Most restaurants say they source locally. A smaller number let the harvest actually dictate what goes on the menu that week, which means the kitchen gives up some control over its own plan.
Herbsaint — Central Business District
The flagship of Donald Link’s restaurant group at 701 St. Charles Avenue publishes a page listing the farms it buys from, which is itself unusual. Covey Rise Farms grows more than 30 vegetable varieties across the year with a retired LSU agriculture professor working as its crop consultant. Indian Springs Farmers Co-op, incorporated in 1981, brings in harvests from 31 active member farms.
Link and partner Stephen Stryjewski describe the arrangement as working hand in hand with growers to develop and procure the exact ingredients each chef wants. That shows up on the plate in dishes like the housemade spaghetti with guanciale and a fried-poached farm egg, and the duck leg confit with dirty rice. The restaurant passed 25 years in 2025. Lunch and dinner run Monday through Friday from 11:30 to 10, dinner only on Saturday from 5 to 10, closed Sunday. Phone is (504) 524-4114.
Coquette — Garden District
Chef and owner Michael Stoltzfus runs a menu at 2800 Magazine Street that changes several times a week, driven by what growers deliver rather than by a seasonal rewrite on a calendar. The restaurant keeps its own herb garden on the property.
The produce comes from three named sources: Covey Rise Farms, a 50-acre operation in Husser; Paradigm Gardens, an urban garden in Mid-City; and Pelican Produce, a grower on the edge of the Upper Ninth Ward. Bread, pickles, and ice creams are all made in house, and the bar works from the same deliveries, building cocktails around whatever fruit came in ripe. Dinner runs Wednesday through Sunday with weekend brunch, and reservations are worth making.
Maïs Arepas — Central City
This Colombian kitchen at 1200 Carondelet Street runs its own produce farm, which the staff call the huerta and post about regularly. That garden feeds a menu built on arepas, corn cakes stuffed with shredded beef, pulled pork, or chicken with avocado.
Beyond the arepas, the bandeja paisa piles skirt steak, chorizo, chicharrón, beans, rice, and a fried egg onto a single plate. Ceviche de camarón uses Gulf shrimp with citrus, jalapeño, and avocado. Empanadas caleñas, yuca frita with grilled chorizo, and grilled corn under spicy butter and cotija fill out the rest. The corn base means the menu reads as naturally gluten-free. Hours run Tuesday through Saturday from 11:30 to 2:30 and 5:30 to 10, with Sunday dinner from 5 to 9:30, closed Monday. Phone is (504) 523-6247.
