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Best Casual Restaurants in Lower Garden District

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85 restaurants available nearby

A photo of Lula Restaurant Distillery restaurant
4.6
Exceptional(1949)
Price: Moderate
• Contemporary Southern • Lower Garden District
Booked 28 times today
In the heart of New Orleans, expertly crafted food, spirits and cocktails come together in a unique privately owned micro-distillery and restaurant.We are quintessentially southern with a distinct Louisiana influence. We are Lula Restaurant-Distillery.As the first and only restaurant-distillery in New Orleans, Louisiana and in the Southeast US, we promise to offer you an incredible experience in the shadows of our copper still and along the historic streetcar line of St. Charles Avenue.Join us Monday-Sunday for Happy Hour from 4-7, Saturday and Sunday 11-3 for Bottomless Vodka Bar
A photo of SeaWitch restaurant
4.6
Exceptional(78)
Price: Expensive
• American • Garden District
Booked 11 times today
Limited Menu During Mardi GrasExperience the MagicLocated on the iconic St. Charles Avenue, Seawitch offers an upscale seafood dining experience like no other. Enjoy fresh, locally sourced seafood, crafted cocktails, and a vibrant atmosphere. With indoor and outdoor seating, a raw bar, and prime views of Mardi Gras parades, every visit promises something special. Dive into the flavors of New Orleans and make unforgettable memories with us.Indulge in our carefully curated menu featuring the freshest local seafood, innovative dishes, and timeless classics. From our raw bar to our signature entrees, every bite is a celebration of New Orleans’ rich culinary heritage. Discover the flavors that make Seawitch a true gem on St. Charles Avenue.
A photo of Birdy's Behind The Bower restaurant
4.6
Exceptional(616)
Price: Moderate
• American • Garden District
Booked 32 times today
Birdy’s Behind the Bower is a brunch spot perched in the back of the Framework building, serving Southern-inspired, locally-sourced American cuisine alongside a welcoming outdoor courtyard. We partner with Sugar Roots Farm in New Orleans to source fresh, local ingredients for dishes that range from comforting, house-made breakfast staples to lighter, health-conscious fare. Celebrate on our chic patio or nestle in for a coffee to start your day.
A photo of Cafe Normandie at The Higgins restaurant
4.3
Awesome(72)
Price: Expensive
• French American • Warehouse District
Indulge in sophisticated French-influenced casual fare in the Higgins Hotel's full-service restaurant.
A photo of Meril restaurant
4.6
Exceptional(6607)
Price: Moderate
• Contemporary American • Warehouse District
Booked 70 times today
Located in the Warehouse District, Meril is Chef Emeril Lagasse’s lively restaurant in New Orleans. Meril’s casual restaurant interior is marked by a signature open style kitchen and a large bar area, featuring a varied wine selection and craft cocktails. Named after his daughter, the restaurant showcases some of Chef Emeril’s favorite dishes that he loves to eat, featuring everything from Wood Fired Flatbreads to Korean Chicken Wings. Lagasse brings his expertise and distinguished hospitality to Meril, creating a deliciously spirited dining experience.
A photo of Luke restaurant
4.6
Exceptional(9312)
Price: Moderate
• French • Central Business District
Booked 110 times today
Luke is a Creole-inspired Brasserie located in the heart of New Orleans’ Central Business District on world-famous St. Charles Avenue, steps from the French Quarter neighborhood. A lively atmosphere surrounds the raw bar offering the freshest seafood and oysters procured daily from the Gulf of Mexico. Chef Erick Loos is at the helm of the kitchen featuring dishes that highlight local purveyors and farmers’ market ingredients. Behind the bar, a selection of bartender-created specialty cocktails are offered among a carefully-curated list of wines from throughout the world and locally crafted brews.
A photo of Sofia New Orleans restaurant
4.7
Exceptional(1978)
Price: Expensive
• Italian • Warehouse District
Booked 55 times today
Sofia is an Italian-inspired kitchen that has an elevated take on traditional cuisine in a fun and funky setting in the warehouse district. Acclaimed chef Talia Diele's menu of inventive small plates, traditionally prepared meats and fish, handmade pasta, and wood fired pizza has drawn rave reviews locally and nationally. Our Italian inspired cocktails, craft beers and Italian wine list have been carefully curated and will appeal to the most discerning palates.
A photo of Compère Lapin restaurant
4.7
Exceptional(2776)
Price: Expensive
• American • Central Business District
Booked 46 times today
Compère Lapin - noun - "kom-pare la-pan" - 1. anthropomorphic rabbit character who served as the mischievous protagonist in Creole and Caribbean folk tales; 2. Chef Nina Compton's restaurant at the Old No 77 Hotel & Chandlery in the Warehouse Arts District of New Orleans. Meals aren’t about trends, shock value, or opulence.Meals are about moments, memories and those who surround you at your table.We believe in the complexity of simplicity, and the power of pure flavors. Our histories, vast and varied, deserve to be memorialized and romanticized by dishes that at once remind us of home and transport us to somewhere new.We don’t make food for everyone else, we make food for you.
A photo of 34 Restaurant & Bar restaurant
4.6
Exceptional(199)
Price: Very Expensive
• Portuguese • Central Business District
Booked 27 times today
34 is Chef Emeril Lagasse’s first restaurant dedicated to the cuisine of his Portuguese heritage. He was inspired by his late mother, Hilda, who influenced his interest in cooking when he was a child growing up in Fall River, MA. The 245-seat restaurant is adorned in shades of green – Emeril’s signature color – wood accents and ornate Portuguese tiles. A painting of a rooster, a national Portuguese symbol of good luck, greets guests at the entrance. Once inside, a jamon bar with countertop service and tile-clad DJ booth are focal points of the space. The restaurant celebrates not only the food and design of Portugal but also the sounds, with music from local and touring DJs.
A photo of Domenica restaurant
4.5
Awesome(7534)
Price: Moderate
• Italian • Central Business District
Booked 78 times today
Domenica translates to “Sunday,” in Italian, it is the day of the week to explore and cook leisurely, abundant meals. At Domenica restaurant, our chefs seek to transport guests to those coveted moments, offering passionately prepared dishes that marry pure, local ingredients with revered techniques.While the menu is rooted in tradition, our chefs focus on elevating Italian ingredients and classic flavors to create modern classics, adapted for the contemporary palate of New Orleans. The fresh pastas made by hand daily, roasted vegetables, meats and Napolitano style pizzas, all prepared in the restaurant’s iconic wood oven, are perfectly complemented by custom-brewed beers, seasonal craft cocktails and an Italian-focused wine list.

See what locals rave about

From verified diners like you
From verified diners like you
  • Marc
    San Francisco Bay Area •13 reviews
    5.0
    Dined 3 days ago
    Just amazing food in a fun energetic environment. It’s casual and comfortable, but the food is top notch. Make sure you get the char grilled oysters, the red fish, and most importantly the home made key lime pie. Just a really great place.
    More info
    SeaWitchPrice: Expensive• American• Garden District
    4.6
  • OpenTable Diner
    Phoenix / Arizona •1 review
    4.0
    Dined 3 days ago
    Appetizers were excellent. Service was rushed and food came out of order.
    More info
    MerilPrice: Moderate• Contemporary American• Warehouse District
    4.6
  • Lauren
    New Orleans / Louisiana •3 reviews
    5.0
    Dined on Mar 3, 2025
    Always a pleasure!! The food is great and the location is amazing
    More info
    Lula Restaurant DistilleryPrice: Moderate• Contemporary Southern• Lower Garden District
    4.6
  • OpenTable Diner
    Kansas City / Kansas •2 reviews
    5.0
    Dined on Mar 2, 2025
    We had a great time for my sisters bachelorette brunch! Our servers, Lila and Gabby were amazing. The manager was so pleasant and they all made for a wonderful experience. Would highly recommend!
    More info
    Birdy's Behind The BowerPrice: Moderate• American• Garden District
    4.6
  • John
    Cincinnati / Dayton •2 reviews
    4.0
    Dined on Feb 15, 2025
    We dined on Valentines Day and had a nice meal. They had a pre fixe 4-course menu, where each course selection was made up of a couple of dishes from their dinner menu. The good: Our 1st course (salted beet and goat cheese salad), and 2nd course (crispy gulf oysters) were amazingly good. The main course (6oz beef tenderloin) was ok - we were getting full at that point, but it didn’t wow us like the first 2 dishes. Dessert (which we took to go and enjoyed it the next evening) was a special lemon meringue pie - really quite good! So overall a nice meal. And it was also a pretty good deal - the pre fixe pricing for those 4 courses was definitely less than if we had ordered that off the menu. (Although, chances are also that we would not have ordered all 4 courses.) Also good - the staff seemed to be attentive to the customers and even brought a beautiful rose for my spouse at the end of dinner. And the space is grand and elegant to be in. I think that dinner service is relatively new for this restaurant. Generally just watching things around us, it has the feel of a place still figuring out their way. A few folks around us had issues; but I did observe the staff working hard to remedy or compensate for it. I would also say that it was a surprise (not advertised anywhere we could see) about the pre fixe menu. I do think we saw at least one party not stay, once they learned that. So - probably better to announce that vs catching people off guard. We enjoyed the food, but it was more food (and we spent more) than we were intending. Overall a pretty good experience.
    More info
    Cafe Normandie at The HigginsPrice: Expensive• French American• Warehouse District
    4.3
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