Mid-City

West End & Bucktown

The generic, forgettable name and the corny menu language ("gumbeaux") disguise some very good neighborhood seafood restaurant. Overloaded platters of fried oysters, shrimp, catfish, and soft-shell crabs are all prepared to order, crisp and hot. And they grill as well as they fry. The three locations have aspects of a neighborhood cafe, with poor boys, beans, gumbo, and specials.

Uptown 4: Riverbend, Carrollton & Broadmoor

We don't have many Northern African restaurants in New Orleans, and this is certainly the only one essaying Tunisian food. It's a blend of Middle Eastern and French cooking, such as unique as it is exotic. The food, surroundings, owners, and prices come together to make first-timers rave about the place.