Dakar NOLA

"Dakar is one of the most unique restaurants in New Orleans. It’s a tasting menu, supper club-style spot where the chef and owner cooks dishes inspired by the food of Senegal, his home country. Not only that, but he’s right there with you for every course, telling stories and personal anecdotes about each bowl of blue crab seafood stew or pot of jollof rice. It’s a special occasion restaurant that will probably teach you a lot, while also simultaneously being a party." - chelsea brasted, zella palmer, carlo mantuano, megan braden perry

"A modern ode to traditional Senegalese cooking, this restaurant braids Chef Serigne Mbaye's memories with haute cuisine and the African heritage of New Orleans."

"Serigne Mbaye’s dazzling Senegalese pop-up tasting menu dinners became a permanent fixture at an intimate cottage in Uptown New Orleans in late 2022; a year and a half later, it won the 2024 James Beard Award for Best New Restaurant. Mbaye’s upscale riffs on traditional West African and Senegalese dishes that blend West African and Louisiana ingredients are served in a welcoming communal setting accompanied by detailed explanations. Stunning dishes might include soupa konja, a sort of Senegalese gumbo; fonio salad with West African millet, finger limes, and satsuma (or other seasonal produce); and a Gulf shrimp dish made with tamarind and parsley oil, which loosely recalls a less-saucy New Orleans-style barbecue shrimp." - Clair Lorell

"Dakar is one of the hottest and most unique restaurants in New Orleans. It’s a tasting menu, supper club-style spot where the chef and owner cooks dishes inspired by the food of Senegal, his home country. Not only that, but he’s right there with you for every course, telling stories and personal anecdotes about each bowl of blue crab seafood stew or pot of jollof rice. It’s a special occasion restaurant that will probably teach you a lot, while also simultaneously being a party." - megan braden perry

"The last few years have brought major accolades for Dakar NOLA, chef Serigne Mbaye’s Senegalese tasting menu restaurant in Uptown New Orleans. After first hosting tasting dinner pop-ups around town under the same name, Mbaye and Effie Richardson opened their permanent restaurant in late 2022, receiving a James Beard Award nomination for Emerging Chef that same year and again in 2023. But it was 2024 that brought the biggest win of all when Dakar NOLA was awarded Best New Restaurant. The much-deserved recognition adds an even greater shine to Mbaye’s dazzling cuisine, dishes like soupa konja, shrimp akara, Gulf fish yassa, and jollof." - Beth D'Addono