Mid-CityWhat happens when you pluck a good ol' boy from the bayou, give him a decade or so of fine dining kitchen experience, then let him open up his dream restaurant?. Toups’ Meatery, that’s what. Isaac Toups, along with his wife Amanda, play the old Cajun favorites like a fiddle (boudin and cracklins, of course, and a meat board that will stop your heart), while also serving up more refined modern fare, like a brilliant lamb’s neck paired with black-eyed peas.

Carnivores are well-served in this part of the world, but there are not many people giving meat the level of attention and care that Isaac Toups does. The results of fine-dining training and a Cajun family upbringing pay dividends here, and there’s nowhere quite like it. Toups brings 300 years of his family traditions to the table, and his award-winning obsession with meat is a thing to behold.

With signature Meatery Boards and his meat-focused entrées that range from lamb to venison, chef Isaac Toup manages to blend fine dining with the casualness of charcuterie and wine. As Toups approaches its 10-year anniversary, Toup continues to branch out, releasing two new hot sauce flavors to go along with his 2018 cookbook Chasing the Gator. Courtesy of Toup's Meatery

Located in Mid-City, Toups’ Meatery lives up to its name with a carnivore-friendly menu of Cajun dishes, like lamb neck, double-cut pork chop, wagyu steak, smoked duck, and venison loin. They also serve a cheese board, pickle plate (yep – an assortment of housemade pickles), and charcuterie board dubbed The Meatery Board, with a selection of house-made fresh and cured meats. Alongside your meal, you can enjoy cocktail pitchers, a full wine list, and more.

Toups Meatery: You might recognize Isaac Toups from the most recent season of “Top Chef.” But, when he isn’t on television, this pirate-looking chef is serving up a masterclass on how to serve and eat meat. In this restaurant, Toups is paying respect to his family’s long line of Louisiana traditions. This is an enlightened approach to Cajun cuisine, as cracklins and hogs headcheese can be ordered alongside the Gulf seafood couvillion stew.

For you: I’ll admit, that when I first read “turkey necks” on the menu, I wasn’t sure what to think, but I’ve never been one to back down from a new food adventure. In short, it was love at first bite. Toups’ turkey necks are a perfect combination of sweet and savory, with a crispy coating, fall-off-the-bone meat, sweet and spicy pepper jelly, and boiled peanuts that I find myself craving since my first taste months ago.

Carnivores flock to chef Isaac Toups’s year-old Toups South and the five-year-old, Cajun-influenced Toups Meatery. As the name suggests, the latter offers a meat-forward menu: Think fried cracklings and hog’s-head cheese. For a proper sampling, call for the signature Meatery Board (an Instagram-worthy sprawl of house-cured delights) featuring candied pork belly, fried boudin, and country ham.

Chef Isaac Toups of "Top Chef" fame comes from a long line of Cajuns who've called Louisiana home for over 300 years. He grew up eating fish and game snared during hunting and fishing trips. It was this background, combined with years of training under Emeril Lagasse, that inspired Chef Toups and his wife to open Toups Meatery right off the famous Mid-City streetcar line in 2012.

(Seafood and Creole Cuisine Restaurant)Toups Meatery - New Orleans - Carnivore-friendly menu of Cajun dishes plus cocktail pitchers in a rustic space with a patio. Slow cooked, meltingly tender Lamb Neck, Confit Chicken Thighs with chicken liver and cornbread dressing, and other substantive dishes that reflect Chef Isaac’s sophisticated approach to Cajun cuisine.

Next on our list of the best upscale restaurants in New Orleans, it’s Toups Meatery. If you’re a complete carnivore, then you need to add Toups Meatery to your list of upscale restaurants in New Orleans to try this year. Run by chef Isaac Toups, this place serves a delicious selection of Cajun dishes in a fine-dining setting.

The ideally balanced meat plate at Toups' Meatery – Photo courtesy of Jillian Dara. Bourbon and meat are two things that chef Isaac Toups knows well. In fact, upon entering Toups' Meatery, a bar lined with an uncountable number of bourbon bottles welcomes you to the Louisiana-born-and-raised chef’s original restaurant.

Nina Compton of Compère Lapin and Bywater American Bistro, Isaac Toups of Toups’ Meatery and Mason Hereford of Turkey and the Wolf and Molly’s Rise and Shine together are auctioning a private, in-home dinner they’ll prepare for up to 10 people, with starting bids at $10,000. See details at go.rallyup.com/ccd06f.

Trot on down to Mid-City to Toups’ Meatery on North Carrollton Ave. for a carnal carnivore’s meal … including dessert!. Toups taps local baker Debbie Does Doberge for her specialty versions of this classic Crescent City cake. Save room for a piece of Salted Caramel, Peanut Butter and Bacon Doberge.

Toups Meatery has been open since 2012 and serves up, as the name suggests, delicious meat-based dishes. Think lamb on stone ground grits, fried quail, oxtail poutine, and foie gras torchon. Come with a group and enjoy cocktails by the pitcher.

🍽️ Cajun | $$ | Website | 📍 Google Maps | 📞 (504) 252-4999. Toup’s Meatery will go down in my memory as the place my friends convinced me to try a chicken heart. However, there’s a wide range of options, and they’re not all so adventurous.

845 N Carrollton AveNew Orleans, LA 70119 +1 504 252 4999 Visit Website See Menu Open in Google Maps. Toups Meatery is a Cajun restaurant that opened its doors to the public in mid-2012.

Toups Meatery in midtown New Orleans is a great brunch option for more savory items. The menu definitely sways on the lunch side of brunch, but is great, nonetheless.

845 N Carrollton Ave, New Orleans, LA 70119Phone: 504-252-4999 Visit Website. View this post on Instagram. A post shared by Chef Isaac Toups (@toupsmeatery)

If your inner carnivore still isn’t satisfied, you should run, not walk, to Toups’ Meatery _ for meats in all forms—cured, grilled, seared, and beyond.