When Rob and I found out we would be moving to Florida, I was really excited about all of the new road trip possibilities! At the top of my bucket list was New Orleans and a couple weeks ago we took the four-hour drive to explore this fun city! I had never been before, so I couldn’t wait to see the French Quarter and the typical touristy things. We stayed two nights at an Airbnb north of the French Quarter, which was a great location (just an easy Uber ride to everything!). We spent the first afternoon/evening eating and walking around the French Quarter. It was really cool to see and I can only imagine how packed it gets during Mardi Gras! I’m glad we went during a quieter time of year because those crowds would stress me out haha. We only had one full day and we spent about 5 hours at the World War II museum, which was really well done but I got a little bored after a while. Rob on the other hand could have spent even more time there. After that we walked to a brewery and then checked out a few other places nearby. Scroll to the bottom of this post to see my favorite please to eat and drink in New Orleans! There are still a lot of places I want to try, so hopefully we’ll be able to go again soon!
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Where To Eat in New Orleans:
- Willa Jean. We went here for breakfast and their fried chicken biscuit with Tobasco-honey was the perfect way to start the day! For only $10 it’s a pretty good sized meal and you can’t beat the retro-chic décor. Also, I couldn’t resist trying a chocolate chip cookie from the bakery and it did not disappoint!
- Cavan. This Victorian-style mansion turned restaurant is the perfect spot for dinner and drinks! The atmosphere is so cute.I mean pink booths and chairs?! Yes, please. The menu is a mix of American and Southern food. We also ordered a fancy king cake thing (pictured above). I can’t find the description online and I forget exactly what it’s made of, but it was delicious! All I remember is that it had crab butter, which intrigued me and apparently was quite tasty.
- Dat Dog. There are a few locations throughout New Orleans, but we went to the one on Magazine Street. They have a huge selection of unique sausages and toppings and I ordered the Crawfish Étouffée Dog since that seemed very “New Orleans.” It was good, but surprisingly I liked Rob’s alligator sausage much better! I think it’s because it had a sweet sauce, which balanced out the spiciness. We enjoyed sitting on the patio under the Edison-style string lights and they were just about to start up trivia when we left.
- Coop’s Place. This no-frills restaurant is perfect for sampling some Southern staples. We started with crabmeat-stuffed jalapeño poppers, then ordered Coop’s Taste Plate. It came with a cup of seafood gumbo, shrimp creole, cajun fried chicken, red beans & rice with sausage, and rabbit & sausage jambalaya. Everything was delicious, even the crawfish which I had never had before. The food is also reasonably priced considering it’s in the touristy area.
- The Bombay Club. Great happy hour spot in the French Quarter! They have $3 select wine and beer, $5 specialty cocktail (we loved the Pimm’s Cup!) and $4 small plates. The pork belly tacos were AMAZING! Made with smoked black bean puree and kimchi slaw, these tacos are super flavorful. We also liked the housemade pretzel served with Guinness cheese dip.
- Samuel’s Blind Pelican. We were planning on going to Emeril’s Delmonico for their happy hour oysters, but they were closed for a private event so we walked a few blocks to Samuel’s Blind Pelican. With the purchase of one alcoholic drink you can get a dozen chargrilled oysters for about $10. I’d never tried oysters before because they kind of look gross, but when in Rome, right?! They were actually really good, and I’m sure the butter, garlic and cheese has something to do with that ;)
- The Rum House. A lively restaurant on Magazine Street that serves Caribbean and Latin American fare. The tacos we ordered were pretty good, but my favorite item was their house salad! The mixed greens were topped with roasted sweet potato, toasted pecans, beets, goat cheese and a curry vinaigrette. It was so flavorful and included all of my favorite salad toppings!
- Pascal Manale’s. An upscale Italian restaurant known for their barbeque shrimp. Rob had those and I ordered their sautéed crabmeat and scallops served with a cream sauce over pasta (amazing!).
Where To Get a Sweet Snack:
- Drip Affogato Bar. I love finding cute coffeeshops when we travel, so this was at the top of my New Orleans bucket list. Everything on the menu looked delicious, but I went with The Classique. It’s made with Tahitian vanilla bean ice cream, pistachios, stroopwafel and espresso. It was SO good! The cafe itself is really cute too. It has a modern, minimalist décor style and there’s a pink mini fridge that is just about the cutest thing ever.
- Cafe Du Monde. This New Orleans landmark is a must try! The fresh beignets melt in your mouth and are the perfect sweet treat! The line can be crazy long in the morning, but we went for an after dinner bite and didn’t have to wait at all. You can also buy their beignet mix at one of the gift stores around town (and I’ve seen them sold in other parts of the country as well).
- The Creole Creamery. This cute ice cream shop has tons of unique flavors, which are all delicious! Well at least the few that a tried. I settled on a scoop of chocolate amaretto cheesecake with a scoop of petit four (a delicious sweet, almond flavor).
- Sucré. Adorable dessert shop on Magazine Street that has a huge selection of treats! I tried a delicious chocolate cake creation, but I was also tempted to try all of the macarons, chocolate truffles and gelato.
Where To Drink in New Orleans:
- The Courtyard Brewery. We walked here for a beer after spending 5 hours at the World War II museum (a little longer than I would have stayed, but Rob loved it). It has a casual, friendly vibe and both of the beers I tried were really good! There was a hibiscus sour on tap, which had an amazing flavor and was so refreshing.
- NOLA Brewing Company. Great selection of beers! I love their sours.
- Port Orleans Brewing Company. Cool atmosphere and tasty beers!
- The 21st Amendment. If you want a craft cocktail and some live jazz music, this is the place to go! We were hoping to find a speakeasy, but this prohibition-inspired bar inside a historic 1881 building was a good alternative! I really liked The Frenchy, which is made with strawberry-infused vodka, sugar, lemon juice and sparkling wine.
- Piscobar at the Catahoula Hotel. This boutique hotel downtown has the cutest décor! We stopped by to get a drink at Piscobar during happy hour. They serve a variety of cocktails made with pisco, which I learned is a brandy produced in winemaking regions of Peru and Chile. The pisco punch and pisco sour were both really good! Plus I loved the adorable patio with mint-colored chairs, brick walls, string lights and industrial-chic furniture.
