Food & Wine

"At Compère Lapin, Saint Lucian chef Nina Compton unravels the French/Southern/Haitian rubber band ball of Louisiana cooking and looks at its constituent parts in a new way. Her food contends beautifully and deliciously with her own heritage and that of her adopted city. A Caribbean seafood pepper pot is like a West Indian bouillabaisse, with shrimp and freshwater drum in a slow-burn broth."

Tom Fitzmorris

"Although the route to the restrooms is truly byzantine at this chic hotel eatery, Thesaurus Rex deems his dinner brilliant and thoroughly satisfying with essential dishes including curried goat and a Caribbean seafood pepper pot."

Dan Saltzstein

"We sampled only one dessert, but it was a great cap to the evening: roasted banana zeppoles with a chocolate hazelnut filling and a rum-caramel dipping sauce. Not exactly a beignet, but just as satisfying."

Christian Dare

"Smoked Tuna Tartar/Avocado/Crispy Bananas made me actually prefer tuna tartar over steak tartar. This cold smoked tuna tartar was divine and the crispy banana style chips were the perfect vehicle to serve with the tuna – the sweet/salt/spice combo was perfect."

Marlynn Jayme Schotland

"If you're in doubt about a first course, I would order the tuna tartare!"

Cori Sue Morris

"The tuna tartare was stunning: beautiful, fresh tuna, with dollops of avocado crema, sliced micro-radishes and a creamy, spicy aioli atop a heavenly house-made bagel. This dish combines this Bitch’s two favorite things: Everything bagels and tuna tartare. And, it could not have been executed more beautifully."

Ian McNulty

"Tuna becomes a beautifully rendered tartare with little dabs of creamy avocado, caviar and coins of radish."

Ian McNulty

"Dishes like seafood pepper pot and curried goat tell the tale vividly, while other influences are more foundational. Taken together, Compton’s cuisine delivers refreshingly original, readily approachable cuisine at the nexus of Italian, French and Caribbean."

AFAR Magazine

"The dishes are alive with creative Caribbean flavors—among the more memorable plates are the seafood pepper pot, and curried goat."

Rien Fertel

"The best restaurants in New Orleans Louisiana: Compère Lapin - Chef Nina Compton has been racking up awards for her work at Compère Lapin, where Caribbean meets Creole. Pair conch croquettes and seafood pepper pot with the handiwork of Abigail Gullo, one of the city’s most exciting mixologists."