Brigtsen's Restaurant

This is maybe the best restaurant in New Orleans. It has not quite 10 tables. Chef Brigtsen comes around to greet diners. The food is awesome. I had the seafood platter...not at all what you think it is. There was a filet of redfish topped with shrimp. There was an oyster with spinach. There were 2 scallops prepared differently. There was shrimp cornbread. Oy! My companion had sheepshead that she said was delicious. For dessert we had king cake bread pudding. Oy again!

My wife and I are in town for her birthday and we wanted to try somewhere new that we’ve not been to and found Brigtsen’s off of Eater. I see why it made their “Top of NOLA” list! We were met with the sweetest hostess and then the chef came out and greeted us. When they discovered it was my wife’s birthday, they brought some cute little decorations for the table. We started off with drinks and went into appetizers. The gumbo was very good and the BBQ shrimp were delicious! The catch of the day was striped bass and it was perfectly cooked. The bread service was a warm and very delicious French loaf with whipped butter! Lastly, we finished with their famous pecan pie and it was heavenly! Make sure you have a reservation because this fine dining establishment is located on an old “Shotgun House”. Can’t recommend this place enough!

Writing in from NYC. Because this establishment is such a gem. Lucky that my husband found this through his research for our recent trip to new orleans. This is very very VERY good food. Every single thing we ate was perfect. Nothing crazy "fancy" - truly just good food, thoughtful cooking. Nothing too heavy or too anything. Seriously perfect. I bet everything on the menu is superb... Truly impressed!!!! I will be dreaming about this meal for a long long time. Fried Des Allemands Catfish - PERFECT New Orleans BBQ Shrimp - PERFECT Pan-Roasted Pork Chop - PERFECT Pan-Fried Flounder - PERFECT Pecan Pie - PERFECT And the cocktails, also very very good.

First Time In New Orleans: we decided to do a fancy dinner here and we understood different culture and customs on food so we didn’t have high expectations, but the food was decent very expensive, atmosphere was loud and homey but it was Mardi Gras so, for sure that played a factor in it. Other than that I say one time for the one time honestly.

12-13 years ago, a coworker who's lived here since the early 90s recommended Brigtsens as one of his two favorite restaurants in the city. I can't believe I waited all this time to go. Everything was phenomenal, my wife got the duck which was crispy and delicious, I got the seafood platter and everything hit the right flavor. Everything was good, but the baked scallop and redfish were particularly tremendous. The gumbo was made with a very dark, earthy, fantastic roux, and the pecan pie may be the best I've ever had. Overall the meal is in the running for top 3 in the city, and very well might be #1. The atmosphere is charming (it can be a bit loud, it's a smaller space) and the staff was welcoming and delightful. They each have a genuine personality, not afraid to let you know their opinions. We loved it, and we will be back soon. Make sure to get a reservation, I don't imagine they often have a free table!

New favorite restaurant in New Orleans. We loved this place so much we made reservations for another dinner before we left. Food is simply amazing. Quality of food is exceptional and everything was done to perfection. We loved our waiter. He had great conversation and most importantly we never felt rushed. Dinner was at a great pace. Thank you for a great meal and experience.

Pros: authentic Creole food, everything is freshly cooked, portion sizes are filling without being overly large, excellent service, plenty of parking nearby, delicious dessert Cons: reservations needed, expensive, food is good but not worth it They're inside a shotgun house; it's a tiny venue and you're not at all likely to get a table without reservations, so if you want to eat here make them and make them well in advance. Each party that came in after us was recognized by the proprietor and greeted like old friends. Really, the service was great and you could tell the restaurant was a work of love. That being said, even though the food tasted good, it was nowhere near what I find acceptable for the price; I would have been understanding of that quality food costing $23/plate--still way too expensive, but that's usually what restaurants charge for that level of quality food--but they were charging $40/plate, and it DEFINITELY wasn't worth that. Be warned that their chef's idea of 'medium rare' is what regular people would consider 'seared on the outside, completely raw inside'. Their lemon ice box creme brulee is the best creme brulee I've ever eaten--strongly recommend that. If you've never eaten good Creole, I recommend going here once to at least try it, just be prepared several weeks in advance with reservations and to be disappointed in the flavor to cost ratio.