Meril

"Emeril Lagasse’s casual but classy restaurant does a bang-up job with cocktails and flatbreads, just for starters. Meril offers one menu for lunch and dinner, but it’s a winner with barbecue shrimp, boudin balls, fried turkey necks, and fettuccini with crab and Calabrian chilies. And that crispy cauliflower with whipped feta and mint is not to be missed. Lunch is now served seven days a week." - Beth D'Addono, Clair Lorell

"It’s Lagasse’s first new restaurant in New Orleans since opening Meril in 2016 and comes on the heels of reopening his flagship Warehouse District restaurant Emeril’s, where son E.J. Lagasse leads the kitchen, and introducing its new Gen Z-friendly wine bar." - Clair Lorell

"Meril is a more casual option from Emeril’s stable of restaurants, with a super happy hour featuring substantial flatbread pizzas that will certainly tide a body over. It’s huge, so it’s good for the inevitable group lunches and dinners that keep growing and growing, with great service to boot. Highlights include dishes like yellowfin tuna wraps with jalapeno, meatballs, hand-rolled gnudi, and the best dang turkey necks you’ve ever had." - Beth D'Addono, Clair Lorell

"Lagasse still operates casual cafe Meril and fine-dining Emeril’s, his very first restaurant, both in the Warehouse District." - Clair Lorell

"Casual without a whiff of pretense, Emeril Lagasse’s Meril is a pleasant addition to his stable of restaurants. The menu’s salad offerings are vast, but one dish manages to stand out. For the famished, the fried chicken salad fills the bill. Made with crunchy iceberg, the mix includes grape tomatoes, apple-smoked bacon, blue cheese, and a zippy green goddess ranch." - Beth D'Addono, Clair Lorell