Acamaya

"When Mexican spot Lengua Madre closed, there was a gaping hole in the New Orleans food scene. Thankfully, we didn’t have to wait long for the chef to open Acamaya in Bywater, which focuses heavily on seafood and might even be better than Lengua Madre. The thick and soft sopes are still around, this time topped with crab and whatever seafood is in season. Start with those and even more seafood—some crab claws with arroz negro, ceviche or house-smoked hamachi, and any fish special. The desserts are also standouts for their twists on Mexican classics, like flan with sultry tonka bean and tres leches made with cornmeal that tones down the sweetness." - chelsea brasted, zella palmer, carlo mantuano, megan braden perry

"When Mexican spot Lengua Madre closed, there was a gaping hole in the New Orleans food scene. Thankfully, we didn’t have to wait long for the chef to open Acamaya, which focuses heavily on seafood and might even be better than Lengua Madre. The thick and soft sopes are still around, this time topped with crab and whatever seafood is in season. Start with those and even more seafood—some crab claws with arroz negro, ceviche or house-smoked hamachi, and any fish special. The desserts are also standouts for their twists on Mexican classics, like flan with sultry tonka bean and tres leches made with cornmeal that tones down the sweetness." - chelsea brasted, megan braden perry

"A restaurant in New Orleans where chef Ana Castro embraces steaming for its ancestral and comforting qualities, offering dishes inspired by traditional techniques." - ByAmiel Stanek

"Chef Ana Castro's Bywater restaurant known for Mexican mariscos. It offers a vibrant atmosphere with dishes like fiery shrimp aguachile and charred octopus with walnut salsa negra." - Clair Lorell

"Acamaya is Bywater’s newest special occasion dining destination that doubles as a welcoming neighborhood restaurant. It’s from Ana Castro, the James Beard Award-nominated former chef of Lengua Madre, and her sister Lydia Castro. It’s celebratory in all ways, from the upbeat, glowy interior to a menu of Mexican mariscos that is at times exciting and at times comforting, paying tribute to Mexico City throughout. Try the hamachi tostada, bass ceviche, crap sope, shrimp aguachile, octopus with walnut salsa negra, and the chochoyotes, but whatever you do, don’t skip the arroz negro. It’s a funky, earthy dish with mussels, squid, and huitlacoche, a fungus grown among corn crops known also as “corn smut,” and it is a powerhouse." - Clair Lorell