Chef Serigne Mbaye’s past decade in New Orleans has been a love affair with the city and its food. “My time here was supposed to be temporary, but New Orleans quickly became a city that I associate myself with, that reminds me of home,” says Mbaye, who was raised in Dakar. “The food, the music, the hospitality, it just reminds me so much of Senegal. The people here embrace you quickly.”
After time in the kitchens of iconic NOLA institutes, like Commander’s Palace, Mbaye opened his own spot—Dakar—three years ago, serving a tasting menu that highlights seafood from the Gulf and modern Senegalese flavors. “I like cooking food that brings me joy, that connects people, that creates a dialog between me and a guest,” he says. It’s a spirit that has helped Dakar land on countless “Best of” lists, and nab the James Beard Best New Restaurant award in 2024. It also speaks to what he loves best about the city’s dining scene right now: “We’re really supporting small mom and pop spots—places run by people like myself who took a risk opening a restaurant that adds to the city. Places that are doing their own thing, that are owner-operated, where the owner is still there doing the cooking.”
For the latest installment in our Where the Chefs Eat series, we asked Mbaye to show us his favorite places to eat throughout New Orleans. Below are his picks for tasty po’boys, piled his by the chef-owner himself, Haitian-Cajun food with just the right hit of spice, and plenty more. “New Orleans has so many exciting restaurants that are chef-driven, chef-owned,” Mbaye says. “I think that needs more attention.”
Porgy’s Seafood Market
Must-order: the collar wings…