Top 10 NOLA Cajun Restaurants
Cajun food has been part of New Orleans dining for decades, showing up everywhere from casual lunch counters to sit-down restaurants.
Here are 10 places where good Cajun cooking is the focus, so make sure to give these local spots a try.
1. Copeland's
Multiple Locations
copelandsofneworleans.com
Founded in 1983 by Al Copeland, Copeland's of New Orleans has grown from a single Metairie dining room into a regional chain known for their Cajun-Creole cooking. The restaurant is family-owned and still introduces seasonal menus, such as the recent "Copeland's Catch," a three-course seafood special highlighting redfish, crawfish fettuccine, and chocolate pecan pie cheesecake.
Classics including shrimp and tasso pasta, crab-stuffed catfish, and corn and crab bisque remain fixtures, served alongside steaks, burgers, and fried chicken. The dining rooms are casual and feature full bars, to-go counters, and catering services, making them a dependable option for family gatherings and business meals.
2. Cochon
930 Tchoupitoulas St., (504) 588‑2123
cochonrestaurant.com
Opened in 2007, Cochon has become one of the Warehouse District's best-known restaurants for modern Cajun cooking. The menu draws on South Louisiana traditions like boucherie and open-fire cooking, with small plates such as fried alligator, smoked pork ribs, and wood-fired oysters leading into larger dishes such as rabbit and dumplings, catfish courtbouillon, and oven-roasted Gulf fish.
The restaurant features an open kitchen, exposed brick walls, and communal seating. Groups can order the "Feed Me" menu, which runs through a wide cross-section of the kitchen's specialties, or even reserve a whole roasted suckling pig for the table.
3. Toups' Meatery
845 N. Carrollton Ave., (504) 252‑4999
toupsmeatery.com
Toups' Meatery, opened in 2012 by Chef Isaac Toups in Mid-City, is a contemporary Cajun restaurant built on whole-animal cooking. The menu is anchored by small plates like cracklins, hog's head cheese, and lamb neck, along with entrées such as double-cut pork chops, confit chicken thighs, and rabbit with dirty rice. A standout is the Meatery Board, a rotating selection of house-made pâtés, rillettes, sausages, and pickles that reflects the restaurant's boucherie approach.
Beyond the dining room, Toups' Meatery is known for its annual Toups Fair, a celebration that gathers chefs, farmers, and musicians for a day of food and drink centered on Cajun culture. The restaurant also runs a strong bar program, offering whiskey flights, Louisiana beers, and inventive cocktails to pair with rich, rustic plates.
4. Zesty Creole
827 Canal St., (504) 766‑6368
zestycreole.com
Zesty Creole on Canal Street serves a broad menu of Creole and Cajun classics alongside breakfast and vegetarian options. The kitchen turns out dishes such as jambalaya, crawfish étouffée, blackened redfish, and shrimp and grits, as well as starters such as fried green tomatoes and crawfish hushpuppies. Breakfast plates, smoked salmon eggs Benedict, and biscuits with gravy round out a menu that runs from morning service to late dinner.
The space is casual and set up for quick service with dine-in, takeout, and delivery available daily. Portions are sized for sharing, and desserts such as bread pudding anchor the menu's traditional side.
5. Mulate's
201 Julia St., (504) 522‑149
mulates.com
Mulate's, located in the Warehouse District near the Morial Convention Center, bills itself as the "Original Cajun Restaurant" and pairs a full menu with nightly live music. The kitchen serves zydeco gumbo, crawfish étouffée, stuffed shrimp, jambalaya, and fried seafood platters, alongside frog legs, gator bites, and zydeco meat pies.
House specialties include catfish Mulate's topped with shrimp étouffée, Pontchartrain shrimp pasta, and the restaurant's long-standing bread pudding with butter rum sauce. For nearly four decades, Mulate's has marketed itself as a one-stop introduction to Louisiana food and culture, serving traditional Cajun dishes with live music seven nights a week.
6. Jacque-Imo's
8324 Oak St., (504) 861‑0886
jacques-imos.com
Jacques-Imo's Cafe opened in 1996 on Oak Street and is run by Chef Jacques Leonardi. The restaurant serves Cajun and Creole food such as shrimp and alligator sausage cheesecake, blackened redfish, pan-fried rabbit, stuffed pork chops, and fried chicken.
Artwork spans the dining room area, which is spread across several rooms. In the back, a pickup truck parked outside holds a small table for two and has become a permanent part of the restaurant. They're open for dinner Tuesday through Saturday.
7. Gumbo Shop
630 St. Peter St., (504) 525‑1486
gumboshop.com
Gumbo Shop has operated at 630 St. Peter St. in the French Quarter since 1948 and is inside a colonial townhouse built in 1796. The restaurant serves multiple gumbo styles, including chicken & andouille, seafood okra, and filé gumbo, and has won the Best Gumbo category in the Best of New Orleans poll every year since 1999.
Beyond gumbo, the menu features jambalaya, crawfish étouffée, shrimp Creole, blackened fish, and a Creole combination platter that samples several dishes in one meal. The restaurant opens daily at 11 a.m. and closes at 9 p.m. Monday through Wednesday, Thursday through Sunday. Gumbo Shop offers dine-in, takeout, delivery, and nationwide mail orders through its website.
8. Creole House
509 Canal St., (504) 323‑2109
creolehouserestaurant.com
The Creole House Restaurant & Oyster Bar is located inside a building built in 1921, which is the oldest surviving structure on the boulevard. The restaurant opened in late 2015 in a space that previously housed an Arby's, and, today, it serves a wide menu of Cajun and Creole dishes. Chargrilled oysters, crab cakes, crawfish étouffée, jambalaya pasta, and Gulf shrimp platters are regular fixtures.
Daily service begins with breakfast at 8 a.m. and continues until 11 p.m. on weekdays and midnight on weekends. The restaurant has two floors of dining space and a full bar, with indoor and outdoor seating available along the busy Canal Street corner.
9. Atchafalaya
901 Louisiana Ave., (504) 891 9626
atchafalayarestaurant.com
Atchafalaya in the Irish Channel has operated since 2008 under the ownership of Tony Tocco and Rachel Carr. The restaurant is best known for its weekend brunch, which includes a build-your-own Bloody Mary bar and dishes such as shrimp and grits, chicken and waffles, and duck hash.
The dining room is divided between a bar area and several small dining spaces, with live music often featured during brunch service. Atchafalaya is open Tuesday through Saturday for dinner and Saturday through Sunday for brunch, with reservations available online through their website.
10. Bobby Hebert's Cajun Cannon
Multiple Locations
bobbyheberts.com
Bobby Hebert's Cajun Cannon Restaurant & Bar opened in 2012 on Veterans Memorial Boulevard in Metairie. It is owned by former New Orleans Saints quarterback Bobby Hebert and serves a large menu of seafood, po-boys, burgers, and Cajun specialties.
Dishes include chargrilled oysters, seafood gumbo, Cajun jambalaya, and fried seafood platters, with appetizers such as boudin balls and crawfish beignets. The restaurant features over 30 TVs, Saints memorabilia, and is open daily from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. (11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday).
Best Cajun Restaurants
The restaurants here cover a mix of long-running institutions and newer spots, each with its own approach to Cajun food. Some keep the focus on simple plates of gumbo or jambalaya, while others add seafood platters, brunch dishes, or other specials. Taken together, they give a clear look at where to find Cajun cooking in New Orleans today.
