Restaurants of Riverbend

While much of New Orleans rebuilds, some more fortunate areas were spared much of the wind and all of the water damage from Hurricane Katrina. Carrollton/Riverbend is one such neighborhood, although it’s only blocks from areas that were inundated with several feet of standing water. Within weeks after the storm, amid highly visible and heavily armed National Guard troops, residents returned to start their lives again.

Many of these residents were business owners operating the myriad of restaurants, ice cream shops, coffeehouses, bakeries, bubble teahouses, sandwich shops, and bars and music clubs. As a point of reference, pre-K there was no less than 29 restaurants in a 7-block radius of Oak Street and Carrollton Avenue, and 87 establishments within 1 mile. Post K, many have restaurants and reopened, some have not, but some new eateries have joined the scene. The latest count is 48 within approximately a 10-block radius. This list also includes coffeehouses that serve anything other than pastries as well as nightclubs that provide food.

OAK STREET

Gelato Pazzo Caffé (lunch, dinner)
8115 Oak Street
504-304-6908
Light lunches and quick snacks, with Panini (sandwiches) using imported cheeses, Italian and domestic cured meats, and local vegetables and pressed on imported Italian grills. Also serves salads with greens, grilled meats, and vegetables with homemade dressings.

Jacques-Imo Café (dinner)
8324 Oak Street
504-861-0886
Roasted boneless quail stuffed with mushrooms and foie gras mousse and wrapped in Nimen Ranch bacon, served with a brown sauce of mushrooms and cranberries; alligator and sausage cheesecake; a range of dishes like the spicy Cajun bouillabaisse; their version of blackened redfish; paneed rabbit; and fried chicken.

Mockingbird Bakery and Café (breakfast and lunch) closed
8128 Oak Street
504-729-8964
Sandwiches, quiche, roasted soups, salads, coffees, teas, juices and cider, and soda fountain drinks. Also, pastries, pies, and breads.

Ninja (lunch, dinner)
8433 Oak Street
504-866-1119
A long list of sushi rolls includes the Rainbow Roll and anything featuring salmon or tuna, and the Ninja Dinner of edamame, gyoza dumplings, seaweed salad, and a choice of sushi rolls.

Oak Street Café (breakfast, lunch)
8140 Oak Street
504-866-8710
Breakfast have donuts, pancakes with pecans, or Creole spinach egg nests, with lunches of meatball po-boys and fish tacos.


Squeal Bar-B-Q (lunch, dinner, late night)
8400 Oak Street
504-302-7370
St. Louis ribs; hickory smoked meats to include port brisket, chicken, and sausage; 1/2 lb. hamburgers; and sandwiches that include smoked meats and chicken breast. Sides include corn maque choux, coleslaw, baked beans, collard greens, potato salad, macaroni and cheese, and roasted corn cheese grits. Desserts include fruit cobbler and warm brownie.

Station 8801 (lunch, dinner, bar)
8801 Oak Street
504-861-9293
Burgers, sandwiches, and salads as well as steak, tuna and charbroiled oysters.

DANTE STREET

Brigtsen’s (brunch, dinner)
723 Dante Street
504-861-7610
Menu includes slow-roasted duck with corn bread dressing and honey pecan gravy, pan roast venison, rabbit, Gulf fish, autumn vegetables, and the Rebuild New Orleans Seafood Platter of broiled, grilled, baked, and sauté ed seafood.

Dante’s Kitchen (dinner, weekend brunch)
736 Dante Street
504-861-3121
Brunch presents a house-made bread plate with orange and cranberry, mocha, and banana pecan breads. Entrées include debris and poached eggs, corned beef, grilled shrimp and grits, eggs Benedict, seafood cakes, pecan pancakes, bread pudding French toast, and vegetable and seafood omelets. There also are grilled chicken, shrimp and crabmeat salads, as well as ham brie, grilled Gulf fish, and chicken salad sandwiches. Dinners include a variety of appetizers from duck confit, escargot, and pumpkin soup to a paté plate, barbeque shrimp, and mussels. Entrées include redfish, tenderloin filets, goose cassoulet, Gulf fish, roasted duck breast, pork loin roast, seared scallops, roasted chicken, fish amandine, and a vegetable plate.

SOUTH CARROLLTON AVENUE

Bangkok Thai (dinner)
513 South Carrollton Avenue
504-861-3932
Spicy classic dishes made either with tofu or shrimp, a number of curry dishes including the puff pie noodles with curry-smothered chicken, and a Happiness Tray that includes an assortment of appetizers.

Basil Leaf Thai (dinner)
1438 South Carrollton Avenue
504-862-9001
Contemporary Thai cooking such as grilled chicken coconut soup, basil chicken, and sauté ed chicken, onions, vegetables, and mushrooms with jasmine rice.

Café Nino (lunch, dinner)
1510 South Carrollton Avenue
504-865-9200
New York-style thin-crust pizza, hard on the bottom, with basic ingredients. Italian dishes like baked ziti, spaghetti, various meat and pasta combinations, calzones, and sandwiches such as chicken and meatball subs, and Philly cheese steak sandwiches comprising thinly sliced beef grilled with peppers, onions, and provolone cheese on a long bread.

Camellia Grill (breakfast, lunch)
626 South Carrollton Avenue
504-866-9573
Omelettes, burgers, sandwiches, and an assortment of pie a la mode.Chef’s Corner, The710 South Carrollton AvenuePrime rib, New York Strip, fish and seafood, blackened chicken, and sandwiches, po-boys, and salads.

China Orchid (lunch, dinner)
702-04 South Carrollton Avenue
504-865-1428
Pot stickers and pepper steak; egg drop soup; moo goo gai pan; crab Rangoon; General Tso’s Chicken.

Cooter Brown’s (lunch, dinner, bar)
509 South Carrollton Avenue
504-866-9104
Fried seafood, burgers, wings, grilled alligator sausage, and sandwiches with an oyster bar.

Granada (lunch, dinner)
1506 South Carrollton Avenue
504-865-1612
Hot, cold, and vegetarian topas, soups, and salads. Also, paella, lamb chops and shank, duck confit, Moroccan lamb tajine, and sea scallops.

Jazmine (lunch, dinner)
614 South Carrollton Avenue
504-866-9301
504-866-7301
Spicy, stir-fried rice noodle dish and many other dishes and egg rolls.

Curry Corner (lunch, dinner)
1200 South Carrollton Avenue
504-861-9033
Indian cuisine ready to eat and served to order.

La Madeleine (breakfast, lunch, dinner)
601 South Carrollton Avenue
504-861-8661
504-861-8662
Breads and pastries plus cafeteria-style service of salads, sandwiches, and meats and vegetable combinations cooked in puff pastries, like the chicken and mushroom Friand.

Lebanon Café (lunch, dinner)
1506 South Carrollton Avenue
504-862-6200
Lentil soup and Greek salad, with entrees of rosemary lamb chops, featuring a pound of seasoned lamb grilled and served with a mixed salad, hummus, and grilled onions and tomatoes.

Louisiana Pizza Kitchen (lunch, dinner)
615 South Carrollton Avenue
504-866-5900
Gourmet pizzas salads, pita wraps, calzones, and pasta dishes. Chicken Marsala features roasted chicken with Roma tomatoes, red onions, and mushrooms in a wine and pesto cream sauce, served over fettuccine and topped with parmesan cheese.

Mona’s Café & Deli (lunch, dinner)
1120 South Carrollton Avenue
504-861-8175
Gyro plates and sandwiches, freshly baked pita bread, fried kibby, fresh hummus, chicken shawarma, stuffed grape leaves, hummus, fried kibbeh, shrimp kebabs, and catfish plates. Some locations even have an international grocery with items like Jordan almonds, olives, pomegranate molasses and orange blossom water.

O’Henry’s (lunch, dinner)
634 South Carrollton Avenue
504-866-9741
American classics such as burgers and a steak and shrimp platter.

Rue De La Course (breakfast, lunch, coffeehouse)
1140 South Carrollton Avenue
504-861-4343
Pastries, croissants, cakes, biscotti, and cookies other offerings such as sandwiches with a choice of dark black forest and seven grain breads, meats like roast beef, turkey, or chicken salad, and a range of toppings like peppers, tomatoes, lettuce, and sprouts with a choice of cheeses.

Saltwater Grill (lunch, dinner)
710 South Carrollton Avenue
504-324-6640
Raw or charbroiled oysters, blackened redfish with lemon butter, potatoes and vegetables, or the grilled rib-eye steak. Lunch has a selection of po-boys, including fried seafood varieties, hamburgers, and grilled chicken.

Subway (lunch)
1332 South Carrollton Avenue
504-865-7860
Made-to-order sub sandwiches.

OFF CARROLLTON

Carrollton Station (lunch, dinner, bar)
8140 Willow Street
504-865-9190
Sandwiches, burgers, and fried appetizers as well as shrimp etouffee, spaghetti and meatballs, and seafood platters.

Hana Japanese Restaurant (lunch, dinner)
8116 Hampson Street
504-865-1634
Japanese cuisine from sushi and sashimi to bento box specials with teriyaki, tempura, and soups with udon noodles in broth or soba noodles. For dessert, mochi or chilled rice cakes.

Boucherie (lunch, dinner)
8115 Jeannette Street
504-862-5514
Crispy duck Confit, blackened shrimp and grit cake, boudin balls, steamed mussels, smoked black angus beef brisket, pulled pork cake with potato confit, jerked duck breast, grilled wahoo and fried pickeled okra, smoked scallops with German potato salad, hummus stuffed baby eggplant with grilled squash, house-made fudge farms bacon brownie, Thai chili chocolate chess pie. Sandwiches and salads also available.

Mat & Naddie’s Café (lunch, dinner)
937 Leonidas Street
504-861-9600
Grilled salmon with pearl barley and Romano risotto or venison medallions with wild rice pancakes, braised red and white cabbage, and apple demiglace. Weekday lunch buffets feature salads, pastas, meats, cheeses, and soups.

One (dinner)
8132 Hampson Street
504-301-9061
Char-grilled oysters with Roquefort, duck and okra gumbo with homemade boudin, pan-seared rainbow trout, and grilled beef tenderloin.

Pepperoni’s (lunch)
8120 Hampson Street
504-865-0336
Pizza, pasta, calzones, wraps, and po-boys.

Refuel Café (breakfast, lunch)
8124 Hampson Street
504-872-0187
Traditional breakfasts, omelets, Belgian waffles, cereals, coffees, and white, green, and red Octavia teas. Lunch and dinner include crispy crab cake salad with avocado, butter lettuce, and citrus aioli or the Refuel Club sandwich: roast beef, turkey, caramelized onions, and cheddar cheese.

Sara’s (lunch, dinner)
724 Dublin Street
504-861-0565
Creole and Asian cuisine such as pepper-crusted pork chops, honey-ginger scallops, or Malaysian steamed mussels in a garlic white wine broth.

La Macarena Pupuseria & Latin Café (lunch, dinner)
8120 Hampson Street
504-862-5252

Hand slapped pupusas and Latin American food. Soups, salads, pupusas, enchiladas, garlic shrimp, tamales, sweet fried plantains, carne asada, yuca frita, flan, organic tropical drinks.

ST. CHARLES AVENUE

Vincent’s Italian Cuisine (dinner)
7839 St. Charles Avenue
504-866-9313
Neighborhood-style Italian café serving home-style Creole-Italian, such as eggplant sandwich, Artichoke Vincent with crawfish and shrimp, veal meatballs on garlic toast, corn and crab bisque en croute, veal cannelloni in a crepe, soft shell crab with tomato garlic sauce, panneed fish, crab cream sauce, garlic chicken, and braciolone.

MAPLE STREET

Babylon Café (lunch, dinner)
7724 Maple Street
504-314-0010
Focaccia-type Iranian bread, hummus and labna, and sandwiches such as roasted eggplant with roasted garlic, olive oil, feta and onions; chicken shawarma; and gyros. Mint and sage teas.

Bruno’s Tavern (lunch, dinner, bar)
7583 Maple Street
504-861-7615
Menu includes Boudreaux cheese fries made with sweet potato fries smothered with roast beef debris, gravy, and blue cheese all broiled with golden raisins and spiced pecans.


Ciro’s Coté Sud (dinner)
7918 Maple Street
504-866-9551
Classic French cuisine featuring escargots, mussels, baked oysters, and pate for appetizers. Onion soup and a wide selection of salads. Salmon, Cornish hen, duck breast, rack of lamb, pork chops, shrimp, and baked lasagna. Meat, cheese, and vegetable pizzas.

Favori Deli & Grocery (lunch)
7507 Maple Street
504-866-8140
A neighborhood deli with po-boy sandwiches and a few dishes like jambalaya.

Figaro’s (dinner)
7900 Maple Street
504-866-0100
Appetizers include stuffed mushrooms and Figaro’s Terrine; salads include Caesar and mixed greens; and entrees include penne sherried chicken, mussels, pasta primavera, lasagna, ravioli, grilled salmon, and veal. There’s also a large selection of standard pizzas such as a vegetarian and a marinara; gourmet pizzas include the Neapolitan, shrimp and cilantro, tomato basil, spinach, smoked salmon, and Italian sausage.

Fresco’s Café and Pizzeria (lunch, dinner)
7625 Maple Street
504-862-6363
Pizza; chicken portobello stromboli with chicken, mozzarella, portobello mushrooms and a spicy red pepper sauce; and veggie wraps filled with hummus, roasted eggplant, peppers, spinach, red onions, sun-dried tomatoes, feta, and kalamata olives.


Fresco’s Café and Pizzeria
7638 Maple Street
504-247-7912

GB’s Patio Bar and Grill (lunch, dinner, bar)
8117 Maple Street
504-861-0067
Fresh-ground hamburgers, baked potatoes, rib eyes, grilled or blackened fish, and salads.

Jamila’s (dinner)
7808 Maple Street
504-866-4366
Tunisian and Mediterranean cuisine includes crawfish, zucchini, and spinach bisque; briks; and phyllo dough stuffed with potatoes, parsley, onions, and shrimp or tuna; lamb; and couscous dishes for vegetarians.

Maple Street Café (lunch, dinner)
7623 Maple Street
504-314-9003
A mix of Italian, Creole, and continental cooking, with some Middle Eastern influence to include veal chop stuffed with prosciutto and fontina cheese, panneed with a crumby crust and moistened with a demi-glace-based sauce with mushrooms, red snapper with crabmeat, eggplant cake with a topping of a cream sauce with crabmeat, stuffed shrimp in phyllo pastry, pasta filet mignon with portobellos, salmon roasted inside a skin of phyllo pastry with a thin filling of spinach and feta cheese, and grilled fish with fresh spinach and an herb sauce.

You Gurt (lunch)
7638 Maple Street
504-304-8432
Frozen yogurt, bubble tea, hummus, spinach and artichoke dip, edamame, grilled trianbles, soups, salads, pizza po-boys, wraps, and sandwiches.

Vera Cruz (lunch, dinner) closed
7537 Maple Street
504-866-1736
Specializes in both Mexican and Cuban cuisine such as Guadalajara enchiladas and ropa vieja.

OFF MAPLE

Café Freret (breakfast, lunch, dinner)
7329 Freret Street
504-861-7890
Chef’s voodoo burger is a half pound of ground chuck with sauté ed onions and mushrooms smothered in the house “bomb” sauce and topped with bacon, provolone and fixings. New Orleans steakbomb is a portion of tender shaved steak with Swiss cheese, onions, mushrooms, and bell peppers on toasted French bread.

Chill Out Café (breakfast, lunch)
729 Burdette Street
504-872-9628
Crawfish, seafood, and ham omelets; waffles; pancakes; soups; and tuna, chicken, salmon, or shrimp house salads. Various Thai dishes with seafood, beef, and chicken, fried calamari, spring rolls, and an assortment of noodle dishes.

Philip’s Bar and Restaurant (dinner, bar)
733 Cherokee Street
504-865-1155
Finger food for those who want a snack with a beer, but also pizza such as chicken pesto and Thai chicken.


COFFEEHOUSES

PJ’s
7624 Maple Street
504-866-7031

Rue de la Course
1140 South Carrollton Avenue
504-861-4343

Starbucks
7700 Maple Street
504-864-0411

Z’OTZ
8210 Oak Street
504-861-2224

SWEET SHOPS

Baskin Robbins
706 South Carrollton Avenue
504-861-3342

Cherry On Top
7712 Maple Street
504-861-4490

Cold Stone Creamery
624 South Carrollton Avenue
504-218-8900

Cool Up Town
8108 South Carrollton Avenue
504-861-0202

Pazzo Gelato
8115 Oak Street
504-304-6908

Queen of the Ball
8116 Oak Street
504-430-5718

You Gurt
7638 Maple Street
504-304-8432

Coming Soon!
Schools
Churches
Yoga Studios
Day Spas