Café Beignet on Royal St – Great beignets (the official doughnut of LA) & NOLA specialties like red beans & gumbo
Coops Place -Awesome Fried Chicken with a side of Rabbit Jambalaya. Not fancy/no reservations. Must be 21!
Irene’s Cuisine – Great Italian and Fun atmosphere. A hidden treasure!
Italian Barrel – Great Italian (Outside dining available and easy walk to nightlife on Frenchmen St.)
Brennan’s – New Orleans restaurant tradition since 1946. Best for brunch. The Brandy Milk Punch and Bananas Foster are not optional items. Indulge.
Central Grocery – Home of the original muffuletta (meats sliced in house & family recipe Italian olive salad). They are huge. Split it.
Port of Call – late night eats. 2AM on weekends. Awesome burger & baked potato & home of the Monsoon drink!
Felix’s or Drago’s – Chargrilled Oysters is why you go.
Warehouse District:
Peche – Award winning Seafood. Raw Oyster bar
Cochon Butcher – pork-focused Cajun fare – Cochon is next door and is the sit down restaurant
La Boca – Argentinian Steakhouse
Bearcat in the CBD – breakfast and brunch & vegan options
Carmo – Tropical food infused with local flavor – vegan & vegetarian options; Unique!
Garden District:
Atchafalaya – contemporary Nola cuisine and mean Bloody Mary’s – a neighborhood fave!
Bywater & Marigny (close to French Quarter):
Bacchanal – indoor& outdoor dining / Foodies & Wine lovers / Live band under twinkle lights.
Elizabeth’s – Fun and delicious breakfast place but open all day. Home of the praline bacon! Steps from Crescent Park.
Satsuma – Great breakfast & lunch – vegan and veggie options
Uptown/ Riverbend
La Petite Grocery – Made-from-scratch Louisiana fare in a quaint cottage that used to be a grocery in the 1800s
Saba – casual bistro with family-style platters of locally sourced Middle Easter fare & outdoor dining
Jacques-Imos – Great (Soul/Cajun) food. On Oak Street –next door to the famous Maple Leaf music club. Our favorite fun dinner spot.
DTB on Oak St. – stands for “Down the Bayou” –happy hour fried chicken sandwich & mushroom boudin balls
Lakefront Seafood:
The Blue Crab – Great seafood, sometimes live band downstairs. We love to dock the boat here! (closed Mon)
Felix’s on Lake – Chargrilled Oysters are their thing. This is their second location. Original location is in the F.Q. We can dock the boat here as well.
Station 6 – White table cloth restaurant near the lake, delicious seafood options! Great date night location.
R&O’s – Very casual with great Po-Boys (they use the best bread in the world) & great pizza too.
Po-Boys for Lunch (all very casual):
Parkway Bakery – Legendary (Mid city) Closed on Tuesdays– rated best PoBoy’s for the last 300yrs
Crabby Jacks – Huge & perfect PoBoys. Some unique options. Worth the trip (Jefferson Hwy)
R&O’s – Very casual with great Po-Boys (they used the best bread in the world) & great pizza too
Johnny’s Po-boys – French Quarter convenience & good
Music on Frenchmen St.:
The Spotted Cat Music Club- The quintessential jazz club of NOLA; known as “The Cat” by locals.
The Blue Nile- Captain Doug’s favorite & one of the longest–standing music clubs on the Frenchmen strip
Café Negril – Live music from reggae to rock, dancing, drinks, tacos, burritos & pizza
Dragons Den – A unique experience – bar, restaurant & live music on the corner of Esplanade and Frenchmen
Three Muses – Live music, craft cocktails and great food – Make a reservation!
Must Do Bar stops in NOLA:
Pat O’Brien’s – Home of the famous Hurricane drink (more than 2 & you will be sloppy drunk)
The Carousel Bar – In Hotel Monteleone (214 Royal St.) – This merry-go-round bar has been revolving since 1949
Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop Bar – The oldest bar in the U.S. from 1700’s! (941 Bourbon -Dimly lit & funky)
Hot Tin – Located on the roof of the Pontchartrain Hotel with a beautiful view of the city. (2031 St Charles Ave)
The Columns Hotel – Historic cocktails overlooking St. Charles Avenue and the street-car line.
Maple Leaf Bar – one of the longest operating music clubs in Nola, featuring blues, R&B, rock, zydeco, jazz – next door to Jacques-Imo’s – one of our favorite dinner spots!
THINGS TO DO & SEE:
BEST PARKS TO VISIT:
City Park
This expansive urban greenspace with a lake and paths features, bike and paddleboat rentals, Gondola rides, an off-leash dog area, New Orleans Museum of Art,, a sculpture garden, New Orleans Botanical Garden, Carousel Gardens Amusement Park, coffee and beignets and City Putt mini golf complex.
Crescent Park
Located at the edge of the Bywater and French Quarter, this park features walking and bike paths providing picturesque views along the Mississippi River the entire way.
Audubon Park
Located in Uptown New Orleans, right next to the Audubon Zoo. This beautiful greenspace with walking/bike path is one of the city’s prime birding spots, home to many varietals of egrets, ibis, herons, and ducks.
Jean Lafitte National Historical Park/Barataria Preserve Trail
Located about 40 min from the French Quarter – named after the French pirate Jean Lafitte. This nature preserve features deck paved walking trails through the swamp, where you might see an alligator!
Audubon Zoo
Located in historic Uptown New Orleans, you’ll see thousands of animals from around the globe, along with our award-winning Louisiana Swamp and Jaguar Jungle. It is one of the USA’s top-ranked zoos.
Hansen’s Sno-Bliz – Best snow cones ever! 4801 Tchoupitoulas Street in Uptown
Take a stroll down Magazine Street from the Garden District all the way Uptown and enjoy amazing local café’s, award winning restaurants like Saba, and pop into many of the fun local shops along the way.
Step back in time and take a Street Car ride down historic St. Charles Avenue to see the grand old homes, gorgeous oak trees, shops & restaurants. You can hop on and off. $3 for an all-day ticket.
FYI: Many restaurants are closed on Mondays. Some restaurants close earlier than you may think. (Please check online)
Laissez les bon temps rouler, y’all! AKA “Yeah, you right! Let the good times roll!”
