The best restaurants Louisiana

For almost thirty years, this barbecue restaurant has been enjoying the people of Monroe. Two points should be noted: The dishes are rather cheap and the sauces are inventive. What makes it a good family restaurant. Try turkey, sausages or beef in sauce or caramelized pork.

This restaurant has its name very well, and the map pays homage mainly to the south American cuisine. The meat grill trays, gigantic plates of fried fish and shellfish, assorted burgers, all accompanied by spicy, colourful and colourful sauces. You can even order the "Tailgate menu", to be translated by picnic menu, knowing that "tailgating" means opening the rear of its pick-up to sit in the trunk and picnic.

Here, everything comes from the most lush grasslands in the United States: be it meat, or salad! Everything is fresh, well seasoned and tasty. Choose between blue and apple salad, or the smoked cheese burger and bacon. You can even assemble both by taking a little burger and a salad, or by turning the salad into a dish, adding chicken, bacon etc.

One of the best facilities in Alexandria to sample boudin (types of fries) and the inevitable meat pie (meat pie). Enjoy a meal that is certainly rich, but with pure louisianaises flavours. Don't forget the drink, the boudin is particularly spicy!

This restaurant is located opposite Baton Rouge in Brusly on the other bank of Mississippi. We eat a traditional food that honours the name of the restaurant. All plates are prepared on the same day, on demand, and the cajun taste for the good loved one feels in each dish. Try the buffet, for a wide range of specialties, or order à la carte according to your mood.

This is the breakfast temple at Baton Rouge. This chain in all the U.S. owes its reputation to a card with more than 130 options for a copieux or a very rich brunch. Sandwiches, burgers, eggs in all their forms, salmon, brussell and even crabcake are to be tried. 

Here is an excellent Mexican table in Shreveport. It is a chain, but it has to be recognized as a certain talent. The proximity of Texas makes this restaurant a place where guests have a sharp palate with Mexican flavours, and they don't get there. Taste the tampico (grilled chicken breast with artichokes) or the chili relleno (sweet peppers stuffed with beef), what to vary the pleasures!

A nice louisiana shop where all the southern classics are represented, starting with gumbo and bisque, very thick. We also like thumbs-boys, sandwiches loaded with émincée meat, or pieces of fried fish, accompanied by cocktail sauce. In addition, the boss is attentive and passes between the tables to greet his clients.

This restaurant offers Southern-style cuisine, including the famous fried oysters, crawfish pudding and revisited specialties such as the Korean barbecue prime flank steak. At lunch, the Hot Mess sandwich is a favorite among locals (check out the other gourmet sandwiches as well). A quality cuisine prepared with great care, to be enjoyed in the beautiful brick main room or in the new part of the restaurant that attracts curiosity since February 2019: a former train car.

You'll get a taste of the dodo and Cajun culture at this restaurant, which serves typical specialties such as the gumbo of the day, chicken and sausage jambalaya and crawfish etouffee (we recommend the tasting dish that includes gumbo, etouffee and red beans). Also on the menu: fried or grilled seafood platters, po-boys, grilled alligator bites, etc. As for desserts, the bread pudding with butter and rum sauce is a must. Enjoy it to the tunes of local musicians.

Opened in 2017, this restaurant took over from the very famous Café des Amis. A difficult challenge and yet successfully achieved. The dishes concocted here are excellent with an unbeatable quality-price ratio. The specialty of the house is the Teche Wilmington, a seafood pie served with the famous creamy Sherry sauce. The catfish which is available in grilled or fried version is also very good. We also like the setting and the brick walls, sometimes raw, sometimes painted, and the exhibitions of local artists that dress them.

A typical address in the CBD whose success is based on the traditional recipes of the mother of the first owner. Since the years have passed, the owners have changed but the kitchen has remained the same.

Be warned, there is often a queue. It's normal since it's one of those good gourmet and affordable addresses. A must try: the ham (house specialty), the hearty po-boys (including the unavoidable Ferdi with ham, roast beef and debris in juice), the homemade cookies or the famous omelets.

Try the local specialty, the crawfish pistolette, a fried crawfish fritter. Otherwise, don't miss the boudin balls, a fried boudin very typical of Lake Charles. There are several other specialties as well, such as po-boys, gumbo, rice and red bean platter or the captain's generous seafood platter. The stewed dishes are rather spicy. A restaurant where tourists and locals easily mix. There is a second location on South Martin Luther King, as well as one in DeRidder in the Crossroads area.

The popular Rita Mae's Kitchen restaurant is located in a pretty little house. You can come at any time, for breakfast, for a well-cooked steak or fried chicken, for a po-boy for the road (more than a dozen options) and for its array of Southern American specialties (seafood gumbo, crawfish etouffee, fried seafood including oysters, shrimp, etc.). The portions are large and will satisfy big appetites. We like this place for its affordable prices and its very varied menu.

Maxim's in New Orleans. Installed in a Victorian house from the 1880's, you can't miss this restaurant with its duck blue walls and the white and blue striped awning that shelters its facades. Don't forget to make a reservation and to follow the dress code. Since its opening in 1880, the Commander's Palace has received numerous awards for the quality of its cuisine. You must try the turtle soup, the wild white Louisiana shrimp and, for dessert, the famous bread pudding soufflé. The weekend brunch is also very popular.

Franky & Johnny's has been in existence for over half a century and has kept this label in "New Orleans Diner". This is where to eat crayfish. The entrance to the bar is dark and just lit by the TV screens. Then there is a way to go through the crowd of beer drinkers and American football players to sit down at a messy table. The atmosphere is very typical; especially during games or after the Jazz Fest and Tuesday Gras. Almost everything on the menu is fried: Big sweet butterfly shrimp with green pepper and crispy chicken. All sandwiches are possible, just ask. This is a place not to miss to test what New Orleans really is.

A rather nice restaurant-bar, located in downtown Shreveport at the entrance of the Red River district. We go there mainly for two reasons: the well-served Cajun specialties - which remind us that Shreveport oscillates between Cajun country and the Texas border - and for the tasty appetizers that we nibble while soaking up the pub and popular atmosphere of the Blind Tiger. Mention should also be made of the fried seafood dishes and the selection of Louisiana spirits. In short, generous portions and good value for money!

Founded in 1869, this restaurant is very well known in the region and is located in the heart of downtown, just steps away from the Vermilion River. Specializing in fried or boiled seafood, Cajun style: crabs, shrimp, crawfish, and the famous glazed and salted oysters! Some nice meat dishes are also on the menu, as well as po-boys, burgers, seafood or chicken and sausage gumbo, etc. A very popular address with the locals.

A Cajun restaurant specializing in blood sausage (in balls, by the pound or even in burgers), seafood (especially crawfish boiled and well spiced in season) and grilled meat (especially steaks). The menu also includes other typical Louisiana dishes such as frog legs, crawfish etouffee, jambalaya and the traditional gumbo. There is also a canteen-style slate where you can order a cheeseburger or a club sandwich on the go. Note that Hollier is a stop on the boudin route.

If during the week we go there mostly for the po-boys, which are delicious and famous, it is for the Sunday morning brunch that you will appreciate the atmosphere of this unique place. Bozz, the boss with the look of a tidy godfather, proposes a typical menu of Louisiana cuisine, which is absolutely crowned with a trio of homemade beignets. All this with the option of cocktails at will and you will be able to melt in the mass (the crowd, sometimes...) of this former gas station reconverted which attracts the whole of Shreveport, well-to-do as well as broke. A must!

This restaurant is very representative of New Orleans and its cuisine. Far from downtown, it is a good place to escape the tourist attractions and meet the locals. Even if the place is noisy and crowded, the food is good and the service excellent. You must try the shrimp & alligator sausage cheesecake with shrimp and alligator, the fried green tomatoes with shrimp remoulade. Don't be in a hurry! Everything is prepared on site and to order.

Rated one of Monroe's top restaurants and located in the historic J. S. Bloch Building, Cotton features Southern American cuisine. The menu is inventive and never disappoints, both for lunch and dinner. The popular Sunday brunch offers a similar menu, paired with a signature cocktail like the Sazerac or Pimm's Cup or a signature version like the Planter's Punch. Cotton has two other establishments in the same building: The Eli (cocktails and tapas) and Planter's Gastropub (gourmet pub with terrace).

This fine dining establishment is located across from Bayou Bonfouca in a charming Acadian cottage. Here you can enjoy the fine cuisine of Chef Ross Dover, which is inspired by local and seasonal products: barbecued shrimp from New Orleans, gumbo with duck and Tasso ham or fried oysters from the Gulf of Mexico. From Friday to Sunday, there is the inevitable brunch, always with live music (jazz on Sunday). In addition to its delicious cocktails (including the Cajun Bloody Mary), its menu has something to tempt you. We warmly recommend it!

We love this restaurant for its typical Louisiana operation. Far from conventions, decorative ornaments, here you eat in baskets, picnic tables outside or directly in your car, crayfish crayfish, chicken sandwiches, baked crabs and other fish fritures. When the crayfish season starts, Cormier wakes up and the premises with!

Known to all locals, this restaurant - not part of the Landry chain - serves, as the name implies, the full range of seafood and USDA beef grills possible. For seafood, the big "festival" plates are the way to go. Specialties like shrimp & grits, crawfish etouffee, po-boy or gumbo are also on the menu. A buffet is offered for lunch during the week as well as on Friday and Saturday nights (Cajun music in the evening).

This restaurant, which is the oldest in downtown, looks like a cantine without much charm. But don't be fooled by appearances, because this place has some of the best po-boys in Louisiana, and that's why we come here. They also prepare hearty plates of seafood, fried oysters or red beans with rice and smoked sausage, not to mention gumbo, salads and various sandwiches. On weekdays until 10am, the house also prepares classic breakfasts.

This historic bistro is known to be located at the most photographed corner of the French Quarter on Bourbon Street. The interior reminds a Parisian brewery with its golden chandeliers and windows adorned with stained glass windows. If the place is particularly tourist, you must recognize a certain charm and a very broad map. All louisianaises specialties and their shades are represented, such as Creole gumbo, po-boy, jambalaya or crayfish. Oyster trays are also stars of the place. We come to every hour of the day, with great pleasure!

A restaurant to discover, under the guidance of renowned chef Bonnie Breaux. Here you can enjoy delicious certified Angus beef steaks, crabcakes, a variety of fish and seafood, fried alligator, crawfish etouffee, gumbo and other regional specialties. Locals are sure to recommend the place, and you may need to make reservations in the evening to avoid waiting too long. The crabcakes are among the most famous in the area. To top it off, the service is attentive and warm.

Broussards has two faces. Lunch is available at a reasonable price (approximately $ 15 to US $ 20) while tasting a few culinary successes, such as massive, panini panini or the burger to crabcake. This menu is served only in the courtyard or bar. In the evening, the large rooms open their doors and the atmosphere becomes more crested. Charcuterie plates, oysters, Louisiana bouillabaisse, the chef pulls out the great means and off us.

This is a well-known address for locals where they prepare good Cajun specialties: crawfish etouffee, fried or boiled seafood and spicy gumbo, but also some tender fried frogs' legs, directly caught in the bayou. The menu does not stop there and offers many other dishes, to be tasted in the dining room or on the large terrace overlooking the bayou. An authentic address. Note that the restaurant also runs a small hotel with about thirty simple rooms and continental breakfast is included.

When it opened in 1941, Edward Chase Sr., known as Dooky, and his wife Emily owned a small sandwich shop where African-Americans felt at home. Their daughter-in-law Leah now runs the place and has turned it into a nationally recognized restaurant for local Creole cuisine. A gathering place for leaders of the civil rights movement (Martin Luther King passed through here), this is also where Barack Obama came when he visited New Orleans right after his presidential inauguration.

A good place to eat Italian in Shreveport. A la carte, Sicilian spaghetti, pickled shrimp, meat boulettes, po calf or chicken, assorted and varied salads in blue, chicken… Monjunis is also an opportunity to taste muffaletta, a sandwiche filled with several ingredients, smoked turkey, eggplant or salami.

You will find at Johnny, in a cafeteria decor, more than 43 kinds of po, the best in the city. The local sandwich is served in all the sauces: with scrambled or ham eggs for breakfast or with alligator or crayfish for lunch.

Located a few steps from Jackson Square and established in one of the oldest buildings in the French Quarter, Gumbo Shop is a good place to try local cuisine. In a large room with a Parisian brasserie feel and beautiful engravings on the walls reminiscent of French New Orleans, you can try Cajun or Creole meat or seafood dishes, all at a reasonable price. The service is fast and efficient, and the food quite good. The interior courtyard is very pleasant, unless you are near the entrance hallway.

The beautiful courtyard with vineyards and its romantic atmosphere (especially in the evening) are the few more of this address. The buffet serves the enlarge of New Orleans. The dishes lack refinement. If you're lucky, a jazz group will regain the hubbub of seated tourists.

For those who would be hurt by the country or for the tired traveller of the burgers and other fried fish, here is La Madeleine, a "French" bistro. In fact, the menu mixes several influences, French and Italian, but also Italian. However, the result is not bad. On the map, a small flux for spinach (spinach pochette), a lorraine quiche, crêpes, pasta to pesto or tomato or a fetish-mister. The enfroit also offers brunch, dinner and pastries. The pastries are not fabulous, but so far from France, they are forgiving.

The restaurant originally was founded in New Orleans 90 years ago. Today there are five, including Baton Rouge. If each restaurant has its own menu, the taste of New Orleans is always found on the plates. Test, first of all, oysters, of course, raw or braisées. Salads and po complement the meal.

This bar-restaurant is located on the pleasant Highland Road and attracts a large number of premises after work. From 17 p. m., the large interior hall and the patio meet Louisiana always eager to celebrate, even a Monday evening! Here the queen drink is beer, so do not hesitate, they are all good and often local. The food is not incredible, but hey, you are in a pub, it's just catching up!

As its name indicates, this small gourmet table works with local farmers and producers to offer a healthy, seasonal and local menu. In fact, the house lists the producers of the day's menu in order to pay tribute to them. On the plate, dishes inspired by world cuisine, always fresh, colorful and tasty, such as the grits bowl with pastured beef, tomatoes, okra, gruyère, parsley and farm egg. Mention should be made of the pretty decor and the artwork that adorns the walls.

For more than 50 years, this fine Lake Charles restaurant has enjoyed an unparalleled reputation. Its Cajun cuisine often wins awards for best gumbo or best Cajun dish. In addition to the traditional cuisine of the region, Pat's also offers succulent grilled meats, seafood (and not just fried) and simpler dishes such as po-boys and burgers. After a long closure following Hurricane Laura in 2020, the restaurant finally reopened in 2022, much to the delight of locals.

Located a stone's throw from the Lafitte Greenway, this restaurant focuses on regional cuisine. All possible specialties are on the menu, starting with the spun gumbo with shrimp, smoked sausage and ham as well as the red bean and rice plate with a choice of fried chicken, pork chops or sausage to top it all off. Fish and seafood lovers will be served, either grilled or fried, without forgetting the grilled oysters, the po-boy sandwiches, etc. For two people, we recommend Neyow's Extravanganza Dinner for a taste of everything.

The Mollere family has run this restaurant since 1980 in the Bucktown neighborhood of Metairie. Their signature specialty is the roast beefdebris po'boy sandwich, a popular style in New Orleans. They also offer seafood gumbo, oyster soup, thin and thick crust pizzas, a wide variety of sandwiches, seafood platters, crawfish platters in season, etc. In short, a good address to break the crust not far from Lake Pontchartrain without emptying your wallet.

This gourmet restaurant from chef/owner Lauren Smith is located in a lovely house in Old Mandeville. Everything cooked here is sourced from local and Gulf of Mexico producers. The result is comfort food with a Southern American flavour. On weekends, the place is taken over by brunch lovers who come to enjoy eggs, bacon, grits and tutti quanti, all accompanied by a cocktail such as the house mimosa. Note that on weekdays, between 2pm and 6pm, specials are offered on alcohol.

Station 6 is the gourmet address of New Orleans chef Alison Vega-Knoll, who once worked under the mentorship of Daniel Bonnot and Susan Spicer. A lover of French and Cajun cuisine, she and her kitchen team blend the flavors of the Mediterranean with those of Louisiana, including seafood, Gulf fish and sausages typical of the region. Alison also co-founded Cajun Caviar, a small company specializing in caviar that can be found in some specialty stores in Louisiana.

Parish is home to renowned chef Cory Bahr, founder of this gourmet restaurant and a native of Monroe. The award-winning chef, who is officially a Culinary Ambassador for the State of Louisiana, advocates sustainable food, which is reflected in each of his dishes. Here he focuses on an inventive cuisine of the American South using the fire cooking method. We also love the variety of appetizers to share, including the very popular seafood platter, and the wine list lives up to the reputation of the place.

Located a stone's throw from everything in the Eastbank Market area of Bossier City, this gourmet address is well known to locals and visitors alike. It serves unpretentious food with a Cajun flair, such as the boudin and cracker appetizer, po-boy sandwiches (about ten different options), gumbo, jambalaya, red bean platter and crawfish platter. In addition, there is a nice selection of craft beers and house cocktails as well as acoustic shows every Friday night from 8 to 10 pm.

Opened in 2018 by chef-owner Eric Cook (who also owns Saint John in the French Quarter), Gris-Gris keeps racking up the honors, whether it's best neighborhood restaurant, best brunch or outright restaurant of the year. In short, this is not the chef's first try, and it shows. His cuisine is inspired by the different culinary styles of Louisiana with a modern touch and some international accents, whether for brunch, lunch or dinner. A nice list of alcoholic beverages to accompany it all.

Rosedale is the home of renowned local chef Susan Spicer, located in the Navarre neighborhood in a house that was once the police station (it was moved to its current location in 1951). The restaurant has become a hot spot for locals and locals alike, serving up tasty Louisiana cuisine such as po-boy with suckling pig, barbecue or Creole shrimp, Gulf fish stir-fry or fried chicken with mac & cheese. The prices are really low considering the quality of the food.

This beautiful large room, which is also used for private events, welcomes gourmands morning and noon under the sign of Creole flavors (breakfasts served until 2pm). To start the day on the right foot, we recommend the Creole omelette (bacon, ham, sausage, mushrooms, tomatoes, peppers and onions) or the catfish & grits (spicy catfish strips and fries with creamy grits ). For lunch, opt for a po-boy or juicy grill, and for dessert, cheesecake or the sweet potato pecan pie.

Moved in the former premises of the Blue Dog Cafe, Bon Temps Grill is a gourmet address that never stops. We come here for its delicious appetizers like the fried alligator with Bang Bang sauce (we love it!) or the fried crayfish and jalapeno fritters with remoulade sauce. It is also here that the locals come to taste one of the best gumbos in town, reminding them of the traditional family recipe. Nice selection of fish, seafood and grilled meats, not to mention a well-stocked bar with a number of Louisiana spirits.