Where Lana Del Rey, Gordon Ramsay, and More Celebrities Dined in New Orleans This Week

After a big spring of celebrities dining their way through New Orleans restaurants, it seems the famous set has returned for fall — not unlike their non-famous tourist counterparts. This past week saw stars like Lana Del Rey, Gordon Ramsay, and Kehlani come through town and make stops at all kinds of local restaurants. Some choices were surprising; others were expected, but all of them are part of what makes New Orleans one of the most interesting food cities in the world.

Gordon Ramsay

Gordon Ramsay is back in New Orleans to film for Kitchen Nightmares, his popular FOX show that returned to the airwaves last year following a 10-year hiatus. Many will remember Ramsay’s previous dealings with local restaurants for his various shows — Kitchen Nightmares in 2011 and 24 Hours to Hell and Back in 2019 — which left a trail of lawsuits and eventual closures in its wake. This time, NOLA.com reports that Kitchen Nightmares is filming (or has filmed) at five area restaurants: Verdict Lounge, Kindred, Blake’s Place, Iberville Cuisine, and Voleo’s.

Outside of filming, it seems Ramsay is spending plenty of time dining. Yesterday, the much-loved Treme hot plate restaurant L’il Dizzy’s posted about Ramsay visiting and enjoying some gumbo and fried chicken. Brennan’s, the French Quarter grand dame of fine dining known for inventing bananas Foster, said Ramsay learned from Ralph Brennan how to make the flaming dessert while dining there this week. And over the weekend, New Orleans’s hottest spot to see and be seen, Morrow Steak, also welcomed the chef. According to NOLA.com, Ramsay ordered the Kung Pao cauliflower, crab cakes, a filet, Hawaiian pork chop, and the ube cheesecake.

Lana Del Rey

By now, just about everyone in Louisiana (and the world?) knows that singer Lana Del Rey married Jeremy Dufrene, a swamp tour guide from Des Allemands, Louisiana, on Thursday, September 26. The couple has since been spotted hanging out in the bayou city (known as the ”Catfish Capital of the Universe”) that straddles St. Charles and Lafourche Parishes. But this past weekend they traveled the 30-ish miles to Orleans Parish to dine on the New Orleans Lakefront, as seen in photos published by the Daily Mail. The boat cleats visible in the photos are the giveaway, making it clear they were on the lake at one of several restaurants that has space for patrons to tie up their boats on Lake Pontchartrain. (Upon further investigation, the couple were snapped at Landry’s, which shares dock space with The Blue Crab and Felix’s, with JB’s Fuel Dock across the channel.) While there are many similarities between the three Lakeshore Drive restaurants, we probably would have gone with The Blue Crab — the only non-chain of the bunch.

Kehlani

Another famous singer visited the Crescent City this week, but for Kehlani it was official business. The R&B star was in New Orleans for a stop on the Crash World Tour at the Fillmore last week, but spent extra time in the city visiting four spots owned by local restaurateur Larry Morrow: Morrow’s, Sun Chong, Morrow Steak, and nightclub Hide and Seek, where she had her concert after-party, according to Morrow’s Instagram. Morrow’s restaurants, particularly the splashy Morrow Steak, which opened in June, are a magnet for celebrities — Megan Thee Stallion and GloRilla dined at Morrow Steak after their show at the Smoothie King Center just a few weeks after it opened, and actresses Kyla Pratt and LeToya Luckett-Coles visited in July.

Other Shoutouts

It was also a big week for celebrities shouting out their favorite New Orleans haunts. Bob Dylan, who was in town for a show at the Saenger Theater in April, posted about his favorite New Orleans restaurant earlier this week, writing, “Last time in New Orleans we ate at Dooky Chase’s Restaurant on the corner of North Miro and Orleans. If you’re ever there I highly recommend it.” And English actress Dame Helen Mirren shared her love for Pal’s Lounge in Mid-City on the Kelly Clarkson Show this week, saying she makes a stop there each year after leaving Jazz Fest, located nearby. “Love the town, love the city, love Pal’s Lounge. It’s the best bar in New Orleans,” Mirren told Clarkson.