From pan-Italian to regional cuisines to Neapolitan pizzerias, there is a rich diversity of Italian-inspired eateries in the city. From the Big Ragu to the Big Easy, here are the best Italian restaurants in New Orleans.
In the late 19th century, nearly 300,000 Italians, mostly from Sicily, settled in and around New Orleans, indelibly altering the demographics of the city. And that includes its culinary culture too. As is the case with much of the culinary heritage of New Orleans and Louisiana, when a new culture plants itself here, their cuisine and the established local cuisine end up fusing to varying degrees. (See: Viet-Cajun cuisine, for example.)
And Italian is no exception. Influenced by the abundance of available seafood in the Gulf, Creole-Italian is now a legitimate regional Italian-American cuisine. One example is tomato sauce infused with local bell peppers.
Adolfo’s
This Frenchman Street spot is a mecca for lovers of Creole-Italian fare. Adolfo’s (611 Frenchmen St) is pretty much synonymous with hybrid cuisine. Founder Adolfo Perez Palavicini may have gone to the great trattoria in the sky in August 2022. But this cramped second-floor restaurant is still as popular as ever. The menu is filled with garlicky seafood-heavy dishes, the ingredients of which go from the Gulf to your plate in no time.
Mosca’s
Since 1946, this family-run West Bank restaurant has been serving up Creole-Italian fare to generations of regulars. Never mind that the name means “fly” in Italian; it’s the surname of Provino Mosca. And the restaurant looks almost identical to the day he opened it with his son Johnny when the younger Mosca returned from World War II. Mosca’s is a delicious culinary relic. Tuck into a bowl of spaghetti Bordelaise or the garlicky signature shrimp dish Mosca.
Avo
Third-generation Italian-American Nick Lama is the owner/chef behind this sleek Magazine Street Italian eatery. This is straight-up Italian, in general, and Sicilian, in particular. Avo’s (5908 Magazine St) menu reads like a tribute to his family’s ancestry with black garlic-studded charred octopus, pork-and-beef meatballs, Gulf shrimp-laced rigatoni alla vodka, and a brodetto (Italian fish stew) using Gulf fish.
Paladar 511
This popular Marigny neighborhood eatery fuses Italian and California-inspired fare. Paladar 511’s airy, industrial-chic space is a nice vehicle in which to dig into a plate of tuna crudo or wagyu tartare before moving on to one of the creatively topped pizzas. At this location, Neapolitan-style pies come out topped with delicious things like lamb merguez, roasted mushrooms, and bacon and eggs.
Irene’s
Started by Sicilian immigrant Irene DePietro in 1992 on the periphery of the French Quarter, Irene’s eponymous eatery marries pan-Italian fare and Creole ingredients to create an excellent Italian-accented New Orleans restaurant. One of the signature dishes is Oysters Irene, a baked oyster sharing a shell with flavor-enhancing pancetta, pimento, and pecorino romano. Or the shrimp-and-crawdad fettuccine in a light parmesan cream. Buonissimo!
Josephine Estelle
Housed in the Art Deco bedecked Ace Hotel in the Warehouse District, Josephine Estelle is as hip as it is delicious. Celebrated chefs Andy Ticer and Michael Hudman are in the kitchen as they blend Italian and local ingredients. Roasted oysters are dolloped with Calabrian chili butter, spaghetti is laced with Gulf shrimp, and local fish is paired with mustard greens.
Margot’s
Opened in Spring 2022, Margot’s quickly became the place in NOLA to dig into a thick, bubbly, tang Neapolitan pizza while nursing a potent Negroni or a glass of natural wine. The casual corner restaurant on Frenchman Street in the Seventh Ward puts an emphasis on sourcing and using ingredients from small, local producers. Start with a classic Margherita pizza on your first visit and eventually graduate up to the zucca pie, which features zucchini, horseradish crema, dill, garlic, and black olives.
Vincent’s Italian Cuisine
Set in Metairie, chef Vincent Caltalanotto’s eponymous restaurant opened in 1989 and it’s been a huge local hit ever since. The menu is loaded Creole-Italian goodness, including the signature Rose of Sicily, two pan-fried artichokes paired with tomato, garlic, sage, and prosciutto. It’s good enough to do a chef’s kiss right at the table. Also, don’t ignore the stuffed shrimp in pastry! A second location of Vincent’s Italian Cuisine opened in 1997 on St. Charles Avenue near Riverbend.
David Farley is a West Village-based food and travel writer whose work appears regularly in the New York Times, National Geographic, BBC, and Food & Wine, among other publications. He’s the author of three books, including “An Irreverent Curiosity: In Search of the Church’s Strangest Relic in Italy’s Oddest Town,” which was made into a documentary by the National Geographic Channel. You can find Farley’s online homes here and here.
