The best restaurants Louisiana

What a great place, nestled in a Creole house in a residential area with beautiful artwork adorning the walls! Atchafalaya does typical New Orleans cuisine while pushing the boundaries of tradition. Its shrimp & grits dish is known as one of the best in town, but you should also try the gumbo of the day or the mushroom risotto from Maggies Farm. The brunch, offered every day and with live music on weekends, is an absolute must, especially since the place offers a Bloody Mary Bar. A must try!

It's THE soul food spot in the Mid-City neighborhood, a type of cuisine that is ultra comforting and very popular in the United States. And Heard Dat Kitchen has been a family affair since it opened in 2015, with Jeffrey Heard and his daughter Tia at the helm in the kitchen. Iconic crowd-pleasers include the Superdome (blackened fish topped with mashed potatoes, lobster gravy, corn and onion rings) and the Bourbon Street Love (fried chicken served on mac & cheese with shredded cheddar and Crawdat's famous house sauce).

Cody and Sam Carroll, who have won numerous culinary competitions, opened this great restaurant in a former convenience store. Their cuisine is simple, but oh-so-tasty, and features classic Southern Louisiana dishes. Boudin or crawfish balls, alligator po-boy, seafood gumbo, crawfish etouffee and fried seafood are all on the menu. The burgers are highly recommended, especially the blue cheese burger or the one with fried crawfish. A good address at low prices!

Chef-owner Isaac Toups is one of the up-and-coming chefs in Cajun cuisine. It must be said that his family has been established on Louisiana soil for over three hundred years! Since its opening about ten years ago, the restaurant has not been empty. Many come for the house-made charcuterie (hence the name of the establishment), which is featured both in the dishes and on the tasting board. A must try is the couvillion, a Cajun fish and seafood stew. The chocolate and chicory pie is a must.

A nice little address located on the shores of Cane River Lake that serves delicious Italian and Creole cuisine. Fish and seafood are in the spotlight here (crawfish etouffee, shrimp & grits, fried oysters, etc.), but also pasta (mention the capellini with shrimp and creamy champagne sauce), grilled meats and po-boys, burgers and gourmet sandwiches. Bonus: the restaurant has a very nice terrace on the waterfront.

Beauxdines' is known for its boiled seafood, which is usually available at 11:00 a.m. in season (unlike other restaurants that only offer it in the evening). But it is also known for its oysters, gourmet burgers (including options without beef but with oysters, shrimp or fish) and its typical specialties such as crawfish etouffee, chicken and sausage gumbo and blood sausage (whole or in balls). You should also try its potatoes stuffed with shredded pork or seafood.

What started out as a food truck called "The Que Crawl" has had a popular home base since 2008. The name of the restaurant refers to the Cajun tradition of butchering pigs, which are killed according to a ritual and shared between neighboring families to feed themselves throughout the winter. Pork is on the menu, but so is smoked Wagyu beef brisket, applewood-smoked scallops and pan-fried swordfish. We recommend the chef's 5-course menu to fully discover the flavors of the American South.

Here is a restaurant that respects its terroir, sourcing from farmers and producers in Port Allen or St. Francisville. It must be said that Sally and Russell Davis are not at their first try and it is in 2015 that this Baton Rouge restaurant was born (the name pays tribute to their daughter). On the plate, a contemporary Creole cuisine (crawfish and catfish etouffee, shrimp & grits, gumbo ya ya, etc.). For a fresh dish, we recommend the watermelon salad with arugula, cucumber, mint, aged feta and red onion.