Good food and awesome service in a cute little spot! We stopped here after a day of shopping and will be back! The decor is super cute (love that deep turquoise wall) too! read more

Bésame - Agua de Jamaica - Tapas/Small Plates Near Me - New Orleans, Louisiana

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This place was such a wonderful find we went there twice! I went with a group and tried everything g on the menu. They were all delicious. Try the cocktails. read more

Great cocktails list. Quick service, great atmosphere-quiet but lively at the same time. We didn't have a reservation, but they found a way to get us in. It's very interesting food -Spanish style tapas, but with a South American flavor. It was a great find. The tapas dishes are designed to serve two people so remember that if you have more than that in your party. read more

Exceptional food! I was so amazed by my plates I did not get a chance to take pictures. Annalise, our waitress hospitality was top notch. From the seafood empanadas, seafood paella, and a dish that included lamb meatballs were all chef kissed to perfection. I will definitely be back! read more

Oh My God. This place hit the spot on EVERYTHING!!! First of all, the helped us to get a table without reservation. Vanessa our server was so nice and helpful. Gracias amiga!! Seafood ceviche was a little bit spicy (i love it but for those who can't eat it). It was so good, cooked perfectly. Churrasco was a little bit over cooked (we wanted med rare) came out well but the tenderness was still there, potatoes (feel like spanish cooked) SO F*ing good, ughhh i loved it. Paella was tasty, yummy and well cooked. Tres leches was tasty, cake had a a sour cream on top so good to blend in and help with the sweetness. The pizco cocktail was ok, nothing out of the ordinary. Cocktail with mezcal did hit the spot. Will be back!!! read more

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Excellent good variety of fees choices, all well prepared all delicious nice vibe friendly service

In town for Thanksgiving weekend and the Bayou Classic, so the French Quarter and Canal Street are a zoo Luckily, we found some respite just steps off Canal Street at Bésame, where we enjoyed the most beautifully prepared dishes in a bright, but serene environment. Our table of six probably ordered one of everything off the brunch menu and all of it was excellent! I especially liked the Peruvian ceviche, the crawfish queso, and the cauliflower appetizers. My stewed pork sopes were perfect. Please do yourself a favor and treat yourself to the delicious eats here - you will be transported. read more

I had high hopes for this place. Let me start by saying the service was great and the ambience of the restaurant was great. It's right off canal street in a great location. The food was meh. I've had mofongo in Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, and in New York City so I was excited to try it here. It was just ok. The meat wasn't very tender and the flavor of the sauce was ok. We also had a crawfish queso. That was also ok. It had a liquidy consistency but the flavor was decent. read more

Bésame - Steak mofongo - Tapas/Small Plates Near Me - New Orleans, Louisiana

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Interesting location. Great service. Amazing food. From the moment I walked in, I felt different. The staff were welcoming and friendly. The decor was a perfect blend of Latin American and New Orleans. The energy was high and the background music was a perfect complement. Besame is a great choice for a date or a pre-theatre meal. read more

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Definitely one of the best Latin meals I've had. This is a nice quite little place that's is off the main path. The ceviche, lamb chops and the cauliflower were outstanding. Tres leches was good however not up to par with the quality of the main dishes. Service was friendly and spot on. Return trip next visit to NOLA read more

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Bésame is a great small spot for tapas and drinks. Their service is fast and they produce tasty tapas. I tried the mofongo which was good but if you know mofongo this was a little different. I also tried a brussel sprout salad which was great as well. The drinks can be strong but they try to be creative with their drinks. read more

Bésame - Mofongo - Tapas/Small Plates Near Me - New Orleans, Louisiana

Convenient location if you're going to a show as it is right across from the Saenger Theatre. Without a reservation on a Sunday evening, seated right away but waited about 15 minutes to order. Highlights: the crispy cauliflower and the crawfish queso. Don't skip these!! Average: pork arepas, paella, brussel sprouts. Skip: tres leches. There was an odd yogurt topping on top that just did not go well. We scraped it off to eat the cake however would never get this again. read more

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Very nicely decorated, laid back atmosphere. My friend and I had 7:45 Monday night Resy dinner reservations. When we arrived it was empty except for a couple occupied tables. Dario was our server, super nice and very attentive. He ran down all the crafty cocktail and food recommendations. We started off with 2 Mole Verde cocktails while perusing the menu. We ended up ordering Guacamole and sharing a Paella Mixta (LA Shrimp, Chicken, Smoked sausage, Saffron Rice, Garbanzos), which Dario said it was big enough to share. All the dishes were delicious and really the whole dinner was reasonably priced. I would definitely dine here again when in New Orleans. Atmosphere: very nice, laid back feel. Service: excellent. Food: excellent read more

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The food was excellent and so we actually ended going here twice in three days - so that says a lot. Most dishes are or can be gluten free as well. They serve lovely cocktails as well. Service was lovely, attentive, and informative. First time there was just three of us, second time there was 11 of us and service was excellent with the larger group. Highly recom read more

The food ( ceviche, fish and grits, coconut flan ) was delicious, the service perfect either and nice place I enjoyed an awesome dinner read more

Right off Rampart, this spot is now on my. Top 10 in the Quarter. The Churrasco steak was amazing! The staff was cordial and very sweet. Go and experience read more

My husband and I were very pleased with this place. The service was great - timely, checked up on us just enough times but not too much, & friendly. The food was excellent. We got the fish Peruvian ceviche, crispy cauliflower, guacamole, & tres leches cake. The ceviche was light & refreshing, and the crispy cauliflower was our surprising favorite, which was extra crispy & flavorful. read more

Bésame - Peruvian ceviche - Tapas/Small Plates Near Me - New Orleans, Louisiana

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Perfect spot to hit with a group. We ran through most of the menu and everything slapped. I wasn't even checking for the mofongo, but it ended up being super flavorful. Lamb lollipops? Fire--even though I usually don't mess with lamb. Chill vibes, solid service, and low-key close to Canal. Definitely made the night. read more

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Let me say this was a place I literally found on Yelp and picked do to the closeness to the theater and the reviews. Oh my! As a history enthusiast I loved the marker on the wall. We ordered two tapas: crawfish and cheese dip, and the Peruvian Ceviche. Both were excellent. I ordered sopas. They were good, but did somewhat pale in comparison to the steak and eggs that my spouse received. Wow. The server and owner were both helpful and enthusiastic. It is an adorable place with a creative menu read more

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A nice Latin restaurant. OK service. Food is very tasty. Though their mofongo is not so great! I would skip it. The tried to hard to jazz it up. The original is much better. But everything else we tried was very good. read more

Great service! I was the first one in the door on a slow Thursday night. Paloma so tasty. Fish dip and chips excellent! Pork Arepas tapa so delicious. Dinning room chandelier, ceiling and art all pleasing and unique. read more

Crayfish queso had a nice kick of spice and didn't smell fishy at all. Arepas were very tangy and tasty, guac hit. read more

Bésame - Crawfish queso and pork arepas - Tapas/Small Plates Near Me - New Orleans, Louisiana

Food was delicious! We had the peruvian ceviche and steak mofongo. No notes. Drinks- I had the capirinha, very good and The passion llama which was ok. Space is nice and colorful, staff is friendly. My only complaint is it got smokey from the kitchen (open kitchen window) and I left smelling like a smokey kitchen. that is a pet peeve of mine: Other than that, I would definitely recommend! read more

One of our surprising favorites during our trip to NOLA. Atmosphere: the decor is bold but not over the top. The pictures on yelp due the place justice. Not too many tables so the place does not get too loud. It is bright and vibrant with an array of nice latin music playing in the background! Drinks: Many top contenders to choose from. Starting with drinks, the cocktails were delicious, and the drinks menu was adequate in variety. Food: Definitely the favorite part of the whole experience. The food quality and variety were amazing. I came with a large group and had the pleasure of trying a multitude of offerings. See ratings below: -Ceviches: we ordered the peruvian and the tuna aguachile. The group was split on which was their favorite, but both were overall solid. 4/5 -Crawfish Queso: probably the favorite! And looking at the other reviews, this is the MUST HAVE! 5/5 -Pork Arepas: tender pork with slaw and avocado crema. YUM. 5/5 -Chicken Empanadas: solid order and won't go wrong, especially with the Chimichurri sauce. However, there are bolder and better items that we had. 4/5 -Churrasco: the steak was a 4/5 (nothing out of this world, but still super yummy) but the potatoes were 5/5. Fried to perfection coated in amazing sauce! -Cochinita: amazing tender pork! 5/5! Definitely an easy shareable dish! -Paella mixta: 4/5. The shrimp was the best part of the dish, but the rice didn't have that signature paella taste. -SHrimp Mofongo: Amazing 5/5! Overall: Would recommend for anyone in NOLA. This place had amazing food and drinks with a laid-back atmosphere and cute decor. As you can see above, many of the food choices we ordered were 5/5! read more

Bésame - Crawfish queso - Tapas/Small Plates Near Me - New Orleans, Louisiana

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Overall, food was good. Service was speedy. The restaurant is very cute inside filled with plants and colorful decor. We were seated quickly. We tried the crawfish queso- it was so unique! Very tasty. I thought their guac wasn't that good, not very fresh and wayy too much lime. My husband got the chimichurri steak with potatoes and I got the steak mofongo. Both were very good. The mofongo was more potato based versus plantain as I'm used to. Wasn't bad, just not the "traditional" mofongo I've had before. read more

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When we arrived to New Orleans earlier than expected I did not have anything lined up, but a quick Yelp search landed me on happy hour at Besame from 2-5! The prices weren't listed so I was skeptical, but their Paloma was so delicious and refreshing and at $6 each, they were so so worth it! We also tried their guacamole which was very good, it had an unexpected spice, but not too overpowering! We also tried the fish dip, that I didn't love, but my husband and daughter did. After a few (3) Paloma's each we ventured on to see the city, but we wish we didn't and had just stayed. Besame was our favorite stop during our 24 hours in NOLA! read more

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Went here during happy hour, nice and fresh food with good drinks for a good price. I would suggest the churasquerra steak it was very delicious. Can't really beat $6 Palomas. read more

A visit to Bésame is an amazing experience. There are so many things to love about this restaurant. This is a Latin American high quality, yet casual tapas and large plates restaurant that you will not regret visiting. I can't stop daydreaming about the cochinitas. The staff in this restaurant are too notch, and were some of the nicest and most customer friendly people we met in New Orleans. We were not treated like valued customers, but actual family. It sounds exaggerated, but considering the owner visited with us and we had great conversation. Our server was so warm and friendly. The atmosphere is really cool. The music is a variety of Latin American styles, and was so fitting and appropriate. There is a huge and beautifal mural on the wall dedicated to the McRory's lunch counter sit-in. The rest is very trendy, casual but fun. I can't effectively describe the food here. It isn't good, it is next-level amazing and artistic. We had Oaxacan ceviche, crawfish queso, and split a cochinita dish. Bésame is the best place we visited in New Orleans without question. I will revisit next time I am in this city. Bésame is one of the best in New Orleans and is reasonably priced. It has a mix of Latin cuisines, but prepared in a way that is still original, modern and delicious. I highly recommend trying this restaurant and I wish we could have sampled much more on the menu. . read more

Bésame - Civil rights mural - Tapas/Small Plates Near Me - New Orleans, Louisiana

Great ambiance and amazing food. Loved the decor. Definitely coming back . Try the ceviche and the shrimp mofongo. Yummm

Crawfish queso: this is a must order. It was so delicious. Creamy, a little bit of Cajun spices up there in the queso. Definitely not authentic but definitely delicious 5/5 Guacamole: also extremely delicious! I must recommend both of these as appetizers. We got two of each for the whole table 5/5 Ceviche is: I prefer the salmon, others prefer to the Peruvian. But it was universal that the Oaxacan was, everyone's least favorite. It was just a little strange with the cinnamon, but the other two were excellent. To be clear, we ate all of them, so it can't be all that bad. 5/5 vegetarian empanadas: these were ok but they just weren't as Peruvian as the other dishes we had. Seemed like just beans and cheese in a little fried flower shell, topped with pickled onions. 4/5 Patatas bravas were excellent. Can't go wrong here, but these were really good even for being a Food that is hard to mess up. 5/5 Tasty food, closes up at about 9 PM. They take their last reservation at eight. Portion size kind of small, but prices are legit and the cocktails are very good. Area by the bar was a little quieter than the dining area. But it was very easy to get a table, and this place has a very reasonable happy hour, which I will be hitting up on Tuesday! It's from 5 to 8 on weekdays. Menu you can be found right here https://besame-nola.com/menus read more

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This is a cute place located just outside all the craziness of the French Quarter. The flavors for everything were really nice. The Peruvian ceviche and guacamole were good starters, fresh and bright, though the store bought grocery store chips felt like cheap shoes on a good suit. For mains we had the churrasco and fish and grits and both were really delicious, the steak and the poblano grits standouts. But the portions were somewhat small so for the price felt slightly off. The service was friendly but not overly prompt. Overall, a good experience with delicious food! read more

Bésame - Tapas/Small Plates Near Me - New Orleans, Louisiana

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We visited New Orleans for 5 days and had some memorable meals, Besame being one of them. Besame is a lively place off of Canal Street downtown that serves ceviches, tapas, and main platos. The food and wine are primarily South American. In fact, it was a pleasure to order a Chilean Pinot Noir; I don't encounter many Chilean wines in restaurants and wish they were more available. We started with the Peruvian ceviche (I like the standard classic Peruvian ceviche) and for tapas we had Guacamole, Brussels salad, pork arepas, and chicken empanadas. If that's wasn't enough, we also had the Churrasco plato. All delicious. read more

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While on a short visit to New Orleans our small party stopped into Besame after reading the reviews on Yelp. We were staying a short ways away and walked on over. When we arrived we were asked if we had reservations, which we didn't, it was early on a Sunday afternoon and assumed it wouldn't be crowded. Fortunately our party of three was seated quickly. The interior is decorated very nicely. There is lots of artwork with a huge mural on the back wall. The tables and chairs are comfortable with some being high tops. The bar area is nice as well. The interior itself isn't large by any stretch but it is pleasant. What wasn't pleasant was the incredibly loud atmosphere. I don't think it's normally as loud but we literally had to shout to hold any kind of conversation. Partly I think this was due to a large group having a birthday party, but the volume inside made it quite unpleasant. They do have a good wine and drink list. Our server was knowledgeable about the drinks and the menu. We ended up ordering several plates for the table. The Crispy cauliflower, which was incredible. Not soggy, well cooked and spiced very well. We got a few Veggie Tamals which were also very good. Good depth of flavor and well cooked. We also had the guacamole (with plantain chips) which was very good as well. We finished the meal off with Maduros which were incredibly good. Rich but not overpowering flavors and such an incredible texture. I enjoyed the food, the drinks, and the service. However I did not enjoy how loud it was. Our party of three were just about hoarse by the time we left. Hopefully this was a one off event as I'd certainly be back again for the food. read more

This is such a nice little find just adjacent to Canal street. Food is flavorful and the staff is very busy (but kind). I especially enjoyed the cauliflower (highly crunchy and well-presented) and the cerviche. Must get: cerviche Meh: Fish + grit (too salty and the mixture of flavor profile did not necessarily work for me) Missed out: guac read more

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Unique dishes, fun flavors, and a great place to grab dinner with friends! I came with a party of 8 (we made a reservation in advance) and we did family-style to try a lot of different dishes. Octopus Ceviche 8/10 - fresh and delicious! A good amount of octopus and great appetizer to start the night with. Crispy Cauliflower 8.5/10 - really yummy - the cauliflower is cooked perfectly and the batter is perfectly crispy. Queso 9/10 - I love queso and it's nice to eat something warm on a cold cold night in NOLA. Very satisfying. Paella 9/10 - Super flavorful and full of seafood. Steak 6/10 - the steak didn't hit for me, I thought it was a bit tough, a bit salty, and just not great overall. I liked the potato wedges that came with it though! Guac 7/10 - perfectly yummy but not anything I can't make at home. Lamp lollipops 7/10 - again, pretty good. But I can make this better at home. Octopus appetizer 10/10 - I think this was my favorite of the night. The octopus was giant and super tender. It came with a chutney-like sauce that was very sweet, savory and complex in flavor but paired so well together. Happy hour cocktails 7/10 - could be a hit or miss depending on what you order, but I thought my drink was OK. All in all, we each paid about $50 per person. There's restrooms but it's in the lobby of an adjacent building. Lots of seating for small/larger parties. Service is friendly. Highly recommend that you double check the receipt before paying. read more

Enjoyed the Peruvian ceviche very much. Made me want to go back to Lima. Wait staff was very friendly.

Outstanding food, creative drinks and good wine options. The pork was fall-apart tender and there were great options for the a gluten-free member of our group. Beautiful interior with mid-century tile that is lovely and cool mural with some history attached. It was a busy night and we still had great, accommodating service. My only complaint is how early they close! read more

Love how the restaurant looks and that it wasn't too crowded for a Thursday night. The food was great and we loved the pork arepas. read more

Bésame - Menu - Tapas/Small Plates Near Me - New Orleans, Louisiana

Ugh...I was so disappointed in this restaurant. Perhaps it's because we are from LA and have the best Mexican food in the world... So there's my disclaimer before I write this review. I was so very disappointed in the whole experience. We had heard good things, we're usually great about picking out restaurants, me and my chef friend who came to New Orleans to celebrate our birthdays. First off, the waitress was automatically rude. So that didn't start things off very well. This was one of the restaurants, and we were both so disappointed in our main meal which was the steak, chimchurri and potatoes. The potatoes were not crispy at all and the flavors with the steak, in my opinion, was not complimentary. The flavors weren't amazing and the steak was just so limp. We were only one of two tables in the restaurant. There was a cool mirror mural on the wall but otherwise pretty stale interior. The best thing about this place was the cocktail that I had which was decent. read more

Bésame - Steak - Tapas/Small Plates Near Me - New Orleans, Louisiana

Had a blast, yet again! Food was amazing!!! The service was on point and the ambiance is definitely on of the best. read more

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