11 October 2024
A shawarma bowl from Moshiko Falafel & Shawarma in Bywater. | Merrill Stewart/Eater NOLA
Savory shawarma in Bywater, fiery aguachile on Oak Street, classic plate lunches in the Seventh Ward, and more
This is Eater New Orleans’s periodic compilation spotlighting under-the-radar restaurants, bars, and bakeries opening across New Orleans. For Eater’s guide to the hottest new restaurants in New Orleans this month, see here, and if we’ve missed something, send us an email.
Aguasanta
8312 Oak Street, Uptown
This Oak Street restaurant is serving up bold flavors with global inspiration and a menu of artful cocktails in the former Mukbang space. Aguasanta is from Luis Nava, who opened La Tia Cantina in Metairie a few years back, in partnership with Leo Vasquez and Ulysses Campos. The raw bar menu mixes Mexican, Italian, and Japanese flavors with dishes like octopus carpaccio, pineapple aguachile, and salmon tartare, with the rest of menu bringing in similarly surprising influences: There’s brisket bao, crab arancini, bruschetta, birria-style lamb, Cantonese fried rice, and more. It’s open for dinner Monday through Saturday.
Chef D’z Street Eatz
2005 N. Broad Street, Seventh Ward
Chef Donald Smith earned high praise with his former Broad Street restaurant, Chef D’z Cafe, and lucky for New Orleans, he’s back in action. Smith, who grew up on the West Bank, brings his culinary school training to a kitchen inside of a handsome bar called J’s Place Neauxla, serving weekday plate lunches of the cuisine he’s so known and loved for: gumbo, shrimp étouffée, po’ boys, pork chops, red and white beans, smothered turkey wings, and more. It’s open Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Moshiko Falafel & Shawarma
3200 St. Claude Avenue, Bywater
The best new place for shawarma and falafel in New Orleans opened a few months back in Bywater, in a long-empty building at the corner of Louisa Street and St. Claude Avenue. Diners can make their own bright bowls piled high with chicken, beef, or falafel; hummus, pickled red cabbage, cucumbers, carrots, pickled red onions, arugula, tahini, zhoug, and more — or go the sandwich route on fluffy, sturdy flatbread called laffa. Fresh ingredients, expert preparation, and a convenient location make this a great addition to the neighborhood.
Sum’n Sweet
5110 Danneel Street, Uptown
Enjoy the last days of summer weather (for now time, anyway) at Sum’n Sweet, the fantastical new frozen treats shop from the much-celebrated owner of Italian ice shop Sunset Slush. Trevail Thomas opened her newest shop in the former Neutral Ground Coffee Shop, serving gelato, ice cream, Italian ice, sundaes, soft serve, cookies and brownies, and more — all in an adorable, highly Instagrammable space that will put a smile on anyone’s face.
Sushi Takumi
703 Carondelet Street, CBD
There’s a sweet new little sushi bar downtown, a casual, charming destination for maki, sashimi, poke, soup, and noodles. It’s also reasonably priced, offering sushi and sashimi platters for a good deal and a lunch special that includes five pieces of sushi, a California roll, and miso soup. Johnny Wang opened Takumi in the former Drip Affogato (which has moved to Camp Street), and while the space is clean, simple, and streamlined, it’s got a bit of the funky charm Drip was known for.