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Best New Orleans Food and Drink
New Orleans is a city for foodies with fine dining and historic cafes all around the city from the bustling French Quarter to the picture-perfect uptown Garden District. The food blends fancy French cuisine with local cooking styles to create distinctive Creole and Cajun dishes that are original to the city. Join us for a tour of the best food and drink in New Orleans.
What to Know
Cajun and Creole are often used interchangeably, but there is a difference. While both begin with the region's 'holy trinity' of green peppers, onions and celery, they veer off in slightly different directions. Cajun food originated along Louisiana's bayou. Its country-style cooking starts with a dark roux and combines French and Southern flavors in homey, filling dishes like gumbo and boudin, a spicy classic Cajun sausage. Creole food also has French influences with European and African roots, but it's more refined with rich sauces and fresh seafood, like Shrimp Creole and Turtle Soup. Jambalaya is a popular hearty dish filled with chicken, spicy andouille sausage and veggies. It may be prepared in either the Creole style with tomatoes or the Cajun way without tomatoes. As in any good Southern town, grits are a staple, as well as okra.
In the sandwich category, a lunchtime staple is the muffuletta, a hearty combo of ham, salami, Swiss, provolone and olive spread. A po'boy is a classic sandwich usually served on a French baguette. It may be filled with fried seafood like oysters, shrimp, crawfish or soft shell crab.
When it comes to sweets, beignets are appropriate any time of day. These deep-fried dough balls are sprinkled with powdered sugar and served alongside a cup of coffee in cafes around town. For dessert, there's bread pudding, Bananas Foster and, during Mardi Gras, King cake with a hidden trinket inside.
Of course, sweet tea is an option if you're thirsty, but New Orleans is known for its great cocktail culture. The Sazerac, a simple combo of cognac and bitters, is said to be America's first cocktail and dates back to pre-Civil War days in the city. The Ramos Gin Fizz combines gin, lemon and lime juice, egg white, sugar, cream and orange flower water. A splash of soda water adds to the drink's effervescence.
Where to Go
Breakfast and Jazzy Brunch
The Sunday brunch and jazz at Arnaud's Restaurant is a 4-course feast with an appetizer, salad, entrée and dessert. Satisfy a sweet tooth with the Pain Perdu with orange-infused honey or opt for something savory with the grillades of braised baby veal scaloppini served with cheese grits. Sip a Mimosa, Bloody Mary, Bullshot or a Gin Fizz while listening to live Dixieland jazz.
Expect some unusual twists at the breakfast table at Brennan's in the French Quarter. The most popular dish is Eggs Hussarde, which features poached eggs served over Holland rusks and Canadian bacon, all topped with Marchand de Vin sauce. Brennan's is the birthplace of Bananas Foster so it's only appropriate to finish off breakfast with this flambéed dessert.
Ralph's on the Park is a cozy neighborhood restaurant in City Park. The playful Sunday brunch menu puts an unexpected twist on breakfast classics. Chicken is stuffed with boudin sausage and served alongside chocolate chip waffles and red-eye gravy while Cajun Scotch eggs are served alongside boudin sausage, cheese-grit soufflé and corn maque choux.
No need to limit the brunch buffet to just weekends when you can indulge every day of the week at the Court of Two Sisters in the French Quarter. A jazz trio strolls around while diners fill their plates with classic egg dishes and savory entrees like boiled shrimp or crawfish with remoulade, zesty Cajun pasta, corn grits and Creole jambalaya.
