Taste New Orleans History at These Classic Creole Restaurants

Pompano meuniere with crabmeat from Galatoire’s. | Josh Brasted/Eater NOLA

Expect turtle soup, shrimp Clemenceau, and bread pudding

New Orleans is arguably the only American city with its own singularly distinctive cuisine. Sure, there are iconic dishes in every food town, from Chicago deep dish (and tavern-style) pizza to Memphis barbecue, but New Orleans has its own special gastronomy that draws hungry diners from all points of the globe. Not to be confused with rustic Cajun cuisine eaten by French Acadians living among swamps, bayous, and prairies, Creole fare was favored by city dwellers in New Orleans. A European-centric history of the cuisine gives outsized credit to French and Spanish immigrants, but the culinary traditions of enslaved Africans and Choctaw Indians were central to the evolution of Creole cooking, and the prevalence of ingredients like mirliton, crawfish, and snapper.

Below are New Orleans restaurants showcasing the best of Creole cuisine, from new school to old, counter-service to fine dining.