11 Best Seafood Restaurants in French Quarter | 2024 (Top Eats!)
If you’re an avid non-veg lover, you will absolutely love the French Quarter, New Orleans cuisine, especially with the magnificent goodness of gulf seafood.
The French Quarter provides you with tons of seafood options like broiled or fried clams with lots of chili and grilled dressing poured over them.
The method of only employing open wood fires makes it one of the best places around, fueled by commercial fishing markets offering the freshest catches from the sea.
The variety here is just incredible, like shrimp étouffée, soft shell crab po boys, jambalaya, raw or broiled oysters.
They also have several local favorites that people can enjoy in their dining rooms or our lovely picnic style.
But be assured that the French Quarter has many restaurants providing varied numbers of good restaurants and food selections that will make you fall in love with it.
The Best Seafood Restaurants in The French Quarter This Year
1. Peche Seafood Grill
Why it’s a must visit?
The Peche Seafood Grill restaurant is an industrial diner with a chic ambiance that locals love to visit.
The food near me at this restaurant is lined with seafood that is entirely made on a coal fire grill.
It has also won a James Beard award with the partner and Ryan Prewitt, who delivers intriguing dishes in the most fabulous form.
Also, booking reservations here early, either online or through the phone, is recommended as the seats here tend to run out pretty quickly.
Chef’s choice
This restaurant near me is mostly famous for its local rod seafood that is nicely cooked over a coal grill.
The fascinating dishes here include shrimp with purple rice pilaf, the tastiest redfish varieties, and a dim sum with mushroom broth just out of the world.
The redfish here is nicely made with a lemonade flavor and herbaceous salsa verde that is just truly divine.
Therefore, no matter what else you get here, go for their whole gulf fish head to tail and redfish, as it’s the chef’s specialty.
Also, meat lovers love trying to stay here with their 22-ounce Brasstown ribeye, which is perfect for two people.
The reservations here are often made early and often only by phone or online.
Location and Contact
- 800 Magazine St, New Orleans, LA 70130-3616
- Website
- Phone:- +1 504-522-1744
- Email:- lizbodet@gmail.com
Also See: Places for Seafood in New Orleans
2. Olde Nola Cookery
Why it’s a must visit?
The Olde Nola Cookery is a relaxed and laid-back diner in the French Quarter that provides impressive Creole and Cajun cuisine as well as seafood.
It is located on the historic Bourbon St and therefore is one of the most famous restaurants for seafood in the French Quarter that is loved by both local people and tourists.
This restaurant is famous for its beautiful patio setting, which provides a panoramic view of the French Quarter and is also ideal for celebrating special events.
It’s an all-day diner that is also perfect for dinners and for enjoying a late-night snack.
Chef’s choice
The restaurant serves a decent selection of creole and Cajun cuisine in delectable forms.
But you should definitely try their different seafood selections here, like shrimp and other roasted varieties that are pretty good.
They also have excellent alternatives worth mentioning, such as their jambalaya pasta, which is a perfect meal for their tasty drinks.
Other favorite options include po boys, seafood gumbo, red beans, seafood platters, and rice.
It’s also a great place for late-night snacking, as its small platter options here are pretty decent.
Location and Contact
- 205 Bourbon St, New Orleans, LA 70130-2204
- Website
- Phone:- +1 504-525-4577
- Email:- contact@nolacookery.com
3. Commander’s Palace
Why it’s a must visit?
The Commander’s Palace restaurant is a fancy restaurant in the French Quarter, New Orleans, that is also one of the most popular diners to ever exist.
This restaurant became a garden district icon and a recognized New Orleans culinary institution for being one of the top restaurants.
It started in 1880 and has earned several awards for its incredible service and delicious seafood.
This restaurant also has a specific dress code asking people to dress in a casual but presentable way.
Chef’s choice
The restaurant has a charming white striped ceiling serving delicious seafood, creole, and Cajun cuisine.
It also serves other seafood delights like decadent turtle soup, pecan-crusted fish, and excellent selections of martinis.
Some of the most loved local dishes here are gumbo, turtle soup, shrimp, and grits.
They also serve toothsome bread pudding as well as tasty smoked boudin stuffed quail.
But overall, nothing can rival their delicious shrimp, Po Boy.
They also have other delicious seafood Po boy selections like Parade Route that is created that is an excellent remnant of the previous chef Tory McPhail and is made with at least 20 crispy gulf shrimp.
The shrimp are deliciously provided with sweet onions, housemaid Tasso and pickled okra mayonnaise that goes nicely with their hot sauce and crunchy potato chips.
Location and Contact
- 1403 Washington Ave, New Orleans, LA 70130-5798
- Website
- Phone:- +1 504-899-8221
- Email:- caitlin@commanderspalace.com
4. Restaurant R’evolution
Why it’s a must visit?
The Restaurant Revolution is an award-winning diner that is situated on the Royal Sonesta in the French Quarter and is a notable restaurant.
The restaurant follows a strict dress code because of its luxury atmosphere to give you the best quality time possible.
Everything about this restaurant it’s just 5-star, as the diner carries an extravagant air with it.
Chef’s choice
This restaurant will allow you to feast on some of the most delectable dishes, including sea scallops, bolognese with house-made pasta, and black truffles.
Other dishes non-veg lovers like are their chops and steaks, like their special bone-in ribeye.
They also offer very specialty cocktails that are uniquely themed and seasonal with the freshest ingredients.
Location and Contact
- 777 Bienville St Royal Sonesta Hotel, New Orleans, LA 70130-2210
- Website
- Phone:- +1 504-553-2277
- Email:- revolution@sonesta.com
5. Dian Xin
Why it’s a must visit?
The Dian Xin restaurant is a Chinese dinner that was started in 2019 in the historic French Quarter, New Orleans.
The restaurant serves dishes with passionate enthusiasm and is one of the best Creole food providers in all of New Orleans.
The restaurant’s name directly translates to din sum, which is one of its signature dishes.
The intimidating yet sleek atmosphere of the restaurant makes for an incredibly romantic date or business lunch spot.
Chef’s choice
The restaurant serves chewy Hong Kong-style dumplings with a delicate flavor filled with crawfish and crab meat and other items like kale, pork, and chicken.
It’s one of their tastiest menu options that comes with a fiery chili sauce that elevates the flavor of the dish.
Other impressive dishes here include pepper chicken wings, salt, walnut shrimp, and jibing, which is a type of Chinese-style crepe.
All of these dishes are local favorites and adored by visitors.
Location and Contact
- 1218A Decatur Street New Orleans, New Orleans, LA 70116
- Website
- Phone:- +1 504-266-2828
6. Herbsaint Bar and Restaurant
Why it’s a must visit?
The Herbsaint Bar and Restaurant celebrated its 20th anniversary in the year 2020 and is part of Donald Link’s culinary empire.
This restaurant is located on the north side of the warehouse district.
It is one of the top New Orleans restaurants that is highly regarded for its fantastic menu.
Chef’s choice
The restaurant provides various food influences like Italian, southern, and French that are reflected in its dishes.
Some delicious ones include guanciale with homemade spaghetti, which is basically an Italian cured meat that is made of pork cheek.
Also, complement it with their fried, poached farm eggs to make it juicier.
Other delicious options are their crispy goat with lentils, the duck leg confit with dirty rice, and lamb with mushroom lasagna.
They also have delicious desserts like chocolate mousse, which is divine.
Location and Contact
- 701 Saint Charles Ave, New Orleans, LA 70130-3713
- Website
- Phone:- +1 504-524-4114
- Email:- lizbodet@gmail.com
7. Mr. B’s Bistro
Why it’s a must visit?
The Dash restaurant is one of the top-rated seafood restaurants in New Orleans that serves celebrated food choices at the corner of Royal & Iberville in the French Quarter.
The restaurant is known for owning its own cookbook and serves unique seafood options right in the heart of New Orleans.
It’s a perfect place to have business lunches as well as to enjoy a chic and casual vibe with excellent staff service.
Not to mention how incredible this restaurant is as a Sunday brunch option to celebrate any festive occasion.
Chef’s choice
This restaurant is prominently known for its signature dishes like barbecue shrimp plate and gumbo ya ya, which the local people have loved for decades.
They also have the nicest drink selections and have been mentioned in the food and wine magazine for being the best business lunch restaurant.
Besides its prime French Quarter location, it’s also a perfect spot for romantic dates.
Location and Contact
- 201 Royal St, New Orleans, LA 70130-2226
- Website
- Phone:- +1 504-523-2078
- Email:- dine@mrbsbistro.com
8. GW Fins
Why it’s a must visit?
The GW Fins restaurant was inaugurated in 2001 and has received national praise for servings of creative dishes in its unique atmosphere.
It’s one of the best restaurants for seafood in the French Quarter that takes its interior inspiration from nature, depending on the season.
The menu here also keeps changing daily according to the season, and you can expect to discover various unique dishes here if you decide to come here.
Thankfully, this diner also provides a premium valet service by taking care of your things in the most responsible manner.
Chef’s choice
As the restaurant exclusively specializes in seafood, it has an incredibly fresh seafood variety with creative options.
Their Atlantic bluefin tuna and tasty southern flounder are the most yummy choices here.
They also have mouthwatering lobster dumplings that make for a scrumptious appetizer option to begin your meal with and are also a crowd favorite.
Also, reservations are recommended here, so be sure to call ahead of time.
Location and Contact
- 808 Bienville St Between Bourbon and Dauphine Streets, New Orleans, LA 70112-3122
- Website
- Phone:- 504 581-3467
- Email:- infonola@gwfins.com
9. Oceana Seafood Grill
Why it’s a must visit?
The Oceana Seafood Grill restaurant is one of the most highly-rated seafood restaurants in New Orleans that serves sustainably sourced dishes.
It’s an excellent restaurant with a broad variety of options with several daily specials, but it has limited reservations.
The restaurant follows a sustainable approach of only using locally sourced seafood to create its dishes.
Chef’s choice
The restaurant serves yummy options like salmon sushi, steak tartare, gulf shrimp, and oysters from a raw bar that serves all these dishes.
Other light options include lamb skewers, crawfish croquettes, hush puppies, and small platters of catfish.
On the heavier side, one can try their Louisiana shrimp roll, hanger steak, or grilled tuna.
They also have delicious 22 ounces of ribeye and grilled fish as a whole plate.
They also have many delicious daily specials, including Keylime pie with buttermilk Chantilly as dessert and grilled mahi-mahi with orzo as some dinner options.
Location and Contact
- 739 Conti St, New Orleans, LA 70130-2220
- Website
- Phone:- +1 504-525-3661
- Email:- info@oceanagrill.com
10. NOLA Po Boys
Why it’s a must visit?
The NOLA Po Boys restaurant is a humble diner offering traditional gravy and hot roasted beef with more than 45 different varieties.
It’s one of the great restaurants to hit up in the French Quarter that has really good service as well as incredible sandwich selections with other options.
The restaurant is one of the most famous restaurants for seafood in the French Quarter, as they come in plenty of portions and are just delicious.
Chef’s choice
Among the several delicious delights here, one of the best ones that you can try is their shrimp Po boys, which come in a massive form and nicely complement the sandwich with delicious shrimp chunks.
They also have other spectacular Po boy selections, like their NOLA ones, that are just incredible and come in delectable flavors.
Other items besides the sandwiches that you can try here are their seafood gumbo, debrief fries, and fried okra, which are just out of the world.
But the one dish that you should definitely not miss out on here is their seafood bisque, which has made this restaurant one of the must-eat places in the French Quarter.
Location and Contact
- 908 Bourbon St, New Orleans, LA 70116-3121
- Website
- Phone:- +1 504-522-2639
- Email:- info@NolaPoboys.com
11. Original Pierre Maspero’s
Why it’s a must visit?
The Original Pierre Maspero’s restaurant offers exceptional classic creole cuisine with some of the nicest cocktails as well as po boys in the French Quarter.
It’s a 5-star, luxury, and fancy restaurant situated inside a historic 1788 building with worn-out vintage walls.
It’s a delight dining at this romantic restaurant as the menu options here are just divine and are also perfect for coming during breakfast or lunch.
Chef’s choice
Besides their seafood, they have other succulent seafood options like their shrimp, which comes in the form of a flaky fish and is just pure perfection.
They have several delicious vegetarian options as well as breakfast delights like Eggs Benedict, which comes with extra cheese or spinach.
Basically, it provides several healthy alternatives which good for those who are looking forward to health-conscious eating without a single sign of guilt.
Location and Contact
- 440 Chartres St, New Orleans, LA 70130-2102
- Website
- Phone:- +1 504-524-8990
- Email:- pierremasperos@creolecuisine.com
Final Thoughts
As The French Quarter is a part of the gulf, the city is brimming with tons of fabulous seafood restaurants with lovely places to eat.
The several outstanding restaurants available in the French Quarter render it pretty awesome to try various seafood dishes in several seafood stores, markets, and restaurants.
As New Orleans itself has its own crab season, coming to the French Quarter to celebrate such events has made it a pretty spotlight location to try delectable seafood.
That’s why it would be a shame to come to the French Quarter and not explore the various exceptional seafood diners.
That’s why to help you not be regretful, we created this list of some of the best seafood restaurants in the French Quarter that you can visit.
Bon appétit!
Thanks for sharing this great list!
You’re welcome! I’m glad you found the list helpful. 🙂