun goodness since 1996, Jaqques-Imo’s is a New Orleans staple that is, yes, geared towards tourists, but beloved by many locals. Known for dishes like shrimp and alligator sausage cheesecake and a rich duck and and andoullie gumbo, all the Creole hits are on this menu, of course including blackened redfish, crawfish etouffee, and fried chicken. Reservations are taken a month out and only for parties of five or more.

8324 Oak St, New Orleans, LA 70118

Visit Website

Mukbang Seafood and Bar

8312 Oak St, New Orleans, LA 70118

Family recipes power Mukbang, a third generation business from Kim Nguyen and her husband and partner Luu Tran. Tran concocts the sauces for the Viet-Cajun seafood boils in flavors like tamarind garlic butter, flaming Cajun and Mukbang, a lemon forward butter sauce with a top-secret spice rub that gives platters of boiled and steamed shrimp, lobster, snow crab legs, blue crabs, clams, mussels, and fish its distinctive tang.

Open in Google Maps

8312 Oak St, New Orleans, LA 70118

Visit Website

Satsuma Maple

7901 Maple St, New Orleans, LA 70118

Satsuma Maple delivers the same kind of tasty breakfast and lunch options as the original Bywater location. Try the green sandwich, an egg on a bagel with avocado mash and swiss, green eggs and ham with basil pesto or the chicken wrap with bacon. Open for breakfast and lunch daily, this spot has booze too, along with fresh juices.

7901 Maple St, New Orleans, LA 70118

Visit Website

14 Parishes Jamaican Restaurant

8227 Oak St, New Orleans, LA 70118

Great news that 14 Parishes has its own digs after being part of the Pythian Market for so long. All the better to enjoy this down-home destination named for the 14 parishes of Jamaica. The family-run eatery dishes homeland classics like beef patties and jerk chicken paired with sides like sweet plantains and cornbread.

Open in Google Maps

8227 Oak St, New Orleans, LA 70118

Visit Website

Chais Delachaise

7708 Maple St, New Orleans, LA 70118

Love this sister bistro to the original French-inspired wine bar on Delachaise. Chais Delachaise has more elbow room to enjoy wine from around the world, a dog-friendly patio, and plates of goodness including cured salmon deviled eggs, split pea soup, and steak frites. Happy hour is 3 to 6 p.m. and wine is half off.

7708 Maple St, New Orleans, LA 70118

Visit Website

Maple Street Café

7623 Maple St, New Orleans, LA 70118

Maple Street Cafe dishes Mediterranean and Italian fare in a comfy, neighborhood setting. Try stuffed shrimp, pasta with wild mushrooms, or sauteed veal with a brandy demi-glace. The eggplant and shrimp soup is divine.

7623 Maple St, New Orleans, LA 70118

Visit Website

Hangout Ramen

1340 S Carrollton Ave, New Orleans, LA 70118

Ramen, noodles, and fried rice are the three pillars of the all-day menu at Hangout Ramen on Carrollton. Ramen simmers for six hours, delivering meltingly tender meat as a base for what’s to come. Choose heat levels for popular combos like chicken katsu ramen, with its creamy pork broth and fried chicken cutlet and the house special Hangout ichimi ramen, a garlicky pork broth spiced with chiles, rounds of crisp pork belly, and skewered fried shrimp.

1340 S Carrollton Ave, New Orleans, LA 70118

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Hangout Ramen Restaurant (@hangoutramen)

Kindred

7537 Maple St, New Orleans, LA 70118

This newish women-owned restaurant with an emphasis on plant based and gluten free options gets better and better. Kindred’s specialty is comfort food, including fried chicken made from house-made seitan, po’ boys, salads, and baked goods. Craft cocktails too along with a nice lineup of non-alcoholic cocktails.

Open in Google Maps

7537 Maple St, New Orleans, LA 70118

Visit Website

Boucherie

8115 Jeannette St, New Orleans, LA 70118

Chef Nathanial Zimet expanded Boucherie during the pandemic to include a climate controlled outdoor dining room. All the better to enjoy the chef’s take on contemporary Southern eats, dishes like the shrimp and grits cake, collards and grit fries, andouille Wellington, and whole hog pulled pork. Great drinks and wine list, too.

8115 Jeannette St, New Orleans, LA 70118

Visit Website

Related Maps

Lebanon's Cafe

1500 S Carrollton Ave, New Orleans, LA 70118

Settle into this neighborhood spot, with its colorful murals and expansive menu of Middle Eastern specialties. Enjoy Lebanon Cafe’s creamy hummus, kabobs cooked over charcoal, chicken shawarma ,and rosemary spiked grilled lamb chops. Bring your own

1500 S Carrollton Ave, New Orleans, LA 70118

Visit Website

Bourrée

1510 S Carrollton Ave, New Orleans, LA 70118

Boucherie’s sister restaurant around the corner Bouree is a Cajun smokehouse specializing in barbecue and some of the best frozen daiquiris in town. The wings are super, or sub out the chicken for fried cauliflower with sauces like kimchee and lemon grass or mango barbecue. Live music too.

1510 S Carrollton Ave, New Orleans, LA 70118

Visit Website

Related Maps