The Most Scrumptious Latin American in New Orleans

La Macarena Pupuseria & Latin Cafe

★★★★☆ 4.3 (439) • $$

"Cute restaurant. Friendly service. Great food. Has a vegan menu and I tried a few things that were all very good."

Baru Bistro & Tapas

★★★★☆ 4.1 (412) • $$

"I've had Baru on my radar forever and finally checked it out and glad I did. Service was friendly and efficient. The food was very good although I'd prefer if some of the items came with a spicy cream sauce vs just a chili based oil sauce. The avocado salad had only 1 sliver of avocado. Glasses of wine were super skimpy. Seemed like 4 ounce pours. The ceviche was very good. The empanadas while simple the crust was amazing. The shrimp dish was classically prepared but appreciate they were ready to eat. But beyond my nitpicky comments I enjoyed the overall experience and will be back. I'll just order a bottle of wine to avoid the skimpy pours."

Mayas

★★★★☆ 3.9 (331) • $$

"Beautiful, light-filled ambiance with lots of colorful art. Really strong service. Johana was friendly, attentive and quick.Food was amazing. Huge portions! Lovvvveeeedddd the tortilla soup. The sweet plantains and original guacamole have me dreaming of having them again. Highly recommend!"

Santa Fe

★★★★☆ 3.7 (336) • $$

"YUM. came for brunch. $1 mimosas ($2 double mimosas) and $3 bloody Mary's. Literally cannot beat that. And the food was yummy!!! Came out quick. The place was so cute. Lots of outdoor seating if the weather is nice. Great location near the fairgrounds."

NolaNica

★★★★★ 4.8 (176) • $$

"We were in the New Orleans area last weekend, and decided to try NolaNico for the first time. It's not a large place, and it was pretty packed at lunch time. It looks like they are working to expand into the space right next to them, which should at least double their space, which based on how busy they were and how many "to go" orders were picked up while we were there, is a good thing.The staff were friendly and wanted to make sure that we were happy with our meal. They apologized because there wasn't an empty table, but I told them that we'd just try to "crash" one of the tables with what appeared to be a mother and daughter. She seemed happy that we didn't mind doing that. We asked to share a table with the ladies, and found that they were visiting from out of town as well. It turned out that the women were originally from Nicaragua, so we were able to get their input on the authenticity of the food. We enjoyed We decided to share the Fritanga and a Nacatamal. Everything was fresh made, so service wasn't immediate, but we don't mind waiting a little bit for good food. While we waited, we observed a number of other dishes go by, all of which looked and smelled delicious. Our food arrived, and the Nacatamal is HUGE. Not being sure of what to expect, we cut into it, and found a variety of meats and veggies. Each area of the Nacatamal had a different flavor because of the different items in each area of it. It's not like a regular tamale at all, but we thoroughly enjoyed it. The Fritanga gave us a taste of a wide variety of Nicaraguan foods. Everything was absolutely awesome and cooked to perfection. Our tablemates confirmed that the food was authentic and very well cooked. All in all, we were very pleased and will absolutely try them again when in the area. If you are near the New Orleans airport, it's just down the road and worth a stop!"

Empa Taco

★★★★★ 4.5 (99) • $

"What a great little gem! This place is amazing!! Everything here is super tasty!! The birria tacos are delicious!!"

Coco Hut

★★★★☆ 4.3 (99) • $$

"The smells coming out of this place was calling me. I was already looking for a bite to eat, and that awesome aroma made it easy. I was not disappointed at all. I opted for the spicy jerk chicken. The lady preparing the food asked if I was sure I wanted spicy because it was not the typical American spicy. I opted in to take the plunge. My nose did run, yes. However, the flavors of the chicken were intense and good. So the spiciness was worth it.  It was served with plantains, green salad,  yellow rice, and cabbage, all of which were good. The lady taking my order and the lady preparing the food were both dynamic. They provided excellent customer service."

Tito's Ceviche & Pisco

★★★★★ 4.7 (73)

"Absolute top of the line experience - in its humble Peruvian abode. The Pupo a la Parrilla was finger licking good.The service was friendly and BILINGUAALL. And if you're ever interested in their special events every month, check out my photo below!"

Tia Maria’s Kitchen

★★★★☆ 4.4 (65)

"I'm visiting New Orleans and trying to check out a variety of places while I'm here and came across Tia Maria's. Since I've never had Honduran food before, I figured I'd give it a try. I was easily able to find parking, we got seated right away, and our waiter was so attentive and helpful explaining anything on the menu. I got the papusa sandwich with plantains and my husband got the liver and onions. Hands down the best meal of the trip, and possibly the best meal I've had at a restaurant in a long time. We were so full, but still wanted to try the desserts, so we got some flan and tres leches to go. I will for sure be telling any friends who visit NOLA to check it out."

Los Catrachos

★★★★☆ 3.8 (83) • $

"Value and taste are amazing. You're not there for stellar service or beautiful ambiance.The best balleadas in the city. I will update this review if I find one better! Try the fajitas. Very flavorful."

Baleadas Express

★★★★☆ 4.4 (59) • $$

"The fact that you can drive through and get some of the best food is soooo exciting! So many neat treats line the countertops. The food is delicious. I called in and placed my order while whipping around the drive through. They are pretty fast. I would not expect to find this tucked away behind Home Depot!"

Nacho Kat

★★★★☆ 4.4 (39) • $$

"I'm updating to add some photos of the food as promised AND because you need to see the food! It's so incredible. We have been back a few more times already. I want to emphasize that I often find that sometimes you get better food when you eat in than to go at some places. At least in my opinion. That is not true at Nacho Kat. Our orders to go are every bit what we would get dining in. My partner got the Parilladas on a recent visit. He loved them! So much variety and it was all delicious! I tasted it all as well. He kept saying, you need to taste how good this is. Ha ha.., As usual, everyone working there are so helpful and incredibly nice. On our last visit, we had been out later after work, running errands. I looked at my partner and noted it was Taco Tuesday at Nacho Kat, but it was getting close to their closing time. We arrived about 5-10 mins before close and I ran in and asked if it was too late to place an order for tacos and they said no problem. We were the last people out with our to go order after their close time. Our order was delicious as every other time. Such great customer service. They care that their customers always have quality food. As usual, the dining area was spotless and the casual conversation with one of their new employees while we waited for our order was awesome! It was her first day and she did a great job! Look at this amazing food! Are you on your way yet?!"

Centroamericana Restaurant

★★★★☆ 4.3 (34) • $$

"RECOMMENDED BY THE OWNER OFthe best authentic Mexican/Latino restaurant below Canal. In particular the combo plate is her favorite. Cracklins, pork, beef, plantains, fried cheese, rice and beans...are just a sample of the bounty (see my pic).THE LOCATION...is one of the most unpretentious I have ever visited. Not only is it on a lonely stretch of Hessmer, blank and industrial but just blocks from Lakeside Mall, it is also wedged into the side of a ranch style office duplex. But step inside and this restaurant is a gem."

El Sabor De Mi H

★★★★★ 4.7 (26)

"100% recommended!! Food was FRESH and delicious. I had the Mexican tacos, they were stuffed with one of the best carne asadas I've ever had. My husband had the baleada and it was also super tasty. The tortillas are homemade and that totally makes a difference. If you want legit tacos, this is a place that you must try. We will definitely come back!"

Victoria’s Latin Restaurant

★★★★★ 4.9 (22)

"Delicious Central American food! Absolutely massive portions. Plan accordingly! Lots of space to sit in and park."

El Rinconcito

★★★★☆ 3.6 (34) • $

"I don't understand why this place has such bad reviews.I went here with a group of about 15 and we received very good customer service. They put together tables for us and tried to meet our needs to their best ability. Sure, they got two of the orders mixed up, but it was one server for a large group of people who had been drinking.As for the food, I had two tacos. The pastor and asada. They were delicious. And cheap ($2 tacos). Reminded me of the taco carts in Portland, although those are even cheaper at $1.50/taco. Most people sitting near me got tacos but someone got a quesadilla and she seemed to enjoy her food.I agree with Emerson J. If you go here knowing what you want, you will be fine. Don't expect the servers to give you a fancy explanation for the dishes on the menu."

La Cocina de Karla

★★★★☆ 3.9 (26) • $$

"In terms of Latin American cuisine, no place makes you feel more like you have walked into a Central American kitchen than this one. I decided to try food from the cafeteria style buffet area. No, it's not an all you can eat buffet. Just cafeteria style line. Anyways, you've got to get outside of your comfort zone and just order what looks good. I had the stewed tripe with carrots and potatoes, Rice and beans, cabbage, chiccarones, and corn tortillas. It was so good. My wife got the Honduran tacos. They were a combo of pork and chicken rolled in flour tortillas and fried. They were topped with pickled red onions, jalapeños, cabbage, and some sort of sauce that had a sweetness to it. Well worth every bite. We also shared an order of papusas which were filled with beans and cheese. It came with a side of pickled cabbage, onions, jalapeños, and a pepper sauce. Yes we ordered a lot and yes we ate a lot. Am I upset that I ate so much? Hell no I'm not. That stuff was amazing. Hell, I wish I was hungry again because I would eat more right now."

Cafetomas

★★★★★ 4.9 (12)

"Everything was exquisite! My friends and I had the Jibarito. A sandwich with two huge fried plantains instead of bread! The sandwich itself was delicious with beef or chicken and a yummy sauce. The three of us devoured our tostones sandwiches as if we had never eaten anything better. I had a cortado, better than the ones I had in Miami, plus it was in a large cup. I may not sleep tonight! Can't wait to go back and try the rest of the menu. The prices are very reasonable! I definitely recommend this restaurant. Have to add that the service was delightful and the place airy, with lots of windows. All in all a lovely place to enjoy a delicious meal with friends or by yourself!"

Los Catrachos

★★★☆☆ 3.1 (29) • $

"Stumbled upon this place last friday... Came in again Saturday. The food was good. First night I had one "baleada de chorizo con todo" and another "baleada de salchicha con todo" for about $7! (Enough for two--I was hungry) The next night I had carne asada, also good. Beef was exceptionally good.I gave it 4 stars but really deserves 3.5. The flour tortillas that wrapped the baleadas weren't slightly chewy and I can that it came from refrigerated dough. It would break like store bought pita bread. Then the corn tortillas from Saturday weren't evenly flattened and not fully cooked.Dispite all that, they get credit for being a step closer to perfection and are a step above 90% of latin restaurants that are mediocre enough to still be serving bagged, store bought, premade tortillas.Also ... Like most Honduran restaurants, service is friendly but not the best and unprotocalled. Make sure when you walk in, grab a menu, sit down wherever you want. Once you know what you want wave the waitress and go "tsssh-tsssh-tssshhh... señorita" in a loud, noticeable but friendly manner. Smile if you must.Point at whatever you want and specify the item. The simpler your order, the better off you'll be. A common mistake by proprietors of Honduran restaurants (this Included) is that the menu too vast. Whereas in Honduras, most of the best cuisines are specialty street vendors.Why do I know this?Aside from being born in Honduras, I've spent four straight years after Katrina living there.Anyways, try the place out. I think its fairly priced, clean, better than most I've tried."

Las Carnitas

★★★★☆ 3.9 (16) • $$

"As far as I know this is the only Peruvian restaurant in NOLA. Very little English is spoken here but they do have a picture menu for those not well versed in Spanish. They don't have iced tea and I attempted to order a Topo Chico mineral water but instead I received a plastic bottled water so I assumed they didn't have it until I saw it in their case. The food is pretty good and there are some things that are a bit different than anything I've had before so this is certainly an interesting spot to check out for a little something different. They do some nice things with potatoes here. If you can find a friend that speaks Spanish you will probably have a better experience here. They do take credit cards here."

Las Delicias Restaurant

★★★★☆ 3.8 (16) • $$

"This place is kind of a trip. I came here not really knowing what I was getting into: there is no menu online and I was just getting food here based on Yelp reviews. It was a Friday night and I wanted some take out, so I decided this was as good a night as any for an adventure.So, I stopped in and they are blasting merengue/salsa music. I get it: it's Friday night- time to party. The waitress handed me a menu and I knew right then this place was legit- the menu is completely in Spanish. I noticed they had a Cuban sandwich, so I pointed to it (the waitress didn't speak English very well) and I gave her the signal for "to go" and I sat and waited. The food came out pretty quickly and I was on my way.I got home and dug into the sandwich. WHOA! Okay, this is pretty delicious. This isn't what I would call a "classic" Cuban, but it was delicious shredded pork and cheese on pressed bread, so I was pretty happy. The sandwich was really big and came with a side a fries; it was a total steal at $9.If I'm being honest, if I was dining in, the music would have been a little much for me. It's a small place and it was blasting, but hey- run your business how you want. I was really happy with my take out experience and I would absolutely stop back in and get that sandwich again."

El Sándwiche

★★★★★ 4.8 (9)

"First time here and it's located inside of a store. The service was good and my partner and I were immediately greeted when we entered. The seating area is small and had about 4 tables. It's better for takeout in my opinion. We ordered the Cuban and the carne asada sandwich. My carne asada sandwich was good and had a decent about of meat. The Cuban was just ok because the pulled pork inside was a little dry.I feel like the price was a little steep for the size of the sandwiches without any sides like a bag of chips or even a pickle. But there also aren't a lot of places where you can order a Cuban sandwich. We would try again if we're in the area but probably would not visit as a weekly lunch spot."

Mi Rinconcito Latino

★★★★☆ 4.4 (9)

"Service was nice. Food was GREAT which was unexpected! We got a bistec and a grilled chicken, we will definitely go back soon."

Casa Honduras

★★★☆☆ 2.7 (22) • $$

"It's been quite a while since we ate here. I think last Fall. I didn't write a review about it because, in all honesty, it wasn't that memorable. I got the bistake and it was ok, Waaay too tough, but the flavor was ok. The pickled red onions were fantastic. But nothing stands out about this place at all. It would make a great spy because you could look at it 10 times and not really notice much about it. The Girly doesn't even remember what she had, it was just that...meh. So while I don't hate this place, I don't see a reason to visit again."

Super Latino Mini Market

★★★★☆ 3.8 (10)

"This is a really cool market! They have all sorts of pastries, cowboy hats, boots, sombreros, authentic cuisine, groceries, bottled soda pop, and a full bar! You can also send money orders here- the food is fantastic and very reasonably priced-My sweet friend, Danny , works here and is most helpful!"

EmpaTaco

★★★★☆ 4 (8)

"Service: got it to goFood: queso cheese fries w/chicken. Delicious. Wish they would drain the pico a little before putting it on top. Colombian empanadas were so good. Arepa trio: was good I will be going again. The food and prices were great. This is definitely a hidden gem in Kenner"

Pupuseria El Buen Gusto

★★★☆☆ 3.1 (7) • $

"Tucked behind the abysmal Los Tres Amigos, is a little family run pupuseria. The girly felt like some Huevo Rancheros (Which is odd since she doesn't like beans and rice or poached eggs).I ordered some pupusas mixed (pork cheese and beans). Before we ordered, the lovely girl waiting tables brought us the normal chips and salsa...but these weren't normal. The chips tasted home made and the salsa had no cilantro in it. BOTH things make me happy since cilantro tastes like soap to me.They roast their chilis and make it in house and it's smoky, a little warming and very tasty. She brought us out more salsa when we ran out, no charge.On to the food.My pupusas didn't look like much when she brought them out. Two pancake like items (In case you don't know what a pupuas is) and a cup of shredded cabbage and some more salsa.I slopped the cabbage and salsa on top and went to town. SO good. The flavors were great and the cabbage gave it a great crunch and texture. The salsa was different than the earlier salsa and matched really well.And while I was envious of the food on the girly's plate, by the time I got through my pupusas, I was full. NOT knowing that would happen, I had ordered a third one. By the time it got to the table, I was pretty full.The girly's plate was LARGE. A big mound of rice and beans that were more like cuban styled beans and rice and not the refried mush and slumpy rice you normally get in Mexican restaurants.The poached eggs, she put on top of the rice and broke open, letting the rich yolk drizzle down the sides (Did I mention she doesn't like yolks usually either?). She topped that with the creme (like sour cream) and then her salsa. She devoured it all. Plus some darned tasty plantains.In a city where it's so hard to find good Latin foods, this not only shines, but it's inexpensive as all heck. GOTryPay me a finder's fee. :)"