Located on the Mississippi River in the Gulf of Mexico, The Big Easy is the birthplace of jazz and the city is renowned for its live music scene. But today, New Orleans is the melting pot of gumbo-loving Cajuns and Creoles, 200-year-old architecture, and rich history that helped it earn a top spot as one of the country’s best foodie destinations. Not only does there seem to be a restaurant on every corner, but they’re all serving up inventive takes on the state’s most famous export – seafood.
New Orleans’ vibrant culture is well-known for its bold, fresh flavors—in particular, seafood. The city’s proximity to the Gulf of Mexico means it’s only five hours by car to the shores of the coast. Shrimp boats dock each morning at New Orleans’s City Fish Company, which sells 100% Louisiana shrimp, crab, and oysters to chefs at Jackson Square.
If you’re in search of culinary adventure and a great time, New Orleans is the place for you.
It is well known for its music and nightlife and prides itself on its fine cuisine. If you’re just looking to “catch” New Orleans seafood restaurants that you’ll long remember, don’t hold your breath, the countdown begins.
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New Orleans Seafood Restaurants
New Orleans seafood restaurants serve the freshest fish and seafood paired with Cajun-inspired condiments. Even the most hardcore carnivores cannot resist the delectable goodness the city has to offer, abundant with the freshest shrimps, oysters, and soft shell crabs. Everything you wish to experience, from white tablecloth fine dining to neighborhood po’boys – the lists cross them all.
Oceana Grill
739 Conti St, New Orleans, LA 70130 // +15045256002
Nestled right in the heart of the French Quarter, Oceana Grill will first win your eyes with a beautiful view, overlooking the famous Bourbon Street.
Oceana Grill offers authentic and fresh seafood. Their menu includes seafood, gumbo, and fresh local oysters and they will proudly offer you specialty po’boys, crawfish & fried shrimp.
Open-air seating, lively dining, and dancing action round out the evening, making it the premier party spot for locals and tourists alike. This is your destination for fresh seafood, delicious specials, and music!
Here you can order Shrimp creole, Fried shrimp po’boy, Oyster Rockefeller, or the famous Seafood gumbo.
Pêche seafood grill
800 Magazine St, New Orleans, LA 70130 // +15045221744
At Pêche Seafood Grill, the chefs are inspired by the trips to Spain and Uruguay, and they’re on a mission to share that creativity with their guests. Seafood is the spotlight of their menu, prepared over an open wood fire, offering that live-cooking entertainment to those anticipating.
The menu starts right to the point with raw bar choices like seafood salad, gulf shrimp, and seafood platter. Then it moves to carefully choose entries like a baked drum with coconut curry, grilled tuna with lentils and kumquats, and jumbo shrimp with purple rice pilaf.
Worth a mention is the fact that they work with local fishermen and farmers who harvest sustainably, concentrating on fresh fruits and vegetables at their peak, which is the second-best thing about their menu.
Do yourselves a favor and don’t leave without trying their Carrot cake!
Deanie’s seafood
841 Iberville Street New Orleans, LA 70112 // +15045811316
In Deanie’s Seafood Restaurant in the French Quarter, you’ll find the freshest seafood from Louisiana caught by fishermen who know its bounty. In addition to preparing boiled, broiled and fried seafood in their signature Creole seasonings, they serve a large variety of fresh gulf oysters on the half shell. And to wash it all down, they have a full bar that specializes in classic southern cocktails.
Try the food that locals have been ordering for generations when you visit Deanie’s seafood, shrimp and crab dip, Oysters on the Half Shell, Crawfish Étouffée Cup, and Blackened Redfish topped with Crawfish Étouffée are just a fraction of what this restaurant has on their menu.
As far as New Orleans traditional cuisine goes, it doesn’t get any better than this!
Deanie’s Seafood delivers fresh seafood and incredible dishes. Prepare to say “The best thing I ever ate” when you leave Deanie’s.
Red Fish Grill
115 Bourbon St, New Orleans, LA 70130 // +15045981200
With a passion for fresh seafood and unsurpassed service, Red Fish Grill has been serving authentic New Orleans seafood in the heart of the French Quarter since opening its doors 20 years ago.
Winner of nine “Best Oyster Po-Boy” awards at the New Orleans Po-Boy Festival, the restaurant is known as an unbeatable destination for the freshest fish and shellfish.
The Best Seafood in New Orleans cuisine, Red Fish Grill spoils your palate with impeccable technique and bold creativity inspired by the best of other cuisines. Their menu varies with the seasons so you will always find the freshest available product no matter when you dine.
Red Fish Grill has become one of the most popular seafood eateries in New Orleans thanks to its incredible food, drinks, and live entertainment. Must-try recipes on the menu are The Famous BBQ Oysters, Hickory Grilled Redfish, and Alligator Sausage & Seafood Gumbo.
Acme Oyster House
724 Iberville St, New Orleans, LA 70130 // +15045225973
Acme Oster House is the purveyor of the coldest, plumpest, freshest oysters in town – it’s what they are famous for. It’s what you’ll find when you step in the door. It’s the Acme difference in a city built on seafood!
You’ll find an Oyster House like no other!
Celebrating over one hundred years in the same building, Acme Oyster House Seafood Restaurant is a staple in the city’s French Quarter. Whether you’re drawn by the history of their location, the fresh raw oysters from their oyster’s bar, the seafood gumbo, seafood etouffee, or the welcoming, casual atmosphere and friendly waitstaff, they look forward to serving you!
Basin Seafood And Spirits
3222 Magazine St, New Orleans, LA 70115 // +15043027391
Basin seafood and spirits is an intimate and cozy seafood restaurant in New Orleans serving the best seafood in New Orleans with light and modernized versions of traditional Louisiana dishes.
Basin Seafood provides the perfect atmosphere for its trendy clientele. Amidst the hustle and bustle of historic Magazine Street, Basin stays true to the New Orleans tradition of delicious seafood.
Their ingredients are fresh, organic, sustainable, and sourced locally while highlighting seasonal vegetables and Gulf fish in their dishes. The drinks are also well-considered classic cocktails, craft beers, local wines, ciders, sake, and well-curated spirits.
In this cozy restaurant, you’ll have choices like delicious Shrimp grits, Blue crab beignets, Oyster caesar, Yellowfin tuna sandwich, and Fried soft shell crab to select from.
Gallier’s Restaurant & Oyster Bar
129 Carondelet St, New Orleans, LA 70130 // +15042675672
Gallier’s is an exclusive New Orleans Seafood Restaurant named after the original builder of the historical Dufossat house, located in the heart of the action of New Orleans in a historic building in a bustling area in a popular tourist destination.
Gallier’s restaurant and oyster bar offer a Creole seafood menu, an array of local favorites, including gulf oysters & crawfish, blue crab, shrimp & chicken on the half shell. And when you hear that this is the place where locals come to eat, then you know you’re not wrong.
Here are some spoilers you’ll thank me later: Seafood platter with Fried Shrimp, Oysters and fish with fries, Grilled Red Snapper topped with a divine creamy crawfish sauce and Gulf Redfish blackened with special house seasoning.
The Original French Market Restaurant And Bar
1001 Decatur St, New Orleans, LA 70116 // +15045257879
It was there at Grand Isle that this family became well known among the locals for providing fresh seafood caught local daily. This Immigrant Sicilian family is proud to have served generations of Louisiana’s coastal residents since 1940.
The original French market restaurant and bar serves fish, crabs, shrimp, and oysters caught daily in the Gulf of Mexico.
Their tradition of hospitality is continued until today, serving hundreds of people from all around the world, showing respect, and continuing to serve their Creole family recipes with pride such as Creole char-grilled oysters, boiled crawfish, Louisiana crab cakes, Shrimp, and crab remoulade avocado and Crawfish or shrimp etouffee.
The Blue Crab Restaurant & Oyster Bar
7900 Lakeshore Dr, New Orleans, LA 70124 // +15042842898
At the blue crab restaurant & oyster bar, they believe in living Louisiana coastal lifestyle & cuisine, and they want you to experience the fun, excitement and flavors that make up your daily lives. Located in the New Orleans Lakefront area, the restaurant is owned by locals and serves only the finest seafood from all around Louisiana!
Small boat inshore fishing charters are readily available via affiliates located around the Gulf of Mexico where you can catch anything from Redfish to Grouper. Their experienced chefs prepare your seafood fresh daily using a big ole pot and crawfish boil to make for a bowl full of flavor.
Blue Crab offers a wide variety of seafood dishes like Oysters on the Half Shell, Basin BBQ shrimp, Fresh gulf fish, Whole stuffed flounder and more boiled and fried seafood. Mussels, clams, octopus, oysters, shrimp, scallops, crabs — you name it! Their bar offers a large selection of beer and cocktails.
Superior Seafood & Oyster Bar
4338 St Charles Ave, New Orleans, LA 70115 // +15042933474
Located in historic downtown New Orleans, Superior seafood & oyster bar is a unique and sophisticated dining experience. With fresh ingredients at affordable prices, it is a desirable destination for locals and tourists alike.
The restaurant offers a unique menu that highlights seafood that is imported daily from Louisiana’s coastlines. Something for every taste, with items from Po-boys, fresh oysters, and fishes to seared scallops and many in between.
Whether you want to dine before your show downtown, work on one of their many floods during lunch, or join them on the patio as the streetcars roll past, they hope you enjoy the experience as much as they enjoy serving you dishes like Oysters superior, Grilled shrimp salad, Shrimp andouille brochettes, Pan-seared redfish and Pasta de la Mer.
Experience The Seafood In New Orleans
The seafood in New Orleans is the best in the world. People will come from far and wide for a bowl of gumbo, a shrimp Creole, a muffuletta, a round of fried oysters, po’boy, or two: one crawfish and one spicy shrimp (with remoulade, for sure). Choose an appetizer platter loaded down with snowy crab legs, ceviche tostadas, and airy fried calamari. Their fish is so fresh that you can smell it when you walk into a restaurant. It’s because of their proximity to water. The fish markets are nearby and they have an international port. Spoil yourself and try some of the city’s famed cocktails.
Seafood is a key part of the culinary heritage in New Orleans, and there’s no better place to experience it than at the source – the fishermen themselves.
Traditionally, New Orleans cuisine is served family-style, so it’s no surprise that seafood is on the menu of most establishments in the city. When it comes to fresh flavor on your fork, on your plate, and in your mouth, this city knows what’s up.
New Orleans seafood restaurants are famous for their range of local dishes, but the city’s eateries are well worth exploring beyond gumbo and crawfish boils. You can enjoy seafood in classic styles, or head to the open kitchens of contemporary restaurants to experience the freshest catches.
Visiting other destinations in Louisiana? Check out our other delicious guides:
- 15 Most Delicious And Popular Foods of Louisiana
- 10 Best New Orleans Seafood Restaurants
- 10 Best Shreveport Restaurants
Igor Jovanovski is an aspiring digital nomad, travel blogger and graphic designer who really loves food. He also has a creative side, and he works as a freelance graphic designer in his spare time. He has traveled across Europe quite a few times since he was young and recently started his mission to visit every country in the world! Igor’s favorite thing about traveling is the way he gets to know new people, food, places and cultures.
This exciting experience helps him create his own stories and make memories that will last forever