Elizabeth’s Restaurant: at the corner of Chartre and Gallier st., if you get lost call 504 944 9272. During the week, only open for lunch and dinner, on weekends for brunch. Its a little way from the French Quarter along the Mississippi river in the Bywater section, but its worth the drive for brunch and the Praline Bacon and the Eggs Elizabether are awsome. Recently I’ve had dinner here a few times and both times the food was very dispointing, in one case the softshell crab was way beyond its serve by date. Be aware of the speed camera on Chartres before you get there! (Stan, Kate, Eldon)
Cochon: 930 Tchoupitoulas Street, 504 588 2123 One of Rosemary and my favorite places for a upscale place to eat. Leaning heavily toward a meat centric menu with a strong traditional cajun southern food bent with a lot of locally sourced pork, produce and seafood. Located very close by the WWII Museum. Reservations stronly suggested. (Stan and Rosemary)
Mothers: Poydras St. Another place for breakfast and lunch. It may seem like cafeteria style, but most food is cooked to order. If your an ex-Marine, this is the place for you. Lately, a lot of tourists can be found here and the line to get in can be long (not worth the wait IMHO), and its almost on the “Famous But Overrated” list. (Stan)
Slim Goodies: 3332 Magazine Street, a new addition to the list, a great diner spot for breakfast. Rosemary liked the waffels, but I thought them too thick for my liking. The Omelets were excellent. Check it out, but it always seems busy.. (Marie, Stan)
Camllia Grill: 626 S. Carrollton Ave., 504 866 9573, Talk about a place that had its ups and downs, one of the great eating instutions in New Orleans, it was taken over by new management in 2004 and run into the ground, poor service, bad food, it actually made it onto the “Famous but Overrated” section. Katrina closed the place and it looked like the end. It reopened in 2007 under new management who vowed to reclaim its past glory and its on its way to doing just that. Marvin is back and the food and service staff is working hard to improve. I like breakfast there and in particular the pecan waffles, but its also well known for supper fluffy omelets and late night burgers. Not as cheap as you might think however. They have opened up a branch in the French Quarter that has a similar look to the original, but I have not checked it out yet. (Stan)
Cake Cafe & Bakery: 2440 Chartres, in the Bywater neighborhood. Not only great baked goods, but a terrific breakfast, omelets and egg sandwiches and of course coffee. They are open now on Monday and take VISA cards! (Kate and Eldon)
La Boulangerie: 4526 Magazine St. A terrific French bakery, wonderful pastries and of course French King Cakes in season. Stan loves the chocolate croissants but Aimee is all about the fruit filled. The bread is of course some of the best in the city and its all made in front of you. (Stan, Aimee)
Croissant D’Or: 617 Ursulines Ave. (in the French Quarter), an excellent bakery (although not as good as La Boulangerie), with croissants and some good coffee. They also sell French King Cakes here in season. Cash Only
Betsy’s Pancake House: 2542 Canal Street, 504 822 0214, This place really is like having breakfast at someones house, the staff is super friendly and it seems like everyone here is a local. The egg specials are a great deal and the pancakes are excellent. I have my reservations about the waffels, the batter seems a little too sweet for me. If you leave here hungry, its your own fault. (Stan)
Liuzza’s By The Track: 1518 N. Lopez Street, 504 218 7888 (Closed Sunday), not to be confused with Liuzza’s, this very local place is best described as a “joint” that mostly a local bar that serves food, they only have like 9 tables and it fills up fast especially at lunch time. Decent enough food and priced right but its not fine dining. Best recommended for lunch.
Poppy’s Grill: 717 St. Peters, open 24 hours, inexpensive, across from Pat O’Brians, basic burgers and grease. (Arthur N.)
Parkway Bakery & Tavern: 538 Hagan Ave. (Bayou St. John off Orleans) 504 482 3047 This place which has been here for decades is a Po-Boy institution in New Orleans is one of my must go-to place for a Po Boy when in New Orleans. I am always torn between the Roast Beef and the Shrimp but twice a week they often have oyster Po Boys as well. The bread is of course excellent but be warned the Roast Beef can be messy. No meal is complete without an order of cheesy fries. I’ve been going here for years and only recently tried some of the gumbo and it was one of the best I have ever had in NOLA, alligator and turkey gumbo, who would have thought! You get in line, often long, order your food and when you name is called, pick it up. If you need something from the bar, get it after you have ordered your food and find a table and dig in! They do take credit cards.
Guy’s Po Boys: 5259 Magazine 891 5025, Open 9:00am-4:00pm. Closed Sunday. Although it has a few tables inside, it’s mostly a take out. I like the shrimp Po Boys, but tell them to go easy on the ketchup if you get it “dressed”. Oddly enough, they do not sell oyster po boys here, never did. Cash only!!! (Stan)
Johnny’s Poor Boys: 511 St. Louis. Breakfast and Poor Boys, inexpensive $3.95-5.95 range, Stan says the shrimp Po Boy is spicy and awesome, Rosemary prefers the crawfish Po Boys. M-F 7am to 4:30 pm, Sat. & Sun. 9:00-4:00. No Credit Cards! (Arthur N. & Stan)
Fiorella’s: 1136 Decatur St. 504 528 9566 Sun.-Wed. 7am to midnight, Thurs.-Sat. 7am-2am. Fiorella’s is noted for casual dining in the Quarter by the famous French Market with its famous fried chicken fried fresh to order. Line forms outside the front door, (its a small place inside). No reservation, but they do accept credit cards. Bingo starts in back at 10 pm usually. Cheap enough. Special note, (under new management as of Fl 08 and my last trip here the service was just terrible, I keep giving this place another chance, but I may give up on it, visit at your own risk, (Jimmy says he has) (Stan, Jimmy)
Verti Marte: 1201 Royal Street, 525 4767, it only looks like a grungy little bread and eggs store, it actually has a little short order take out kitchen in the back. Daily specials and of course po-boys to die for, try one of Kate’s favorites, the french fry and gravy po-boy for only $4.10. This place is a trip, but don’t forget to tip the cook if you want a little something extra. Stan’s new favorite is the “all that Jazz po boy” Open 24 hours “always open”. (Kate and Eldon)
Taqueria Corona: 5923 Magazine & 857 Fulton St. Not as Inexpensive as it used to be, but if you want some Mexican food check this place out, be warned cash only, no charges. (Arthur, Kate & Eldon)
Frankie and Johnnie’s: 321 Arabella, (Arabella and Tchoupitoula)s. (Arabella is not noted on AAA maps; nearest street is Nashville) This is the place to have solid, neighborhood, down home cooking. Stan always got the crawfish pie as an appetizer. Red beans and rice with local sausage a cheap but great meal. Under new management as of 2013-11 and the place after some bad years is as good as ever, a wonderful local place to sample typical New Orleans food. Last trip to NOLA I had both raw and chargrilled oyesters here and they were some of the best I’ve ever had! $7.00-$15.00 range, depending on drinks. 504 899-9146 (Pike & Stan; Kate and Eldon)
Acme: French Quarter, on Ibienville just South of Bourbon St., West side of Street. Excellent oyster bar, boiled crawfish and fried food as well as char grilled oysters. One of the few places I’ll eat in the quarter. A good place to bring large groups if you are afraid of sorting out large tabs. The Po Boys and Gumbo are only so-so here, I stick to the raw bar and crawfish although I am a big fan of their char grilled oysters. Sit right at the bar if you want the whole experience, but be a sport and drop something into the tip jar. 522- 5973 (Pike & Stan)
Mr. Ed’s Oyster Bar and Fish House 512 Bienville St. 504 309 4848 This is a reasonably new addition to the French Quarter, they have another location in Metairie and are now also on Bienville near Decatur at the edge of the French Quarter. I recently ate here twice, once for lunch and again later in the week for dinner. Its not a big place, but being off and away from Bourbon street, in both visits it was not too crowded. I found the raw oysters to be great and as good as anything I’d had at the Acme, the chargrilled were in the top 5 of my choices for chargrilled oysters in NOLA and also very good. In my group there was also some gumbo ordered and some fried food and it also held up well. The service was not terrible, but it was not great either. If the line at the Acme is too long, I would consider this a real alternative. (Stan and Aimee)
Saint Cecilia 91 French Market Place (very close by the French Market) 504 522 5851 Special Note on this establishment, as of 2018-10 this place is to be avoided and no longer recommended. You’ve been warned!
Felix: French Quarter on Ibienville across the street from Acme, also a good oyster bar and has regular sit down service with a waitress, if you can’t get into Acme, try here. Be wary of the other menu items, on our last visit, the turtle soup was terrible and the gumbo only so-so. (Stan)
Central Grocery: In the French Quarter, Decatur Street across from the French Market, on the North side of the street. Home of the Muffalato sandwich and Italian-Creole that’s incredible, a must for lunch. One is too much for any mortal to eat alone, bring a friend. If the lines are out the door, consider coming back another day, it’s good here, but not sure its worth a 45 min. wait. (Pike & Stan)
Cafe Du Monde: French Quarter, old French Market at Jackson Square. The place to have Cafe au lait and Beignet’s (deep fried doughnuts, covered with sugar) after a long night on the town or to start a new one. A great place to kick back and watch the street scene go by. Also one of the few places to use the bathroom in the quarter without paying. A New Orleans institution. (Pike & Stan)
Deannie’s: Interstate 10 West to West End Blvd. Exit, go North till the Blvd. dead ends in a traffic circle, go left around traffic circle and exit onto Hammond Hyw., go over a canal, take a second left onto Lake Ave., Deannie’s will be on the left side of the street 1/2 block. Found in a section of the city referred to by the locals as “Bucktown, U.S.A.” If you are real hungry for lots of fried seafood, this is the place. Very fresh, local stuff here. Always a wait on weekends. A $15.00 platter is plenty for two adults, the $25.00 platter enough for four. They recently opened another location in the French Quarter, which although not having the charm of the Bucktown place, has pretty much the same menu.(Pike & Stan)
Olivier’s: 2519 Dreux, call 282 2314 for info. This is North up near the lake. Take Elysian Fields North to Fillmore. Turn right at Fillmore to Franklin. Turn right at Franklin onto Dreux, follow Dreux approximate. one block on the right. Excellent neighborhood place, great seafood, and daily hometown specials, great gumbo and soft shell crab. Open Wed.-Mon.
Mandina’s: 3800 Canal Street. A well known neighborhood place where you stand at the bar while you wait for a table, but stay out of the way of the waiters. Generous portions in the $6.00-12.00 range. On my last visit, I had a really super dinner of crawfish etoufee and a great bowl of gumbo along with some of the best shrimp remoulade I have ever had. The loaf sandwiches are very large, the 1/2 is like most wholes and no mortal can eat a whole. Ed the waiter may seem surly, but he’s a good guy, pay attention to his advice! Often crowded. North on Carrollton to Canal St., turn right on Canal, go about three blocks, it will be on the right side of the street. 482-9179 Mandina’s WWW site (Pike & Stan)
Liuzza’s: 3636 Bienville Street, in the same area of Mandinas. A classic New Orleans family joint, Liuzza’s typifies another of the city’s unique gastronomic subcoultures-Cajun-Itailan. Fast becoming one of our favorite places, very informal, family place. Coldest beer in town, served in frozen mugs. Great neon sign out front. Not to be confused with Liuzza by the track, which I have been so bold to suggest that its not as good as. Closed Sunday, CASH ONLY but there is an ATM in the bar, Call for info 482-9120. Liuzza”s WWW site ( Stan & Kevin)
Port of Call: 838 Esplanade, at the edge of the French Quarter, some will tell you they have the best burgers in New Orleans (a bold statement), served with baked potato, often crowded but worth it if you’re into burgers. Call 523-0120 for info. (Kevin)
Company Burger: 4600 Freret Street 504 267 0320. IMHO, this place indeed makes the best burgers in New Orleans. The soft buns are made in a north shore bakery, the meat is fresh ground Harris Ranch beef and the cheese burger, well the cheese seems to be melted into the beef. The onion ring are really terrific the fries are good, but the rings terrific. Eldon says the corn dog on a stick is not to be missed. For a tight neighborhood, they have a rather large off street parking lot.(Eldon-Stan)
Dat Dog: 5030 Freret St. A new find, a temple devoted to the workship of the stuff meat tube. Really, a hot dog et all place where you can get it all from the traditional to the fish hot dog. Cheap enough. They also have a location on Frenchman street and if you go there you have the option of eating on the balcony which is very nice when the weather is good. (Kate & Eldon)
Delicious Pizza: 617 Piety St. 504 676 8482, This is a very odd place located in the Bywater neighborhood. Great N.Y. style pizza that although pricey, is IMHO, the best pizza in New Orleans. Great daily specials, salads and the gralic knots are terrific sides. You need to check out the menu for the day at their blog site, then call in to order or they can be a wait (do NOT leave a messsage, they don’t check it) They also have a smal eat in. Their bog site is: http://pizzadelicious.blogspot.com/
Rocky and Carlo’s Restaurant and Bar: 613 W. St. Bernard Highway. Located outside New Orleans in a neighborhood called St. Bernard Parish or (Da Parish for short), this place is a real experience, Deli style service of local and Italian cooking. This is Eldon and Kates new favorite place, and they are very big on the mac and cheese and Eldon likes the Veal Parm. The breaded pork chop is cooked to perfection he says. Very inexpensive and you won’t leave hungry. (Stan & Kevin; Kate and Eldon)
Jack Dempsey’s: Another fried seafood restaurant in the great New Orleans tradition of down home cooking and enormous platters of eats. Not much in terms of atmosphere, unless you are into plywood siding, but lots of funk and neon. My last visit the food was only ok and many menu items where sold out, the portions are very large however. 738 Poland Ave.; call 943-9914 for information. Dinner Wed.-Sat. (Pike, Stan & Kevin)
Clover Grill: Excellent late night spot, open real late, diner atmosphere. Their motto”We love to fry and it shows”. (Kate and Eldon)
Kim Son: 349 Whitney Ave., Gretna; 504 366 2489 You need to cross the Miss. River bridge to get here, but its worth the trip. Unusual Vietnamese food with a specialization in seafood. I will tell you the Salted Baked Crab is some of the best crab I have very had, anywhere. The scallops are terrific, and four people can eat four main dishes, with drinks for less than $70.00. Closed Sunday (Stan, Jimmy & Marie)
The Praline Connection: 542 Frenchman Street; 943 3934; (the other side of Esplanade, from the quarter) Soul food and proud of it. Sorry to say that the quality of the food has been sliding since Katrina. Avoid the BBQ oysters, simply terrible, but the ribs are good and the greens excellent. I was disapointed with the gumbo and the meatloaf had a very odd flavor. The pralines remain excellent, but stick with the original flavor. $6.00-15.00 (Pike, Stan, Kate)
Drago’s: 3232 N. Arnoult Road @ 17th Street, Metairie 504 888 9254 Yes, I knows its all the way up in Merairie, but this is really a terrific seafood place. They say they invented the Char Grilled oyster here, I don’t know about that, but they did make it famous. The fried foods are done just right and not too greasy and even the gumbo was good. Its a big place, but no reservations. They also have a place in the Hilton at #2 Poydras, but I have not been there. Rosemary says it’s her new favorite place to eat. (Stan and Rosemary)
R and O’s: 210 Hammond Highway, Metairie 504 828 0140 Sun-Thurs 11am to 10 pm/Fri and Sat 11am-11pm. This used to be one of our go to places, but the quality of the food and service has dramaticly slipped, no longer recommended. (Eldon and Kate)
Venezia: 134 N. Carrollton Ave., 488-7991, Specializing in down to earth, home style Creole and Italian food. Packed with locals who turn out for pizza, fried calamari, veal Parmesan. Try the Vatican Eggplant – it’s like a religious experience. Lunch and dinner weekdays; dinner only on weekends, major credit cards.
NOLA: On St. Louis across the street from Johnnies Po Boys, also run by the same guy who owns Emerils, but less expensive and very informal. Had some great veal here, reservations a must, but if you can’t get them, get there early and ask to sit at the Chefs Bar. Its informative and entertaining. In the $25.00-50.00 each range (without drinks), but worth it, Rosemary and my favorite place for a splurge meal. You need to call for reservations like a month ahead. (Stan)
Casamentos: 4330 Magazine, uptown 895 9761, Decked out in art nouveau tiles that makes it look like a gigantic bathroom. A venue for oysters and po boys. We recently had a super lunch here, but be warned, they have unusual hours and close between lunch and dinner and keep in mind, cash only and NO reservations. (Stan, Aimee & E. Turk)
Paladar 511, 511 Marigny St. 504 509 6782 This is a new place for me, its on the edge of the Marigny in a converted warehouse building. I’ve eaten here a few times and think the food is very good. The small plates are the way to go here, I’ve had the tuna and the ravioli and they are my favorites (I’ve also had some of their papredelli and it was also good). The pizzas are small and the strength of them is the sauce and of course the crust. It’s a little pricy but the food is well prepared and the service during both my visits was excellent. Really special is that they take reservations! Kind of a crappy part of the Marigny so don’t park too far from the door. (Stan & Rosemary)
Cavan 3607 Magazine St. This is a reasonably new place on Magazine street uptown and it seems not on the tourist radar yet, its a very cool place, actually a renovated home and the interior is done in a very interesting way. We had a great meal here and I got a chance to sample a couple of the entree’s. They also have some great starters (do not miss the oyster toast). It’s not an inexpensive place, and I am not so sure about the description as a gastro pub, its far from a pub, but the service was terrific and the food great and its a very nice dining experience. Oddly enough, recent reports say they are under new ownership and a new chef, so I am not sure what that means. (Arthur & Caroline)
Pacal’s Manale: 1838 Napoleon Ave. 504 895 4877 This place has been here forever it seems, it has a very 40-50-s vibe to the decor and general layout. The bar is oddly cash only but they accept cc’s in the dining room. There is a very good oyster bar right in the bar, making waiting for a table nicer than just sitting there for 30-45 mins (not an unlikely wait) while you have a dozen and a drink. They say they invented the BBQ shrimp here, perhaps, and its very good (especially with the warmed bread they provide), but its really large shrimp in butter, with lots of pepper and some extras, and although I and my companion enjoyed it, it is more pricey then it should be. The rest of the meal was solid neighborhood stuff in the New Orleans tradition, the gumbo was good but not great and the rest of meal also in that class. I found the wait staff attentive and we were seated in a timely manner. Overall, a very nice experience but it is more expensive than you might think, its not a place to eat if your a super value oriented consumer. If you can, call for reservations!