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New Orleans · Chef's Tables · 2026 Edition

Best Chef's Tables in New Orleans 2026

New Orleans built one of the first kitchen chef's tables in America at Commander's Palace, and the city still does the format better than most. The choices split between the grand old houses, where you sit inside a working kitchen, and the new tasting rooms that arrived with the city's first Michelin stars in late 2025. Six experiences follow, from a four-seat table in the Garden District to a ten-course counter in the Bywater, each with the chef, the number of seats, the course count and the exact way to book the table itself rather than a seat in the main room.

The kitchen at Commander's Palace, Garden District, New Orleans
Photo: Google Places. Commander's Palace in the Garden District, New Orleans.

How chef's tables work in New Orleans

A chef's table here means one of two things. At the historic houses it is a literal table in the kitchen, where you eat in the middle of the action and the menu is built from a conversation with the chef before you arrive. At the newer rooms it is a counter or a tasting suite, a fixed multi-course menu served in front of the pass. Either way, you book it separately from the dining room, so name the chef's table or counter when you reserve. The grand kitchens take the booking by phone and plan around your tastes; the tasting rooms run their seats through a reservation platform. Reserve several weeks out for a weekend, and confirm any deposit at the time.

The list below opens with Commander's Palace and Emeril's, then Restaurant August's tasting room, Restaurant R'evolution's open-hearth counter, Saint-Germain's Michelin-starred counter in the Bywater and Coquette's customised blind tasting. Every name links to its full review. For the wider city, start with the New Orleans dining guide.

The chef's tables

1

Commander's Palace

Haute Creole · Garden District · bespoke kitchen menu

Chef's table: four seats inside the kitchen · Tuesday to Saturday · menu built to your tastes

Commander's Palace, the turquoise Victorian landmark on Washington Avenue since 1893, runs one of the oldest chef's tables in the country: a maroon leather corner banquette for four set inside the working kitchen, between the front dining room and the courtyard. Executive chef Meg Bickford's team builds the menu from a conversation about your likes, dislikes and allergies before you arrive, so no two meals are the same. It is offered Tuesday through Saturday and books well ahead. This is the most storied seat in the city. The right table to mark a New Orleans anniversary in the thick of the kitchen.

2

Emeril's

Contemporary Creole · Warehouse District · two Michelin stars, 2025

Counter: Chef's Food Bar overlooking the kitchen · tasting menu · book direct

Emeril's, the flagship Emeril Lagasse opened on Tchoupitoulas Street in 1990, has been reinvented by his son E.J. Lagasse and earned two Michelin stars in the first American South guide in 2025. The Chef's Food Bar overlooks the open kitchen, the best seat in the house for the multi-course tasting that now defines the room, a modern Creole menu built on Louisiana produce and the family's archive of dishes. Reserve the counter directly and well ahead, since the stars have made it one of the hardest tables in the city. The standout choice to impress clients in New Orleans.

3

Restaurant August

New American-Creole · Central Business District · seven-course tasting

Chef's Tasting Room: seats 12 · customised tasting menu · sommelier pairings

Restaurant August occupies a converted 19th-century tobacco warehouse on Tchoupitoulas Street, all soft light and antique mirrors, and its Chef's Tasting Room seats up to twelve for a customised menu apart from the main dining room. The kitchen runs a seven-course tasting, from snapper crudo to a lavender panna cotta, with the sommelier pairing wines for the table. It is the most elegant private tasting setting on this list, a step removed from the open-kitchen drama of the others. Book the tasting room directly for a group. A polished pick for a New Orleans team dinner or a milestone.

4

Restaurant R'evolution

Modern Cajun-Creole · French Quarter · multi-course chef's tasting

Counter: food counter facing the open-hearth kitchen · book two days ahead · private rooms too

Restaurant R'evolution, the French Quarter collaboration between Louisiana's John Folse and Chicago's Rick Tramonto inside the Royal Sonesta, serves its chef's tasting at a counter that looks straight into the open-hearth demonstration kitchen. The menu is a tour of modern Cajun and Creole cooking, from the famous death-by-gumbo to house-made charcuterie, and it can also be taken at a table or in a private room. The kitchen asks for at least two days' notice for the tasting so the courses are planned. It is the most theatrical seat in the Quarter. Good for a New Orleans birthday built around the fire.

5

Saint-Germain

Modern tasting · Bywater · one Michelin star, 2025

Counter-style tasting: 12 seats · ten-course menu · book online well ahead

Saint-Germain, the intimate Bywater room from chefs Trey Smith and Blake Aguillard, earned one Michelin star in the 2025 American South guide for a ten-course tasting served to just twelve guests an evening. The meal unfolds like a dinner at the chefs' own table, each course precise and personal, set behind a wine bar and a courtyard garden that supplies the kitchen. With twelve seats and a single seating, it is one of the hardest reservations in the city. Book online the moment a date opens. The most refined small-room tasting in New Orleans, fitting for a special first date.

6

Coquette

Contemporary Southern · Garden District · five-course blind tasting

Blind tasting: tables of 2 to 12 · menu changes daily · customised per table

Coquette, chef Michael Stoltzfus's corner bistro on Magazine Street, offers a five-course blind tasting served during dinner with a menu that changes daily and is built for each table after a chat about likes and dislikes. It is not a kitchen counter but a true chef-led experience, open to parties of two to twelve, and the most flexible and affordable way into this format in the city. The cooking is sharp, seasonal and Southern, and the corner room is relaxed rather than formal. Choose it for an adventurous dinner where you hand the kitchen the wheel. A smart pick for a curious group.

Choosing the right table

Match the table to the night. For history and a literal seat in the kitchen, Commander's Palace's four-seat table is the one to book, with its bespoke menu and Garden District grandeur. For a Michelin meal, Emeril's two-star Chef's Food Bar and Saint-Germain's one-star ten-course counter are the city's best, both small and both hard to get. For an elegant private tasting with a sommelier, Restaurant August's twelve-seat room suits a group, and for theatre, Restaurant R'evolution's open-hearth counter in the Quarter delivers. For the most flexible and affordable way in, Coquette's daily blind tasting hands the kitchen the wheel. Across all of them, ask for the chef's table or counter when you book, reserve weeks ahead for weekends, and confirm any deposit. Plan the rest of the trip with New Orleans anniversaries, the best tasting menus worldwide and another city's counters in the best chef's tables in Paris.

Frequently asked questions

Which New Orleans restaurants have a chef's table?

The classics and the new stars both offer one. Commander's Palace seats four at a table inside its working kitchen in the Garden District, and Emeril's runs a Chef's Food Bar overlooking the pass in the Warehouse District. Restaurant August has a 12-seat Chef's Tasting Room, Restaurant R'evolution serves its tasting at a counter facing the open-hearth kitchen, Saint-Germain is a 12-seat counter-style tasting in the Bywater, and Coquette runs a customised blind tasting. See the full New Orleans dining guide for more.

What is the best chef's table in New Orleans?

Commander's Palace has the most storied one, a four-seat table set in the middle of the kitchen where the menu is built from a conversation about your tastes ahead of time, offered Tuesday through Saturday. For a Michelin-recognised meal, Emeril's holds two stars in the 2025 American South guide and serves its tasting at the Chef's Food Bar, and Saint-Germain holds one star for a ten-course counter menu. Book any of them well ahead; the seats are few and the rooms are small.

How do you book a chef's table in New Orleans?

Book directly with the restaurant and ask specifically for the chef's table or counter, since most also have regular dining rooms. Commander's Palace takes the kitchen-table booking by phone and plans the menu around your preferences, while Restaurant R'evolution asks for at least two days' notice for its counter tasting. Emeril's, Restaurant August, Saint-Germain and Coquette take the counter or tasting seats through their reservation platforms. Reserve several weeks ahead for weekend evenings, and confirm any deposit.

How much does a chef's table cost in New Orleans?

It ranges with the format. Coquette's customised blind tasting is the gentle entry, around 80 to 95 dollars for five courses, and Restaurant August's Chef's Tasting Room runs a seven-course menu in the mid-range. The Michelin rooms cost more: Emeril's tasting at the Chef's Food Bar and Saint-Germain's ten-course menu both sit higher, and Commander's Palace's kitchen table is a bespoke experience priced on the menu agreed. Confirm the current price and any wine pairing when you book.

Does Commander's Palace have a chef's table?

Yes, one of the oldest in the country. The Commander's Palace chef's table sits inside the working kitchen of the Garden District landmark, a maroon leather corner banquette for four between the dining room and the courtyard. The kitchen, led by executive chef Meg Bickford, builds the menu from a conversation about your likes, dislikes and allergies before you arrive, and the experience runs Tuesday through Saturday with advance booking. Read the full Commander's Palace review for what to expect.

Keep reading

Plan the rest of the city with the full New Orleans dining guide, or by occasion: New Orleans anniversaries, a New Orleans team dinner and the first date guide. For the rooms above in full, read Emeril's full review, Saint-Germain's full review and Restaurant August's full review. By cuisine, see the best tasting menus worldwide, and for another city's counters, the best chef's tables in Paris.

Chef's-table formats, seat counts and Michelin awards verified against each restaurant's published information and the 2025 Michelin Guide American South in June 2026; prices are confirmed by the venue on booking. Restaurants for Kings is editorial, not sponsored. Some reservation links may earn an affiliate commission, which never affects a ranking or a score.