New Orleans is a constant celebration of cuisine–and that’s especially true during Restaurant Week. From June 17-23, 2024, some of the best restaurants in the city will offer special, pre-fixe menus featuring fresh, seasonal ingredients and entrees not always found on the standard menu. In other words, it’s a foodie’s dream.

We’ve rounded up a few of our favorite splurge-worthy picks, as well as iconic restaurants and spots with great outdoor seating, but special dining opportunities should feel, well, special. And what better way to add some pomp and circumstance to the week than by sharing a meal with friends?

While all participating restaurants would make for a memorable setting with groups large or small, there are some that are particularly well-suited to group dinners. Take, for instance, the family-style menus at Costera, Osteria Lupo, and Mister Mao. I can speak from personal experience at all three that these tasting menus are GENEROUS. And each has an exceptionally fun atmosphere and great cocktails to boot.

Other spots like Plates and Baru feature menu items that are made for sharing, so they naturally lend themselves to mixing and matching amongst friends to cover more ground, gastronomically speaking.

And if you’re not shy about stealing bites from friends, the restaurants with menus that offer four or more options per course are an excellent way to try a ton of food. On the more casual side, that would include spots like Katie’s, Silk Road, Pizza Domenica, and Clesi’s. Looking to splurge? Commander’s Palace has you covered with many, MANY choices per course, no matter the meal.

If you’re looking for spots that feel celebratory, Justine always feels like a party. Or book one of the round tables in the front windows at The Bower that face out to lower Magazine Street and also feature curtains that can be drawn–making it feel like your own personal dinner party.

So go on–move those dinner plans (or better yet, the entire friend trip) from the group chat to real life and snag a reservation at one of these top spots.