Last Updated: Friday, May 19, 2023 12:27 PM by Lauren Saizan
Dining out is easy for solo travelers in New Orleans. With a city as friendly as the food is delicious, we’ve got plenty of restaurants suitable for dining alone. Truthfully, any restaurant in New Orleans welcomes solo diners, but we’ve hand-picked a few that stand out.
Chef Serigne Mbaye invites diners of all party sizes to his nightly seven-course tasting menu. Several dishes are observed family-style to bring strangers, acquaintances, and loved ones together through authentic Senegalese cuisine. Dining as a party of one may ensure you a reservation at this hot new restaurant with a tough-to-get reservation.
At the Mosquito Supper Club, every dish is served family-style. Enjoy listening to stories from Chef Melissa M. Martin’s rural Louisiana upbringing while dining communally on Cajun cuisine. You’re bound to strike up an interesting conversation with the person seated next to you.
Situated on the edge of the Garden District and Irish Channel with a dark dining room and ornate bar, Coquette is great for solo diners wanting a taste of French cuisine. Cozy up to the bar and order a specialty cocktail.
Food halls are perfect for the solo diner. With so many different cuisines to choose from, plus open seating indoors and a patio outdoors, you’ll quickly feel right at home. Many people perch up with a book while enjoying their coffee, oysters, wings, or cocktails.
As a modern Southern bistro located in the historic French Quarter, Sylvain offers a distinct ambiance in addition to regional flavors. The intimate dining room and courtyard, as well as the bar offers diners a cozy space to chow down on fried chicken sandwiches and Zapp’s-potato-chip-crusted drum.
New Orleans meets Cuban cuisine at Manolito in the French Quarter. Enjoy Cuban sandwiches and shrimp ceviche, plus a litany of cocktails and beverages while dining at the bar or upstairs in the mezzanine.
As a native of Trinidad & Tobago, Lisa Nelson, better known as Queen Trini Lisa, brought her sought-after cuisine to a brand-new location in 2022. Stop by for authentic Caribbean cuisine, including doubles, a famous Trinidadian street food. The casual atmosphere is perfect for solo diners.
Lilly’s Café is the spot for phở, bánh mì, and other Vietnamese dishes in Uptown New Orleans. Dine during lunch hours and you’ll see many others grabbing a quick tasty bite.
Think soul food has to be bad for you? Think again. At Sweet Soulfood, Southern staples are given vegan makeovers. Stop in for lunch and order your choice of cornbread dressing, jambalaya, Shepard’s pie, red beans, stuffed pepper, and more–all vegan.
Inspired by Japan’s small informal bars known as “izakaya,” Sukeban specializes in temaki hand rolls utilizing incredibly fresh ingredients in a sleek (and tiny) space. It’s dinner and a show—grab a seat at the bar and watch as your meal is prepared right before your eyes. And while they don’t take reservations, you can call ahead and check on wait times (or put your name on the list).
At this casual restaurant serving decadent dishes like BBQ shrimp fries and crawfish mac, dining solo is no problem—you’ll want to try everything at Heard Dat Kitchen. Go for a signature dish like the Superdome: blackened fish topped with mashed potatoes and lobster cream sauce.
Union Ramen is a modern take on traditional Japanese ramen noodles in a sleek atmosphere. Order the Original Tori, a poultry-based ramen noodle soup packed with flavor.
This Italian hotspot is all about creating your own pasta dishes in single-serving sizes, perfect for solo diners. Pick your pasta, pick your sauce, and choose your destiny.
Lauren Saizan is a New Orleans native raised in the Gentilly neighborhood. In addition to being the editorial and online content manager for New Orleans & Company, she is also a member of Mélange Dance Company. Lauren has performed professionally in many venues across the city, including the Sydney & Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden, the New Orleans Museum of Art, Longue Vue House & Gardens, and Marigny Opera House. When not writing or dancing, she can be spotted sipping the Blue Eyes tea at French Truck, attending a concert downtown, or visiting a local library.
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