Bananas Foster in the French Quarter
Bananas Foster, a type of dessert made with bananas and vanilla ice cream, was made famous by way of New Orleans. Today, this decadent dessert remains a staple, impressively served flambéed tableside as it was intended, or in many delicious variations (as a pie, ice cream, or French toast) in some of the best restaurants in the city.
Bananas Foster’s rise to fame was quick and glorious. Its creation in 1951 is credited to Paul Blangé, a Brennan’s Restaurant chef. In the early 50s, New Orleans served as a major port of entry for bananas coming from Central and South Americas. Wanting to promote the imported fruit, the restaurant’s owner Owen Brennan asked Chef Blangé to include bananas in a new dessert.
Chef Blangé then came up with sautéing the bananas in butter, sugar and cinnamon, and then adding rum and igniting the concoction. The dessert was named after Richard Foster, a friend of Owen Brennan and the then chairman of the New Orleans Crime Commission, on which Brennan served. The dish is usually set aflame tableside and served over ice cream.
Here are our favorite places in and around the French Quarter to try Bananas Foster, both the traditional version and one of its many scrumptious incarnations.
The traditionals
To this day, the original-recipe Bananas Foster at Brennan’s Restaurant (417 Royal St.) is its most-ordered item. The restaurant reportedly flames 35,000 pounds of bananas for the famous dessert every year. The dramatic, tableside-flambéed original remains a standalone draw for the post-dinner crowd, visitors and locals alike, who flock to enjoy just the dessert, maybe with a cocktail, at the restaurant’s lush, iconic courtyard.
Keep in mind that Brennan’s Roost Bar emphasizes the bubbles for its happy hour, with premium bottles and half bottles available at half the price, plus several specialty champagne-centered cocktails. There’s also champagne sabering Thursday-Sunday starting at 5 p.m. in the lush courtyard, which is a sight to behold in itself. Bananas Foster and bubbles. We can’t think of a better combination.
Arnaud’s (813 Bienville St.) churns out its own take on the traditional version of Bananas Foster, which has been the menu’s mainstay long enough to get on Tom Fitzmorris’ “500 best dishes in New Orleans area restaurants” list. The grand dame of Creole cooking offers its version with a little more cinnamon, in a portion that’s big enough to be enjoyed by two people.
The sprawling Court of Two Sisters (613 Royal St.) made the traditional version of Bananas Foster part of its dinner and jazz brunch menus. The dessert fits right in with the restaurant’s luscious Creole and Cajun cuisine like jambalaya and gumbo, and is served with brandy and banana liquor over French vanilla ice cream. It is set aflame tableside (here’s a Facebook video demo posted by the restaurant).
French Toast and Pain Perdu
Chef Scott Boswell, Owner and Executive Chef at Stanley (547 St. Ann St.), created a very popular Bananas Foster French toast for Stanley’s breakfast and brunch menus. The battered French bread is topped with sliced bananas, toasted walnuts and Foster sauce, and served with vanilla ice cream.
Stanley has a lot going for it as it — the airy, sunny, inviting dining rooms; prime location (it overlooks Jackson Square); a nod to Tennessee Williams in its name; and a long menu of classic New Orleans comfort food that emphasizes regional cooking and local ingredients. The fact that breakfast and brunch are served all day doesn’t hurt either.
The locally owned and operated brunch queen Ruby Slipper Cafe does a Bananas Foster pain perdu across its six New Orleans locations, one of which is in the French Quarter (204 Decatur St.) and another in the adjacent Marigny (2001 Burgundy St.).
Pain Perdu means “lost bread,” referring to the dish’s ability to resurrect stale and otherwise lost to most purposes bread. For this version of French toast French bread is soaked in eggs and milk and then fried (sometimes deep-fried) or grilled. This breakfast and brunch staple usually sports a crisp and buttery exterior and is soft and custardy inside.
The Ruby Slipper has been consistently winning the title of best breakfast and brunch spot on the local dining scene and in reader polls. What’s the secret? Fresh, upscale ingredients and surprising twists on local flavors for starters. The restaurant’s version of pain perdu fits right in with eggs cochon and the acclaimed house specialty, BBQ shrimp and grits. It’s made with French bread, of course, and is served with rum-flambéed bananas and applewood-smoked bacon.
Pie and bread pudding
If you like bread pudding, the Bananas Foster bread pudding at Irene’s Cuisine (529 Bienville St.) is a must. The upscale Irene’s has been one of the hottest tickets in town, with its elegant Italian classics like shrimp and crab pappardelle or their famous duck St. Philip, a piano bar, and a homey vibe. Irene’s is family owned operation, helmed by the owner Irene DiPietro and her son, chef Nicholas Scalco. The restaurant relocated seven blocks in early 2018 to its present location, while remaining a solid New Orleans tradition and a beloved dining destination.
Finally, if you’re jonesing for the pie version of Bananas Foster, the mini-chain Mr. Ed’s Oyster Bar & Fish House has Bananas Foster cream pie at its French Quarter location (512 Bienville St.). This Bananas Foster-inspired riff on the classic banana cream pie recipe features a layer of rum-spiked sautéed bananas under the traditional pudding filling, plus a brown sugar-mascarpone cream topping. Goes great with Mr. Ed’s famous charbroiled oysters!
Are you planning to spend some time in New Orleans soon? To stay close to all the action, book a historic boutique hotel in the French Quarter at FrenchQuarter.com/hotels today!
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New Orleans Pralines, Sweet Southern Confections
New Orleans Pralines, photo courtesy of Southern Candymakers on Facebook
When the historic St. Charles Avenue streetcar comes to its rattling, end-of-the-line halt at the edge of the French Quarter, visitors step out of one city icon and immediately encounter another — New Orleans pralines, those intensely sweet disks of sugar, butter and pecans.
The streetcar stop at Canal and Carondelet streets has for many years been the territory of praline street vendor George Lee Clark. A tall man in his 50s, his face perpetually shaded by the brim of a white Panama hat, Mr. Clark sells his homemade pralines from a plastic bakery crate slung from his neck.
“Number one praline, one dollar,” he calls as visitors in T-shirts and commuters in restaurant and hotel uniforms hop down from the idling streetcar. “Melt in your mouth good. Big pralines here.”
Mr. Clark has been selling pralines on the city’s streets for more than 30 years — a long career but nonetheless a mere blip in the history of this distinctive Southern candy that stretches back to New Orleans’ colonial origins. Indeed, the praline — like New Orleans itself — started out with aristocratic French roots but grew into something quite its own here in the South.
From France to the Banks of the Mississippi River: The Origins of the New Orleans Praline
There are many variations on the story of how the praline came to be, but most of them revolve around the manor house of the 17th-century French diplomat Cesar du Plessis Praslin — a name that later morphed into the term for the candy. A chef in the kitchen here developed a technique for coating almonds in cooked sugar which, competing stories hold, were used by his courtly employer either as a digestive aid or as gifts to the ladies he visited. In France and elsewhere, the word praline is still used as a generic term for any sort of candy made with nuts.
These early confections traveled with Frenchmen to their new colony on the banks of the Mississippi, a land where both sugar cane and nuts were cultivated in abundance. In local kitchens, Louisiana pecans were substituted for the more exotic almonds, cream was added, giving the candy more body, and a Southern tradition was born.
The candy’s winning flavor has led to worldwide popularity, and, as such things go, varying pronunciations and hybrid recipes. For the record, the local and proper pronunciation is “prah-lean,” while the nut most commonly used in it is pronounced “peck-on.” Just remember that, in New Orleans, a word pronounced “pray-lean” means nothing except, perhaps, a posture the supplicant faithful assume while petitioning God.
Even before the Civil War and Emancipation, pralines were an early entrepreneurial vehicle for free women of color in New Orleans. In 1901, The Daily Picayune described in nostalgic terms the “pralinieres,” or older black women, who sold pralines “about the streets of the Old French Quarter.”
They were often found patrolling Canal Street near Bourbon and Royal streets and around Jackson Square in the shade of the alleys flanking St. Louis Cathedral. And in the 1930s, the Louisiana folklorist Lyle Saxon, writing in the book “Gumbo Ya-Ya,” documented praline sellers “garbed in gingham and starched white aprons and tignons,” or head wraps, fanning their candies with palmetto leaves against the heat and bellowing the sales pitch “belles pralines!” to passersby.
Creamy New Orleans Pralines, photo courtesy of Aunt Sally’s Pralines on Facebook
Finding Pralines in the French Quarter
Today, pralines can be found in most convenience stores and supermarkets around New Orleans, as well as in a great many gift shops. More memorable for the visitor, however, is a trip to one of the many praline specialty shops in the French Quarter. Some of these businesses are quite old, tracing their roots back to the beginning of the previous century, such as Laura’s Candies (331 Chartres St.), established in 1913, or the even older Evans Creole Candy Factory (848 Decatur St.), started in 1900.
Some sport open kitchens so visitors can watch the simple, but nonetheless fascinating, process by which sugar, cream, butter, and nuts are united and transformed into pralines. From metal vats, dollops of the gooey pralines-to-be are spooned onto marble slabs to cool. The air inside these shops can be dangerously sweet at times, swimming with the warm smells of commingled sugars and butter. Dieters are advised to watch through the shop windows from the relative safety of the sidewalk, or even avert their eyes altogether.
Photo courtesy of Leah’s Pralines on Facebook
Popular French Quarter Praline Shops
- Aunt Sally’s Pralines, 810 Decatur Street
- Evans Creole Candy Factory, 848 Decatur Street
- Laura’s Candies, 331 Chartres Street
- Leah’s Pralines, 714 St. Louis Street
- Loretta’s Authentic Pralines, 1100 N. Peters Street in the French Market (Stall #9)
- Magnolia Praline Company, 839 Decatur Street
- Southern Candymakers, 334 and 1010 Decatur Street
From Traditional to Rum-Flavored, Each Maker Adds Their Own Twist
A basic praline recipe calls for brown sugar, granulated sugar, cream, butter, and pecans. Naturally, many other variations have cropped up, including pralines flavored with shredded coconut, rum, vanilla, chocolate, and peanut butter.
But with even the traditional recipe, no two praline makers seem to produce the same candy. Pralines from Aunt Sally’s, for instance, are flat and thin with a multitude of chopped-up pecan bits, while those from Southern Candymakers just down the street are fatter globs with larger, halved nuts embedded in the sugar.
Below is a simple recipe for trying your hand at this traditional New Orleans specialty.
You can’t call them New Orleans Pralines without this very essential ingredient
New Orleans Praline Recipe
- 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup light cream
- 1 ½ cups pecans, halved
- 2 tablespoons butter
Combine the sugars and cream in a heavy two-quart saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, until the mixture forms a thick syrup. Add pecans and butter and continue to cook over medium heat, stirring frequently. Remove the saucepan to a heatproof surface (such as a wire rack) and let cool for 10 minutes. Use a tablespoon to drop rounded balls of the mixture onto sheet wax paper or foil, leaving about three inches between each ball for pralines to spread. Allow to cool.
Makes about 12 candies. Good luck and enjoy!
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Best Daiquiris in the New Orleans French Quarter
Big Easy Daiquiris by AngryJulieMonday on Flickr
Is there a more refreshing drink on a hot New Orleans Day than a daiquiri? Well, that depends — are you looking to get refreshed and, y’know, refreshed? Just sayin’: If you want to take the edge off the day and enjoy a bit of neon slush that will put you in mind of an old-school slurpee, the “daq” can’t be beat. By the way, while a daiquiri does the job in the summer heat, make no mistake, they’re delicious no matter the weather.
Fair warning: The daiquiri is delish partly because they usually (but not always! See below) come with a serving of sugar that would give most nutritionists nightmares. As a result, the daiquiri comedown is a thing of infamous legend. Imagine if a sugar crash got married to a hangover — and you’ve got an idea of what to expect. Ward this away by drinking some water and not going too crazy on the daqs.
Now, as if to refute that entire last paragraph, here is our list of some of the best daiquiris in the French Quarter and around.
Photo courtesy of Beachbum Berry’s Latitude 29 on Facebook
Beachbum Berry’s Latitude 29
321 N. Peters Street
There are plenty of places that are trying to revive the great tiki drinks of days gone by, but few are as dedicated to the craft of the tropical tipple as Jeff “Beachbum” Berry. The man has opened an excellent bar on Peters Street that serves some fine beverages — you can taste fresh fruit and real sugar here, as opposed to an overprocessed syrup profile. While there may not be a drink officially deemed a “daiquiri” when you visit (although there sometimes is), many of Berry’s drinks would, to our palette, fulfill the requirements of an unfrozen daiquiri.
Big Easy Daiquiris
409 Decatur Street, 216 & 501 Bourbon Street, 617 Decatur Street
No, you’re not in some ‘80s neon riff on a washeteria or a psychedelic power plant — those spinning turbines generate sweet daiquiri goodness, not electricity. It’s hard to go wrong here, but we’ve got a thing for the Peach Bellini, although others swear by the 190 Antifreeze. Bartenders will add an extra shot, because why not?
Photo courtesy of Cane & Table on Facebook
Cane & Table
1113 Decatur Street
Now we’re getting into the fancy daiquiris. Cane & Table has an ever-shifting drink menu, but their libations are always inspired creations meant to comfort the sipper as they lounge in the tropics. Your daiquiri may not be frozen, but it will be, by all means, amazing.
Gazebo Cafe
1016 Decatur Street
By name alone, you’d think you were about to drink at a fancy garden party. Well, if fancy garden parties have live jazz, outdoor tables and ice-cream daiquiris, sign us up.
Kingfish
337 Chartres Street
Here’s another contender for the fancy daiquiri crown. Kingfish prides itself on constantly churning out original, Southern-inspired cocktails, so it’s hard to say what kind of daiquiri will be offered here, or indeed, if they will even be serving them. But in our experience, when the bar team here is on a daiquiri tip, it’s best not to pass them by.
Manolito
508 Dumaine Street
This French Quarter ode to Havana’s El Floridita bar is the ultimate daiquiri destination, with its creative, extensive list of fantastic frozen libations. We recommend trying any and all of Manolito’s signature cocktails. The standouts are so many. All cocktails are made with high-end ingredients and are accompanied by the small-plate menu.
Molly’s at the Market
1107 Decatur Street
We suppose this is cheating, as the slushy drink served here is deemed ‘Frozen Irish Coffee’ as opposed to a daiquiri, but whatever — it’s basically a daiquiri, and for what it’s worth, it’s delicious. Plus, it has a practical application — namely, waking you up so you can have another daiquiri.
The Organic Banana
1100 N. Peters Street
If you want to feel good about your daq and its impact on your body, order from this fruit stand and juice bar, located in the French Market. Again, you’re getting real fruit profiles here without an overwhelming wave of sugar. Plus, they use locally made Old New Orleans Rum. The Pina Colada is one of the coolest things in a cup in the entirety of the Quarter.
Are you planning to spend some time in New Orleans soon? To stay close to all the action, book a historic boutique hotel in the French Quarter at FrenchQuarter.com/hotels today!
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Best Kept Secrets for Eating Cheap and Eating Well in the French Quarter
New Orleans is known for its food, and the French Quarter, in particular, has long been home to many of the city’s finest and most high-end eateries. You can experience quintessential New Orleans fare at places like Antoine’s, Brennan’s, Galatoire’s and others, and every trip to the city should include visits to these emporiums of great dining. But when you just want a quick, inexpensive meal — maybe one with a little local color thrown in — ask the locals and follow the Quarter workers, the service industry folks, the bartenders, and the servers, to places where good eating can be cheap eating.
Some spots are open 24 hours, some deliver. Some are at their best in the middle of the night. For our purposes, “cheap” is defined as breakfast for $15 or less, and lunch or dinner for around $20 per person, or less.
You won’t find haute cuisine or, for that matter, haute society either, at places like the Quartermaster Deli or Deja Vu. But you will find New Orleans culture out the wazoo, soulful and satisfying sustenance and a few more reasons, as if you needed any, to eat out in the Big Easy.
Bennachin
(1212 Royal St.)
At the small and cozy Bennachin, you can sample flavorful African dishes with origins from Gambia and Cameroon. The restaurant was also one of the first places in New Orleans to feature vegan items on its menu.
Cafe Maspero
(601 Decatur St.)
If it’s classic New Orleans fare you are looking for with a price that won’t blow your travel budget, this is the place for you. With a wide variety of seafood platters, crawfish (when in season), muffulettas, and traditional po-boys all tastes are sure to be satisfied. And did we mention its perfect location? Cafe Maspero is right in the middle of all of the French Quarter action, near the river and Jackson Square. The restaurant serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day in an open and friendly atmosphere.
Central Grocery & Deli
(923 Decatur St.)
A sprawling old-fashioned grocery store on a buzzing block of Decatur Street, Central Grocery is not called “Home of the Original Muffuletta” for nothing. Its founder, a Sicilian immigrant named Salvatore Lupo, is credited for creating the famous sandwich. The store is still lovingly run by the same family, and is packed full of imported Italian delicacies, including the famous olive salad by the jar. Central Grocery is worth a look for that reason alone, but it’s the made-to-order muffulettas that have the visitors and the locals flocking there since 1906. You can eat at one of the few tables in the back, or take your muffuletta to go.
Coop’s Place
(1109 Decatur St.)
Tourists wander into Coop’s but locals are the mainstay of this raucous bar/restaurant close to the French Market. Loud and lively, it’s the kind of place you’d probably expect to offer a limited menu, maybe fried cheese sticks and out-of-a-freezer-bag of buffalo wings, because it could get away with that. Instead, expect appetizers like the local crab claws and a delicious smoked duck quesadilla, a complex flavor surprise made even better with Coop’s outstanding house-made salsa.
Coop’s takes its food as seriously as its mixology. You’d be hard-pressed to find better fried chicken anywhere in town; served with the creamy, house-made coleslaw, it’s a plate of pure plump-you-up pleasure. Regulars rave about the rabbit and sausage jambalaya, especially when made “Supreme” with the addition of spicy tasso ham and shrimp. Alert: You must be 21 and over to enter only. Also, it could get crazy busy.
Croissant D’Or Patisserie
(617 Ursulines St.)
Please don’t miss this Parisian-style patisserie, tucked away between Royal and Chartres on Ursulines. Steeped in old-world charm, Croissant D’Or some of the best baked goods in the city. The sweet and savory croissants, and everything else you’ll find displayed in the gleaming glass case — the tarts and the tortes and the quiches — is delicious and served fresh daily from the bakery.
Deja Vu Restaurant and Bar
(400 Dauphine St.)
This 24-hour full-service restaurant and bar in the French Quarter is always available and ready to accommodate. You will find a wide variety of options on the menu ranging from traditional New Orleans fare to downhome comfort food, all reasonably priced. Deja Vu serves breakfast, lunch and dinner all day long and is available for dine-in, carry out or delivery.
Envie Espresso Bar & Cafe
(1241 Decatur St.)
We also recommend this airy coffeehouse with comfortable sidewalk seating, popular with the locals. It has a full bar and a big breakfast menu, plus small plates — all of which will go easy on your budget.
Lucky Dog
(Various street corners in the French Quarter)
The popular hot dogs and iconic weenie-in-bun-shaped carts have been part of the late-night Quarter scene for years; the company website claims over 21 million hot dogs have been sold in the past half-century. Lucky Dog makes a pretty good weenie, perfect for slowing your roll when you’ve had one too many Hurricanes at Pat O’Brien’s.
Mona Lisa
(1212 Royal St.)
Right next to Bennachin is another comfy, cozy spot, the Mona Lisa, decked in the namesake’s-centric art floor to ceiling, and serving some of the best (and most inexpensive) pizza in the Quarter.
The Quarter Master Deli
(1100 Bourbon St.)
Also known as the Nellie Deli, this French Quarter institution is open 7 days a week, 24 hours. Space is cramped because so much is packed into a tiny footprint — groceries, liquor, sundries, and the focal point, the old-style deli case crammed with goodness — bowls and bowls of made-in-house sides, veggies and more. Don’t expect to eat there — there are no tables and there’s no room — but you can order at the deli case, or call your order in ahead of time for pickup. There’s free delivery, too. You don’t even have to leave your hotel room!
The Quarter Master cooks serve up breakfast, lunch and dinner, late-night munchies, and even offer two specials a day — which seem almost superfluous considering the comprehensive menu in this teensy space. Among the favorites: homemade mac-and-cheese, 1/2 pound choice burgers, overstuffed po-boys (especially the roast beef and the hot sausage), entrees like barbecue chicken, New Orleans meatloaf, and hamburger steak. Good food, friendly staff, local color, and great prices.
Verti Marte
(1201 Royal St.)
Verti Marte is open 7 days a week, 24 hours, and delivery is available. Like The Quarter Master Deli a couple of blocks away, it’s strictly a to-go operation, serving a heavily local clientele and offering a mind-bogglingly extensive menu of breakfast specialties, sandwiches and po-boys, entrees, and even desserts.
You’ll see the Quarter workers stopping in for fried shrimp po-boys, BLTs, and Verti Marte’s Philly Cheese Steak. You also can’t go wrong with the other epic specialty sandwiches like the vegetarian Green Giant and the mountainous All That Jazz — with grilled ham, turkey and shrimp, plus two cheeses, grilled veggies, and the special “wow” sauce.
Lagniappe
In New Orleans, “lagniappe” (pronounced lan-yap) means “something extra,” and that’s what we’re giving you. Here are a couple more places to eat for less outside the Quarter (but close): Ray’s On The Ave. (4706 Paris Ave.) features authentic Southern comfort food, and Dat Dog, located on the music club-heavy Frenchmen Street in the Marigny. Not only Dat Dog’s dogs and sausages are pretty amazing but there’s balcony seating overlooking Frenchmen, and the second floor is filled with decorations culled from the Krewe of Chewbacchus (the city’s science fiction/fantasy-themed Mardi Gras krewe).
Are you planning to spend some time in New Orleans soon? To stay close to all the action, book a historic boutique hotel in the French Quarter at FrenchQuarter.com/hotels today!
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Best Brunch in the French Quarter
Photo courtesy of Muriel’s Jackson Square on Facebook
First named in print in an 1895 newspaper, brunch is thought to have originated with English hunt meals. But although New Orleans didn’t invent brunch, it did invent two things that elevated the mid-morning extravaganza to its highest form: cocktails and jazz. What would brunch be without bloody Marys, mimosas and Irish coffee? And how much less festive would it feel without trumpet flares and piano riffs mingling with the sounds of laughter and clinking champagne flutes?
We’ve rounded up a few of our favorite spots to enjoy brunch, ranging from down-home hearty joints to refined, white-tablecloth versions.
Antoine’s
713 St. Louis St.
The country’s oldest family-run restaurant (since 1840), Antoine’s is a go-to for a lingering jazz brunch on Sunday. This Creole grand dame serves up its signature Oysters Rockefeller, rich omelets, decadent Creole mains, and dessert classics to the sounds of live jazz. This is fine dining at its best.
Arnaud’s
813 Bienville St.
For a Dixieland jazz brunch, Arnaud’s can’t be beat. The three-course “prix fixe” Sunday brunch menu is mouth-watering. Try the traditional Creole breakfast starter, Creole Cream Cheese Evangeline, or shrimp bisque. Eggs Fauteaux, poached eggs with smoked pompano from the Gulf, are also popular. The restaurant’s signature dish, Shrimp Arnaud, is Gulf shrimp marinated in a house-made Creole remoulade. The ambiance is old-world elegant, yet exuberant, and a business casual dress code is observed.
Café Amelie
900 Royal St.
How about an iconic culinary experience in one of the most gorgeous courtyards in the French Quarter (and that’s saying a lot, as the Quarter is full of tropical lushness)? Many items on the weekend menu would pair well with Amelie’s seasonally inspired cocktails, and the locally sourced ingredients speak for themselves, but the signature cochon de lait sandwich will render you speechless. Another beloved signature dish to try is shrimp and grits, served with corn and Andouille maque choux.
Café Conti
830 Conti St.
Looking for lighter fare? This hidden gem specializes in simple but beautifully executed French and Creole-tinged breakfast staples. There’s house-made muesli brimming with fresh fruit and walnuts, as well as lox and bagel. For something more substantial, grab Croque Madame of a breakfast po-boy. Order at the counter, take a seat in the intimate, chandelier-hung space, and savor the ambiance.
Cane & Table
1113 Decatur St.
C & T’s entrées on the brunch menu span from lighter fare like avocado toast to the modernized version of biscuits and gravy, and fried chicken sandwich. Plus, the elegant Cane & Table is one of the best escapes in the Quarter, invoking Old Havana and packing the punch with its excellent rum-based cocktails.
Croissant D’Or Patisserie
617 Ursulines St.
Tucked away between Royal and Chartres on Ursulines and steeped in old-world charm, this Parisian-style patisserie has some of the best baked goods in town — and the bar is high in New Orleans. Made daily and served fresh from the bakery, Croissant D’Or’s croissants come plain, sweet and savory, stuffed with things like chocolate and ham and cheese. Everything you’ll find displayed in the gleaming glass case is a must-try, from the Napoleon and tiramisu to the tarts and the tortes. Some of the delicious made-to-order sandwiches come with house-made Bechamel sauce.
Muriel’s Jackson Square
801 Chartres St.
If there’s a better place to enjoy brunch than on Muriel’s balcony overlooking Jackson Square on a Saturday or Sunday morning, we haven’t found it. Sit inside to enjoy a live jazz trio — and if you order the three-course brunch special, take note: Muriel’s turtle soup is legendary.
Ruby Slipper
1005 Canal St.
Launched from a humble Mid-City cottage in 2008, Ruby Slipper has grown into a beloved family-owned chain with nearly 30 locations scattered from New Orleans to Florida, the Carolinas, and so on. It’s easy to see the appeal: local specialties like shrimp and grits and po-boys meet mainstays like classic buttermilk pancakes and Spanish omelets. And, of course, there are those mimosas and bloody Marys — because as the menu reminds diners, “you can’t drink all day if you don’t start in the morning.”
Stanley
547 St. Ann St.
Stanley has a lot going for it: The airy, sunny, inviting dining rooms; prime location (it overlooks Jackson Square); a nod to Tennessee Williams in its name; and all-day breakfast that emphasizes regional cooking and local ingredients. Owner and chef Scott Boswell serves classic New Orleans comfort food with an upscale twist. Yet it’s affordable and the portions are very generous. Try the signature Bananas Foster French toast, or Eggs Stanley: cornmeal-crusted oysters, poached eggs, Canadian bacon and Creole hollandaise on a toasted English muffin. Eggs Benedict get a po-boy treatment by being served on toasted French bread. Or, if you can handle it, get them as part of a breakfast seafood platter, with soft-shell crab, oysters and shrimp. Wash it down with a Mega (double) Bloody Mary or a milkshake punch while you people-watch.
The Court of Two Sisters
613 Royal St.
The historic courtyard at this restaurant is so great they named the restaurant after it, and its Creole menu and the jazz brunch are staples of the local culinary scene. The brunch buffet’s selections change seasonally, but you can count on eggs any style, made-to-order omelets, Eggs Benedict, and turtle soup to be served. Also, take note: Court of Two Sisters made the traditional version of Bananas Foster part of its dinner and jazz brunch menus. The dessert fits right in with the restaurant’s luscious Creole and Cajun cuisine like jambalaya and gumbo, and is served with brandy and banana liquor over French vanilla ice cream.
Toast
1035 Decatur St.
From the owners of Tartine, this is the latest of the three New Orleans locations of a laid-back neighborhood bakery. You can both linger with an omelet sipping a cafe au lait or grab a latte and a pastry to go — either way, expect excellent, French-leaning food. All breads, jams, custards, and curds are made in-house daily. Fittingly, there are three French toast options on the menu, including the king cake version filled with cinnamon cream cheese, with Mardi Gras sprinkles on top. Another standout is Toast’s signature aebleskiver, a puffy Danish-style pancake ball, served with lemon curd, jam, maple syrup, and caramel (or other sauces) for dipping
Don’t miss out on all the excitement the French Quarter has to offer all year round, round the clock! Book your room at any of these historic hotels today.
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Late Night Dining: Where to Turn in the Quarter When the Midnight Hungries Hit Hard
The French Quarter is truly a 24-hour neighborhood where “making a night of it” can easily mean greeting the daybreak in last night’s clothes. But even the most spirited reveler must eat, if only to keep up stamina. Fortunately, late-night Quarter restaurants offer a wide variety of options for noshing round midnight, whether you’re hankering for a burger and fries, need to sample jambalaya before your red-eye flight back home or are looking for something a little more upscale to polish off the evening in style. Below is a list of favorite Quarter spots to turn to when midnight cravings hit, even if they hit quite a bit after midnight.
Buffa’s
1001 Esplanade Ave.
A funky mainstay that exists just on the other side of the Quarter in the Marigny, Buffa’s is essential for eccentric servers, New Orleans locals, great burgers and etouffee, and live music (offered in no particular order). We’ve never had a night here that didn’t get delightfully weird. Open till 2 a.m. every day.
Clover Grill
900 Bourbon St.
Both the staff and clientele of this Bourbon Street burger joint look like a casting call for a John Waters movie, and the atmosphere is just about as fun. Located across from a thriving gay nightclub, the tile-and-chrome diner is as heavy on camp as it is on calories. Everyone from drag queens to cab drivers keep the orders for burgers, fries and omelets coming in all night. Open 24 hours.
Coop’s Place
1109 Decatur St.
What appears to be another of the many dark barrooms along Decatur Street reveals an excellent late-night menu of local dishes, including the best inexpensive jambalaya around. Look for pasta dishes loaded with local seafood and tasso (a flavorful Cajun ham smoked on premises), blackened redfish, and a fried alligator appetizer that for once actually tastes like something besides batter. Open till 11 p.m. Friday-Sunday.
Deja Vu Restaurant and Bar
400 Dauphine St.
This 24-hour full-service restaurant and bar in the French Quarter is always available and ready to accommodate. You will find a wide variety of options on the menu ranging from traditional New Orleans fare to downhome comfort food, all reasonably priced. Deja Vu serves breakfast, lunch and dinner all day long and is available for dine-in, carry out or delivery.
The Bombay Club
830 Conti St.
Located in the elegant Prince Conti Hotel, the Bombay Club offers some of the most refined food you’ll find in the French Quarter after 9 p.m. Ribeye, seared Gulf fish and curried cauliflower are a few examples of the dishes served in a British imperial setting of polished wood and well-made cocktails. Dinner is served till 11 p.m.; the bar is open till midnight Wednesday-Sunday.
Three Legged Dog
400 Burgundy St.
This place is an unassuming bar with classic pub grub and really good crawfish boils, when in season. Open 24 hours.
Turtle Bay
1119 Decatur St.
The 24/7 Turtle Bay is famous for its 20-ounce rib eye served with potato skins and garlic bread, big enough for two to share and still a little over $20. The thin-crust pizza comes with lots of toppings, and there is a handful of signature burgers on the menu along with the classic pub grub like wings and nachos.
Verti Marte
1201 Royal St.
A miracle of space management, this tiny corner deli serves an enormous array of sandwiches, po-boys and hot plates ranging from blackened catfish and creamed spinach to a dense block of utterly comforting macaroni and cheese. There is barely enough room to stand and order, never mind sit and eat, so all orders are “to go.” Free delivery is available in the French Quarter, Marigny and the CBD. Open 24 hours.
Don’t miss out on all the excitement the French Quarter has to offer all year round, round the clock! Book your room at any of these historic hotels today.
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French Quarter Food Delivery
Photo courtesy of Oceana Grill on Facebook
After a long day of New Orleans sightseeing — or after a long night out listening to music, downing cocktails, and sampling beer at local breweries — it’s nice to have your food come to you rather than the other way around. To that end, you need to know who is delivering food in the French Quarter. This is especially relevant given that many historic hotels may not possess a refrigerator, a microwave, or other food preparation facilities en suite.
To that end, don’t forget that our recommended hotels allow for front desk food delivery, and that online platforms like UberEats, Grubhub, DoorDash, and Postmates are all available within New Orleans. If you use one of those apps/websites, a ton of restaurants that aren’t listed here come into the food delivery range, although you’ll generally have to pay more of a delivery fee if the food is coming from further away.
Daisy Dukes
121 Chartres St., 504-561-5171
Daisy Dukes has several locations in New Orleans, including one in the French Quarter. Don’t expect a light meal — they crank out burgers, chili cheese fries, po-boys, and a bunch of variations on fried seafood platters; a full breakfast rounds out the menu. Delivery in the French Quarter and the CBD.
Matassa’s Market
1001 Dauphine St., 504-412-8700
It’s an iconic destination for French Quarter locals and tourists alike: a family-owned market where you can grab everything from a sausage po-boy and a six-pack to paper towels and bananas. Plus, they deliver. Is it any wonder Matassa’s business has been booming for decades?
Meals From the Heart Cafe
1100 N. Peters St. #13, 504-525-1953
This is a beloved French Quarter source of mobile calories located at the French Market. You can order on the phone or online. Take a look at that menu — it’s one of the healthier ones in the Quarter, and includes a ton of salads, vegan crab cakes, vegan beignets, and vegan blueberry pancakes. If that’s not your style, no worries — there are po-boys, loaded scrambled eggs for breakfast, and gumbo to scratch that New Orleans food itch.
Oceana Grill
739 Conti St., 504-525-6002
Need some seafood delivered to your doorstep? Give the folks at Oceana a call (or order online). The menu, which includes a kids menu, has crabmeat in a crawfish and mushroom cream sauce, barbeque shrimp, grilled tuna, and other seafood specialties (plus ribs and pasta dishes) that you may not normally associate with delivery cuisine.
Verti Marte
1201 Royal St., 504-525-4767
This tiny counter stand/convenience store is famous for cranking out some of the best po-boys in town, including the gloriously sloppy All That Jazz (grilled ham, turkey, shrimp, cheese, mushrooms, tomatoes, sauce, amazing). They also sling a full menu of hot dishes (brisket, lasagna, etc); there are even a few vegetarian options, including the wonderful Mushroom Mountain (basically a lot of mushrooms and a lot of cheese). Verti Marte offers free delivery to the French Quarter, the Marigny and the CBD.
Vieux Carre Pizza
733 St. Louis St., 504-529-1999
Sometimes, a pizza is the only thing that will do. If it’s late at night and some hot cheese, tomato sauce and a good crust is what you’re in the mood for, give a call to Vieux Carre Pizza, and let them do the rest of the work. Open till 4:40 a.m. on Saturdays and till 3 a.m. the rest of the week.
Are you planning to spend some time in New Orleans soon? To stay close to all the action, book a historic boutique hotel in the French Quarter at FrenchQuarter.com/hotels today!
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Diet Another Day: New Orleans Must Eats in the French Quarter
Amazing food is everywhere in New Orleans. From the Creole grand dames to the contemporary wonders helmed by the award-winning chefs, you can easily check a few famous renditions of the New Orleans and southern staples off your must-try food list — without leaving the French Quarter. Here are some suggestions to get you started.
Gumbo and Jambalaya
Gumbo is one of Louisiana’s most famous dishes, but there’s no single recipe to prepare it. In New Orleans, excellent gumbo is easy to find. The chefs tend not to deviate too much from the classic Cajun and Creole recipes, and even the beaten paths would often lead you to the best gumbo you’ll likely ever taste. The difference is whether you like your gumbo laden with meat or seafood; and with dark roux or a lighter roux. Most restaurants include at least two versions on the menu — the meat and the seafood.
Appropriately enough, the French Quarter restaurant that includes the dish in its name is a great place to try several of its varieties. Gumbo Shop (630 St. Peter St.) serves seafood and okra gumbo that is thick with shrimp and crabmeat, a smoky chicken and andouille sausage gumbo, and even gumbo z’herbes, a rarely-seen vegetarian gumbo made with greens. Cup-sized portions are available for easy sampling.
Staying true to the classic Creole cuisine since its inception in 1918, the fabled Arnaud’s Restaurant (813 Bienville St.) offers seafood gumbo on both its dinner and jazz brunch menus (and chicken and andouille gumbo on the jazz brunch menu).
Another beloved local institution, Galatoire’s (209 Bourbon St.), also serves two classic Creole gumbos. The seafood okra gumbo is made with shellfish stock and light roux, and is packed with Louisiana jumbo lump crabmeat and shrimp. The shredded duck and Andouille sausage gumbo is made with a dark roux and duck stock.
Gumbo Ya-Ya, a house specialty at Mr. B’s Bistro (201 Royal St.), is a Cajun country-style gumbo made with a dark roux, lots of Creole spices, chicken, and Andouille sausage. The seafood gumbo is a satisfying classic with shrimp, crabmeat and oysters.
Don’t be discouraged by the line at Acme Oyster House (724 Iberville St.): its classic menu of oysters, po-boys and gumbo is that good. Plus, you can get a cup of gumbo with half of po-boy, or as part of the New Orleans Medley, a hearty combo of gumbo, jambalaya, red beans and rice, and grilled smoked sausage. Go ahead and chase yours with an oyster shooter of vodka or an oyster-topped Bloody Mary.
Jambalaya is right up there with gumbo for international fame, but this flavorful rice-based dish is cooked more often at home than at restaurants. The one-pot local staple has absorbed French, Spanish, African, and Native American influences, and traditionally incorporates stock, meat, seafood, long-grain rice, and vegetables (like the “holy trinity” also used in gumbo — bell pepper, onion and celery). The main distinction is that the Creole version has tomatoes and the Cajun recipe doesn’t.
You can find one of the best versions of jambalaya at Coop’s Place (1109 Decatur St.), a local watering hole that serves excellent food until quite late at night. Coop’s rabbit and sausage jambalaya can be upgraded to “supreme” by adding shrimp and tasso, a spicy Cajun ham smoked on premises. Because Coop’s offers video poker, children under 18 are not allowed inside.
To sample jambalaya in a more upscale setting, try the version cooked up at the Pelican Club (312 Exchange Pl.), which uses the traditional ingredients of sausage, chicken and shrimp.
If you just want a taste, the spicy Creole jambalaya at Napoleon House (500 Chartres St.) comes with chicken and sausage and could be ordered as an appetizer or as a side. Consider pairing it with the restaurant’s famous muffuletta and washing it down with its signature drink, Pimm’s Cup.
Don’t Call It a Sandwich
A po-boy — the French-bread sandwich that is to New Orleans what the cheesesteak is to Philadelphia — comes in as many versions as there are ingredients to stuff inside a loaf. But one of the classic favorites is the fried oyster po-boy, which takes advantage of Louisiana’s abundance of bivalves and indigenous local skill in frying anything.
Johnny’s Po-Boys (511 St. Louis St.) has been dishing them out since 1950 and, in addition to a first-class sandwich, the popular lunch spot offers a glimpse of a truly down-home po-boy joint packed with character and characters. Ask for your po-boy “dressed,” and it comes with chopped lettuce, tomato, pickles, and plenty of mayonnaise.
If you want to depart from the traditional po-boy, pop into Killer PoBoys (219 Dauphine St.). They play around with the ingredients here — the black beer beef debris, served with pickled peppers and green beans, is to die for, while the roasted sweet potato sandwich with pecan spread is great for herbivores — and the results would make a purist’s mouth water.
Killer Poboys has another branch in the back of the excellent Erin Rose bar (811 Conti St.). Or venture to the very edge of the Quarter, into the orange bomb shelter that is The Orange Store (1700 N Rampart St.), also referred to as the Rampart Food Store. This neighborhood convenience store has all the atmosphere of the moon, but the fried shrimp po-boy is the stuff of culinary legend.
New Orleans’ other famous sandwich is the muffuletta (sometimes also spelled as “muffaletta”), the Italian answer to the po-boy: a round, seeded Italian loaf crammed full of cold cuts and cheeses and a big oily pile of the indispensable olive salad. The definitive version has been made since 1906 at Central Grocery & Deli (923 Decatur St.), where the only menu choices are a whole or a half muffuletta (half is plenty for most appetites). When the weather is nice, many people take their muffuletta and a Barq’s root beer to the nearby Riverfront or Jackson Square.
Like with most signature New Orleans creations, opinions run strong when it comes to any deviation from the tradition. Some maintain that muffuletta is a cold-cut sandwich, period. Yet Verti Marte (1201 Royal St.; 504-525-4767), for example, serves its Mighty Muffuletta cold AND hot (on the hot grilled Italian bread). Napoleon House also serves its traditional muffuletta warm. It’s one of the specialties, and is big enough for two people (you can also get it in half and quarter sizes).
And, just down the block from Central Grocery, Frank’s Restaurant (933 Decatur St.) has been winning fans for close to 60 years with its “World Famous Original Muffuletta” — which is baked and served with toasted bread and melted cheese.
Looking Forward to Mondays
Back in the old days, Monday was laundry day in New Orleans, and while the clothing was soaking so were the kidney beans for traditional red beans and rice. Laundry schedules may have changed, but a plate of red beans and rice with sausage is still the Monday special at diners and finer restaurants around town.
A delicious version is served every day at Buffa’s (1001 Esplanade Ave.), a New Orleans mainstay and a popular live-music spot. Like all good renditions of this classic dish, the red beans are cooked down to utter softness and seasoned for big flavor. And, like in many other local restaurants, you can get either a cup or a plate, and add meat (Buffa’s choice is smoked sausage).
Finales Fatales
You can usually tell when someone has visited Cafe Du Monde (800 Decatur St.) by the traces of powdered sugar that inevitably sprinkle their clothing. This means they’ve indulged in the bite-sized New Orleans tradition called beignets (pronounced “ben-yea’s”), square donuts covered liberally in powdered sugar and served piping hot. At Cafe Du Monde, a true New Orleans fixture in the French Market that closes only for Christmas and hurricanes, the automatic accompaniment to a plate of beignets is a strong cup of café au lait.
Most visitors to New Orleans have heard of Cafe Du Monde and its beignets, but don’t miss out on another dessert New Orleans is famous for — Bananas Foster. This decadent dessert remains a staple, impressively served flambéed tableside, or in many delicious variations (as a pie, ice cream, or French toast) in some of the best restaurants in the city.
If you want to try the classic version, Brennan’s Restaurant (417 Royal St.) is the place, since it was the restaurant’s Chef, Paul Blangé, who came up with it in 1951. Chef Blangé’s version remains the original go-to recipe and is made by sautéing the bananas in butter, sugar and cinnamon, then adding rum and igniting the concoction tableside, and served over ice cream. Arnaud’s is another notable version, with more cinnamon, and big enough to share.
With all the po-boys in this town, there’s bound to be some leftover French bread. Happily, this is the main ingredient in the Creole dessert called bread pudding. At the elegant and picturesque Court of Two Sisters (613 Royal St.), the bread pudding is served traditionally, spiked up with a hot whiskey sauce over the top, while the Palace Cafe (605 Canal St.) serves an excellent modern take on the dish with white chocolate baked inside. Either way, the dish makes a pleasing end to a rich dinner and an absolutely decadent finale to a courtyard brunch.
Are you planning to spend some time in New Orleans soon? To stay close to all the action, book a historic boutique hotel in the French Quarter at FrenchQuarter.com/hotels today!
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Co-Working in the New Orleans French Quarter
Photo by Brooke Cagle on Unsplash
If you are staying in the French Quarter during a business trip, you are in luck. The area is teeming with some of the best places to meet over coffee, have a business lunch or dinner, hit a happy hour with your co-workers, or just park somewhere, chill with your laptop, and put in a day’s worth of work, uninterrupted, and, often, in a historic setting. Here are our recommendations if you must bring your work on the road.
Co-Working Spaces
While there are none located in the French Quarter, there are plenty of shared spaces to choose from nearby, in the Central Business District (CBD), Bywater, Uptown, etc. These few are closest to the French Quarter and are easily reachable by streetcar or car.
Located near Crescent Park in Bywater, The Warehouse is outfitted with exposed brick and shared and private offices. There’s a weekly co-working option, indoor bike parking, and lots of cafes and restaurants within walking distance.
Located at the edge of Broadmoor, Propeller is known as an incubator for local startups, especially those focusing on social and environmental issues. The 10,000-square-foot building also provides collaborative working space.
The beautiful and contemporary workspace located on the third floor of the Contemporary Arts Center on Camp Street, The Shop features concrete floors and exposed brick walls.
Coffee Shops
Any number of coffee shops in the French Quarter is well suited for a business breakfast or a quick business meeting, or if you just want to sit somewhere with a non-alcoholic beverage and put in a few hours of work. Cafe Envie (1241 Decatur St.) is an airy coffeehouse with comfortable sidewalk seating, popular with the locals. It has a full bar and a big breakfast menu, plus small plates and excellent coffee.
Croissant D’Or, will make you feel like a kid in a candy store. The tiled old-world gem that is Croissant D’Or is a must for breakfast as well as a chill spot for a cafe au lait.
And if you want an only-in-New-Orleans experience (and beignets), head to Cafe Du Monde or Cafe Beignet (with four locations in the Quarter). Cafe du Monde is probably too hectic to linger at, but its beignets and cafe au lait are legendary. The Royal Street Cafe Beignet location is especially airy and roomy, with a lovely courtyard.
Business Lunch
There are so many excellent restaurants to choose from as your business lunch destination, at every price point, but few stand out for the quality of their food, a historic setting, great prix fixe lunch specials, and the ability to accommodate large groups. At the casual Cafe Maspero, the always-open enormous windows provide a great view of the busy corner, and the heaping seafood platters won’t break the bank.
How about an upscale lunch with cocktails? You’re in New Orleans! Brennan’s has the New Orleans classics like shrimp remoulade and seafood gumbo, plus specialty cocktails. Another storied Brennan establishment, Mr. B’s Bistro, is the weekday business lunch destination, and its New Orleans-style barbecue shrimp is to die for (you’ll also get to wear a bib). Mr. B’s pours $1.50 martinis (and bloody Marys) during weekday lunch; there’s no limit on how many you can order.
And the grand dame of elevated Creole cuisine, Antoine’s, offers prix fixe lunch deals at prices that, for this type of unique New Orleans experience, should be considered a steal. Lunch also comes with bottomless wine and sparkling if you buy an entree.
Happy Hour
Whether you’re hitting a happy hour in the French Quarter solo or with a bunch of co-workers, the possibilities are virtually endless. We don’t even know where to begin, but if you want a classic cocktail with high-shelf spirits in an iconic New Orleans setting, check out the award-winning French 75. The bar (located at Arnaud’s) also serves delicious small plates nightly, starting at 5:30 p.m. If you like martinis, The Bombay Club has the largest selection in town, plus an inventive and varied bar menu.
Happy hour starts at 3 p.m. at the bar of the Vacherie Restaurant, accompanied by a Cajun-flavored bar menu of boudin balls and Cajun mac and cheese (diced andouille is the Cajun part). The $6 draft beer flights and wine specials can certainly accommodate a thirsty traveler.
For a casual hang, try Bar Tonique (with daily specials like whiskey flights Tuesdays and caipirinha Thursdays). It feels more like a neighborhood bar with specials chalked on the board (no food, no live music), but provides like a serious cocktail lounge, with a drink menu divided on the bar’s website into a staggering eight categories.
If you’re into tiki, Beachbum Berry’s Latitude 29 features loads of island-themed exotic cocktails. From a Mai Tai to a long list of cocktails with names like Missionary’s Downfall and Pontchartrain Pearl Diver, expect a lot of rum and pineapple. You can also bond with your co-workers over small plates like chickpea curry and sambal shrimp and grits.
Finally, both Brennan’s and Effervescence feature champagne-centric happy hours, accompanied by high-end small plates.
Dinner
For the reliably excellent New Orleans must-try dishes head to the Red Fish Grill or Palace Cafe. Chef Susan Spicer’s flagship restaurant Bayona serves high-end Louisiana food with a few modern twists in a gorgeous setting — we recommend everything on the menu.
Same goes for the prix-fixe Creole classics at Tujague’s, the second oldest restaurant in the city that hosted many a president and celebrity. And if you’re lucky to score a reservation at the jackets-required, 112-year-old Galatoire’s, you’re in for an unforgettable experience that’s as boisterous and old-school New Orleans as they come.
If you want a local brew and a quick burger, we recommend the popular Crescent City Brewhouse. See you if can get a table on the balcony that overlooks Decatur Street — there’s people-watching for miles.
We hope you enjoy your visit to Crescent City while you get some work done! And If you’re planning a stay in the French Quarter, be sure to check out our resource for French Quarter Hotels.
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What to Do on a Rainy Day in the French Quarter
Photo by Vince Huang on Flickr
Rain, rain, go away? Not necessarily. It can rain buckets in New Orleans, seemingly suddenly, and especially during the long, steamy summer season in Louisiana. If you’re been caught in a daylong downpour or even a brief afternoon shower while visiting, do not worry — it’s easy to enjoy a few hours in the air-conditioned indoors in the French Quarter — just bring patience, your sense of adventure and appetite, and an umbrella (rain boots are also a good idea as the streets can flood). Here are our suggestions to keep you entertained until the sun comes out again.
Head to a Museum
The Quarter boasts quite a few museums, which tend to focus on the city’s past and the history of Louisiana. Some, like the New Orleans Jazz Museum, are free; others you can visit for a nominal fee. For example, the New Orleans Pharmacy Museum is a reasonable $10 and features a permanent collection of 19th-century surgical instruments, books, patent medicines, and locally excavated bottles. The museum occupies a two-story historic building, the site of the apothecary shop of Louis Joseph Dufilho, Jr., who was America’s first licensed pharmacist. The museum’s second floor features a sick room and physician’s study, and there’s a small yet lovely courtyard.
Hermann-Grima House and Gallier Historic Houses are two historic homes that are considered some of the best-preserved historic structures in the French Quarter. You can tour both and learn about what life was like in New Orleans in the 19th century for the Creole gentry as well as their enslaved servants.
The Historic New Orleans Collection is spread over 10 historic buildings in the French Quarter. The Royal Street location (533 Royal St.) houses the main museum with a permanent exhibit on state history, plus rotating exhibits on history and art. Admission is free.
Consider heading to Jackson Square for two museums and a historic cathedral. Catch a mass or free concert (or just admire the interior during the quiet hours) at the St. Louis Cathedral. It’s flanked by The Cabildo and The Presbytère, which are run by the Louisiana State Museum and house a number of excellent exhibits. You’ll find many precious pieces of Louisiana history at the Cabildo, like a rare Napoleon death mask and a painting of Marie Laveau by Frank Schneider.
There are two excellent permanent exhibits at the Presbytère. You could get lost for hours in the “Mardi Gras: It’s Carnival Time in Louisiana” exhibit which details the history of Carnival traditions in Louisiana, including Cajun Courir de Mardi Gras, Zulu coconut throws, Rex floats, and spectacular costumes throughout the centuries. The “Living with Hurricanes: Katrina and Beyond” exhibit documents the natural disaster and ongoing recovery.
Go shopping
The Riverwalk Outlets and Canal Place are a short walk away from each other. Both are self-contained, multi-storied indoor malls that could keep you shopping and eating for as long as your stamina holds up. The Riverwalk mall is an outlet with more than 75 retailers and restaurants, including Nordstrom Rack and Cafe Du Monde. Canal Place is home to Saks Fifth Avenue, Tiffany and Co., Anthropologie, and dozens of other upscale retailers. There’s a small food court upstairs.
Another option is The Shops at JAX Brewery on the busy stretch of Decatur Street, a multi-story historic landmark that holds retail stores, cafes, restaurants, and a small museum dedicated to the brewery. Nearby, the historic French Market is a treasure trove of souvenirs, crafts, Louisiana spices and hot sauces, and more.
While you’re there, check out the Shops at the Colonnade. The strip of shops, some with Decatur and some with N. Peters St. addresses, is worth a visit if you’re shopping for souvenirs or local specialties like pralines. The whole stretch of the French Market is covered, from the flea market to the food vendor section, and you can easily duck in and out of the Shops at the Collonade even in the most inclement weather.
Relax with a book
New Orleans proudly boasts a number of impressively stocked independent bookstores, and some of the best ones are located in the Quarter. A former home of William Faulkner located in the historic and picturesque Pirate Alley, just off Jackson Square and behind the Cabildo, Faulkner House Books mostly offers local-interest books and the classics, including rare editions, and, of course, the works of William Faulkner.
Another beloved independent bookstore, and decidedly one of the best bookstores in New Orleans, the bi-level Beckham’s Bookshop specializes in used, antiquarian, and rare books, as well as CDs and vinyl. A gem of a place, Beckham’s has been around since 1979 at this location. It’s crammed floor to ceiling, and is beer- and dog-friendly. You’ll find it right across the street from the House of Blues.
The charming Dauphine Street Books and Crescent City Books are both great spots if you want to browse an eclectic, well-curated selection of both new and used books, including maps and out-of-print editions.
See a movie
The Prytania Theatre is located inside Canal Place. It’s the longest-operating movie theater in the South, and this location is its latest.
Visit the Aquarium or the Insectarium
The Audubon Aquarium is a sprawling compound on the Riverfront that will keep you and your family enthralled for hours. It was renovated in 2023, reopening in the early summer, after the Audubon Insectarium had moved in. Both are packed with state-of-the-art exhibits, some brand new.
Take in a show
With the beautifully renovated Saenger and Joy theaters, Canal Street shines once again as a performing arts destination. See a Broadway show at the palatial Saenger, built in 1927 and restored in 2013 after staying vacant post-Katrina. Or catch a live music show or a national standup comedy act at the Joy Theater. This 1946 landmark started off as a movie theater and was gorgeously restored to its art deco glory.
Just off Jackson Square, Le Petit Theatre has called its St. Peter Street location home since 1922. See what’s playing this season at the famed playhouse here.
Eat and drink, of course
When it comes to those two activities in the French Quarter, the world is your oyster and the options are overwhelmingly, deliciously numerous. Whether you’re on a quest to sample the New Orleans staples, or want to experience some classic fare on the budget, you’ll find that some of the best bars and restaurants in the city (and the country, if not the world) could be found in the French Quarter, steps away from your hotel.
And what could be better than holing up with a drink and watching the rain? All year round the Quarter offers incredible happy hour deals you won’t want to miss. Just to name a couple, Vacherie’s happy hour (3-6 p.m. every day) $6 bar menu draft beer flights and mixed drinks, plus $8 small plates like the slider of the day Tuesdays through Saturdays. And The Bombay Club inside Prince Conti Hotel specializes in martinis and has more than 50 specialty cocktails on the menu.
Rain or shine, happy exploring! And if you’re planning a stay in New Orleans, be sure to check out our resource for French Quarter Hotels.
