It’s a staple of New Orleans cuisine: Flavorful, decadent and filled to the brim with spices, Cajun and Creole dishes are things made with love and care. The Big Easy’s long history with Creole and Cajun culture only adds to its popularity, where the perfect blend of French, Caribbean and American influences come together as one. Of course, many spots in New Orleans will claim to have the best Creole and Cajun dining, but some stand out, and for good reason.

We’ve rounded up five of the best restaurants in New Orleans to indulge in some authentic (and sometimes elevated) Creole and Cajun cuisine.

Dooky Chase

First opened in 1941, Dooky Chase holds much history. In the 1940s, the restaurant transformed from a sandwich shop to one embracing African-American art and Creole cooking. Leah Lange Chase, wife of owner Edgar Dooky Chase Jr., would later be known as the Queen of Creole Cuisine. Visited by customers like Beyonce, Duke Ellington, Barack Obama, James Baldwin and Ray Charles, Dooky Chase is a neighborhood staple. The restaurant serves both lunch and dinner, with highlights like Chicken Creole, Oyster Norman, Shrimp Clemenceau and fried chicken.

Antoine’s © Randy Schmidt

Antoine’s Restaurant

For an upscale take on Creole dining, make for Antoine’s Restaurant, a 19^th-century building serving French-Creole dishes. This restaurant is the birthplace of oysters Rockefeller. Owned and operated by fifth-generation relatives of the original founder Antoine Alciatore, you’ll find famous dishes here like Eggs Sardou and Pommes de Terre souffles. And be sure to order a bowl of hearty seafood gumbo, or dishes like shrimp Creole and grilled Louisiana redfish.

Cochon

For true Cajun Southern cooking, reserve a table at Cochon, where Chef Donald Link brings traditional Cajun dishes to life with locally sourced pork, fresh seafood and produce, and authentic flavors of Cajun country. Think catfish courtbouillon and popcorn rice, Louisiana cochon with braised green beans and pickled pears, wood-fired Gulf fish, and more.

Restaurant Rebirth

This restaurant brings elevated, farm-to-table Cajun-Creole dishes to you, all paired with delicious wine and cocktails. With South Louisiana native Chef Ricky Cheramie leading the kitchen, you’re in for some tasty dishes like blackened scallops, fish of the day served with Louisiana popcorn crawfish, and double-cut Cheshire pork chop. The restaurant even squeezes its own sugar cane juice for simple syrup, sugar cane vinaigrette and Creole mustard sugar cane glaze.

© Brennan’s

Brennan’s

A New Orleans’ tradition since 1946, you won’t want to skip out on this menu boasting Creole dishes with French and Spanish influences. Dine on turtle soup, blackened redfish, Gulf Fish Amandine, smoked scallops and Louisiana rice dressing within Old World-inspired spaces. And save room for Brennan’s world-famous bananas foster and Brennan’s original Crepes Fitzgerald, where crepes filled with Creole cream cheese flambeed tableside are sure to wow.