New Orleans is easily one my favourite cities in the US for food, culture, people and music. I’ve been five times and never had a bad trip. Find some of my favourite places to eat and drink below.
📝 I’ve visited a couples of times in winter now and outside of Madis Gras bars are definitely a lot quieter and not open as long. It is easier getting into the popular restaurants without a queue though. During warmer months the bars are packed from first thing in the morning till late at night.
📝 Po Boys are are a Louisiana sandwich served in a crusty baguette style bread usually filled with meat or fried seafood. You can get po boys all around the city but I’ve listed some of my favourite spots below.
Find my Google map link here.
1. Cassemento’s
📍East Riverside. Places like this is why I love New Orleans. They’ve been shucking oysters at this shop since 1919 and it’s barely changed since. It’s worth noting that they close for summer when Gulf oysters are out of season (end of May to the end of September). My go-to dishes are the softshell crab dinner, chargrilled oysters and gumbo.
2. Domilise’s
📍West Riverside. Domilise’s Po-Boy & Bar dates all the way back to 1918. On the shelf of fame you’ll see a lot of photos of the Manning brothers. They have a small menu of the classic sandwiches here. This time I went for the fried shrimp and hot sausage, although I have had the meatball one in the past too which might be my favourite. All sandwiches come in a Leidenheimer bread roll with shredded lettuce, mayo, pickle and hot sauce. The po boys are simple but hit the spot. I’m not sure if it deserves a Bib Gourmand but the shop it’s a beautiful shop and well worth a visit.
3. Turkey & Wolf
📍Lower Garden District. Another New Orleans sandwich shop with a Michelin Bib Gourmand. I went for the collared green melt Slow-cooked greens, Swiss cheese, pickled cherry pepper dressing, and coleslaw on rye, which was unreal. The fried Bologna sandwich is just as popular.
4. Herbsaint
📍Central Business District. The menu is a mix of Cajun, Creole, French and Italian. All the dishes I’ve tried have been top notch but you’re definitely going to want to get the spaghetti with guanciale & fried poached farm egg. It might be one of my favourite things to eat in the city.
5. Dooky Chase’s
📍Treme. A New Orleans institution founded by Leah Chase, the ‘Queen of Creole cuisine’. This restaurant has been visited by many political figures over the years from Martin Luther King Jr to Barrack Obama & George W Bush. Go for fried chicken, gumbo, shrimp Clemenceau and all the classic Southern sides.
6. Liuzza’s by the Track
📍Mid-City. Liuzza’s by the Track is a family owned Cajun restaurant since 1996. The atmosphere is super laidback. The bbq shrimp po boy is good call here but they serve what I think is the best gumbo I’ve ever had.
7. Elizabeth’s
📍Bywater. Elizabeth’s in Bywater is an absolute gem. I went for breakfast and had the praline bacon (a must-order), poached eggs on fried boudin with crawfish etoufee and grits, and a Bloody Mary. Everything was amazing.
8. Port of Call
📍French Quarter. A nice dive bar on the edge of French Quarter that also serves some very good, thick, juicy burgers. The burgers come with a jacket potato side loaded with sour cream, cheese, chive and bacon bits. To drink, try their Monsoon which is their take on a Bloody Mary. It’s very big and very strong. Just a note, there was some recent controversy from a disgruntled employee about the cleanliness of the kitchen and problems with rats.
9. Guy’s Po-Boys
📍West Riverside. Another po boy shop just a short walk from Domilise’s Po-Boy & Bar. The shrimp po boy is a good choice here. They’re open 11:00-16:00 every day except Sunday.
10. Cafe Du Monde
📍French Quarter. Cafe du Monde is one of the most famous spots in New Orleans. You can’t really go to New Orleans and not grab some of their famous beignets & coffee. It started as a coffee stand in New Orleans French Market back in 1862. Iced coffee wasn’t introduced until 1988 but is now one of the best sellers. You may remember them being featured in the movie Chef. Queues can get pretty crazy so the earlier you go the better. They’re open from 07:15 – 11:00 Sunday l to Thursday and 07:15 – 12:00 Friday and Saturday. It only really closes on Christmas Day or when there’s a hurricane.
11. The Camellia Grill
📍Leonidas. I love a good American diner. The Camelia Grill dates back to 1946 and is known for being the first restaurant in the city to employ black people front of house. It’s beautiful from the outside and I love the way the marble bar loops around the kitchen. It’s been a good few years since my last visit and it definitely looked like it needed a bit of a deep clean but the food was still good. The burgers, omelettes and po boys are popular and they serve some great chilli fries too.
12. Brennan’s
📍French Quarter. A French Quarter institution since 1946. They’re known for being one of the best spots in town for brunch. Be sure to finish with their famous Banana Forster which is flambéed for you table-side. They also serve a very good Bloody Mary called the ‘bloody bull’ which comes with a beef bouillon cube in it. They don’t have an official dress code but it’s a little smarter than most other places on this list.
13. Jacques-Imo’s
📍Leonidas. Jacques-Imos are known for their Creole-Cajun comfort food. I don’t think I’ve ever had a dish here which wasn’t ten out of ten. Try and book ahead or you may have to wait a while for a table.
14. Napolean House
📍French Quarter. A beautiful restaurant in French Quarter with a nice courtyard. People mostly come here for their famous muffletta sandwich and a Pimm’s cup. The sandwich consists of Genoa salami, Swiss & provolone cheese, olive salad in a fresh seeded Italian loaf. It’s very, very good.
15. Lil Dizzy’s
📍Treme. A popular spot in Treme for soul food. Everything on the menu sounded good but I went for the fried chicken meal with dirty rice and collared greens, as well as a side of gumbo. The dirty rice was the star of the show for me. Service was very slow.
16. Marie’s Bar and Kitchen
📍Marigny. The kitchen of this dive bar in the Marigny neighbourhood is run by a burger spot called Slap Burger. They serve very good smash burger. The beers are cheap too.
17. Molly’s Rise and Shine
📍Irish Channel. Another great spot to come for breakfast. The menu is focused around biscuits here. I went for the chicken in biscuit. It was fried crispy and dipped in a hot oil, Nashville style.
18. McHardy’s
📍Seventh Ward. Another city favourite for fried chicken. The chicken is a little more seasoned than Dooky Chase or Willie Mae’s. Order some of the Southern sides like fried okra, rice and beans, and mac and cheese too. Takeout only.
19. Parkway Bakery & Tavern
📍Bayou St. John. One of the most popular po boy spots in the city. The fried shrimp po’ boy was as good as it gets. Expect queues wrapping all the way round the restaurant. Open 10:00-18:00. Closed Monday & Tuesday.
20. Verti Marte
📍French Quarter. This is basically a corner store that serves po’ boys at the back. Get the “All That Jazz” po’ boy which is includes grilled turkey, ham, American and Swiss cheese, fried shrimp, sautéed mushrooms, and “wow sauce.”. Open 24/7.
21. Willie Mae’s
📍Treme. Ask anybody in town where to go for fried chicken and most likely this will be the first place they recommend. Be prepared to wait in line for lunch.
22. Killer Poboys
📍French Quarter. A less traditional po boy spot in French Quarter. I recommended going for the Glazed Pork Belly po boy with slaw & aioli.
23. Clover Grill
📍French Quarter. You know I love a diner so of course I had to include this 24-hour French Quarter diner on my list. It’s a fairly no-thrills standard diner menu here. The burgers are popular in evenings.
24. Mother’s Restaurant
📍Central Business District. A popular cafeteria for po’ boys and other Southern dishes. The one to get here is the Famous Ferdinand Special; Mother’s Best Baked Ham (they make their own ham here), roast beef, debris (roast beef that falls into the gravy while cooking), and gravy. Open 07:00-09:00/10:00.
25. Cochon Restaurant
📍Lower Garden District. Modern Cajun/Southern dishes. They also have the more casual Cochon Butcher round the corner.
26. Parasol’s
📍Irish Channel. If you couldn’t tell by now, I’m a big fan of sandwiches. This po boy spot dates back to 1952. It feels a little like an Irish bar inside. Their roast beef dressed po boy is the most ordered item here.
27. Harbour Seafood
📍Kenner. A great seafood restaurant on the road into New Orleans (near the airport). Go for fresh oysters or a seafood boil.
28. Deanies Seafood
📍French Quarter & Bucktown. A good spot for big stacks of seafood. The portions are massive here. Try the chargrilled oysters to start and Bloody Mary with a fresh shrimp in it.
Drinking
French Quarter
- Laffittes – Mine and Nicholas Cage’s favourite bar. All the drinks are ridiculously strong here. It’s also rumoured to be the oldest bar in the USA. Go for a hurricane or Bloody Mary’s (if you go early on).
- Erin Rose – They do a great Bloody Mary and frozen Irish Coffee.
- The Sazerac Bar – Central Business District.
- The Carousel Bar & Lounge
- French 75 Bar – A classy cocktail bar attached to Arnaud’s restaurant. Go for a French 75.
- Bar Tonique – Go for a Ramos Gin Fizz.
- Tujague’s – Grasshopper at
- Molly’s at the Market
- Old Absinthe House – Go for a Herbsaint Absinthe Frappé.
- Pat O’Briens – French Quarter. A famous bar on Bourbon Street with a big garden. Known for creating the Hurricane cocktail.
Watch my ‘Drinking in French Quarter’ reel here.
Outside of French Quarter
- Snake and Jake’s Christmas Club Lounge – East Carrollton. Keith Richard’s favourite bar in the world. This place is a complete dive but worth a visit if you’re on this side of town.
- The Maple Leaf – Leonidas. Go and see Rebirth Brass Band if they are playing here or anywhere. This place is great for bands anyway.
- The Spotted Cat – Frenchmen Street. Go for live music.
- Apple Barrel – Frenchmen Street. Go for live music.
- Three Muses – Frenchmen Street. Go for live music.
- Dos Jefes Uptown Cigar Bar – West Riverside. If you like smoking cigars this is the place to go.
- BJs Lounge – Bywater. A cool dive bar. Note that you need to ring a buzzer to get in.
- Big Daddy’s – Marigny. A nice dive bar with a great name. Very low prices.
- Marie’s Bar and Kitchen – Marigny. Cheap beers and good burgers from 17:00.
James Dimitri 