Uptown bar and classic NOLA restaurant win top honors in Food & Wine’s Tastemaker awards

Two New Orleans institutions were honored by Food & Wine’s 2025 Global Tastemakers awards, with one even being named the best bar in the country. 

The magazine listed New Orleans as the fifth best city for food and drink, giving specific shoutouts to the Uptown bar Cure and Emeril’s downtown.

“New Orleans is celebrated for its culture, music, and joyful festivals. But the city may be best known for its culinary identity, thanks to a pitch-perfect blend of deeply rooted traditions and bold flavors,” Food & Wine’s Regan Stephens wrote. 

As a Freret neighborhood staple and a leader in the city’s cocktail renaissance, Cure was named the country’s best bar. Cure is proof New Orleans remains the best city in the U.S. for cocktails, according to Food & Wine.

“While Cure, which opened in 2009, hasn’t been the new kid in town for a while, some of the best drink-slingers in the country have cycled through its doors,” Food & Wine’s Kara Newman wrote.

Neal Bodenheimer and Matthew Khonke opened Cure after restoring an  Edwardian former horse-and-buggy fire station. The bar is known for its reinventions of classic cocktails and additions to the American cocktail canon, like the Gunshop Fizz. 

Emeril’s, a downtown classic that opened in 1990 and one of the most influential restaurants in modern American dining, was named the fifth-best restaurant in the U.S.

With a significant renovation and restaurant founder Emeril Lagasse’s son E.J. Lagasse now in charge, Emeril’s is still collecting accolades, such as an AAA Five Diamond designation in 2024, the first restaurant in Louisiana with the honor. 

“Bam! Emeril’s has still got it … Next time you’re in New Orleans, come back for the tasting menu, with elegant interpretations of oyster stew and quail Milton,” Food & Wine’s Becky Duffett wrote.

While TimeOut ranked New Orleans as best in the world for food, Food & Wine placed it as No. 5 in the U.S. for food and drink, coming behind New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles and Austin.

The magazine determined its honorees in a multipart process that involved polling 400 chefs, travel experts, wine experts, food and travel writers worldwide, Food & Wine’s Global Advisory Board, and editors reviewing and ranking the nominees.