Places to eat/drink in New Orleans

[Brookerton]

I'm headed down to New Orleans for a wedding on Saturday. I'm getting down there Thursday afternoon and was wondering if anyone had any suggestions of any good places to eat and bars to go to. I'm looking for some good jambalya. The last time I was in NOLA was the summer of 2000, so I'm sure a lot of things have changed. I'll be staying in the French Quarter, so any places within walking distances would be prefered.

Thanks.

 

[Mayfly]

I guess you are looking for a good "watering hole" huh? Well, there's always the basic hotel bars, but I would try the Copper Monkey Bar and Grill. Sounds like a good place to eat from what I have heard.

 

[Football_Bat]

To escape the crowds, check out Monaghan's Erin Rose just off Bourbon on Conti.

Guinness and cool music on the jukebox.

 

[linotype]

I know it's touristy, but they're damn tasty -- make a point to hit Cafe du Monde for some beignets and cafe au lait.

 

[gandhithegreat]

MOTHERS...nothing else compares. Although food in New Orleans is just incredible...period.

 

[Hot and Rickety]

Best divey joint: Coop's Place, 1109 Decatur (right across the street from Margaritaville--seriously, why would anyone visiting NoLa go there?) Great, cheap local cuisine a bit removed, but not too far, from the Bourbon Street pukopolis. Web site and menu at Coopsplace.net.

Upscale: Herbsaint, 701 St. Charles (more downtown, somewhat close to the casino). Nice-looking spot with some modern twists on classic bistro fare. Gourmet magazine ranked it as one of the top 50 restaurants in the U.S. according to Herbsaint's Web site (Herbsaint.com).

Whatever you do, do not succumb to a foot-long hot dog or a slice of pizza at 4 a.m. from one of the ubiquitous stands on Bourbon Street. You'd be better off eating nutria dipped in a Bourbon Street puddle.

 

[tyler durden 71351]

It's a little ways away from the Quarter, but Jacques-Imo's is a great place to eat. In the Quarter, you can't go wrong with Acme Oyster House or Cafe Masepero. And I'm partial to drinking at the Gold Mine (it's right around the corner from Cat's Meow, this big-ass kareoke bar.) Cool place to hang, and they have a lot of old school video games. Pat O'Brien's is touristy, but you need to go there and have a Hurricane. There's a great Dixieland jazz club, run by Germans...can't quite remember the name of it right now, but it's way down Bourbon, around Marie Laveau's (right before you hit all the gay bars) They have all these amazing musicians for a two-drink minimum...it's a real old-school place, you can tell it hasn't been properly cleaned since JFK was shot. There's a fun bar around Lee Circle called the Circle Bar...it's about a mile or two from the Quarter...I was there a couple of months ago and most of the members of Ween were hanging out there after a concert. I heard a rumor the place was closing, so it may not be open.
And there is nothing wrong with eating a Lucky Dog or pizza at one of those pie-and-a-shot places...I've done it plenty of times with no ill effects. I would steer clear of Hand Grenades however...they're basically a big shot of Everclear with sweet and sour mix. And stay out of Bourbon Street strip clubs, unless you have a ****load of dough or a lot of self control.

 

[Sandman]

Want some history while you drink? Head to Napoleon House on Chartres and have a Pimm's Cup.

http://www.napoleonhouse.com/index.html

Like oysters? Head down to Acme Oyster House on Iberville and get a dozen raw with an Abita.

http://www.acmeoyster.com/

Want something less touristy than the French Quarter? Hail a cab to Magazine Street ($10 from the Quarter). Have lunch at Juan's Flying Burrito. Shop all day with nary a chain store in site. Finish the night by having one of the top 10 meals of your life at La Petit Grocery. Get the blue crab app and whatever the special is for your entree.

http://www.juansflyingburrito.com/index.html
http://www.magazinestreet.com/
http://www.lapetitegrocery.com/index.html

 

[imjustagirl2]

Does that say 50 cent martinis on the La Petite Grocery site?

Sweet Jesus.

 

[AgatePage]

ralph and kacoo's on toulouse. delicious.

and for your 4 a.m. hunger pangs, there's a greasy spoon across the street from pat o'brien's but the name escapes me at the moment. And no, don't eat the pizza. or the chicken sandwich that one of my friends ended up with. I have no idea where it came from.

 

[SixToe]

Did Mother's on Canal reopen?

If so, you have to go there.

Get everything, as much as you can eat, and enjoy it all.

 

[king cranium maximus IV]

mother's. known for the ham, though the calamari po'boy was my favorite.

 

[Firstime Caller]

Wow, you only have a weekend and you'll have to spend time and meals at wedding events? If you're a foodie, you can easily spend a week eating and drinking your way through New Orleans. ;D

If you're sticking with the Quarter, you HAVE to go to Pat O'Briens and get a hurricane in the patio at night - it's amazing. For food in the Quarter, there's breakfast at Brennan's and dinner at Antoine's. Both are pricey. Antoine's used to have lunch, which is more moderate. I think they still have some limited lunch hours. Right on the edge of the Quarter on Canal St., there's the Palace Cafe, another nice but relatively pricey place. A less pricey but classic New Orleans suggestion for the Quarter would be a muffelatta from Central Grocery. Cafe du Monde is also good. (I think Morning Call in Metairie has better coffee.) I don't think that much of Mother's, but I'm not a big fan of roast beef and their roast beef poor boy is supposed to be one of their better things. Acme Oyster house is another solid choice.

Beyond the Quarter, there's Commander's Palace, pricey but very nice. Jacque Imo's is a solid choice, too, but they don't take reservations unless you have a party of 5 or more and the wait can be HUGE. For a classic New Orleans place, there's New Orleans Food and Spirits - amazing corn and crawfish bisque and shrimp poor boys at a great price for lunch. It's in Lakeview, which suffered a lot of Katrina damage, but the restaurant was on the side of the levee that didn't give way. If you like Vietnamese and want to visit the West Bank, you can go to Kim Son. And if you want the best snow crab and spicy tuna in sushi, visit Kanno Sushi in Fat City.

Ah, New Orleans food ... YUM! If you're going to do seafood though, remember that right now oysters are not exactly in season so they won't be rancid or anything, but they just won't be particularly good.

 

[Mizzougrad96]

I know it's touristy, but they're damn tasty -- make a point to hit Cafe du Monde for some beignets and cafe au lait.

Best coffee ever... Man, do I love that place...

 

[Mizzougrad96]

It's expensive as **** and tough to get a table, but Gallatoire's is an amazing experience...

 

[Firstime Caller]

Oh my god! I'm so embarrassed that I forgot Galatoires. GO TO GALATOIRES!

It's right in the Quarter. And, since Katrina - at least as of the last time I was there at the end of January, it wasn't that difficult to get a table for lunch. I've only been there for dinner parties for dinner. But lunch basically runs what a medium to medium-expensive dinner would costs, and it's well, well worth it if you're going to do a New Orleans dining experience. The name escapes me right now, but they have an amazing salad with lettuce, tomatoes, lump crabmeat and (large) shrimp in it - it's SOOO good. If they have them (they don't have them every day,) they're fried softshell crabs are amazing. And, the last time I was there, they had this amazing sweet potato cheesecake. Go to Galatoires - you won't regret it.

I'm not sure what the deal is since Katrina, but they used to not take any kind of credit cards. So be prepared to pay cash. I think the dress code is no jeans for lunch and a jacket for dinner.

There's been lots of places listed on this thread (and I added my fair share.) But, since you have a limited amount of time and are looking to stay in the Quarter, eat at Galatoires, drink at Pat O'Briens and have beignets and cafe au lait at Cafe Du Monde. If you do that and have the time to get to New Orleans Food and Spirits and preferably Hansens for a New Orleans style sno-ball, you'll be doing great. But don't miss out on Galatoires.

 

[Del_B_Vista]

There's a great Dixieland jazz club, run by Germans...can't quite remember the name of it right now, but it's way down Bourbon, around Marie Laveau's (right before you hit all the gay bars) They have all these amazing musicians for a two-drink minimum...it's a real old-school place, you can tell it hasn't been properly cleaned since JFK was shot.

Fritzel's European Jazz Pub (733 Bourbon Street) is the place of which you speak of. Been there once, worth a stop for sure.

I know you've indicated a preference for staying in the Quarter, but if you venture Uptown (a pretty cheap taxi ride away), here are my favorite Uptown stops:

Juan's Flying Burrito's: On Magazine Street in the Garden District. Good and big burritos. Lots of combos.

Fat Harry's: At St. Charles and Napoleon. Good college-type joint. Lots of Tulane co-eds. Good looking waitresses. Good bar food.

Cooter Brown's: At Carrolton by the levee. Good sports bar with a bazillion types of beer on tap an in bottles/cans. Oyster bar. Great bar food. Love the cheese fries and the decadent stuff they dump on top of a greasy cheesburger.

The Kingpin: On Upperline and Lyons, near Tulane. Good bar to chill out in. Mix of college, yuppie and hipster crowd. No food. Good shuffleboard game. Good jukebox.

I also echo the Jacque-Imo's tip. Some of my NOLA friends insist it's the best food in the city. No reservations though, so get your name on the list and tell them you're going to be waiting at the Maple Leaf Bar, which is a couple of doors down. They'll come and get you.

 

[Armchair_QB]

It's expensive as **** and tough to get a table, but Gallatoire's is an amazing experience...

I'll second that one. Great experience. Especially if you get a good waiter. Actually, they're all good. But if you get a great one it's a real treat. Coat and tie for the gentlemen though. Galatoire's has been in New Orleans forever and you can feel the history oozing from the walls.

Easy to find too. Right on Bourbon next to the Hustler Club.

Another good place in the Quarter, and I think it's still there, is The Court of the Two Sisters.

 

[Brookerton]

Wow, you only have a weekend and you'll have to spend time and meals at wedding events? If you're a foodie, you can easily spend a week eating and drinking your way through New Orleans.

My wife is in the wedding, so the only actual wedding time I have to devote is Friday night for the rehearsal dinner and Saturday for the wedding.
The wife definately wants to go to Cafe du Monde and I've heard of Mothers before, so we'll probably go to both places. If I'm lucky, maybe the in-laws will take us to Gallatoire's.
I hope to go to every watering hole in NOLA on Thursday night and maybe Friday night.

Thanks for all the info on restaurant/bars to check out.

 

[Batman]

I'll throw in another vote for Cafe Mespero. Good food, decent prices (maybe $5-$15 for an entree). But when I was there last summer, they didn't take credit cards so make sure you have cash. They do have an ATM in the restaurant.

Commander's Palace is also phenomenal. If you have time, go just for the experience. We went for lunch a couple years ago (it was $75 with the tip for two people, and that was on the low to mid end of the scale). I took a sip of water, and I swear to god I saw the water girl spot my glass from down a hallway, about 30 feet away, and immediately pick up the pitcher and walk over to refill the glass. Just incredible.
And they'll wrap up your leftovers in the shape of a duck.