Emeril's

I live across the street from this beautiful restaurant and yet have never experienced the tasting menu ... although we do frequent the attached wine bar (best martini in the city)! For three hours last night I finally got to experience what a gem this restaurant truly is. We spent the entire evening lamenting the fact that Emeril's had yet to be rated for a Michelin star. Chef EJ and team deserve one. It's that good! There's a full tasting menu with various choices along the way including up charges for certain entrées, an add-on champagne or Caviar experience, plus 3 levels of wine pairings. We went with the tier one wine pairing, and every glass was better than the last, carefully chosen to bring out the flavors of each dish. One of us got the basic tasting menu while the other chose a few of the up charge entrées and we shared. That's the way to go so you can try everything! From beginning to end, each bite was better than the last. Although this is fine dining, the ambience is more whimsical. You are often encouraged to eat with your hands. There are a little treats and surprises all along the way. Shout out to our incredible wait staff, most notably Eli who was like a highly trained conductor steering us through every moment of the meal. Your dinner starts with a kitchen tour and fun photo op. And the best part is that as you enjoy the dishes as they come out one by one by one by one by one, you can watch the incredible culinary staff working through a window into the open kitchen. This is not a meal, it's a full experience and it is not to be missed! I'm only sad it took me this long to get there! I will be back! High points: the silky gumbo, the decadent fois gras, the warm cornbread with tableside butter service, and the iconic New Orleans Hansen's Snoball! Thank you Eli and team.. what a night!!

Dear Emeril and Team,During my recent visit to Emeril's, I saw a painting on the wall that truly moved me. It was of Emeril sitting down, seemingly after a shift, looking tired but deeply dedicated. That image spoke volumes about the hard work, passion, and perseverance he poured into this business--day after day, striving to serve food that brings happiness to people.Seeing that painting reminded me of how fortunate I was to be part of his journey, working for him at NOLA back in 2000. It's inspiring to see what he's built and how the legacy continues with his family. I'm incredibly grateful for the experience and wish him and the team nothing but the very best.Warm regards,Ertugrul Sevtap

Born and raised in NOLA but I haven't lived there in nearly 18 years --- I go back for birthdays and holidays and I always try to take friends and family out to a nice dining experience. I had gone to Emerils about 10 years ago and while the experience was good, it didn't really have that 5 star luxury dining experience that you'd expect at something like Commanders Palace.I decided to try it again, mostly because everything else was booked on late notice and man was I pleasantly surprised at how different the experience was. They apparently remodeled a year or two ago -- the inside looks totally different, and they changed the format of the place to be more prix fixe tasting menu. Emerils (very young) son EJ took over management of the place and had a hand in a lot of the changes. I can't even remember half of the things we ate but some of the ones that stuck out were the single bite poboy, the salmon cheesecake, the spring rolls,the boudin, the seafood gumbo, the quail milton, and the oysters. We got to sit at a table that faced in to the (immaculately clean) kitchen so we can see the 14 chefs working and plating the courses and they even invite folks in to the kitchen to get a feel for what is going on where, and where the food comes from. We could even see Emerils son in there doing his thing in $1800 Chrstian Louboutin shoes.The service was amazing, everyone was super friendly and attentive. The drinks were perfectly made (Reserve Old Fashioned and French 75) They replace utensils between every course, on $1700 Christofle flatware. The only dings I have are the price point -- there was a smaller tasting menu for about $210 per person, and there was the full menu at $370 a person - before drinks. $200 I expect but you really want the $400 one, and despite how great everything was, that is pretty difficult to justify on a regular basis for us, much less for many of the locals. The second dings are super bougie but it is something you'd expect from a place like this - they didn't de-crumb the table after bread dishes, and they didn't offer us dark linens to match our clothing (though I did see them offer another table). We will still stick to Commanders as our default go-to for a great dining experience, but new Emerils is so good and 110% worth checking out at least once for a special occasion , and more if they adjust pricing to be something as palatable as the amazing dishes.

Book Emerils for our last dinner/birthday dinner in Nola and was truly blown away. We didn't expect it to be full on EXPERIENCE. From the moment we sat down, we got free small appetizers right away, a tour of the kitchen and preview of what was going to be served. We opted for the PRESTIGE menu, an 8 course preset menu and it was absolutely amazing. Each course had its own presentation and new plates and utensils. The flavor and fusion of each course was out of this world. My favorite dish was the sweetbreads, but everything was delicious and probably one of the best EXPERIENCE /dinner I have ever had. After dinner, we opted for some cheese and tea, you know its going to be good when they have their own cheese cart. Thank you Jason, our amazing server for a wonder dinner, his knowledge, stories and attention to details was amazing, and also for recommending and introducing us Chartreuse. Thank you to head chef EJ Lagasse for an amazing Experience/8 course menu and one of the best birthday dinner we have ever had.

Great experience, loved the food, cocktails and service. Sat at the bar which was lovely and fun, only ordered a few appetizers and drinks but the vibe was awesome and ended up chatting with people around me the whole night. Will have to come back for the tasting menu, I hear the menu changes regularly so the ceviche I had probably isn't offered anymore. Can't wait to see what's new.

This was my first time going to the restaurant since their renovation. And it's been years since I've dined at emeralds. Tristan, my server was wonderful. My mom and I had done it the bar for the small plates. He will be back to actually do a dine in. So both of the menus that Emma's offer is a tasty menu. You can't just go in there and purchase one Andre unlike most restaurants.

I first visited Chef Lagasse's flagship restaurant (which opened in 1990) when he was still a star on Food Network, when the Warehouse District where it's located was just beginning to gentrify. It was a popular semi-fancy place that had a la carte and tasting menu options. His son E.J. (actually Emeril John Lagasse IV) took over as Chef Patron in 2022 after culinary school and several stints in kitchens around the world, including Le Bernardin in New York. In 2023, Emeril's underwent an extensive renovation, transforming the restaurant into an elegant smaller fine dining/tasting menu only space with a floor-to-ceiling glass walled kitchen as its theatrical stage. A portion of the space became the Wine Bar, which has small plates along with wine and cocktails. The decor, menu, plating, presentation, service, finesse and attention to detail rivals that of Michelin-starred restaurants I've visited in other cities. It was the best meal I had during my New Orleans visit.It seems at first Emeril's offered a few tasting menus, Seasonal and Classic. They have since been fused into one menu with 7 courses, with 3 courses having 2 options/supplements. Plus there were many amuse bouches, optional oyster or caviar starters, an optional cheese course, and of course 2 different wine pairings and a non-alcoholic pairing. Every guest is offered a brief tour of the kitchen, where the evening's proteins and produce are on display and the first of many amuse bouches is offered. The kitchen was as immaculate as a hospital operating room, with the final station where plates are inspected before going out front and centre.Back at the table, 6 amuse bouches were served in 2 flights of 3. All were great, but I remember most vividly the tart with Emeril's famous BBQ shrimp and the tiny beef po'boy. I won't go over every delicious dish, but some of the classics served were the smoked salmon cheesecake, oyster stew, lobster gumbo, SnoBall (a New Orleans version of shave ice) and banana cream pie. You are served cornbread the size and height of a small cake along with house-made butter scraped tableside from a large mound. I also ordered the oysters to start and opted in on the cheese cart, so I was quite stuffed. And then there were 4 mignardises plus a take-home gift bag with a pastry, bottle of cafe au lait, and a printed menu of exactly what you ate and drank. Chef EJ came out and spoke with a few tables, but not to everyone.Chef EJ has clearly brought the practices seen at fine restaurants worldwide into his father's realm and has upped the dining scene in New Orleans accordingly.

For those who are not aware, the restaurant remodeled and reopened late 2023, with a brand new menu that keeps the New Orleans tradition alive while iterating on dishes. I was thoroughly impressed by the entire experience and would highly recommend this place.The kitchen comes by to each table to offer a tour of its inner workings and a showing of the raw ingredients which will be used in the tasting, along with an amuse. Then the food started with THREE courses which are not listed on the menu. Lastly camw the seven course tasting which includes two desserts. The food itself was delicious throughout, with a few standouts including the fish almondine and lobster gumbo.Serivce at Emeril's was also remarkable; servers would carefully fill water glasses and try to anticipate the diners needs constantly. I truly felt taken care of. Overall, this was my favorite meal in New Orleans and a high point in my fine dining experiences of late!

This place is deserving of a Michelin star.Hands down our favorite dining experience in NOLA.The are so hospitable here! We came to celebrate my husband's birthday and we're given a card signed my the team and presented with a special dessert.Our servers were so attentive. The restaurant looks high end with white table cloths and beautiful presentation of each course. Each dish read a unique medley of flavors.We did two different tasting menus. They were able to accommodate my vegetarian diet. We did a wine pairing and were very impressed by how well it paired with each dish.This was a very special experience and we hope to be back!

We reserved at the wine bar because we weren't feeling the tasting menu. Great small plates (best gumbo I had in NOLA) and a Great Wall-o'-wine. Pricey (of course) but worth it.