Last Updated: Thursday, August 24, 2023 1:23 PM by Mads Reineke
If you’ve run out of restaurants to sample within New Orleans’ city limits (a difficult task, we assure you), or simply want to explore even more of the city’s surrounding culture and cuisine, this list has you covered. In Summer 2022, Brett Martin of Garden & Gun described the outlying cities of NOLA as “The Most Delicious Suburbs in America,” and we couldn’t agree more. From old-school Italian food and East Asian cuisine to Cajun classics and soul food, there’s something for everyone to love (and you can sleep off your food coma on the ride home).
Note: We’ve included approximate driving time – this is an estimate based on a starting point in Downtown New Orleans to the destination. Drive times may vary slightly depending on where you’re staying and time of day.
Drive Time: 20 Minutes
Owned and operated by father-son duo, Carlos and Chef Will Avelar, Mawí Tortillas was born from a passion for creating fresh, flavorful food that is as distinct as the Latin American countries that inspired it. Every batch of tortillas is made with Mawi’s own signature corn masa blend and produced every morning straight from the oven. The result is the freshest artisanal tortillas this side of your mother’s kitchen.
Drive Time: 20 Minutes
Radosta’s origin is a classic among the Crescent City and its burbs. Once a neighborhood grocery store and deli, Radosta’s po-boys soon stole the spotlight, and the store has since converted into a full-time sandwich shop – complete with a dose of that one-of-a-kind local hospitality.
Drive Time: 20 Minutes
Casa Garcia is all about that home-style feel, and for over 30 years the Garcia family has served up Mexican cuisine to the people of the Greater New Orleans area. Enjoy Mexican classics and family recipes in a warm, inviting environment.
Drive Time: 20 Minutes
Family is the backbone of many of these suburban spots, and Ristorante Filippo is no different. Owner and chef Philip Gagliano is a native New Orleanian who learned his culinary skills in the kitchens of his mother and grandmothers, and he and his wife pride themselves on serving classic Italian dishes.
Drive Time: 20 Minutes
Shyan’s Kitchen is a Pakistani-Indian restaurant, owned and operated by Irfan Khan. Irfan Khan had emigrated to New Orleans in 2007 from Kashmir. Shyan’s serves classic Indian and Pakistani food in a personal, family-style space.
Drive Time: 20 Minutes
Chef Huy Pham, a first-generation Vietnamese American who fell in love with Japanese cuisine, opened Yakuza House in 2021, his first solo venture. This sushi hub quickly became a favorite specializing primarily in handrolls, or temaki, and dressed nigiri, as well as a few sandos, and most notably an omakase experience.
Drive Time: 25 Minutes
Chinese cooks treasure freshness and quality ingredients. Little Chinatown's expert chefs serve only the best, seasonal items and offer something for everybody: a large vegetarian selection, authentic regional Chinese dishes, premium Chinese teas, and daily specials. Their attention to every culinary detail will bring you, your families, and friends back for more!
Drive Time: 20 Minutes
China Rose has both a mix of the classic Americanized Chinese food that most are familiar with, as well as a more authentic Chinese menu that allows diners to branch out a bit more and try new dishes. This establishment is a classic and had lived in Lakeview for almost 20 years until moving to Metairie post-Katrina, where it has been open for nearly another 20 years.
Drive Time: 20 Minutes
With a focus on authenticity and quality, Gogi sources from both local vendors and directly from Korea. This casual and delicious spot sits right off of the Clearview exit on Veterans Boulevard and combines a variety of traditional Korean dishes with a few creative, modern twists.
Drive Time: 20 Minutes
This Thai treat has been a local favorite for over 20 years, offering traditional Thai cooking, secret royal Thai recipes, and Thai street food all in one setting.
Drive Time: 30 Minutes
Mosca’s has been a true family-owned staple of the local Italian food scene since 1946. Located across the river in Westwego, both classics dishes like spaghetti and meatballs to specialties like Oysters Mosca are served family-style for the entire table to share.
Drive Time: 15 Minutes
This gem of Caribbean cuisine celebrates the patch of Haitian influence that is one of the many influences in the cultural tapestry of New Orleans. While still technically still being within NOLA’s city limits (despite its West Bank location), Rendenz-Vous serves beloved Haitian specialties like braised goat, conch, and pikliz – a condiment of pickled vegetables – and is certainly not to be missed.
Drive Time: 30 Minutes
This barbecue stand is a favorite of locals and critics alike. Stop by for top-tier Texas barbecue down near the bayou in Belle Chase.
Drive Time: 20 Minutes
Panda King is one of few places that offers traditional dim sum from pushcarts. It’s renowned for its Hong Kong brunch, which features baked buns, dumplings, pork, and roasted duck.
Drive Time: 15 Minutes
This takeout restaurant in Gretna serves huge portions of southern classics and fried dishes. You can find everything from fried chicken and fried catfish to ribs, blackened salmon, four cheese lasagna and almost any side you can think of. Plus, in 2022, Chicken's Kitchen named among the top 50 restaurants in the country by NY Times.
Drive Time: 15 Minutes
Local vegans rave about this Westbank Vietnamese bistro’s vegan offerings which include kimchi tofu and ramen tofu dishes. They also serve desserts with sorbetto from local Italian gelato shop Piccola Gelateria.
Drive Time: 25 Minutes
One of the most authentic Vietnamese restaurants in the city, Dong Phuong has been serving exceptional Vietnamese cuisine for over 30 years. It is also home to one of the best bakeries in the city, make sure to stop next door for an after-meal treat. And during Mardi Gras, their king cake is among the most sought-after in the entire metro area. Along with the following two restaurants, Dong Phuong is in an area of New Orleans East dubbed Little Vietnam, as it’s home to a large portion of the city’s vibrant Vietnamese community.
Drive Time: 15 Minutes
Orleans Brothers is a specialty restaurant that specializes in savory crawfish pies, baked fresh daily. The company is owned and operated by husband-and-wife duo, Terrence and Krystal Carroll.
Drive Time: 25 Minutes
For 30 years, the family behind Phở Bằng has been serving some of the best of this signature Vietnamese soup to the NOLA metro area. Each location has a different menu of specialty pho as well as other Vietnamese delights.
Drive Time: 25 Minutes
Using the freshest ingredients, Ba Mien serves dishes from the three major regions of Vietnam and prides itself on quality, authentic cuisine and customer service.
Drive Time: 20 Minutes
Since 1965, Rocky and Carlo’s has been a quintessential landmark in Chalmette and the Greater New Orleans area. Founded by five brothers-in-law and their wives, this hotspot of Italian classics is also known for its local cuisine – especially its oysters.
Drive Time: 20 Minutes
For those craving the intense spice that only authentic Thai cuisine can provide, Secret Thai has you covered. This Chalmette gem is a pop of color tucked into a strip mall, echoing the bursts of flavor packed into every dish.
Drive Time: 40 Minutes
While the food alone is worth the drive – listed on CNN Travel as one of the top 50 Chinese restaurants in America in 2017 – Trey Yuen’s atmosphere is an equally important part of the dining experience. The Wong family hired both American and Chinese architects to design the restaurant after Chinese palaces, and along with the opulent interiors, the grounds surrounding the restaurant feature gardens, pagodas, waterfalls, and koi ponds.
Drive Time: 30 Minutes
This waterside spot is known for, what else, but its seafood. Gilligil’s combines Mexican and Caribbean influences to make a refreshing and tasty menu that gives off island vibes all year round.
Drive Time: 60 Minutes
Home of David and Torre Solazzo, three-time James Beard semifinalists for Best Chef in the South, Del Porto is a landmark for mouthwatering Italian cuisine. The bevy of sophisticated, contemporary, and flavorful options are well worth the drive across Lake Pontchartrain.
Drive Time: 2 Hours 20 Minutes (WORTH. IT.)
This spot along Highway 93 is called The Best for good reason – this award-winning specialty meat shop has been a community staple of Southeast Louisiana since 1986. Not only can you get fresh boudin, cracklins, tasso, and other Cajun meat products, but you can also get your favorite products shipped back home!
Drive Time: 45 Minutes
For 88 years, this Louisiana legend has been serving up the best in classic local cuisine – especially the renowned thin fried catfish. Take a drive over the Bonnet Carré Spillway and take in the beautiful view before indulging in some Cajun and Creole favorites.
Drive Time: 80 Minutes
Head deep into Cajun country for waterside comfort food at Mommie Jo’s. The menu has different specials for lunch and dinner every day, so take a scenic drive through southern Louisiana for a casual, laidback meal.
Drive Time: 80 Minutes
Jubans in Baton Rouge returned with a whole new twist on refinement in 2022 and serves elevated twists on Louisiana culinary favorites that have delighted diners since 1983. Go for weekend jazz brunch, lunch, or dinner prepared by former Hell’s Kitchen contestant Chef Chris Motto.
Mads Reineke is a fourth-generation, life-long New Orleanian raised in historic Mid-City. Through a family deeply involved in the hospitality industry, Mads’ love for her hometown started young and only grew stronger.
Living in a city so full of history and legend alike fueled her love of writing and sharing stories, propelling her to pursue a degree in Mass Communication from LSU, where she wrote for the Daily Reveille newspaper and served as an officer in the university’s chapter of PRSSA. When she isn’t writing for business, Mads can be found writing fiction, sketching, or doing crosswords camped in either her favorite coffee shop or under the oaks of City Park. Or, she’s out and about hoping to find yet another thing to love about the Crescent City.
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