New Orleans - Foodies Unite
So many times people reach out asking about where to visit in the city that's close to my heart. I compiled a list and have been forwarding it via email for years, I've decided to place it here for easy access and retrieval. Please feel free to send me your feedback so that I can make updates as necessary!
Peche
800 Magazine St (Cross Street Julia)
www.pecherestaurant.com
Omg this place was great for small plates and drinking. But the entrees are great too. They have these divine morsels of heaven called fried bread!
Great for casual to dressy dining.
Ten Eleven
1011 Gravier Street
Go here for the Mirliton Frites, pork belly sliders, goat cheese fritters, roasted brussel sprouts and drunken scallops
Lil Dizzy’s Café
1500 Esplanade Ave
Try their Sunday brunch if you have time. The line is worth the wait. This is the place you go for the homemade taste of gumbo with all the fixings!
Dragos Seafood Restaurant
2 Poydras Street (inside Hilton Hotel)
If you can’t stand the wait at Acme go here for chargrilled Oysters
If you can't get into Cochon across the street then come to Ugly Dog Saloon, 401 Andrew Higgins Blvd for this well dressed Po-Boy!
Cochon
930 Tchoupitoulas St.
Go here for fried alligator bites, rabbit & dumplings, Cochon (pork belly) Po Boy
Willie Mae’s Grocery & Deli
7457 St. Charles
You go for the fried chicken. There’s another location Willie Mae’s Scotch house, but there’s lest of a wait at this “fast food” location.
Deanie’s
841 Iberville St (btwn Bourbon & Dauphine)
the fried seafood platter will feed the ENTIRE crew!
Compere Lapin
535 Tchoupitoulas St. (Inside The Old 77 Hotel & Chandlery)
This place is actually a higher end Caribbean restaurant but it’s black owned and operated and very good atmosphere get dressed up and dine.
Gene's Po-Boys
1040 Elysian Fields Ave
Roast Beef, hot sausage and amazing po-boys! They used to be cash only but now take cards. Open 24 hours!
21st Amendment
725 Iberville
Go here to get cute for drinks
Wine Institute New Orleans (W.I.N.O.)
610 Tchoupitoulas St
Wine bar! Should I say more? You can try wines from all over the world.
Elizabeth’s
6001 Gallier St (ByWater Neighborhood)
For Brunch on Saturday or Sunday’s but you HAVE TO GET THERE BEFORE 11AM
Go for Praline Bacon, Boudin Balls, Crabby Eggs Benedict, and Fried Chicken Liver with pepper mint jelly, Eggs Florentine
~~~~~~~In or Near the French Quarter~~~~~~~~
Pat O’Brien’s
Bourbon Street
Go there for your Hurricane
Hand Grenades to Go
700 Block of Bourbon
Tropical Isle
721 Bourbon Street
Go here for a hand grenade
Verti Marte
1201 Royal Street
Is a convenience store but actually one of the places in the Quarter that won’t over charge you for a great PoBoy
Hobnobbers Variety Bar & Restaurant
139 Carondelet St (Canal)
This is my absolute favorite hole in the wall breakfast spots. You can get shrimp & cheesy grits, fried fish and grits and just great food all served on a paper plate! Lol
French Market Restaurant & Bar
1001 Decatur St. (at St. Philip St)
French Market Restaurant & Bar is great for crawfish.
I like the eggplant & crab pasta pictured above and omg the fried green tomatoes. The chargrilled oysters are good but nothing compares to Acme Oyster House, that is unless you find yourself outside of a club at 3a with the neighborhood grill man cooking them up fresh!
Acme Oyster House
724 Iberville St (btwn Bourbon and Royal)
Go here for chargrilled Oysters the line is usually very long, so get your drink to sip on while you wait. DO NOT GO TO FELIX across the street go to Dragos instead if you can’t wait.
Find yourself a Daiquri to keep yourself cool while you walk the streets. But don't sip to fast they contain alcohol and you can even add an extra shot or two to get you there faster!
French Market
This is an open-air market with a flea market attached. You may find great pieces from local artisans. There is stall called Organic Banana YOU WILL GET DRUNK from their fresh smoothies. A few stalls down from them is a pretty good stall where I enjoyed an eggplant Po’ Boy and fried corn. You can just graze around here for a few hours and enjoy! See Loretta’s for the original chocolate, Peanut butter, rum and coconut Pralines.
~~~~~~~Tours/Places to See~~~~~~~~~~
Steamboat Natchez
This is a Ferry Boat tour showing you New Orleans from the Mississippi River. They may offer a meal with your ticket I don’t remember
Horse & Buggy Tour
Find the brother in purple with his horse & Buggy near Jackson Square and JAX Brewery. He's clean and so is his horse! He's traveled extensively but still loves New Orleans and is happy to take you on a tour...for a fee! But it's worth it.
Whitney Plantation (an hour away in Wallace, LA)
Here are a few photos from my last visit. I always learn something new with every time I visit the only plantation museum in Louisiana focused on the story from the enslaved peoples perspective via the Federal Writers Project.
Congo Square
Louis Armstrong Park
The New Orleans School of Cooking
524 Saint Louis Street
You can actually sit in a cooking class and enjoy the food you create!
SUNO That’s right, the Southern University of New Orleans. I have love for all HBCUs, but I was there recently for a conference on African spirituality and culture where I learned they have the largest private collection of Congolese artifacts in the state and possibly southern region.
~~~~~~~Clubs/Live Music~~~~~~~~~
House of Blues
Handsome Willy’s (very trap very young but lit AF)
Razoo’s – Bourbon Street – flip flops and sneakers
Cat Daddy – Bourbon Street – flip-flops and sneakers