Top Best American Restaurants in New Orleans

"Commander's Palace has been around since the late 1800s, but under Ella Brennan’s leadership starting in the 1970s, the restaurant essentially redefined New Orleans cuisine and catapulted into stardom with the help of celeb chefs Paul Prudhomme and Emeril Lagasse. Today, the menu and service are top notch with James Beard Award-winning chef Tory McPhail leading the kitchen and Ti Martin and Lally Brennan running the show. Go for lunch and make sure to end the meal with the bread pudding soufflé and whiskey sauce."

"The Commander’s takeout menu changes daily and rotates classics like turtle soup, lacquered quail, and pecan pie as well as seasonal dishes like duck breast salad and wild Louisiana barbecue shrimp, available in family or individual sizes. Call to order, seven days a week between 11:30 a.m."

"Chef Tory McPhail was recently named James Beard's Best Chef South and his forward-looking take on Creole classics keeps this. institution, which has launched the careers of the likes of Paul Prudhomme and Emeril Lagasse, current...."

"A block north of Dooky Chase's Restaurant is Willie Mae's Scotch House, which opened in 1957. It's been recognized at the national level by The Food Network and Travel Channel for serving "America's best fried chicken.". And in 2005, at the age of 89, Ms. Willie Mae Seaton won a James Beard Award for "America's Classic Restaurant for the Southern Region."

"Willie Mae's, meanwhile, has also earned a James Beard and serves some of the best damn chicken you'll ever find. It's juicy, tender, and spiced to perfection. Both are within blocks of each other and definitely worth a stop."

"Lauded family-owned spot since 1957, famous for fried chicken & other soul food in a humble setting. Open for lunchDress code: CasualPhone: +1 504-822-9503"

"Since it opened in October 2013, this delightful shop on Magazine Street and Jackson Avenue has been making all of New Orleans’ donut and coffee dreams come true. With flavors like miso praline and olive oil, NOLA cream, brown butter pistachio, Sriracha with candied thyme, lemon poppyseed, and Vietnamese iced coffee, District is serious about its roster of “fancy donuts.” In addition to donuts big enough for two, District’s other breakfast creations include kolaches, pork belly, egg and avocado breakfast tacos, and buttermilk biscuit egg sandwiches with miso-praline bacon. Plus, their cinnamon roll is topped with extra sugar and brûléed under a blow torch, which is pretty awesome if you ask me."

"District Donuts is a cute spot to get a freshly made donut, a coffee, and a delicious burger. There are six donuts on the menu weekly, but there are more than 100 options in the catalog that slip into the rotating menu. There are three donuts to expect on the menu, rain or shine: glazed, cinnamon sugar, and chocolate glazed."

"District Doughnuts Breakfast is known to be the the most important meal of the day. However, I call it sugary beginnings. At @districtdonuts you can pick..."

"Just off Jackson Square in the always-crowded French Quarter, this tucked-away gastropub manages to slip under the tourist radar thanks to a nearly hidden entrance. Stroll down a narrow alleyway to find your way inside, then bask in flattering candlelight as you fill up on hearty dishes such as Buffalo-style fried veal sweetbreads, tender braised beef cheeks and a crispy pork Milanese served over creamy white beans. End the night on a sweet note with the most romantic soda float you’ve ever had, made with local Abita root beer, caramel ice cream and a ginger crisp."

"Slylvian is an awesome, farm-to-table upscale dining space located just a block off of Jackson. Set in a carriage house built in the late 1700s, the building honors the French Quarter neighborhood’s roots. Slylvain doubles as a restaurant and bar with exquisite food and classy house cocktails."

"Pan-fried pork shoulder is served with braised greens, Coosa Valley’s McEwen & Sons grits and mustard jus. Reservations recommended. Lunch Fri., dinner daily, late-night Fri.-Sat., brunch Sat.-Sun."

"The fish of the day is a pan-seared fillet served with rainbow fingerling potatoes, grilled asparagus, citrus-ponzu glaze, vegetables, edible flowers and house-pickled red onion. Reservations recommended. Dinner Mon.-Sat., late-night Fri.-Sat., brunch Sat.-Sun."

"Adam Biderman’s homage to the simple burger — thin patty, American cheese, fresh ground meat, no lettuce, no tomato — blew the burger scene in New Orleans wide open when Company Burger opened in 2011. Since then it’s won local and national raves and awards from all directions and is in residence on busy Freret Street Uptown. The menu has a few other sandwich options well worth a try, like that tasty fried chicken sandwich."

"611 O’Keefe Ave., Suite C7, (504) 309-9422; 4600 Freret St., (504) 267-0320; www.thecompanyburger.com. A Company burger features two Creekstone Farm beef patties, American cheese, bread-and-butter pickles and red onions."

"Duck and Sweet Potatoe Waffle with Praline Bacon|Photo by Rebecca Ratliff/Courtesy of NewOrleansOnline.com. Dante’s Kitchen was one of the first New Orleans restaurants to focus on local, house-made ingredients and farm-to-table style dining. Chef Emanuel Loubier is a veteran of New Orleans grande dame restaurant, Commander’s Palace, and he has taken his expertise to this small establishment in the Mississippi Riverbend."

"Since 2000, Dante’s Kitchen has provided a varied menu of soup, salads seafood, and many other entrees with a New Orleans style. Although it mostly provides dinners, the restaurant is also available for Saturday and Sunday brunches with reservations optional for both in large parties. Stop by its courtyard on the Riverbend and enjoy the peaceful sounds of nature along with the active life of cars moving down the street."

"736 Dante St. This Riverbend stalwart is probably the most underrated brunch spot on the list. You are going to have a tough choice trying to decide between the 18-hour slow-cooked pork steak with duck fat hash browns and a fried egg or the pork shoulder debris with poached eggs. Or you can just do like I do and order both, and maybe a crabmeat and brie omelet for the middle of the table for everyone to share."

"4641 Veterans Memorial Blvd., Metairie, (504) 779-2252: www.carrabbas.com. Shrimp and scallop spiedino features wood-grilled seafood topped with Italian breadcrumbs served with lemon butter and a side."

"Set in a renovated home with an outdoor deck on funky Freret Street, Origami has line-up of specialty rolls with topical (and dated?) names like FEMA roll, chocolate city roll, and bye-bye Katrina roll, the latter including layers of smelt roe, cucumber, eel, and shrimp tempura wrapped in tender soy paper, and garnished with snow crab and a drizzle of sweet and salty eel sauce. The fish is pristine and chopped with the kind of expertise that comes from years of experience. Six oyster shooters with spicy ponzu sauce for $6.95 is a deal."

"While from the outside it may look like your average home, Origami is far from ordinary. The menu is extremely versatile– from a poke salad with chili ponzu sauce to seafood gumbo to crawfish sushi. The prices are very reasonable, making it perfect for a night out with friends."

"Dorgenois Street, Dwight Henry’s Buttermilk Drop Bakery and Cafe is a place where you can get warm, melt-in-your-mouth glazed donuts, golden brown apple fritters the size of baseball gloves, and his award-winning fried buttermilk drops with a delicious sugar glaze. Crunchy on the outside and cake-like in the center, buttermilk drops are a unique local favorite. Dwight’s bakery sells them every day beginning at 6 a.m."

"Donuts, quick breads, and the eponymous buttermilk drop can be found at this local favorite. What is a buttermilk drop?. Well, it’s kind of like a donut hole, but more substantial, made with buttermilk, coated in cinnamon sugar, and (proudly) invented in New Orleans."

"The addictive, crisp on the outside, tender on the inside buttermilk drops are the draw here, and you should have a couple, but you would be a fool to pass on the breakfast platter with fried catfish for $5.50."