Bésame — Restaurant in New Orleans

We just recently spent four nights in NOLA. Prior to going, we did a lot of research on where to eat. Bésame was one of the places my teenage son picked, and I am not sure how he even found it. He wants to be a chef, and he insisted we go here. In all of my research, however, I somehow didn't hear about it, so I think this might be one of those places that not everyone knows about - but should! Luckily, it was pretty close to our hotel, so we decided to have a light bite before dinner one night.

Holy cow, we should have made this our dinner spot instead as the place we ate at next was horrible, especially compared to Bésame!!

We ordered the Salmon Ceviche and Crawfish Queso. Both were absolutely delicious! I definitely liked the ceviche better - was so fresh and the perfect acidic punch. This was a very vibrant dish, and we could (and should!) have eaten another one of these. I think this might even be my first time trying ceviche? Not sure how I've missed out on this dish all these years, but we are definitely fans now! We really liked the plating of the ceviche, too (yes, we notice plating as the kiddo wants to be a chef, lol).

It's not a big place, so it has a very intimate feel to it, and I like how it's decorated - just has a cool vibe to it. Dress was pretty casual. Our service was excellent. I would definitely eat here a lot if we lived in NOLA!

Sadly, we are back home, and I'm not sure when we'll get back to New Orleans. When we do, though, Bésame will be one of the first restaurants we return to! And this time, we will be ordering A LOT more from the menu - like all the ceviches, some arepas and the...

We found this spot when looking for restaurants walkable from our hotel. We made a reservation online then headed over. It seems so out of place in the area because this place was phenomenal! There were six of us, for starters we had the guacamole with chicharron added, ceviche, crawfish queso, and the arepas. Everything was so delicious. The guacamole was probably the best I've ever tried anywhere. The added chicharron really helped put it over the top. The ceviche was so fresh and just a taste explosion. The queso had a nice kick to it and the arepas were excellent. I don't think you can go wrong with any of the appetizers. For dinner our group tried a variety of dishes from the churassco, paella, cochinita, shrimp mofongo. We pretty much all licked our plates clean. For dessert we were so full, but had to split the chocolate tamale and the maduros. Both were yummy! I also tried the Cat 2, which was basically a hurricane. I think it was just as good if not better than I've had at any tiki bar that prides itself in being a real tiki bar. The restaurant itself is very cute. It appears to be a historical space but I could be wrong. Our server was gracious. If you're a fan of Latin food, try this place out. I don't think you'll be...

This is probably one of the greatest restaurants I’ve ever eaten at in my entire life.

All around. Every aspect is perfectly thought out. The food is OUTSTANDING. Portion sizes ridiculous. Cocktail and wine list is incredible. Dishes & glassware are picture perfect. Location is amazing. We would eat here every night if we were local.

The ceviche is fresh, citrusy, light. Chicken empanadas are to die for. The saltiness of the olives inside, chefs kiss. The steak cooked to med rare PERFECTION. The pork is so tender you barely need a fork to separate it. The slaw that accompanies it is crisp, and citrusy with a good kick.

I could write for hours about this place. The service was amazing! Jen was a delight, but every other helping hand in that restaurant was also fabulous. The owner is one of a kind. He needs to know how outrageously good this food is. They’ve only been open a little over a year but I guarantee if we came back in two years, or even a year, getting a reservation will be impossible. You don’t come across restaurants like this all that often. Kudos team....