Herbsaint opened in 2000 on St. Charles Avenue as the flagship of Link Restaurant Group, built around Chef Donald Link's contemporary take on French-Southern cooking with touches of rustic Italian technique. Chef de Cuisine Tyler Spreen now runs the kitchen, working with local farmers and fishermen on a menu that shifts with the seasons.
Long-running classics include a dark roux gumbo and duck confit with dirty rice and citrus gastrique, and reviewers regularly call out the spaghetti, muscovy duck, jumbo shrimp, and beef short ribs alongside smaller plates like ceviche and salads.
The wine list leans on France, Spain, Italy, Austria, and Germany, favoring small producers working sustainably or organically, with a rotating selection built to pair with the kitchen's cooking.
Donald Link won the James Beard Award for Best Chef: South in 2007, following a finalist nod in 2006, and Herbsaint has continued to draw the Foundation's attention since, with repeat Outstanding Chef finalist and semifinalist recognition through the 2010s and Outstanding Restaurateur finalist and semifinalist nods in 2026. Michelin selected Herbsaint for its 2025 guide, and NOLA.com's Where NOLA Eats named it among the city's best that same year.
Long-running classics include a dark roux gumbo and duck confit with dirty rice and citrus gastrique, and reviewers regularly call out the spaghetti, muscovy duck, jumbo shrimp, and beef short ribs alongside smaller plates like ceviche and salads.
The wine list leans on France, Spain, Italy, Austria, and Germany, favoring small producers working sustainably or organically, with a rotating selection built to pair with the kitchen's cooking.
Donald Link won the James Beard Award for Best Chef: South in 2007, following a finalist nod in 2006, and Herbsaint has continued to draw the Foundation's attention since, with repeat Outstanding Chef finalist and semifinalist recognition through the 2010s and Outstanding Restaurateur finalist and semifinalist nods in 2026. Michelin selected Herbsaint for its 2025 guide, and NOLA.com's Where NOLA Eats named it among the city's best that same year.