Nestled in a big brick building, this vibrant American restaurant and cocktail bar serves up creative dishes and seasonal delights, paired with exceptional drinks and a lively atmosphere.
"It’s aperitivo hour at BABs, served daily between 5:30 and 7 p.m. That means $6 mozzarella en carozza, a half dozen oysters for $12, and $8 vermouth, among other deals." - Missy Frederick
"There may be just a few dishes featuring pasta at this neighborhood favorite from famed chef Nina Compton, but they are phenomenal. Get the butter-kissed spaghetti pomodoro, a fresh take on a comfort classic that keeps regulars coming back weekly; the cavatelli with shrimp and Jamaican Run Down sauce; or the melt-in-your-mouth wagyu beef lasagna with fontina fonduta. The restaurant is in the Rice Mill Lofts building by the tracks, a circa 1892 building that was once home to the largest rice mill in North America." - Beth D'Addono, Clair Lorell
"Chef Nina Compton and Larry Miller’s Bywater restaurant — recently renamed BABs, an abbreviation of the original Bywater American Bistro moniker — has remained a New Orleans classic since its opening in 2018, the same year that Compton won the James Beard Award for Best Chef, South. Here, she homes in on Italian cuisine, serving dishes like cool basil burrata, goat bolognese, and shrimp fra diavolo in a high-ceilinged, industrial dining room with rustic touches. Save room for brown butter biscotti." - Clair Lorell
"Nina Compton’s follow-up to her nationally acclaimed Compere Lapin is its quieter, more intimate sister, a neighborhood bistro that doubles as a weeknight and special occasion destination. Compton takes seemingly simple items, like spaghetti Pomodoro and butternut squash soup, and turns them into dishes you’ve never experienced." - Clair Lorell, Beth D'Addono
"Although her regular menu is also featured, chef Nina Compton’s home neighborhood restaurant, BABs is cooking up a special four-course $125 prix fixe menu for NYE. Think antipasti — and options like white truffle risotto, Barolo-braised short ribs with polenta, and struffoli (Sicilian honey balls), for dessert." - Beth D'Addono, Clair Lorell
