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9 romantic restaurants for date night in New Orleans

A photo of Red logo
by Beth D'Addono
Updated February 01, 2023

New Orleans’s restaurants have hosted lovers and trysts for more than 300 years. Couples looking for romance are sure to find it in the Big Easy, whether it’s in the embrace of a velvet-clad hotel lounge or an intimate, family-owned neighborhood joint.

Butter up your beau with a steak and martini at an iconic Mid-City steakhouse. Tuck into a tasting menu fit for royalty at a Japanese jewel box in the Central Business District.

There’s a table for every kind of date across this festive city. Read on for a guide to 9 New Orleans restaurants ready to host your next romantic occasion.

A photo of Copper Vine restaurant
4.8
4.8 (1909)
$30 and under
Contemporary American
Central Business District
About the restaurant

At Copper Vine, dinner is a relaxed yet sophisticated affair with wine on tap and tastings galore. Start your date with a drink at the handsome bar, or touch knees under a table for two by the window overlooking the verdant patio. Although Copper Vine is a swish wine bar, there’s nothing stuffy about it, thanks to a varied list that pours 30 wines from the tap and a cellar menu that can be tasted 2.5 ounces at a time. Amy Mehrtens, a seasoned, CIA-trained chef (who worked most recently as a sous at Commander’s Palace), offers bites including bacon-wrapped dates stuffed with Creole cream cheese and black truffle bites. If your evening together is going exceptionally well, graduate to heartier plates, such as saffron and shrimp risotto with sherry sabayon.


Top review
Texanator
Dined on Jan 1, 2023
Good was excellent. The Louisiana crawfish beignets were one of the best appetizers I’ve ever had. Loved the local music on the speakers.
A photo of Peacock Room at The Hotel Fontenot restaurant
4.7
4.7 (569)
$30 and under
Cocktail Bar
Warehouse District
About the restaurant

It’s hard to imagine a sexier setting than the Peacock Room at the Hotel Fontenot, an inviting lounge loaded with romantic appeal. The restaurant sets a scenic stage for getting to know a date better thanks to riotous prints, rich velvets, rolled leather banquettes, and a collection of gilded cages and feathered birds. Chef Samuel Peery’s menu is filled with enticing shareables such as spicy chicken bao buns, chorizo-stuffed dates, and pork meatballs with burrata. Sip on classic cocktails, along with an impressive collection of madeira and rum. Reserve a table on a Thursday night and you and your date will be treated to a sultry R&B performance.


Top review
Juniper
Dined on Jan 1, 2023
Waitress wasn’t amazing which is too bad because the food and ambience are extraordinary.
A photo of The Bower restaurant
4.7
4.7 (608)
$30 and under
Contemporary American
Lower Garden District
About the restaurant

The Bower gets two things right before you even kick off an anniversary feast: The lighting is soft and flattering, and the acoustics are made for murmured conversations. A modern American menu with ties to a local farm spotlights the talents of chef Marcus Woodham; many of the small plates are inspired by flavors from Southeast Asia and the sun-kissed Mediterranean. As an homage to its name, which refers to a kind of garden trellis, plants hang from the Bower’s ceiling. No matter where you and your sweetheart sit, natural beauty abounds.


Top review
AmyB
Dined on Nov 22, 2023
The staff were kind and very helpful. The food was fantastic.
A photo of Vyoones Restaurant (Yvonnes) restaurant
4.5
4.5 (648)
$30 and under
Contemporary French
Warehouse District
About the restaurant

When a relationship hits a milestone, it’s worth celebrating. Consider toasting each other at Vyoone’s (pronounced VEE-ahns) in the Warehouse District. An enchanting courtyard lies behind an unassuming brick façade and modest signage. Owner Vyoone Segue Lewis brings her French, African, and Creole heritage to the table, offering plates such as escargot with garlic butter, French onion soup, and coq au vin, along with brunch and happy hour treats. Dine in the courtyard or climb the curvy staircase to a table with leafy street views.


Top review
marc
Dined on Jan 1, 2023
Great service! Food is creative and delicious. Bloody Mary is very tasty.
A photo of San Lorenzo at Hotel Saint Vincent restaurant
4.6
4.6 (687)
$50 and over
Contemporary Italian
Garden District
About the restaurant

Channel the sun-kissed Amalfi Coast with a festive feast at San Lorenzo, a sophisticated spot in the Hotel Saint Vincent. Celebrate your relationship over southern Italian cuisine and a suave European setting that serves up pasta and seafood, with an emphasis on seasonal, sustainably line-caught, and bycatch fish. Must-orders include the oysters, available raw or grilled with parmesan butter. Dress up for this and remember to wear your sexiest shoes, Italian-style. Stretch your special evening with an after-dinner drink at the aptly named Paradise Lounge.


Top review
Vincentvip
Dined 2 days ago
Monday night wine night was fantastic. Our server was fantastic and the dining room has such a fantastic vibe. As always, impeccable service.
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A photo of Café Sbisa restaurant
4.4
4.4 (1307)
$30 and under
Cajun
French Quarter
About the restaurant

Plan a double date at this French Quarter classic, a century-old brasserie on Decatur Street. Sbisa is an atmospheric beauty with original wood, patio dining, and a staircase that harks back to a golden age—the spot traces its roots to 1899, when a ship chandlery first became a restaurant (it’s enjoyed many avatars since). If Sbisa’s fascinating past doesn’t give your group something to talk about, the outstanding French Creole dishes will. Chef and partner Alfred Singleton, who worked his way up from busboy to chef, commands the kitchen, turning out decadent plates of Louisiana blue crab cakes, fried oysters Sbisa served over creamed spinach with Tabasco hollandaise, and rich turtle soup laced with sherry.


Top review
TeresaB
Dined 4 days ago
The perfect place for a Sunday brunch. They have a great jazz/blues band playing during the brunch hours. The food is top notch!
A photo of Yo Nashi restaurant
4.8
4.8 (382)
$50 and over
Japanese
Central Business District
About the restaurant

Bring your SO to Yō Nashi for an omakase experience with a New Orleans accent. Chef Mackenzie Broquet’s otherworldly tasting menu changes frequently, pairing local ingredients and flavors with Japanese techniques in five nigiri courses. The results could include picturesque starters such as kombu-cured scallop with beet vinaigrette, black sesame togarashi cracker, purple radish, and crab roe bottarga. Yō Nashi’s jewel box-like interiors are dressed in blue and orange, with metallic leaf, stone, and shell accents. The intimate setting, pristine ingredients, and fit-for-royalty plating adds up to one transportive and unforgettable date.


Top review
CarlyHvip
Dined on Nov 19, 2023
My husband is extremely bougie about his food and he said this was the best food he had EVER had. Y’all nailed it
A photo of Crescent City Steak House restaurant
4.8
4.8 (1437)
$31 to $50
Steakhouse
Mid-City / City Park
About the restaurant

There’s no better way to woo your beau than with steak and a martini at Crescent City Steaks. For many locals, the iconic Mid-City restaurant’s bacon-wrapped filet, sizzled in butter, is the gold standard. Founded by Croatian immigrant John Vojkovich in 1934, the family-owned restaurant was the first to serve slabs of prime-aged beef in New Orleans. There’s seafood, too. Say yes to lobster tail and broiled salmon along with a slew of veggie sides. Ask for a table along “lover’s lane” in one of the snug, six-seat tables surrounded by drapes for the ultimate privacy—and the ultimate question.


Top review
OpenTable Diner
Dined 4 days ago
Entire experience was wonderful. First time visit. Server was helpful, courteous, and attentive. Food was great and plentiful. Steaks cooked perfectly.
A photo of Otra Vez restaurant
4.1
4.1 (257)
$30 and under
Mexican
Warehouse District
About the restaurant

Swipe right, then impress the hell out of that first date by bringing them to this modern Mexican place in the burgeoning South Market District. The sleek spot isn’t the usual south-of-the-border restaurant. Chef and owner Akhtar Nawab is well known for his Brooklyn restaurant Alta Calidad, which earned a MICHELIN Bib Gourmand award in 2018. Nibble on small plates such as queso and guac and share the roasted mojo oysters, char-grilled with hot sauce butter. The crispy tempura shrimp tacos spiced with chipotle is a fine choice, as is the carnitas tostada topped with silky avocado. Don’t miss the deep menu of mezcal- and tequila-fueled margaritas.


Top review
JavierG
Dined on Feb 11, 2023
Mateo was very friendly and attentive. We arrived early, but they were able to sit us immediately.
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