The Best Seafood Restaurants in New Orleans

Gautreau’s Restaurant enjoys considerable critical acclaim – Zagat called it the best restaurant in New Orleans in 2014 – as well as a loyal clientele among local foodies. Visitors are unlikely to stumble across the century-old building in a residential part of Uptown, but those in the know who head there for dinner are rewarded with some of the best seafood in New Orleans. The sophisticated cuisine is new American with Mexican and French influences, and fish and seafood feature strongly on the menu. Examples include an appetizer of seared sea scallops with pomegranate beurre blanc, and entrees of sautéed red snapper entrée with Thai pesto or pan-roasted steel head trout with a satsuma gastrique.

Seaworthy, inside a circa-1832 Creole cottage attached to the Ace Hotel, has a reputation for serving amazing oysters and cocktails along with some of the best seafood in New Orleans. It hosts an oyster happy hour every weekday afternoon as well as a late-night happy hour seven days a week. The oyster menu features selections from over a dozen varieties each from the Gulf, east and west coasts, all wild-caught and sustainably harvested. Other great seafood options include sweet-and-sour blue crab claws, BBQ shrimp with Carolina gold rice grits and oyster liquor, and swordfish with crispy sunchokes and rapini.

Public Service is a sophisticated space inside the NOPSI Hotel in the CBD . Breakfast, brunch, lunch, dinner, bar bites and happy hour menus alike present southern-inspired farm-to-table cuisine with equal emphasis on seafood. Guests at dinnertime might share smaller dishes of shrimp toast with a spicy potato salad, fried oyster remoulade or a dozen oysters on the half shell. Bar bites like Gulf ceviche with smoked corn, a spicy boiled shrimp cocktail and crispy oyster Caesar salad are tempting accompaniments to one of Public Service’s signature whiskey cocktails.

Desi Vega is one of the biggest names in the local restaurant scene, and critics and foodies agree that Desi Vega’s Seafood and Steaks offers some of the best seafood in New Orleans. While USDA-prime steaks served on sizzling plates are always tempting, fish and seafood preparations claim just as much culinary glory. The surf and turf entrée comprising a filet and lobster tail lets diners have the best of both categories. Other exemplary dishes range from hot and cold appetizers such as lobster cocktail, tuna tartare and tasso barbecue Gulf shrimp to entrees like Gulf fish almondine and grilled tuna. The most lavish seafood option is Desi’s bucket filled with Maine lobster, snow, Dungeness and king crab and Gulf shrimp plus garlic new potatoes and corn.

At Emeril Lagasse’s fine-dining flagship, the city’s arguably most famous chef presents some of the best seafood in New Orleans. The Warehouse District hot spot specializes in contemporary versions of Creole classics, including a long-perfected version of barbecue shrimp. Other creative Creole-inspired seafood and fish options include a scallop pan roast with country ham and chili butter, and andouille-crusted Gulf drum with glazed pecans. Emeril’s also excels in dishes influenced by diverse global cuisines. Consider the decadent lobster fettucini, or for a lighter choice the fresh tuna and watermelon salad with feta and jalapeno. Don’t miss the signature banana cream pie for dessert.

GW Fins opened in 2011 in the French Quarter to immediate critical acclaim. The buzz around chef Tenney Flynn – a noted expert on Gulf seafood – and his masterful touch with impeccably sourced seafood has remained consistent ever since. In 2018, the Times-Picayune named GW Fins one of the top 10 restaurants in the French Quarter. The dinner menu changes nightly, but look for the stand-out scalibut, an artistically plated dish of halibut and scallops with Royal Red risotto. Tenney’s tightly edited menus often showcase such local, just-caught fish and seafood as Mississippi speckled trout, Louisiana shrimp and sheepshead. All are prepared in a light, simple manner that highlights the natural flavors of top-quality ingredients.

Superior Seafood matches its superb cuisine with a gloriously inviting venue – an expansive and historic Uptown space on the St. Charles streetcar line, all decked out in the manner of a classic Parisian brasserie. Its lengthy, comprehensive and seafood-focused menu changes weekly. It offers creative, contemporary versions of Louisiana classics, including numerous crawfish and oyster dishes. Those seeking unforgettable oysters and drinks (perhaps the signature frozen pomegranate mojito) might grab a seat at the full-service oyster bar. Or, take a seat in the dining room and feast on such treats as crawfish mac and cheese, an apple and fried oyster salad, shrimp and andouille brochettes and blackened fish Napoleon.

Briquette, an expansive Warehouse District restaurant specializing in seafood, opened in 2017. Its venue is a historic former refinery space, transformed into a stylish, contemporary restaurant with a display kitchen. A centerpiece 18-foot display case shows diners the freshest local fish and seafood that inspire the day’s lunch and dinner menus. Grilled fish options might include Louisiana redfish, whole branzino, snapper or cobia charred with poblano butter or a la puttanesca. Many dishes, such as the catfish platter, oyster and artichoke Pandowdy and lump crab cake Napoleon pay homage to classic New Orleans cuisine.

An institution of the French Quarter since 1990, the Pelican Club boasts some of the best seafood in New Orleans. It consistently garners critical acclaim, including being named one of the top 250 restaurants in America by Conde Nast Traveler. The Pelican Club’s venue is notable – a lovely 19th-century townhouse filled with local art, three distinct dining rooms and a centerpiece mahogany bar. It’s the fine Creole cuisine, though, that keeps locals coming back and entices visitors to take a seat and prepare for an unforgettable meal. Fish and seafood are the focus, with the signature seafood martini ravigoto a stand-out. Also note the restaurant’s lengthy, award-winning wine list.

When it opened in 2013, the Times-Picayune called Tableau one of the best new restaurants in New Orleans. An elegant and sophisticated spot in the heart of the French Quarter, the Dickie Brennan’s group restaurant is a delightful place to enjoy modern Creole cuisine. The upstairs balcony and central courtyard offer arguably the best seats in the house, although some might prefer a dining room spot with views into the open kitchen. Here, chefs prepare some of the best seafood in New Orleans, including truffled crab claws, crabmeat ravigote, a seafood gumbo and redfish Bienville. Tableau hosts brunch daily, and on weekends features a live brass band.

Flamingo A-Go-Go stands out among the countless great restaurants in New Orleans with its eclectic beach-themed fixtures. Most striking among them is a vintage army truck transformed into a 20-person dining table in the middle of its huge patio. A giant pink flamingo water feature sets the quirky scene as well. Eye-catching and colorful décor aside, the restaurant presents some top-notch cuisine with ample options to satisfy anyone in the mood for great seafood. Options span the globe, from Hawaiian-inspired tuna poke bowls to the Aegean tuna salad. Others nod to the south, such as the crawfish boil soup and shrimp with smoked gouda corn grits.

Trenasse is a local term to describe a trail that leads to a great fishing spot. The name nicely encapsulates this restaurant’s commitment to serving the best seafood while honoring Cajun and Creole traditions. It does so in a contemporary way, presenting signature entrees like Louisiana crawfish pie, rabbit and shrimp fricassee and Stinky’s stew packed with shrimp, oysters, fish and crab legs plus a pressed crab po’boy on the side. Other highlights include a blue crab bisque, crispy whole fish with boudin hash, and a lobster and crab cannelloni appetizer. Also consider the “oysters all day, all ways” menu, which offers oysters on the half-shell, char-grilled or broiled in a choice of sauces.

Italian traditions merge with refined French Creole cooking at Tommy’s Cuisine in the Warehouse District. The cozy space includes a wine bar with live music as well as a dining room with white tablecloths and an old-school vibe. Baked oysters, a Gulf seafood cioppino and crisp eggplant stuffed with Gulf shrimp and crab dressing are among the highlights for seafood lovers. Another is the Gulf fish Capri with local blue crabmeat, crawfish tails and artichokes. Tommy’s Cuisine hosts a popular a la carte Sunday brunch. It features bottomless peach Bellinis and entrees like shrimp and crab frittata, crabmeat flatbread and shrimp and polenta with a Creole tomato sauce.