Best Restaurants, Must Try Places in Metairie

"The crown jewel of the Brennan empire, this landmark Garden District restaurant has been a beacon of fine dining since 1880. There’s no resting on laurels here, though: Paul Prudhomme, Emeril Lagasse, Jaime Shannon and now Tory McPhail have nurtured the Creole menu while making their own marks. The iconic Victorian mansion is the perfect setting for an intimate meal, large celebration or relaxed 25-cent martini lunch."

"While you’re in the Garden District or shopping on Magazine Street, you have to stop by Commander’s Palace. The place has been around since 1880, and it’s one of the most famous restaurants in New Orleans for a reason. Their famous teal and white striped exterior is what landed them on this list, but definitely check them out for fine Creole dining and their jazz brunch too."

"Since 1880, Commander’s Palace has been a hot spot in the Garden District winning numerous awards. Customers come back again and again for the award winning food and welcoming atmosphere of this place filled with history. This venue is more than a restaurant, it is a landmark."

"This steadfast, stately French Quarter eatery has been an integral part of the neighborhood's high-end restaurant scene since 1946, with a breakfast that rolls straight into the lunch hour and on to dinner. Dine in Brennan's fabulous courtyard to enjoy its perfect French Quarter setting, where chef Ryan Hacker offers a wide range of delightful Creole dishes. Favorites include the turtle soup, smoked scallops and garlic shrimp, and everyone has to have at least one bite of bananas Foster for dessert, the dish that was invented here, made tableside with a fiery show."

"In recent years, this French Quarter stalwart underwent a change in ownership, a glamorous renovation and a chef replacement that has brought its shine back. Still an elegant, old-world fine dining experience with excellent service, the restaurant now offers a seasonally-inspired menu of classic Creole fare. Breakfast at Brennan’s is a must for both locals and tourists, and you can’t miss the Bananas Foster—invented here—that still gets flambéed tableside."

"If you love eating breakfast outside in cute courtyards, and authentic Creole cuisine, then you’ll love Brennan’s on Royal Street. It’s one of the classic New Orleans French Quarter restaurants. All four of us thoroughly enjoyed our breakfast in their gorgeous courtyard, a setting that made us feel like we were in Paris, and we could have sat there for breakfast, lunch and dinner!"

"For more than a century, there’s been a long line outside Galatoire’s, the most famous restaurant on one of the world’s most famous streets (Bourbon). Like the city itself, Galatoire’s is a restaurant that combines elegant with raucous. From the Soufflé Potatoes appetizer followed by Black Drum topped with Jumbo Lump Crabmeat to Carmel Cup Custard and a cup of Flaming Café Brûlot, this is an experience not to be missed."

"Galatoire's is another of the French Quarter's grand, family-owned restaurants, sharing much in common with Antoine's. It was opened on Bourbon Street in 1905 by Jean Galatoire, a French immigrant, and focuses on French-Creole cuisine. The main dining room is at street level and features a high ceiling with fans, mirrors along the walls, and numerous coat hooks that hang above them."

"Amidst the chaos (and, let’s face it, uncouthness) of Bourbon Street is a refined, old-line restaurant where waiters wear black bow ties and business people make deals during marathon lunch-into-dinner sessions. Here you’ll dine on famed traditional Creole dishes like shrimp rémoulade and trout amandine."

"GW Fins takes fish so seriously that chef (and avid fisherman) Tenney Flynn once designed a chilled cutting board so that his fish wouldn’t suffer a temperature drop as he prepared it for cooking. The menu changes constantly, based on what fish is fresh and always sustainable, but recent menus can be viewed on the website. The lobster dumplings are little, delicious clouds and are almost always on the menu."

"Gents should wear a collared shirt but leave your coats and ties at home. GW Fins has served food in the French Quarter since 2001 and th..."

"If it’s tubular tastes that you seek, Dat Dog is here to delight your every desire. Yes, the classic Vienna beef with ketchup is on the menu, but it’s wildly outshined by the dozens of other elaborate combinations. Go all-in on an alligator dog with dat sauce and nana’s slaw."

"Marigny: This location of weenie and beer emporium Dat Dog has the best balcony for people watching on Frenchmen, whether it's lunchtime or late night."

"We love & miss Dat Dog so it was our first NOLA stop on this vacation. Something for everyone & not too big or too small for lunch."

"A falafel plate includes Spanish garlic and tahini sauce, couscous salad, greens, pickled cucumbers, cabbage, red onions, hummus and house-baked bread."

"Tucked away in a quiet corner of the Warehouse District, Cellar Door is located in an old, historic home and sprawls across multiple levels and spaces. The outdoor patio is a gorgeous, quiet spot for sipping an evening glass of bubbly or cracking open a bottle of wine with your travel squad. Photo:Gabrielle Milone"

"This hidden gem in the CBD features a lovely patio with string lights and lounge seating for enjoying a cocktail or taking in the global-inspired small plates."

"Jerk chicken comes with plantains and two sides such as rice and peas, callaloo greens, french fries or steamed vegetables."

"Emeril Lagasse's Warehouse District eatery — which features a small plates menu of dishes under $20 — has a killer dessert program, including five ice cream and waffle cone combinations including a daily special, pecan pie, and banana pudding ice cream cake. The biscuits, sometimes drizzled with honey and sometimes with preserves, can be snuck in before the official dessert course."

"424 Girod St., (504) 526-3745; www.emerilsrestaurants.com/meril. A lightly breaded lobster cake is served with Sriracha mayonnaise, tobiko caviar and eel sauce. Reservations accepted."

"Emeril may have grown up in New England, but he’s become famous for his command of Creole and Cajun cuisines. At Meril, couples fin..."

"Behind the museum’s main building is a gated outdoor space in 11 acres of mature parkland enriched with more than 90 works of sculpture. The Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden opened in 2003 and at the time of writing in 2019 had just doubled in size with an expansion that included 26 new works, mostly by 21st-century artists. On serpentine paths among pines, magnolias, camellias and live oaks draped with Spanish moss there are pieces by Henry Moore, Deborah Butterfield, Barbara Hepworth, Pierre Auguste Renoir, Robert Indiana, Gaston Lachaise and René Magritte, as well as contemporary sculptors like Katharina Fritsch, Hank Willis Thomas and Jeppe Hein."

"This five-acre sculpture garden is a park within City Park, and acts as an open-air annex to the wonderful New Orleans Museum of Art (NOMA). 90 sculptures—mostly modern and abstract—are set among magnolias and live oaks, framed by bridges and reflecting pools, with world-renowned artists Henry Moore, Antoine Bourdelle, and Ossip Zadkine represented. The lake-set Virlane Tower by Kenneth Snelson is a favorite, as is the familiar Love, Red Blue sign by Robert Indiana, but it’s best to come without a map."

"The sculpture garden that sits just outside the New Orleans Museum of Art is a wooded quilt of streams, pathways, lovers' benches and, of course, sculpture, mainly of the modern and contemporary sort. During spring and summer, theatrical productions are often put on here, but it's a lovely spot for a stroll any time of year."

"Spillman | Blackwell is an exciting new venue on the block – located on Camp Street in the Warehouse District. Recently conceived by longtime best friends Leslie-Claire Spillman and Amy Blackwell, the gallery showcases a diverse roster of artists who work with a variety of media and processes. Bold surrealist canvases from artists like Ed Smith hang side by side with the abstract creations of Melissa Herington and realist photographs of Spillman herself."

"From the moment you step through the wooden screen doorsat Hansen's uptown, you'll be struck by the relaxed atmosphere and friendly service. The snoballs at Hansen's Sno-Bliz are a local legend, dripping with handmade syrups in flavors like ginger and cardamom. It was Ernest and Mary Hansen who pioneered the treat with Ernest's patented Sno-Bliz machine back in 1939, giving the shaved ice a powdery, fluffy texture nothing like the granular uber-sweet sno-cones sold in some locales."

"There are no shortcuts to quality” reads a sign on the cinderblock wall of the city’s most beloved shaver of ice and maker of syrups. Which means you are likely to wait for the pleasure of a creamy-textured snowball, made using a contraption developed in the 1930s by Ernest Hansen and based on sweeteners created by his wife, Mary. Flavors run from old-fashioned cream of nectar to trendy ginger-cayenne."

"SnoBalls are New Orleans' twist on a slushie or snow cone and have been around for ages. Hansen's opened up in 1939 during the Great Depression and has been serving snoballs ever since. With hundreds of flavors and different mixtures of their homemade syrups, you're bound to be satisfied by this delicious summer treat."

"On the block of Plum and Burdette Street in Uptown New Orleans sits Plum Street Snowballs, a colorful neighborhood stand first established in 1945. Serving over 50+ sno-balls from March through October, this vintage spot, which represents NOLA’s authentic culture, serves its house-made creations with real snow made from a generations-old patented ice machine, fruit-flavored syrups and delicious condensed milk. 1300 Burdette St, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA, +1 (504) 866-7996"

"The shaved ice here is beloved for its smooth, soft texture (not an ice chunk in sight), and comes in a miles-long list of flavors, including options like plum (of course), strawberry, piña colada, mocha, and passionfruit. Remember to bring some bills, as this spot is cash-only. And put your phone away when you approach the counter (or else)."

"In the land of hipsters, this vegan- and gluten-free-friendly bakery may sound gimmicky, but it is the real deal. Get badass pastries like the maple bacon sweet potato biscuit, fig rosemary scones, vegan orange sweet rolls, chai spice blondie, or gluten-free and vegan tart slice of the day, made with seasonal ingredients. If you can’t get enough, come by for breakfast and chow down on vegan biscuits & gravy."

"Highway 190, Suite 5, Covington, (985) 893-1488; 22022 Marshall Road, Mandeville, (985) 898-2444; www.nonnaskingcakes.com. A verdura cotta panino includes grilled zucchini, squash, eggplant, mushrooms, red pepper, crumbled feta and salsa on baked bread."

"Famous for its doberge cakes since 1949, Gambino’s Bakery ships cakes (and king cakes during Carnival season) all over the map. Order a half and half (lemon and chocolate) or opt for a chocolate peanut butter cake, or maybe a coconut cream. The designer cakes are swank."

"4821 Veterans Memorial Blvd., Metairie, (504) 885-7500; www.gambinos.com. Lemon and chocolate doberge cakes feature six layers of buttermilk cake, buttercream filling and fondant icing."