The Best Italian in New Orleans

Isabella's Pizzeria

★★★☆☆ 3.3 (63) • $$

"LOVE LOVE LOVE this place! Service and food are amazing, I always get the chicken Caesar sandwich and Caesar salad and it is extremely yummy!"

Bosco's Italian Cafe

★★★★☆ 4 (105) • $$

"I ate here 20 years ago and returned today. I live in Mandeville and am wondering why I haven't frequented this place because that was a clear miss. Maybe it was the company of my Ex last time, lol. Everything was great tonight from ambiance, wait staff, Ceasar dressing, bread, meatball, sauce and dessert."

Gino's Restaurant

★★★★☆ 3.9 (205) • $$

"Excellent service, food, and atmosphere. Super upbeat atmosphere with authentic Italian food that is a local go to for a very long time. You'll be very happy when you leave here.If you want real Italian food and great atmosphere. Authentic Baton Rouge - this is it."

The Little Village - Airline

★★★☆☆ 3 (169) • $$$

"First of all the food is so wonderful and delicious. You have to try the bread with garlic it can be a meal in itself alone! The service is amazing our waitress was so kind and helpful with the selection on our food . I order a sensation grilled chicken salad and I had to take it home it was so big. The place is amazing and good for fine dining or with the family dinner. I will be going back for sure."

Happy Italian Pizzeria

★★★★☆ 4.1 (130) • $$

"Small, fast ,professional , great food and hospitality. Clearly the neighborhood loves it."

Milano's Pizza

★★★★☆ 4.1 (66) • $$

"I ordered a pizza through door dash and it came so fast and so hot I didn't know I couldn't get quantity food at 1 am in Metairie until now."

Cafe Phoenicia

★★★★☆ 4.4 (114) • $$

"This is our favorite Greek restaurant! The service is always top notch! And then there is the food! Always soooo good! I love the chicken shawarma! The hummus is soGood! And of course, you can't go wrong with the shrimp tortellini! The friend cheese appetizer is always a hit! Go and enjoy!!"

Olive Branch Cafe

★★★★☆ 4.2 (163) • $$

"This is a great local spot right off the highway to grab food on the way home. We also do a to go order and it doesn't take long, staff is friendly. The pizza is great. The pastas are okay but are a bit on the greasy side. My fav here is the Cesar salad add grilled chicken. They recently started cutting my chicken into cubes which I'm not a huge fan of, I'd rather it whole or in the strips but the salad is good. I recommend texted dressing. The Greek salad is also really tasty."

Radosta's Restaurant

★★★★☆ 4.3 (115) • $$

"So I heard they recently (or maybe not so recently) changed owners but the food has remained the same. I posted online asking what I should order for dinner if I live in old Metairie and Radosta's what the winner BY A MILE! I had eaten there before but the people spoke and I followed and once again, was not disappointed. Employees are wonderful and friendly. Food is reliably delicious. Order what you want, it will be good! Oh and their fries are done to a crispy perfection."

Cafe Jo Jo's

★★★★☆ 3.5 (30) • $$

"This my only place for spaghetti and meatballs. Omg fresh and homemade. I have been to many places who advertise homemade meatballs and have always been let down. However JoJo has the real thing."

Buddy's Kitchen

★★★☆☆ 3.4 (29) • $

"Best Po'boy I've ever had! I stumbled across this little gem leaving the parking lot of Walgreens and man, am I happy the food Gods smiled down on me at that time. I wheeled into the parking lot of Buddy's and eagerly opened the door. It's tiny, like 6 tables or so, and welcoming. They have daily specials posted (all looked good) and I decided to feed my shrimp po'boy craving. I LOVE that the cook is right there, behind the counter, working her magic. After a few minutes of smell and sizzle heaven, I was handed a dressed po'boy. First bite, I cried. Happy tears. Biting into crispy bread, then a little mayo, lettuce and tomato and then perfectly cooked shrimp. FLAVOR. Check. TEXTURE. Check. Euphoria. Check."

Mr. Ed's PoBoy Shop And Drinks

★★★★★ 4.9 (13)

"One of the best food joints in NOLA - my goodness! The Poboy are exceptional and tasty. The service is 100% and my family loved all the dishes. The ambiance is a modern diner and it's lively near the main strip. Bring your family here, you'll love it."

Bistro Orleans

★★★★☆ 3.5 (109) • $$

"I found this spot in walking distance of the hotel I was staying at and decided to give it a try despite mixed reviews. Very happy I did! It's cute and quaint and very inviting. I'm writing this review quite some time after visiting so I don't remember the exact day I went, but they had live music and happy hour and it was a great touch! My server was prompt in greeting me and providing suggestions. She also made a meannn Long Island iced tea. The food was fresh and SO yummy! I devoured the gumbo and I am finally a gumbo girl. It's never been my thing but I now love it. I ordered a brownie for dessert and it was good but the menu stated it had walnuts and there were none in mine--only complaint."

Coscino's Italian Grill

★★★★☆ 3.6 (147) • $$

"Ordered for the first time via food delivery service, would definitely order again. The spaghetti is seasoned well. Only comes with one meatball but that meatball is packed with flavor. I throughly enjoyed my lunch!"

Brick Oven Cafe

★★★★☆ 3.8 (196) • $$

"One of the most enjoyable lunches in all my 59.5 years. I ordered the pasta bolognese...and I didn't want to because I've been here before and had the eggplant, which is also stellar. The wonderful server, Tracey, recommended it. The dish was so good my toes curled.In all of North America, in all of the Mediterranean...you may find a server as kind, as dutiful, as wonderful, but none more so. She smiles and acts as if it is a true pleasure to serve. My kind of server at an Italian restaurant. Classy and professional and attentive. Ask for her if you think of it.The setting is so Italian. Even if you did not come in hungry, you would crave Italian cuisine just in the setting alone. The music pairs with it ever so well.The prices are legit as well.This is a must-go-to...stellar food and service and ambience right here in Kenner."

Liuzza's Restaurant & Bar

★★★★☆ 3.7 (269) • $$

"Liuzza's is sooo good! I loved sitting outside and trying the frozen beer in a mug. They have a lot of options for any mood -- Italian, sandwiches, pizza, salads, etc. Will be back!"

Venezia Restaurant

★★★★☆ 3.7 (387) • $$

"Loved loved my experience here! Came here on a Saturday night and it was pretty packed . Make sure you make reservations if not you will be waiting, especially on busy nights. So we started with the fried mozzarella . I also got the cannelloni and then my friend got the shrimp pasta. So so good. Loved the atmosphere. Our waitress Lacey was amazing. She was attentive, kind and great with her recommendations. If you're looking for Italian this is the spot to check out ."

Phil's Oyster Bar & Seafood

★★★★☆ 3.9 (178) • $$

"An awesome hometown, local restaurant in Southdowns! I love this location... very clean, plenty of parking, and great food.We came on a Wednesday night around 6, and we sat right down at one of the high top tables. This gives sports bar vibes with tons of tvs, a bar you can sit at, jerseys on the wall, and booth/high top/table seating. The waitress was fine, she just didn't tell us about the specials on the back of the menu. We hadn't been here before so we didn't know, but we likely would have changed our order for the specials. Anyways, I got the dozens oysters, and they were delicious! My mom got the burger and my dad got the gumbo with tuna appetizer.The food was delicious and came out very fast! Will be back!!"

Vaucresson's Sausage Company

★★★★★ 4.6 (26)

"The "new" space is great, maybe a bit sparse on the decor but the food and service are great. Everyone is so friendly! You'll still see them at all the festivals - every Jazz Fest since inception! - but now you can come here for a meal, or to take home some sausages to cook. I honestly bring these sausages up to my relatives in Wisconsin - sausage capital of the U.S.! They're that good and everyone raves about the quality, texture, flavor, etc.So glad to be able to get great food from great local folks whenever you want. Try all the sauces too!"

Fausto's Bistro

★★★★☆ 4 (141) • $$

"OMG! We loved our server - Damien - who was steppin' and fetchin' in this very busy lunch time spot. Be prepared to be sitting in close but pleasant quarters. Drinks were kept full, food was served hot and quickly, and check out was painless.These are my memories of this meal:1. Bread was yummy.2. House salad dressing is a must and should be bottled and sold.3. Italian sausage and peppers was amazing and was totally consumed.4. Grilled Chicken Aglio was fine, but we took it as leftovers so we could finish off number 3 above.5. A glass of wine and a Bulleit mixed drink were both almost $13 each, but the food prices were reasonable.SO looking forward to our next visit!"

Mr Ed's Oyster Bar - Metairie

★★★★☆ 3.7 (219) • $$

"The menu was plentiful with just about any type of seafood item that you could think of. I settled on the seafood platter, which consisted of fried shrimp, fish and oysters. This may be the second time I've had oysters and I've determined that I'm not a fan. They weren't bad but they're just not my thing. Shrimp and fish were delicious, as were the fries. I accompanied the meal with a salad which was fresh, crisp and delicious. Only had water to drink, but there was a fully stocked bar."

Pizza Art Wine

★★★★☆ 4.3 (73)

"My friends and I had a blast! We went for Galentine's! We ordered the meatballs, salad and Brussels Sprouts! When I tell you the Brussels sprouts were amazing!!! 10//0 must try!! We tried several pizzas and the seafood pasta!! Also amazing! Blueberry lemon drop to accompany ! They have a patio where you can sit and listen to music and the inside was very nice with a bar and beautiful artwork hanging everywhere!! You can see where they make the pizza as well. Our server was very attentive and gave great recommendations! Service was excellent! Will be back!"

The Original Italian Pie

★★★☆☆ 3.4 (64) • $$

"We did a pickup of a large bbq pizza (pizza of the month), large supreme, large pepperoni and a small cheese. Everything was delicious! All fresh made and hot even by the time we got home. Some of the best pizzas we've had in a while."

Ditali's Pizza Cafe

★★★★☆ 3.7 (60) • $$

"One of those places that we have been to many times and never had a bad meal.The salads are always fresh, pizzas are awesome and the pasta dishes are tasty.The service is always on spot, bringing our food in a timely manner and keeping our drinks filled.I definitely recommend this place!!!"

Portobello's Grill

★★★★☆ 3.6 (108) • $$

"We loved our anniversary dinner at Portobello's! My husband had the Five Cheese Lasagna, and I had the Caesar Salad with half chicken, and a small chicken & sausage gumbo. Everything was delish!!! The complimentary bread is to die for! We got the creole cheesecake for dessert & it was so good! Service was excellent as well!"

Napoli's Italian Restauant

★★★★☆ 3.8 (13)

"If you're into amazing Italian food ,then this is the place to eat. Everything is fresh and delicious. I've tried a fewdifferent dishes and all have been great. The portions are big and you always leave full. It's definitely worth a visit you will be back."

Nash's Restaurant

★★★★☆ 3.5 (46) • $$$

"Amazing food with a quaint ambiance! We had the seafood pasta and stuffed fish of the day which was mahi mahi. Both dishes were flavorful and filling. Definitely putting Nash's in our regular rotation."

Ruffino's

★★★★☆ 4 (353) • $$$

"I attended a group dinner here . The atmosphere was nice and the lighting was perfect. The room was a little tight due to our party size. Our server was attentive and knew the group menu well. I enjoyed the fish Katie but the bread pudding stole the show."

Sofia

★★★★☆ 4.4 (562) • $$

"Oh wow. Where to start? Visiting for a conference and decided to check out places nearby. Stumbled upon this gem and fell in love. Ambiance is cozy, service was on point and the food was divine! The crab risotto I still dream about- creamy and luxurious. So good. The pasta was filling and full of flavor and a good kick to it! My coworker got a cocktail and raved about it. Would be a great date spot or after work and just relax and unwind fromThe day spot. I can't remember the name of the dessert I got as I asked the host to surprise me with his favorite- but I did add a picture- it was fantastic. Can't wait to come back and explore the rest of the menu."

Sicily's Ultimate Italian Buffet

★★★☆☆ 3.4 (19) • $$

"Very good location. The staff is friendly and eager to hep. The bar is always fully stocked. The pizza is really good for a buffet. I love that they have other stuff besides pizza. The salad bar is fresh and delicious. The hot food is great. They have flavored coffees and cappuccino for after your meal along with both cold and hot desserts. Wear your stretchy pants!"

Specialty Italian Bistro

★★★★☆ 3.5 (89) • $$

"Specialty Italian Bistro is located on the Westbank of the Greater New Orleans area in Gretna, LA and this area has a lot of restaurants to choose from. They have done a great job updating and upgrading this location which used to be a Kentucky Fried Chicken. This New Orleans Italian Creole restaurant is noted for their great lunch and wine specials which makes it stand out from the many other restaurants in this area. They have a great selection of affordable lunch options in here and unlike many other spots their "specials" are not smaller portions as the serving size here remain VERY generous. They have a lot of traditional Italian options, sandwiches, calzones and salads along with decent pizza. Since this is Louisiana they also have a seafood gumbo on the menu. They also have a decent selection of desserts in here. Overall this is a great value lunch spot to grab an affordable meal and they also are a good dinner location as well.My video review of Specialty Italian Bistro is here:https://youtu.be/MB2XBKiZ7r4"

Pascal's Manale

★★★★☆ 3.6 (681) • $$$

"My father really encouraged us to come here. He had lived here for many years and advised us this was the place. In the maze of rooms we were seated in a smaller room in front, which was nice. It never felt crowded or noisy. Our server Susie eventually came around and was prompt to ask us if we wanted drinks and appetizers and the promise of warm bread. Ultimately their warm bread is bread in a white paper bag. It wasn't warm enough to melt butter. Each table was delivered the same white bag of bread. It really is wasteful to use so many bags when a traditional presentation of warm bread in. basket is more effective. We decided on cocktails and the Combination Remoulade, advertised as crab meat and shrimp topped with golden remoulade sauce and a ring of spicy cocktail sauce. For dinner I gave into the calling for Original Pascal's Barbeque Shrimp, the specialty of the house prepared in a spicy and tangy sauce. My wife had the special, red fish stuffed with crab and shrimp with a spicy cream sauce. It came with steamed veggies. The Combination Remoulade wasn't as promised. It was shrimp and crabmeat on lettuce with their version of remoulade. On the side a plastic dressing container with seafood sauce that wasn't spicy but rather tasted like they had opened a jar and poured it in. My wife liked the remoulade a lot. I thought it was pickle forward and tasted a lot like tartar sauce, which she likes as well. The biggest detractor for this was that the shrimp were not cleaned, the telltale black line down the back of each was still obvious. My wife's fish was nice, and a nice mix of flavors. The spicy element was jalapeño that appeared in small chunks in the cream sauce. Easy for her to avoid, but that telltale grassy taste was evident. On the side she had plain, unseasoned steamed vegetables. Clearly an afterthought since the literally like came out of the steamer and on to the plate without any thought to flavor. For my entree, the flavor of the shrimp sauce was delicious, but tangy is not a word I would use, and absolutely not spicy. Even my wife, a verified spice wimp, would not use the word spicy. The huge bummer here is that they charge you $28 for a plate of shrimp, offer you a bib and a pile of napkins, and bring you a bowl/plate of unprepared shrimp in liquid. Yeah, I knew what I was signing up for and ordered it anyway. I have peeled a lot of shrimp and crawfish in my life and none were this soupy or difficult. Peeling and deveining them all made my meal unappetizing and not worth it. It was tempting to sop up the sauce with bread, but there were so many legs and antenna and, like the remoulade, bits of shell. The thought of carrying that to my mouth on the bread made that much less temptingSo, we have done it. We can check it off the list. We had bbq shrimp at Pascal's Menale. Happy to say I will leave tables for others in the future, I don't need to go back."

Bistro Italia

★★★★★ 4.5 (167) • $$

"Food was amazing, and the portions were huge. I have a lot of dietary restrictions, so I ended up with a salad, which is usually disappointing. But the chicken was so flavorful and cooked so well, that I was extremely happy with my order. The service was amazing. Ambiance was a little meh, but the food made up for it."

Gio's Pizza & Spaghetti House

★★★★☆ 4.1 (85) • $$

"Tried the Gio Special and cannolis to go. It's our new favorite pizza spot. We will be back!"

Randazzo's Family Restaurant

★★★★☆ 3.5 (128) • $$

"Friendly atmosphere. Delicious food, freshly prepared. The soft shell crab is always a winner!"