2021 Tops of the Town

In a year that has been down in so many ways, we appreciate more than ever those places and things that rise to the top. Here is our list of the Tops of the Town as selected by our editorial staff. Readers were also encouraged to make recommendations and their suggestions were weighed into the discussion. To us, our readers remain at the very top.

Note: All listings in every category are in alphabetical order. 

CATEGORIES

Top Burgers / Top Hot Dogs / Top Place for Gumbo / Top Place for Turtle Soup
Top Place for Steaks / Top French Bread / Top Place for Casual Breakfast
Top Place for Brunch / Top Fried Chicken / Top Local Grocery Store / Top King Cakes
Top Local Sandwich Shop / Top Onion Rings / Top Pizza / Top Poor Boys
Top Sno-balls / Top Sushi / Top Place for Tacos / Top Place for Barbecue Shrimp
Top Place for Raw Oysters / Top Place for Seafood / Top Bakery / Top Coffee House
Top Dessert Menu / Top Ice Cream & Gelato / Top Place for Cajun / Top Place for Chinese
Top Place for Creole / Top Place for Indian / Top Place for Italian / Top Place for Japanese
Top Place for Mexican & Southwest / Top Place for Middle Eastern / Top Place for Tapas
Top Place for Thai / Top Place for Vietnamese / Top Craft Brewery / Top Craft Cocktail Bar
Top Dive Bar / Top Happy Hour / Top Hotel Bar / Top Place for a Margarita
Top Place to Buy Liquor and Wine / Top Wine Bar / Top Sports Bar / Top Neighborhood Restaurant
Top Place for A Power Lunch / Top Place for Fine Dining / Top Drug Store / Top Gym
Top Pilates Studio / Top Place to Get a Blowout / Top Place to Get a Mani/Pedi / Top Salon
Top Spa / Top Yoga Studio / Top Antiques Store / Top Furniture Store / Top Garden Supply
Top Home Accessories / Top Dry Cleaners / Top Florist / Top Local Radio Station
Top Pet Daycare / Top Children’s Boutique / Top Jeweler / Top Local Shoe Store
Top Men’s Clothing Store / Top Place for Local Gifts


Top Burgers

  1. Beachcorner Bar & Grill
  2. The Company Burger
  3. Port of Call 

Top Hot Dogs

  1. Dat Dog
  2. Lucky Dog
  3. Ted’s Frostop 

Top Place for Gumbo

  1. Commander’s Palace
  2. Dooky Chase
  3. Emeril’s 

Top Place for Turtle Soup

  1. Commander’s Palace
  2. GW Fins
  3. Mandina’s Restaurant

Top Place for Steaks

  • Crescent City Steakhouse
  • Desi Vega’s Steakhouse
  • Dickie Brennan’s Steakhouse

Top French Bread

  1. La Boulangerie
  2. Leidenheimer
  3. John Gendusa Bakery

Top Place for Casual Breakfast

  1. Molly’s Rise and Shine
  2. Ruby Slipper Café
  3. Wakin’ Bakin’

Top Place for Brunch

  1. Breakfast at Brennan’s 
  2. Commander’s Palace
  3. Red Gravy

Top Fried Chicken

  1. Krispy Krunchy Chicken
  2. Popeye’s
  3. Willie Mae’s Scotch House

Top Local Grocery Store

  1. Dorignac’s Food Center
  2. Langenstein’s
  3. Rouses

Top King Cakes

  1. Antoine’s Famous King Cakes
  2. Duong Phuong
  3. Manny Randazzo’s King Cakes

Top Local Sandwich Shop

  1. Dimartino’s
  2. Stein’s Market and Deli
  3. St. James Cheese Company

Top Onion Rings

  1. Joey K’s
  2. Mr. Ed’s Seafood & Oyster House
  3. Ye Olde College Inn

Top Pizza

  1. Pizza Domenica
  2. Reginelli’s Pizza
  3. Sofia

Top Poor Boys

  1. Avery’s on Tulane
  2. Domelise’s
  3. Parkway Bakery & Tavern 

Top Sno-Balls

  1. Hansen’s Sno-Bliz
  2. Pandora’s Snowballs
  3. Sal’s Sno-Ball Stand

Top Sushi

  1. Poke Loa
  2. Rock-n-Sake Bar & Sushi
  3. Tsunami Sushi

Top Place for Tacos

  1. Barracuda
  2. El Patron Mexican Grill
  3. Juan’s Flying Burrito 

Top Place for Barbecue Shrimp

  1. Liuzza’s by the Track
  2. Mr. B’s Bistro
  3. Pascal’s Manale

Top Place for Raw Oysters

  1. Grand Isle Restaurant
  2. Peche Seafood Grill
  3. Superior Seafood & Oyster Bar

Top Place for Seafood

  1. GW Fins
  2. Mr. Ed’s Seafood House & Oyster Bar
  3. Peche Seafood Grill

Top Bakery

  1. Gracious Bakery
  2. La Boulangerie
  3. Maple Street Patisserie

Top Coffee House

  1. The Bean Gallery
  2. District Donuts Sliders Brew
  3. PJ’s Coffee

Top Dessert Menu

  1. Commander’s Palace
  2. Lilette
  3. Willa Jean 

Top Ice Cream/Gelato

  1. Angelo Brocato
  2. Creole Creamery
  3. Piccola Gelateria

Top Place for Cajun 

  1.  Cochon
  2.  Mulate’s
  3.  Toups Meatery

Top Place for Chinese

  1. Blue Giant 
  2. Dian Xian
  3. Five Happiness

Top Place for Creole

  1. Dooky Chase
  2. Mandina’s Restaurant
  3. New Orleans Creole Cookery

Top Place for Indian

  1. Nirvana
  2. Saffron NOLA
  3. Taj Mahal

Top Place for Italian

  1. Gianna
  2. Red Gravy
  3. Sofia

Top Place for Japanese

  1. Lotus Bistro
  2. Mikimoto
  3. Tsunami Sushi

Top Place for Mexican/Southwest

  1. Casa Borrega
  2. El Gato Negro
  3. Zocalo

Top Place for Middle Eastern

  1. 1000 Figs
  2. Saba
  3. Tal’s Hummus

Top Place for Tapas

  1. Baru Bistro & Tapas
  2. Claret Wine & Cocktail Bar
  3. Effervescence

Top Place for Thai

  1. Mama Thai
  2. Poseidon Oyster Sushi Bar
  3. Sukho Thai

Top Place for Vietnamese

  1. Mopho
  2. Pho Bang
  3. Pho Orchid

Top Craft Brewery

  1. NOLA Brewing
  2. Port Orleans
  3. Urban South

Top Craft Cocktail Bar

  1. 12 Mile Limit
  2. Cure
  3. Justine

Top Dive Bar

  1. Ms. Mae’s The Club
  2. Rusty Nail
  3. Snake & Jake’s Christmas Club Lounge

Top Happy Hour

  1. Domenica
  2. Superior Seafood & Oyster Bar
  3. Vessel NOLA

Top Hotel Bar

  1. The Carousel Bar at the Monteleone
  2. The Columns
  3. Hot Tin

Top Place for a Margarita

  1. Barracuda
  2. Casa Borrega
  3. Superior Grill

Top Place to Buy Liquor and Wine

  1. Brady’s Wine Warehouse 
  2. Dorignac’s Food Center
  3. Martin Wine Cellar

Top Wine Bar

  1. Bacchanal
  2. Bayou Wine Garden
  3. Claret Wine & Cocktail Bar

Top Sports Bar

  1. Finn McCool’s Irish Pub
  2. Manning’s Sports Bar and Grill
  3. Walk-Ons Sports Bistreaux

Top Neighborhood Restaurant

  1. Joey K’s
  2. Katie’s
  3. Mandina’s

Top Place for a Power Lunch

  1. Commander’s Palace
  2. Galatoire’s
  3. Luke

Top Place for Fine Dining

  1. Antoine’s
  2. Commander’s Palace
  3. Galatoire’s

Top Drug Store

  1. Avita Pharmacy
  2. C&S Family Pharmacy
  3. Patio Drugs

Top Gym

  1. Body Shoppe
  2. Ochsner Fitness Center Harahan
  3. Orangetheory Fitness

Top Pilates Studio

  1. Club Pilates
  2. Maple Street Pilates Studio
  3. Romney Studios

Top Place to Get a Blowout

  1. Bleu, A Blowdry Bar
  2. Blo Blow Dry Bar
  3. H20 Salon & Spa

Top Place to Get a Mani/Pedi

  1. City Nails & Spa
  2. EarthSavers Spa + Store
  3. Vive Nails Spa

Top Salon

  1. H2O Salon & Spa
  2. Paris Parker Salon & Spa
  3. Salon M

Top Spa

  1. The Ritz-Carlton Spa
  2. Spa at Windsor Court
  3. The Woodhouse Day Spa

Top Yoga Studio

  1. Freret Street Yoga
  2. Swan River Yoga
  3. Wild Lotus Yoga

Top Antiques Store

  1. Keil’s Antiques
  2. Moss Antiques
  3. M.S. Rau

Top Furniture Store

  1. Disco Warehouse
  2. Tara Shaw
  3. Textures Warehouse

Top Garden Supply

  1. Perino’s
  2. Plant Gallery
  3. Urban Roots Garden Center

Top Home Accessories

  1. Home Malone
  2. Modern Market
  3. Textures Warehouse

Top Dry Cleaners

  1. Liberto Cleaners
  2. Russell’s Cleaning Services
  3. Young’s Dry Cleaning

Top Florist

  1. Fat Cat Florist
  2. Harkins, The Florist
  3. Villere’s Florist

Top Local Radio Station

  1. WWL
  2. WWNO
  3. WWOZ

Top Pet Daycare

  1. Camp Bow Wow
  2. Canine Connection
  3. Dogtopia of New Orleans

Top Children’s Boutique

  1. Auraluz
  2. Little Miss Muffin
  3. Pippen Lane

Top Jeweler

  1. Diamonds Direct 
  2. Aucoin Hart Jewelers
  3. Boudreaux’s Fine Jewelers

Top Local Shoe Store

  1. Feet First
  2. Orleans Shoe Co.
  3. Shoe Be Do

Top Men’s Clothing Store

  1. Jos. A Bank
  2. Perlis Clothing
  3. Rubenstein’s

Top Place for Local Gifts

  1. Hazelnut
  2. Home Malone
  3. Little Miss Muffin

Top Place to Buy a Wedding Dress

  1. Bliss Bridal
  2. Linen Jolie Bridal
  3. Town & Country

Top Place to Buy Eyewear

  1. Art & Eyes
  2. Krewe
  3. Warby Parker

Top Place to Buy Saints Accessories and Apparel

  1. Black & Gold Sports Shop
  2. Dirty Coast
  3. Fleurty Girl

Top Golf Course

  1. Audubon Golf Club
  2. Bayou Oaks at City Park
  3. TPC Louisiana

Top Museum

  1. National WWII Museum
  2. New Orleans Museum of Art
  3. Ogden Museum

Top New Orleans Festival

  1. French Quarter Festival
  2. New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Fest
  3. Voodoo Music Festival

Top Place to Gamble

  1. Harrah’s Casino
  2. New Orleans Fairgrounds
  3. Scarlet Pearl Casino

Top Bed and Breakfast

  1. Degas House
  2. Top Gulf Coast Getaway
  3. 30A
  4. Henderson Park Inn
  5. Scarlet Pearl Casino

Top Gulf Coast Hotel

  1. The Grand Hotel Golf Resort and Spa
  2. Henderson Park Inn
  3. White House Hotel

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