Probably my my favourite city in the US for food, culture, people and live music. This was my fourth trip here and there’s still so many restaurants and bars on my hit-list. A few notes;
📝 This was my first time visiting in winter. Bars were definitely a lot quieter and not open as long. It was a lot 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 usually filled with meat or fried seafood. There are so many good po boy spots across the city. Some with very big queues. I’ve listed a few of my favourite spots below but a few extra ones are; NOLA Po Boys, Parasol’s, Johnny’s Po Boys, Mahony’s.
🍺 There are so many good bars in New Orleans I could make a second guide of just places to drink but I’ve listed some of my favourites below by area;
📝 French Quarter; Laffittes (oldest bar in the US), Port of Cool (Monsoon cocktail & good burgers), Erin Rose (frozen or warm Irish coffee), The Carousel Bar & Lounge (spinning bar), French 75 Bar (for a French 75), Fritzel’s European Jazz Pub (for live music), Preservation Hall (live music), Pat O’Briens (big courtyard and duelling pianos), Molly’s at the Market (Irish bar).
📝 Outside of French Quarter; Bacchanal Fine Wine & Spirits, BJs Lounge, The Sazerac Bar, Snake and Jake’s Christmas Club Lounge, Tipitina’s (live music venue), Maple Leaf (live music venue) and on Frenchmen Street; Spotted Cat, Apple Barrel & Threw Muses.
1. Cassemento’s
📍East Riverside. Places like this are why I love New Orleans. Completely trapped in time. A great spot for seafood. Try the chargrilled oysters.
2. Cafe Du Monde
📍French Quarter. Probably the most famous food spot in New Orleans. Featured in the movie Chef. You can’t go to New Orleans and not stop here for some beignets & coffee. Queues get crazy so the earlier you go the better. Open 07:30-22:00.
3. Domilise’s
📍West Riverside. Another of the cities most popular spots for a sandwich with locals, politicians, celebrities, and anyone with good taste. You know there’s something special about this place when you’re eating a po’ boy at the counter. The roast beef, fried shrimp & meat ball po’ boy are all good calls. Open 10:00-18:30. Closed Sunday.
4. Herbsaint
📍Central Business District. An upscale French/American restaurant. Get the fresh spaghetti with guanciale & fried poached farm egg. It might be one of my favourite things to eat in the city.
5. Bevi Seafood
📍Mid-City. A great spot for fresh seafood and seafood po’ boys. Open 11:00-20:00 most days.
6. Brennan’s
📍French Quarter. A French Quarter institution since 1946. Known for being one of the best spots breakfast in city. Be sure to finish with their famous Banana Forster. It ain’t cheap but it’s well worth a visit.
7. 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.
8. Guy’s Po-Boys
📍West Riverside. A popular po boy shop in this part of town. The shrimp po boy is a popular choice here. Open 11:00-16:00 every day except Sunday.
9. Dooky Chase’s
📍Treme. A New Orleans institution previously headed up by Leah Chase the ‘Queen of Creole cuisine’ (who passed away few years ago at the age of 96). This restaurant has been visited by all kinds of political figures over the years from Martin Luther King Jr to Barrack Obama & George W Bush. Go for fried chicken, gumbo and shrimp Clemenceau.
10. Harbour Seafood
📍Kenner. A great seafood restaurant on the road into New Orleans (near the airport). Go for fresh oysters or a seafood boil.
11. 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.
12. 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.
13. Port of Call
📍French Quarter. A great bar that also serves some great burgers. Comes with a jacket potato side. Drink the Monsoon cocktail.
14. 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.
15. Camelia Grill
📍Leonidas. An old school burger diner near Tulane University so popular with students. They serve some great chilli fries too.
16. Killer Poboys
📍French Quarter. A contemporary po’ boy spot in French Quarter. They do a great Glazed Pork Belly po’ boy with slaw & aioli.
17. 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.
18. Cochon Restaurant
📍Lower Garden District. Modern Cajun/Southern dishes. They also have the more casual Cochon Butcher round the corner.
19. 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.
James Dimitri 