Here is an index to all our current, full restaurant reviews. That's over 400 of them, more than has ever been published in one place in the annals of food criticism in New Orleans. They include all the important restaurant in town, except for those that haven't been open long enough to have a reviewable track record. The reviews are continually updated; almost all of them are less than a year old.

Correction: This page is actually an index of indexes. I've divided all the reviews into categories based on the style of food served. Click on any of these, and you'll find all the currently-reviewed restaurants in that category. Most restaurants have more than one specialty. I sorted them in the way that makes most sense to me. I've found that no two people seem to agree on which category certain restaurant belong to. If you don't find the one you're looking for in the category you think it should be in, either try another likely category, or search the entire list with the search window in the upper right hand corner of the page.

Not every restaurant in town has been reviewed. I base these reviews entirely on my personal visits to the restaurant, not on any kind of poll or buzz. And there are only so many meals one can eat. However, lists of every restaurant currently open in New Orleans can be found by clicking Restaurants in the blue navigation bar above, then "Lists" from the drop-down list. They are arranged by neighborhood, by cuisine, and alphabetically.

About The Ratings

The ratings are based mostly on the degree to which the food excites us, and a little on environment, service, and other considerations. I rate restaurants relative to all other restaurants in the New Orleans area. (Not "for what it is.") Here's what the stars mean to me:

Among the best locally.

Excellent and ambitious.

Worth crossing town for.

Recommended if you're in the neighborhood.

Acceptable.

Unacceptable.

Cost Ratings. The price bar under the star ratings on the reviews gives an estimate of the cost of a typical meal for the restaurant. The range is plus or minus five dollars from the spot marked on the graphic. This is based on dinner in most places. It includes a typical beverage service, but not tax or tip. Eating habits vary so much from one diner to another that this should not be considered as having mathematical precision.

Review Method. I research and write all the reviews myself, based entirely on meals I personally took in the restaurants. I pay for all review meals from my own pocket. I don't accept free review meals, nor am I reimbursed by anybody for my restaurant expenditures.

Recommended Dishes. The "Essential Menu" section of the review is a distillation of the restaurant's menu. Dishes marked with the "»" symbol are especially recommended. I am in the process of expanding this section to include nearly-complete menus, but that's a very large, ongoing project.

I May Be Wrong. I invite you to agree, disagree, or question any of my reviews. This is just my opinion here, and although my reviews are carefully considered and informed by decades of information gathering, I don't pretend that mine is the only possible viewpoint. Please call me on my radio show or e-mail me ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ) to let me know what you think.

Tastefully yours,
Tom Fitzmorris

Restaurant Review Categories

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