How to enjoy Coolinary in New Orleans, plus where not to go (2026 update)

Aimee Boudreaux MacIver
3 days ago
3 min read

What is Coolinary in New Orleans?

It's pretty hard to have a mediocre dinner in New Orleans. Honestly, a mediocre meal is downright shocking when you've been conditioned by your Mamere's pain perdu, your dad's smoked chicken and andouille gumbo, your mom's red beans, and your brother's jambalaya that he makes in a huge cauldron on the Endymion parade route.

In Louisiana, you go to your grandma's house when you're five years old, and she serves you thick coffee with chicory and heavy cream. You go to work in February and find at least five king cakes. You go to the gas station and they’re selling hot boudin. You go to a Catholic church on a Friday in Lent and you still won't escape delicious fried catfish, softshell crabs, and shrimp. In Louisiana, we generally spend our meals and time between meals talking about other meals and where we ate them.

Occasionally a mediocre dud sneaks up on you, but it's usually your own fault for choosing any place using the word "Nola" or "authentic" on its signage and menus. Happily, it's especially easy to find the good stuff in August when many of the best restaurants participate in the annual Coolinary promotion. Coolinary prix fixe menus allow you to enjoy some eateries that your budget might not typically accommodate. And best of all, Coolinary also promotes and collects donations to our local Second Harvest Food Bank.

How to make the most of Coolinary

Coolinary runs August 1-31. We usually make two annual Coolinary dates, one in early August and one at the very end. You can see all the participating restaurants and their special menus here. Some general tips:

Double check your dates; most participating restaurants offer Coolinary menus on all their regular open hours, but a few offer the promotion on weekdays only.
Absolutely make a reservation. This is a popular local promotion, plus it's ten thousand degrees in August, so everyone and their mama will be seeking out frosty AC.
Beverages are generally not included in the promotional menus.
Take the opportunity to mark a special-occasion. You can easily spend at least double on many of the upscale restaurants' regular menus, so use Coolinary as a chance to celebrate somewhere that wouldn't usually be in range. And please dress up! It's worth it to engage all your senses in making a special memory.

What to eat at Coolinary 2026

Of course, there are dozens of other dishes worth taking out your tastebuds for a spin, but these are my top ten picks for this year's event:

Frito misto with roasted tomato aioli at Bayona
Coconut shrimp bisque and lemon icebox creme brulée at Brigtsen's
Crab and mirliton soup at Cafe Degas (our favorite restaurant in New Orleans)
Fried Brussels sprouts salad and Meyer lemon beignets at Charmant (a new try for us!)
Steak tartare at Costera
Cochon de lait eggs Benedict at Commander's Palace
Steak frites and warm French dip at Izzat
Ginger salad and wood-fired waterfall park at Mister Mao
Artichoke redfish and peach upside down cake at Patois
Fried chicken hummus and white chocolate malabi at Shaya
Lagniappe: Caramelized sweet corn tart at Le Petite Grocery

Where not to go

If you decide to browse the whole lineup, here's my quick list of a few to avoid, mostly just because they're overrated and you can do so much better: