A Restaurant Worth the Drive :: plates restaurant & bar in NOLA
Choosing a restaurant in New Orleans can be a daunting task. There are so many options: the touristy places, the classic NOLA staples, hot new dining, dining with kids and neighborhood eateries just to name a few. Cuisine, location, and style are another factor to consider and add in the reason you’re looking for a restaurant and it becomes more complicated. Whether you’re in New Orleans for a night out with your significant other, a girls trip, a conference, or the myriad other reasons one might drive 90 minutes down the road, I’ve got a restaurant you need to check out.
Worth the Drive
If you’re looking for a restaurant that offers delicious food, a great atmosphere and isn’t pretentious or gimmicky, you have to visit plates restaurant & bar in New Orleans. Located in the Warehouse District on Annunciation, plates opened in the fall of 2023, serving “New Orleans Tapas.” I’m sad I didn’t get there sooner!
The location and style is great for all types of diners. It was a great date night spot, would be great for large groups (bachelorette parties, showers, conferences, girls trips, etc.).
What to Expect
plates offers several, well, plates. The dishes are varied in size and make this a great restaurant to try new things without worry of not enjoying a full meal. Not that there is anything on the menu you wouldn’t enjoy. The menu is divided in sections: snacks, cold (tapas), hot (tapas) and large. They also offer a great dessert menu. plates is fine dining with the feel of your favorite neighborhood restaurant.
The food was amazing! We shared several snacks and small plates; it was hard to decide what was our favorite. If I had to make a recommendation, try the patatas bravas and the garlic shrimp. Dining here also pushed us to try some new items outside of our norm.
plates is also committed to serving its employees. As noted on their menu and website “a 3% employee wellness fee is added to all checks, this helps us cover 100% of our teams’ health insurance costs.” That’s right – they pay for 100% of the health insurance for all of their employees.
The chef/co-owner and co-owner are both committed to providing quality food, using local ingredients and preparing fresh, delicious food. Buzz words/phrases like “farm to table” come to mind, but that is truly what they are doing. The executive chef is a Louisiana native and has a commitment to using local ingredients. He sources meat, seafood, and vegetables from other hard working Southerns. The menu changes seasonally to account for what is fresh, in season, and available locally.
They are open for lunch and brunch Friday, Saturday, and Sunday and for dinner seven nights a week.
From their menu: “Our menu changes frequently based on what is available seasonally from our local farmers and fishers. Prices and dishes may vary.” Do yourself a favor and next time you’re in NOLA or if you’re just looking for a reason to visit, go to plates restaurant & bar and have a fantastic meal all while supporting a local chef, using local ingredients, and taking care of local workers.
