Head-to-Head · New Orleans
Bayona vs N7
Two New Orleans rooms: Bayona for Susan Spicer's French Quarter classics, N7 for an unmarked Bywater garden — book Bayona for ease.
The Verdict
Bayona is the established one. Susan Spicer opened it with Regina Keever in 1990 inside an 1830s cottage at 430 Dauphine Street in the French Quarter, and her globally minded cooking, the cream of garlic soup and the smoked-duck sandwich have anchored the menu ever since. Spicer holds a James Beard Award for Best Chef Southeast, the room runs at three dollar signs, and the candlelit courtyard is one of the Quarter's best. It scores 8 for food and 8 for atmosphere.
N7 is the discovery. Filmmaker Aaron Walker and chef Yuki Yamaguchi built this 24-seat French-Japanese bistro behind a tall fence at 1117 Montegut Street in the Bywater, with no visible sign, a lantern-lit garden, and a menu of can-to-table seafood and bistro plates against one of the deepest wine lists in the Ninth Ward. It also runs at three dollar signs, but scores higher on the experience, with 8.8 for food and 9.5 for the room.
Scores, Side by Side
| Score | Bayona | N7 |
|---|---|---|
| Food | 8 / 10 | 8.8 / 10 |
| Atmosphere | 8 / 10 | 9.5 / 10 |
| Value | 7 / 10 | 8.5 / 10 |
Which One for Which Occasion
| Occasion | Editorial Pick |
|---|---|
| Romantic dinner | N7A 24-seat room and a lantern-lit garden behind a fence make one of the city's best date settings. |
| A reliable classic | BayonaThirty-five years of Susan Spicer's cooking in a French Quarter cottage rarely disappoints. |
| Easy to book | BayonaOpenTable, lunch and dinner Tuesday to Saturday, usually tables within a week. |
| Wine lovers | N7The Ninth Ward's deepest list, heavy on French and natural bottles, sets it apart. |
| Out-of-town guests | BayonaA French Quarter address and a marquee chef make an easy first taste of the city. |
Price Comparison
These two land close on price, both at three dollar signs, but they spend it differently. Bayona is a a la carte dinner with a famous garlic soup and seasonal mains, plus a value lunch most days. N7 puts much of its budget into the wine list and the tinned-seafood format, so a couple can graze plates and bottles or settle in for a longer dinner. Neither is cheap, but both are fair for the city; weigh them against the wider field in the best French restaurants worldwide guide and the broader fine-dining guide.
How to Book
N7 is the harder seat: 24 covers open on Resy 14 days out at 9 a.m. and go fast, with garden benches kept for walk-ins, so arrive 15 minutes before opening. Bayona books on OpenTable for lunch and dinner Tuesday through Saturday and usually has tables within a week. Plan N7 two weeks ahead, and Bayona you can often land on short notice. Start the wider map from the New Orleans dining guide.
For occasion fit beyond this pairing, weigh them against our guides to the best first-date restaurants, solo-dining restaurants, deal-closing restaurants and rooms to impress clients. For more New Orleans match-ups see Commander's Palace vs Dooky Chase's and Emeril's vs Restaurant R'evolution, and browse the full set on the compare index.