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Eating Out
Guide to Drinking and Dining in New Orleans

New Orleans is a city where food is all important, and there are countless restaurants and cafés vying for your trade. Special deals can be found by simply walking through the French Quarter at night. Touts will try to get you into "their" restaurant, usually offering a very good meal deal, so don't necessarily be put off by them.

Of course Cajun cuisine is the distinctive taste of New Orleans, and you'll have no shortage of opportunity. Traditional gumbo has to be tried, as does the jambalaya, and you can never escape the vast amounts of seafood restaurants. If you'd like to try you hand at cooking as well as eating Cajun food try a visit to the Mardi Gras School of Cooking, run by chef Richard Bond. The organised classes teach you the ins and outs of cooking the Cajun way. Contact the school on Tel: +1 (1)504-362-5225.

PRICE GUIDE: (average cost of a main course):
= less than USD10, = USD10-15, = USD15+

Southern and Cajun

House of Blues
225 Decatur St
Tel: +1 (1)504-310-4999

Featuring such items as "Creole Jambalaya" and "Voodoo Shrimp" on the menu the House of Blues is a great place to dine, as well as one of the city's top live music venues. Go for the Gospel brunch on a Sunday, it's an all you can eat Southern style blow-out, complete with Gospel choir entertainment.

NoLa
534 Saint Louis St
Tel: +1 (1)504-522-6652

Chef Emeril Lagasse is celebrated the world over for his innovative reworkings of Creole classic dishes, and his French Quarter home at NoLa certainly comes up to muster to rival his original restaurant (Emeril's, 800 Tchoupitoulas St) for the place to eat in the city. Reservations are a must, as is smart dress - but the to die for signature creations of the masterchef make a bit of effort more than worthwhile. If you need to stop to consider the cost, it means you probably can't afford to eat here.

Commander's Palace
1403 Washington Ave
Tel: +1 (1)504-899-8221

First opened in 1880, Commanders Place is one of the city's most celebrated restaurants. The venerable old house it occupies is typical of the Garden District. Its neat corner turret gives it a rakish air, as does its less salubrious history as a house of doubtful if not ill-repute. Inside the is elegant and tasteful, modern but acknowledging of its period past. The menu is mainly Cajun although of a cut above the norm, with prices to match. It's worth it for the elegance however. * Restaurant currently closed. Due to re-open late spring or early summer.

Brennan's
417 Royal St
Tel: +1 (1)504-525-9711

One of many French Quarter restaurants that has set up shop in a fine 18th-century building on Royal St, Brennan's is one of the largest restaurants of its type, boasting 12 equally elegant dining rooms and a beautiful courtyard for outdoor dining. French influenced Cajun cuisine is the order of the day. Brennan's is most famous for its breakfasts, make sure you try the house special - "eggs hussarde". * Restaurant currently closed. Due to re-open in April 2006.

Patout's Cajun Cabin
503 Bourbon St
Tel: +1 (1)504-529-4256

In a traditionally styled Bourbon St building the Cajun Cabin offers up a whole range of fare featuring local ingredients such as fresh oysters and alligator.

Petunia's Restaurant
817 St Louis St
Tel: +1 (1)504-522-6440

Located in an elegant three storey 19th-century Creole townhouse with coal burning fireplaces, Petunia's is home to the world's largest crepes (14" long), and stuffed with all manner of savoury Cajun fillings. Once you've polished off one of those you can start working your way through the sweet menu.

The Court of Two Sisters
613 Royal St
Tel: +1 (1)504-522-7261

Long regarded as one of the finest Creole restaurants in the city The Court of Two Sisters occupies one of the elegant townhouses known as Governor's Row. The Jazz brunch is famous all over the city, with entertainment and fine dining available in the courtyard. In the evening the fine dining rooms are the perfect place for an intimate meal.

American

Dickie Brennan's Steakhouse
716 Iberville St
Tel: +1 (1)504-522-2467

Elegant but casual and cosy French Quarter restaurant serving prime beef steaks, seafood, game & poultry. Reservations are recommended but not always required. * Restaurant currently closed. Due to re-open in April 2006.

Asian

Lemon Grass
International House Hotel, 221 Camp St
Tel: +1 (1)504-553-9550

There are a number of Vietnamese restaurants in the city but few come close to matching Chef Minh's distinctive creations that successfully blend Vietnamese style and Cajun seafood. Very popular with the trendy set, you'd better book in advance if you're planning on dining here.

Seafood

Mike Anderson's Seafood Restaurant
215 Bourbon St
Tel: +1 (1)504-524-3884

Catfish, crawfish and crabs all go into the pot at Mike Anderson's well-established restaurant. The excellent seafood is all cooked creole style and served up in casual surroundings, with saltwater aquariums adding a bit of colour. The 25 cents salty oysters are always popular with a couple of beers at the bar.

Bubba Gump Shrimp Co.
429 Decatur St
Tel: +1 (1)504-522-5800

A Forrest Gump themed restaurant. No surprises that there are masses of shrimp to be eaten, prepared in all manner of different styles. Try the coconut shrimp for something completely different. If you don't fancy the shrimp there's loads of fishy alternatives, including crabs and oysters.

Mexican

Country Flame
620 Iberville St
Tel: +1 (1)504-522-1138

A cheap and cheerful Mexican restaurant/take-out near to the market, Country Flame is popular with locals and tourists alike. Although Mexican is the dominant influence you can also sample some flavours from Cuba and the Carribean.

European

Galatoire's
209 Bourbon St
Tel: +1 (1)504-525-2021

Perhaps the finest restaurant in the whole of New Orleans, Galatoire's has occupied the same spot for nearly a century. Tennessee Williams was one of its regular customers during his time in the city which adds to the draw, but in any case the French influenced cuisine, heavy on the fish, would be packing them in regardless. Jacket and tie required for dinner or Sunday eating, and at other times make sure you're not in your scruffs.

Totorici's
441 Royal St
Tel: +1 (1)504-522-4295

The oldest Italian restaurant in the French Quarter Tortorici's has been serving up a unique blend of Italian and Cajun cuisine for nearly a century. Elegant surroundings are more than matched with the excellent standard of cooking. The extensive wine list is designed to perfectly complement your choice of dish.


Bars

The best area in New Orleans for bars is without question the world famous Bourbon Street, located in the heart of the French Quarter. Bars literally line the street and its tributaries, and the area comes alive at night as tourists and locals alike sample the various cocktails including the famous "Hurricane". There are so many bars in the city that an exhaustive list is impossible. What follows is merely the most well-known tip of a rather large iceberg.

Lafitte's Blacksmith's Shop
941 Bourbon St
Tel: +1 (1)504-522-9377
Allegedly used by infamous pirate Jean Lafitte for his illicit deals. During the day artists, writers and locals occupy it. At night, Johnny Gordon belts out old time songs while the pub is lit only by candlelight, casting spectacular shadows on the dark stone walls. Quiet and ambient by day, and relaxing at night, this is the place to go if you want a quiet drink with some great piano music. It is supposed to be the most haunted (and oldest) bar in New Orleans...

Pat O'Brien's
718 St Peters St
Tel: +1 (1)504-525-4823
Oriented around its central courtyard, complete with fountain O'Brien's boasts three bars, several function rooms and a restaurant. The Main Bar is the place to head to down a few beers with the locals, while the piano bar offers slightly more refinement, and is the place to enjoy a hurricane while listening to the duelling pianists who play nightly.

Coyote Ugly Saloon
225 N Peters St
Tel: +1 (1)504-561-0003
If you've seen the movie you'll know what to expect from this franchise bar. It's a lively, crazy and fun, tongue in cheek bar with wild girls strutting their stuff on the bars. It's no surprise that the clientele are mainly young males, but the atmosphere is friendly enough, and being honest the behaviour isn't as wild as you'll find elsewhere on Bourbon.

Whiskey Blue
333 Poydras St
Tel: +1 (1)504-207-5016
New Orleans's bar to be seen in Whisky Blue is a laid back hangout strictly for the A-list crowd. If you want to get in make sure that you're dressed to impress, and play it cool. You'll still be counted among the hoi-polloi for this place though - movie actors and sports superstars head here when they're in town.
d.b.a.

618 Frenchman St
Tel: +1 (1)504-942-3731
Predominantly a bar serving an absolutely vast range of drinks, d.b.a. is a spin-off from a New York bar of the same name. There's live music on occasion to keep the energy up, although by the 04h00 shutting time most people have had one too many from the beer menu. A locals' hangout a few minutes' walk from the French Quarter, if you're visiting late on make sure you take a cab.

Maple Leaf
8316 Oak St
Tel: +1 (1)504-866-9359
One of the city's most highly respected jazz and blues joints. Very laid back with a local crowd, who start the party really rolling after midnight.

 

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