When you think of New Orleans, what comes to mind? Mardi Gras? Jazz? French Quarter? Voodoo? All of the above of course! Now, after being there and experience it first hand, the first word that comes to mind for me is food!
New Orleans is teeming with different cultures, and each of those cultures brings their own traditional meals. There are some must-haves well known meals, and plenty of new places with new culinary ventures. We tried to get a taste of both worlds while we there!
The Fan Favorites
Some of the dishes that come to mind when you think of New Orleans and the south are gumbo, jambalaya, seafood in all shapes and sizes, red beans and rice and unique fried meats.
Pat O’Briens, located right near Bourbon Street, is a great spot to try a handful of the local dishes. Shrimp Creole, seafood cakes, and crawfish were our meals of choice! Down the street from there, you’ll find Crescent City Brewhouse, another great spot for Louisiana staples! We all split a plate of delicious fried alligator there! When in Rome right?!
Another can’t miss is the world famous Cafe Du Monde and their beignets! If you go to the location near Jackson Square, prepare to wait in a line, but take them to go and pick a nice scenic spot to enjoy the treat! (And completely cover yourself in powered sugar!)
I had the pleasure of meeting up with a fellow blogger friend who’s a Nola local while we were in town! In typical millenial, I suggested meeting up for a drink somewhere and she responded, Nah let’s meet up for a snoball instead!
What is a snoball you ask? The most glorious version of shaved ice you’ll ever taste! We made it to Hansen’s Sno-Bliz on their opening day and waited in line amongst the other excited locals! They have flavors ranging from typical fruit flavors to exotic options like Cream of Nectar, Cream of Birthday Cake and Honey Lavender. And don’t forget to add lactose to make the flavor even creamier!
Check out my friend Mallory’s blog Plaid Shirt, Yoga Pants for all the best New Orleans spots, festivals, and food envy! She has amazing tips since she’s lived in the city her whole life!
New Classics
We stumbled upon a cafe whilst looking for a nice hangover breakfast and found the PERFECT thing. Cafe Envie has something called the Breakfast Go-Cup, which intrigued me. It’s a cup filled with grits, scrambled eggs, hash browns, gravy, sausage crumbles and then bacon on the side. It was the perfect hangover meal, and portable none-the-less!
New Orleans is also home to several different food hall style dining options. We caught an uber over to St. Roch Market for some food tasting and craft cocktails. We decided to divide and conquer, choosing one meal from 3 different vendors, to get the best variety. We opted for lobster mac N cheese, shrimp poboy (another Nola classic) and bao buns for a change of pace! All three were delicious and unique in their own ways.
Places like St. Roch market are often filled with “food truck” style vendors. Where they have a limited but specialized menu. Most of them actually advertised having food trucks as well so you can catch your favorite food out and about as well!
If you’re into a more hipster neighborhood vibe, venture down to the Garden District on Magazine Street for a whole slew of new food spots. We met up with another local friend here for some lunch and gourmet donuts at District Donuts! They had several different option for sliders and some bomb waffle fries. And you can order as much or as little as you want!
The sliders were great, but the donuts were next level. They post their offerings every morning on social media and when they sell out, they sell out! With everything from standard flavors to out of the box offerings, you can’t go wrong.
I know we only skimmed the surface of all of the amazing food offerings of New Orleans and it makes me want to go back and try even more! From spicy creole dishes to french sweets, Nola has it all.
Do you have a favorite go-to meal in New Orleans? Comment below with your foodie recommendations! Until next time…
Stay Wild and Adventure On!
Yum! I’m also a foodie and all of those look fantastic!
I have heard the New Orleans has amazing food. One day I’ll be able to see for myself
Oh my! Each of these photos is better than the one before! They’re all mouthwatering!!
So much good stuff to eat and drink! I’m so glad we walked everywhere when we were in the city!
This is not a post to read when you are starving! All the food look delicious. I am hoping to visit New Orleans soon so this is quite handy as I will know when to get the best food! Thanks
Great to discover the culinary side of New Orleans through this fun and informative post! The snoball sounds like a great treat!
Done with dinner. Yet this post makes me hungry! 🙂 😛 Awesome food photos. Breakfast Go-Cup sounds like a good innovation.
We just booked flights to New Orleans today and this just made me so much more excited! Donuts and sliders are two of my favorite things, definitely adding District Donuts to the list!
It’s been years since I visited New Orleans but I still remember my first time having alligator and soft shelled crab. And who could forget the beignets! The Breakfast Go-Cup is a great idea and has all the things I love about breakfast! I’m hoping to do a Gulf Coast RV trip later this year and can’t wait to try out some of these places.
Ok! That breakfast go-cup?! Such a simple idea, but so great and looks amazing! I would love to experience NOLA in general, but especially for their food scene!