9 July 2025
Before landing in New Orleans, my pilot described the weather in the city as “juicy.” He wasn’t wrong. With summer in full swing, my team and I ate through NOLA. Here are the juiciest details on the best dishes we tried.
Pani puri with strawberry at Mister Mao
I headed to Mister Mao for brunch because I don’t like brunch — eggs, pancakes, bacon, the regular brunchy stuff. The Mister Mao brunch menu is far from regular. With family-style Asian dishes (served as part of a brunch package for two for $50, a great deal) like Chinese chicken and rice dumplings, crispy beef wontons, poha breakfast potatoes, and garlic noodles, I knew this was my kind of brunching.
The pani puri caught my attention. I’m from New Delhi, so pani puri, a fried, hollow spherical shell of dough stuffed with spiced potatoes and chutneys, is a staple street food. I’d also never seen it served on a brunch menu. The plate arrived with the pani puri garnished with strawberry — a blasphemy! There’s no fruit in pani puri, I thought. But when you try it, the heat from the spiced mint water and the sourness from the tamarind chutney was brilliantly cut with the sweetness of the strawberries. I couldn’t believe it. Mister Mao took a major staple, and tweaked it ever so slightly, to present a refreshing treat for brunch. I’d order another round. — Henna Bakshi, Eater regional editor, South.
Crab claws at Toups’ Meatery
Toups’ Meatery came onto my radar because it was part of the wave of high-profile Southern restaurants joining spots like Husk in the national spotlight in the 2010s. I’d had food from chef Issac Toups at festivals and events, but this was my first time visiting the restaurant. It’s a neighborhood spot in the Mid-City with bright NOLA-centric murals on the outside.
As the name suggests, Toups is known for its meat — big charcuterie boards, stacked burgers, and a daily sausage. But consider the crab claw starter. The kitchen serves Louisiana crab claws, accompanied by grilled and pickled pineapple, all topped with a chili vinaigrette. The meaty bits of the claws are exposed, so it’s easy to get to the good stuff. Each bite is a bit smoky, tangy, spicy, and sweet. It’s a refreshing summertime appetizer to erase the memory of the New Orleans humidity looming outside. It’s even more cooling when paired with a Poblano Escobar cocktail, which is a mix of poblano pepper-infused tequila, pineapple shrub, and lime. — Erin Perkins, Eater editor, South.
Yak-a-mein from Eat-Well Food Mart
I always make it a point to seek out iconic dishes native to New Orleans when I travel there, and yak-a-mein, the salty play on ramen, is a dish I can’t find easily back in Northern Virginia (even if noodle soups abound there). I was excited to get to try Miss Linda’s version a few years ago; this trip, I decided to make my way to the unassuming Eat-Well Food Mart to give theirs a try (partially on account of their early morning hours, which meant yakamein for breakfast was on the table for me). Their steaming hot rendition is less overwhelmingly salty than some others I’ve tried, and it upstaged the pho from the same takeout location. Takeout made the most sense for me, but there is a small area of seating for those who need it, despite the counter’s existence hidden in the back of a convenience store. — Missy Frederick, Eater cities director.
Shrimp thali at Plume Algiers
It’s not difficult to find a great meal in New Orleans. The city’s identity is rooted in culinary excellence, so delicious food isn’t exactly shocking.
So imagine my surprise when I took a bite of my shrimp thali at Plume Algiers, and immediately closed my eyes in pleasure. A regularly (and frequently) rotating menu at this Indian restaurant means that a bite of food here is typically a real surprise, but garlic shrimp slathered in a chile-butter bath, fresh naan, and a sambar spiced to perfection made for an eating experience that affirmed my decision to move to New Orleans. An amalgam of regional and international spices transported me to India, a country I’ve never visited, through the swamps of Southern Louisiana, and right to my plate in the Crescent City. I left the restaurant with a takeout box, a full stomach, and a smile that stayed plastered on my face during the entire drive home. — Kayla Stewart, Eater senior editor.