Dakar NOLA takes its name from the two coastal cities that inform its cooking: Dakar, Senegal, and New Orleans. Chef Serigne Mbaye built the menu from his childhood memories of learning to cook at his mother's side in Senegal, pairing that foundation with seafood from local waters and produce from South Louisiana farms.
Dinner runs as a seven-course tasting menu, with some courses served family style as a nod to West African dining traditions — a format built around sharing plates rather than individual courses straight through.
The restaurant has drawn significant recognition in a short span: a James Beard Foundation Best New Restaurant win in 2024, Emerging Chef finalist nods in 2022 and 2023, and for 2026, Mbaye appears as a James Beard Best Chef (South) semifinalist, finalist, and winner. Dakar NOLA has also been Michelin Selected in 2025, named to North America's 50 Best Restaurants in both 2025 and 2026, included in Bon Appétit's Best New Restaurants in 2023, and named to Eater's Essential 38.
Dinner runs as a seven-course tasting menu, with some courses served family style as a nod to West African dining traditions — a format built around sharing plates rather than individual courses straight through.
The restaurant has drawn significant recognition in a short span: a James Beard Foundation Best New Restaurant win in 2024, Emerging Chef finalist nods in 2022 and 2023, and for 2026, Mbaye appears as a James Beard Best Chef (South) semifinalist, finalist, and winner. Dakar NOLA has also been Michelin Selected in 2025, named to North America's 50 Best Restaurants in both 2025 and 2026, included in Bon Appétit's Best New Restaurants in 2023, and named to Eater's Essential 38.