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A bowl of saucy shrimp and grits with halved cherry tomatoes, sausage, and green onions. — Gris-Gris’s shrimp and grits, on the menu for brunch and dinner.

Where to Savor New Orleans’s Best Shrimp and Grits

Southern comfort in every bite

by Beth D'Addono Updated Nov 13, 2024, 3:19pm CST

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Gris-Gris’s shrimp and grits, on the menu for brunch and dinner.

| Gris-Gris

by Beth D'Addono Updated Nov 13, 2024, 3:19pm CST

Shrimp and grits is one of those dishes where every bite matters. It’s as much about the quality of the grits as it is the freshness of the shrimp and the buttery heft of the sauce that binds it all together. And it’s critical to get a bit of everything in every mouthful. The dish has its roots in low country South Carolina, originally a quick go-to breakfast for fishermen and shrimpers to fortify for a day at sea. When Craig Claiborne gushed about the Southern specialty in the New York Times in 1985, it went from being a humble home-cooked day starter to a trendy menu star, with countless variations in the mix. New Orleans chefs make it their own in all kinds of ways, with Gulf shrimp always in the spotlight.

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Restaurant des Familles

Just 30 minutes from downtown on the West Bank, this charming restaurant with scenic views of the historic Bayou des Familles is a gem, a soothing bit of country within easy driving distance. Restaurant des Familles offers a diverse menu, from char-grilled oysters and fried seafood to outstanding turtle soup and grilled redfish served Cajun style topped with alligator sauce piquant. Oh and the barbecue shrimp and grits is to die for, a mash-up of two favorites served with toasted French bread and cheesy jalapeno-cheddar grits.

7163 Barataria Blvd, Marrero, LA 70072

Barbecue shrimp with jalapeno cheddar grits.

Atchafalaya

Atchafalaya is famous for its brunch, which includes a rotating menu of creative bloody marys like the Good Morning, Vietnam, layered with bold Southeast Asian flavors. Chef Chris Lynch spotlights what may be the best shrimp and grits in town at both brunch and dinner, shrimpy goodness powered by andouille, the trinity, and smoked tomatoes. The char on the head-on shrimp is another burst of savory, smoky flavor. Open Thursday through Friday, Atchafalaya features live music for Saturday and Sunday brunch.

901 Louisiana Ave, New Orleans, LA 70115

Also featured in:

Columns

Chef Paul Terrebonne presides over the kitchen at this landmark on St. Charles Avenue, an Italianate-style mansion built for a wealthy tobacco merchant in 1883. Refined by a change of ownership five years ago, Columns offers a lovely dining experience on its front patio, with brunch a crowd-pleasing highlight. A thyme-scented shrimp and grits is one star of the menu, which includes a fine burger and an everything bagel piled high with smoked salmon and capers.

3811 Saint Charles Avenue, LA 70115

Also featured in:

Gris-Gris

Gris-Gris chef Eric Cook dishes a powerful wallop with his version of shrimp and grits, studded with smoky pork sausage and loaded with buttery shrimp atop a mount of al dente stone ground grits. Roasted red peppers and cherry tomatoes add color to one of the most popular items on Cook’s menu. Ask for bread to sop up the gravy’s butter goodness. Make it at home from his new Modern Creole cookbook.

1800 Magazine St, New Orleans, LA 70130

Also featured in:

Crack'd Brunch

Nothing shy about this out of the box brunch joint in the LGD, from its yolk yellow paint job to the disco ball spinning in the dining room. Crack’d’s menu is joyful too, with lacquered duck bacon swapping for swine and a shrimp and grits version popping with fresh corn maque choux and a drizzle of Worcestershire butter. Save room for the gooey monkey bread for dessert.

1901 Sophie Wright Place, New Orleans, Louisiana 70130

Also featured in:

23 of the Best Places to Eat Brunch in New Orleans Right Now

Jack Rose

Everything is better with andouille. Which is why the shrimp and grits at Jack Rose are so slammin’. Nibs of sausage add smoky flavor notes to the dish, served atop stone ground al dente grits. Featured on the Sunday brunch menu, the dish is just one of the many reasons to check out this gem in the Ponchartrain Hotel.

2031 St Charles Ave, New Orleans, LA 70130

Also featured in:

Surrey's Café & Juice Bar

This popular Magazine Street cafe dishes fun and funky breakfast items including bananas foster French toast, migas with eggs and chorizo and a super shrimp and grits. Served in a bowl, Surrey’s S&G is garnished with green onions AND bacon, a ring of toasted French bread driving the carb-fueled delight home. You won’t want to waste a drop of this sauce, promise.

1418 Magazine St, New Orleans, LA 70130

Also featured in:

The 22 Best Breakfast Restaurants in New Orleans

Compère Lapin

James Beard award-winning chef Nina Compton shares her St. Lucian heritage throughout her restaurants’ menus. The Gulf shrimp at her flagship Compère Lapin is no exception. Naturally gluten-free, her stone ground corn grits are flavored with coconut and served with sauce Creole powered by the Holy Trinity.

535 Tchoupitoulas St (at Lafayette St), New Orleans, LA 70130

A large dining room with white and black tile floors, wood tables and chairs, and a long bar with stools lined up in front. — Inside Compere Lapin.

Also featured in:

Willa Jean

Chef Ryan White continues in chef Kelly Fields’ James Beard Award winning footsteps at this Southern bakery and restaurant in the CBD. Willa Jean, besides being all about the biscuit, conjures comfort food to the 10th power, dishes like chicken and waffles and grandma’s sausage gravy. And those shrimp and grits, swimming in an etouffee gravy floating with a perfectly poached egg.

611 Okeefe Ave (Girod St), New Orleans, LA 70113

Besh Group Bakery-Restaurant Willa Jean Opens Today — Inside Willa Jean.

Also featured in:

Luke

Try to resist the Luke burger (Benton’s bacon! Melted Swiss!) and opt for the shrimp and grits at this solid seafood-driven bistro on St.Charles Avenue. Luke jazzes up the traditional Southern breakfast entree with roasted jalapeño cheese grits, bites of andouille and green onion sausage crowned with huge local shrimp, perfectly cooked.

333 Saint Charles Avenue, LA 70130

Also featured in:

Chapter IV

Edgar Chase IV opened Chapter IV a year ago as an homage to his grandmother, the late great chef Leah Chase. The family’s pedigree runs deep in New Orleans, embracing both culinary and civil rights history. Chase is the fourth generation to feed New Orleanians and presidents, with dishes like shrimp sauteed in a tomato-forward Creole sauce over creamy grits. https://www.instagram.com/p/C-vHcrfuq1x/

1301 Gravier St, New Orleans, LA 70112

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Chapter IV (@chapterivnola)

Antoine's

Famous for so many things, from the invention of oysters Rockefeller to its puffs of souffle potatoes, America’s oldest family-owned restaurant is a go-to for a grand Creole dinner. But Antoine’s weekend jazz brunch deserves serious attention too. Shrimp and grits is just one of a litany of entrees, a star thanks to the seafood goodness of its Gulf shrimp atop creamy gouda grits.

Search for reservations

OpenTable

713 Saint Louis St (at Royal St), New Orleans, LA 70130

Also featured in:

Tujague's

Executive chef Meg Gray is upping the game at Tujague’s, a gold standard on Decatur Street for more than 160 years. She brings an ingredient-driven passion for the classics to the table, a respect she honed while working under the newly retired chef Gus Martin. Her shrimp and grits are a case in point, buttery barbecue shrimp spiked with Abita Amber beer ladled over Pepper Jack cheese grits. A keeper.

823 Decatur St, New Orleans, LA 70116

Also featured in:

Cafe Sbisa

Chef/partner Alfred Singleton is the powerhouse behind Cafe Sbisa, the third oldest restaurant in the Quarter, dating to 1899. Singleton, who worked his way up from prep cook, offers classics with a twist, like pairing traditional barbecue shrimp with crispy fried cheddar grits. On the sweet side, the Bananas Foster pain perdu is a dream.

Search for reservations

OpenTable

1011 Decatur St, New Orleans, LA 70116

Also featured in:

Ruby Slipper (Multiple Locations)

With a growing number of locations in New Orleans, Metairie, Lafayette, Orange Beach and Pensacola, Ruby Slipper does breakfast right and has the crowds to prove it. Slurp an excellent Bloody Mary and tuck into the Slipper’s version of shrimp and grits swimming in a beer and rosemary butter sauce over creamy stone ground grits, a biscuit on the side. The grits are so good, it might be prudent to order an extra side.

2001 Burgundy St, New Orleans, LA 70116

Barbecue shrimp and grits from Ruby Slipper.

Also featured in:

13 Summer Brunches for Takeout and Delivery in New Orleans

Morrow's

Lines typically snake out the door at Morrow’s, Larry Morrow’s iconic first restaurant on St. Claude Avenue in the Marigny. A blend of soul, Creole, and Korean cuisine that reflects the owners’ heritage, Morrow’s Sunday brunch is always buzzing with action. The saucy shrimp and grits are a winner, piled high on top of creamy Parmesan grits.

2438 Saint Claude Avenue, LA 70117

Also featured in:

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Restaurant des Familles

7163 Barataria Blvd, Marrero, LA 70072

Just 30 minutes from downtown on the West Bank, this charming restaurant with scenic views of the historic Bayou des Familles is a gem, a soothing bit of country within easy driving distance. Restaurant des Familles offers a diverse menu, from char-grilled oysters and fried seafood to outstanding turtle soup and grilled redfish served Cajun style topped with alligator sauce piquant. Oh and the barbecue shrimp and grits is to die for, a mash-up of two favorites served with toasted French bread and cheesy jalapeno-cheddar grits.

Open in Google Maps

7163 Barataria Blvd, Marrero, LA 70072

Visit Website

Barbecue shrimp with jalapeno cheddar grits.

Atchafalaya

901 Louisiana Ave, New Orleans, LA 70115

Atchafalaya is famous for its brunch, which includes a rotating menu of creative bloody marys like the Good Morning, Vietnam, layered with bold Southeast Asian flavors. Chef Chris Lynch spotlights what may be the best shrimp and grits in town at both brunch and dinner, shrimpy goodness powered by andouille, the trinity, and smoked tomatoes. The char on the head-on shrimp is another burst of savory, smoky flavor. Open Thursday through Friday, Atchafalaya features live music for Saturday and Sunday brunch.

901 Louisiana Ave, New Orleans, LA 70115

Visit Website

Columns

3811 Saint Charles Avenue, LA 70115

Chef Paul Terrebonne presides over the kitchen at this landmark on St. Charles Avenue, an Italianate-style mansion built for a wealthy tobacco merchant in 1883. Refined by a change of ownership five years ago, Columns offers a lovely dining experience on its front patio, with brunch a crowd-pleasing highlight. A thyme-scented shrimp and grits is one star of the menu, which includes a fine burger and an everything bagel piled high with smoked salmon and capers.

Open in Google Maps

3811 Saint Charles Avenue, LA 70115

Visit Website

Gris-Gris

1800 Magazine St, New Orleans, LA 70130

Gris-Gris chef Eric Cook dishes a powerful wallop with his version of shrimp and grits, studded with smoky pork sausage and loaded with buttery shrimp atop a mount of al dente stone ground grits. Roasted red peppers and cherry tomatoes add color to one of the most popular items on Cook’s menu. Ask for bread to sop up the gravy’s butter goodness. Make it at home from his new Modern Creole cookbook.

1800 Magazine St, New Orleans, LA 70130

Visit Website

Crack'd Brunch

1901 Sophie Wright Place, New Orleans, Louisiana 70130

Nothing shy about this out of the box brunch joint in the LGD, from its yolk yellow paint job to the disco ball spinning in the dining room. Crack’d’s menu is joyful too, with lacquered duck bacon swapping for swine and a shrimp and grits version popping with fresh corn maque choux and a drizzle of Worcestershire butter. Save room for the gooey monkey bread for dessert.

Open in Google Maps

1901 Sophie Wright Place, New Orleans, Louisiana 70130

Visit Website

Jack Rose

2031 St Charles Ave, New Orleans, LA 70130

Everything is better with andouille. Which is why the shrimp and grits at Jack Rose are so slammin’. Nibs of sausage add smoky flavor notes to the dish, served atop stone ground al dente grits. Featured on the Sunday brunch menu, the dish is just one of the many reasons to check out this gem in the Ponchartrain Hotel.

2031 St Charles Ave, New Orleans, LA 70130

Visit Website

Surrey's Café & Juice Bar

1418 Magazine St, New Orleans, LA 70130

This popular Magazine Street cafe dishes fun and funky breakfast items including bananas foster French toast, migas with eggs and chorizo and a super shrimp and grits. Served in a bowl, Surrey’s S&G is garnished with green onions AND bacon, a ring of toasted French bread driving the carb-fueled delight home. You won’t want to waste a drop of this sauce, promise.

1418 Magazine St, New Orleans, LA 70130

Visit Website

Compère Lapin

535 Tchoupitoulas St (at Lafayette St), New Orleans, LA 70130

James Beard award-winning chef Nina Compton shares her St. Lucian heritage throughout her restaurants’ menus. The Gulf shrimp at her flagship Compère Lapin is no exception. Naturally gluten-free, her stone ground corn grits are flavored with coconut and served with sauce Creole powered by the Holy Trinity.

535 Tchoupitoulas St (at Lafayette St), New Orleans, LA 70130

Visit Website

A large dining room with white and black tile floors, wood tables and chairs, and a long bar with stools lined up in front. — Inside Compere Lapin.

Willa Jean

611 Okeefe Ave (Girod St), New Orleans, LA 70113

Chef Ryan White continues in chef Kelly Fields’ James Beard Award winning footsteps at this Southern bakery and restaurant in the CBD. Willa Jean, besides being all about the biscuit, conjures comfort food to the 10th power, dishes like chicken and waffles and grandma’s sausage gravy. And those shrimp and grits, swimming in an etouffee gravy floating with a perfectly poached egg.

611 Okeefe Ave (Girod St), New Orleans, LA 70113

Visit Website

Besh Group Bakery-Restaurant Willa Jean Opens Today — Inside Willa Jean.

Luke

333 Saint Charles Avenue, LA 70130

Try to resist the Luke burger (Benton’s bacon! Melted Swiss!) and opt for the shrimp and grits at this solid seafood-driven bistro on St.Charles Avenue. Luke jazzes up the traditional Southern breakfast entree with roasted jalapeño cheese grits, bites of andouille and green onion sausage crowned with huge local shrimp, perfectly cooked.

Open in Google Maps

333 Saint Charles Avenue, LA 70130

Visit Website

Chapter IV

1301 Gravier St, New Orleans, LA 70112

Edgar Chase IV opened Chapter IV a year ago as an homage to his grandmother, the late great chef Leah Chase. The family’s pedigree runs deep in New Orleans, embracing both culinary and civil rights history. Chase is the fourth generation to feed New Orleanians and presidents, with dishes like shrimp sauteed in a tomato-forward Creole sauce over creamy grits. https://www.instagram.com/p/C-vHcrfuq1x/

1301 Gravier St, New Orleans, LA 70112

Visit Website

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Chapter IV (@chapterivnola)

Antoine's

713 Saint Louis St (at Royal St), New Orleans, LA 70130

Famous for so many things, from the invention of oysters Rockefeller to its puffs of souffle potatoes, America’s oldest family-owned restaurant is a go-to for a grand Creole dinner. But Antoine’s weekend jazz brunch deserves serious attention too. Shrimp and grits is just one of a litany of entrees, a star thanks to the seafood goodness of its Gulf shrimp atop creamy gouda grits.

713 Saint Louis St (at Royal St), New Orleans, LA 70130

Visit Website

Tujague's

823 Decatur St, New Orleans, LA 70116

Executive chef Meg Gray is upping the game at Tujague’s, a gold standard on Decatur Street for more than 160 years. She brings an ingredient-driven passion for the classics to the table, a respect she honed while working under the newly retired chef Gus Martin. Her shrimp and grits are a case in point, buttery barbecue shrimp spiked with Abita Amber beer ladled over Pepper Jack cheese grits. A keeper.

823 Decatur St, New Orleans, LA 70116

Visit Website

Cafe Sbisa

1011 Decatur St, New Orleans, LA 70116

Chef/partner Alfred Singleton is the powerhouse behind Cafe Sbisa, the third oldest restaurant in the Quarter, dating to 1899. Singleton, who worked his way up from prep cook, offers classics with a twist, like pairing traditional barbecue shrimp with crispy fried cheddar grits. On the sweet side, the Bananas Foster pain perdu is a dream.

1011 Decatur St, New Orleans, LA 70116

Visit Website

Ruby Slipper (Multiple Locations)

2001 Burgundy St, New Orleans, LA 70116

With a growing number of locations in New Orleans, Metairie, Lafayette, Orange Beach and Pensacola, Ruby Slipper does breakfast right and has the crowds to prove it. Slurp an excellent Bloody Mary and tuck into the Slipper’s version of shrimp and grits swimming in a beer and rosemary butter sauce over creamy stone ground grits, a biscuit on the side. The grits are so good, it might be prudent to order an extra side.

2001 Burgundy St, New Orleans, LA 70116

Visit Website

Barbecue shrimp and grits from Ruby Slipper.

Related Maps

Morrow's

2438 Saint Claude Avenue, LA 70117

Lines typically snake out the door at Morrow’s, Larry Morrow’s iconic first restaurant on St. Claude Avenue in the Marigny. A blend of soul, Creole, and Korean cuisine that reflects the owners’ heritage, Morrow’s Sunday brunch is always buzzing with action. The saucy shrimp and grits are a winner, piled high on top of creamy Parmesan grits.

Open in Google Maps

2438 Saint Claude Avenue, LA 70117

Visit Website

Related Maps