February 24, 2025
When it comes to dining, New Orleans is certainly a food destination. With almost 1.300 restaurants in the city, it’s an embarrassment of riches, which sometimes it makes it hard to choose. Most of the time, people want a more casual option that is budget-friendly but still offers the great food New Orleans is known for throughout the world. Here are a few spots to consider this spring while you’re here.
Café Beignet: cafebeignet.com
622 Canal St.
600 Decatur St.
311 Bourbon St.
334 Royal St.
The beignet is the official donut of the State of Louisiana. However, beignets are not like the traditional donut many of us envision; they are small, pillowy, puffed squares made of pate a choux dough that is deep fried and served with a healthy dusting of powdered sugar. The beignet is perfect for breakfast with a cup of New Orleans style chicory and coffee, or maybe an afternoon treat with some iced coffee, or late at night, when you’ve had a full day, but want a little something sweet, beignets always fit the bill.
Founded in 1990 at their 334 Royal St. location, this year, Café Beignet celebrates 35 years of successful business in the French Quarter. While beignets are the star of the menu, each café serves much more than their namesake donut. Sit a spell in the oasis of the courtyard on Bourbon street, with lush green foliage, and a beautiful fountain, or pop into the Decatur street location on the first floor of Jax Brewery, with its tile floors and soaring windows, that open so that you can watch all the people along Decatur street and choose from one of the many of their full breakfast options such as an andouille omelet, or a pecan waffle. If you’d like a taste of a more traditional New Orleans dish, Café beignet offers jambalaya, red beans and rice, crawfish etouffee and a variety of sandwiches too. The four locations are open daily and each one offers a fun atmosphere, good food, wonderful New Orleans style coffee and chicory, and a number of other hot and cold beverages, and of course, the fabulous beignets.
Deanie’s Seafood
841 Iberville St. - Deanies.com
Deanie’s Seafood is a local institution that has been serving Louisiana and Gulf Coast seafood to locals and visitors for more than 60 years. Its original location, opened in the historic fishing village of Bucktown, located on Lake Pontchartrain, is the oldest seafood market still in operation in New Orleans. Well-known for generous portions and a fun, family-friendly atmosphere, the menu offers an array of boiled, broiled and fried seafood that is sure to satisfy your seafood cravings, including an array of gluten-free options. The menu offers small bites, large platters and everything in between. A great way to start your meal is a cup of the gumbo, a Louisiana favorite, and Deanie’s offers both seafood and okra gumbo, or chicken and sausage gumbo. Another great way to start your meals is with a dozen raw oysters, fresh from the Gulf, or maybe a dozen chargrilled? Don’t forget about the onion rings: hand-cut and fried to a perfect golden brown, onion rings are something of a staple accompaniment to seafood. Maybe you can’t decide and really feel like a little bit of everything? In that case, the fried seafood platter is definitely an excellent choice, loaded with shrimp, oysters, catfish, softshell crab and crab balls served atop a bed of French fries you can’t go wrong! If you’d like something that isn’t fried – try the New Orleans BBQ shrimp – not what you might think – it is a shell on shrimp cooked in a seasoned butter sauce with French bread for dipping! When they are in season, you might also consider some of Louisiana’s most famous fare: boiled crawfish! Deanie’s has a full-service bar featuring beer, wine and cocktails to accompany your meal and is open seven days a week in its French Quarter and Bucktown locations, and Tuesday–Sunday in its Uptown location and features lunch, dinner and happy-hour specials in all its locations.
Killer Poboys: killerpoboys.com
219 Dauphine St.
811 Conti St. – Back of the Erin Rose Bar
The po’boy is eponymous with New Orleans. Invented in 1929 to feed striking streetcar drivers, Killer Po’boys has taken the humble poboy to the next level! Their website says internationally inspired and chef crafted, and they’re spot on with that byline. The original location is in the back of the always bustling and bubbling Erin Rose bar. Make your way to the back through the crowd and be prepared to have a bit of patience as this location is always busy and crowded (but your patience will be rewarded!) Choose from four po’boy offerings: a luscious beef debris bursting with flavor, with a horseradish cream; a seared gulf shrimp with a special sauce and a bit of refreshing cucumber and herbs; for the vegetarians among us there is a roasted sweet potato po’boy with black eyed peas and a pecan spread; and last, but certainly not least, a dark and stormy pork belly po’boy with crisped chunks of tender pork belly featuring a rum ginger glaze, lime slaw, and a garlic aioli. Each one of these delectable po’boys is served on a Vietnamese style Bahn Mi bread and it is the perfect pairing to allow those main ingredients to shine. For those who might not want a po’boy, they do have a whiskey grilled cheese on whole grain bread. All of these pair wonderfully with the many libations offered at the Erin Rose. If the crowd at the Erin Rose is too much, or you would just like a bit more space to enjoy your Killer Po’boy, the second location, which they affectionately call Big Killer Po’boys is located a few blocks away, at 219 Dauphine St. In addition to more space, this location features additional menu offerings such as a BBQ Chicken Confit po’boy, a Thai BBQ Tofu po’boy, and many others.
Morrow’s – morrowsnola.com
2438 St. Claude
Owned and operated by the mother-son dynamic duo, Chef Lenora Chong and Larry Morrow, this Marigny hot spot has quickly become a local’s favorite for its soulful New Orleans classics, authentic Korean cuisine and lively, affable atmosphere. The intimate, casual eatery, which threw open its doors in 2018, is typically bustling with foodies eager to dive into their perfectly cooked, juicy inside and crunchy outside fried chicken, bountiful fried seafood platters, and unique Asian-inspired dishes such as Gumbo Ramen, ramen noodles kicked up with sausage, chicken, shrimp, and vegetables; teriyaki-glazed grilled salmon; and Lenora’s decadent Hawaiian bread pudding. While you can’t go wrong with anything on the menu, the crawfish bread appetizer is not to be missed. This bite full of bliss melds crawfish tails into a multiple-cheese, cream-based sauce spooned atop French bread, finished with more cheese then popped into the oven creating crisp, cheesy perfection. If you can’t get enough mudbugs, Morrow’s Creole crawfish pasta, an ultra creamy Alfredo-style pasta sauce kicked with up with a liberal amount of Creole spices and crawfish tails, then topped with a couple pieces of golden-brown fried catfish will surely hit the spot.
St. Roch Market: strochmarket.com
2381 St. Claude Ave.
Located five minutes outside of the French Quarter, down St. Claude Ave, awaits a bevy of food options all under one roof and in a beautiful renovated food hall. The historic St. Roch Market will celebrate 150 years on the New Orleans culinary scene on May 1, 2025. Originally an open-air market, the St. Roch market underwent a significant renovation in 2015, and now features eleven food and beverage outlets to tantalize your tastebuds.
Artiza’s Kitchen offers authentic Cuban fare, including the most flavorful, tender ropa vieja, a crispy Cuban sandwich that might be the best one in the city, empanadas, tostones, Yuca con Chicharron, and more. CR Coffee opens each morning at 7 a.m. to provide a variety of coffees, tea, pastries and muffins throughout the day and evening. Dolma offers authentic mediterranean food that is absolutely delicious including classic Gyros, a variety of Shawarma options all perfectly seasoned, Falafel that is freshly made to order, roasted eggplant, tender grape leaves, and some of the most ethereal hummus on the planet. Family Cajun Kitchen also opens early each day to provide southern breakfast options including shrimp and grits, a big Cajun breakfast, chicken and waffles, mini bacon egg and cheese waffles, and throughout the day offers a variety of pastas and fantastic burgers that run the gamut from traditional to specialty burgers featuring shrimp, hot sausage and more, creative loaded fries (try the fries with the chicken cracklins – trust me), and freshly baked deserts. Laksa offers us an introduction to Burmese food with their beautiful Laksa bowl, featuring a flavorful Laksa broth, noodles or rice, your choice of protein and garnished with lime, cucumber, onion, and a spicy apple blended sauce for dipping, or maybe try their eggrolls, salads, coconut curry, and many additional, wonderful dishes. Olive, Cheese & Crackers offers curated charcuterie boards that often look like a work of art when brought to your table, studded with a variety of cheese, meats, stuffed peppers and other accoutrements, fancy grilled cheeses (try the gruyere and bacon with caramelized onion), flatbread pizzas, and an array of freshly made, delicious cookies for a sweet treat. Lin’s Poke and Sushi offers a variety of made to order sushi rolls and poke bowls, bento boxes, all artfully crafted, including a creative vegan tuna (tomato!) but try the tuna bites for a special treat: marinated tuna, that is lightly spiced and served with tangy sauce, atop a small crisp that provides a magical bite. The Salted Pearl provides a raw oyster bar, featuring fresh gulf oysters shucked to order, shrimp cocktail, a decadent crab mac and cheese, a crab and brie dip, charbroiled oysters and much more. Additionally, they offer a week-day oyster happy hour from 3 to 5 p.m. featuring $8 half-dozen oysters and $14 for a full dozen! Taceaux Loceaux brings their famous tacos and other Mexican foods to the market with mouthwatering options such as a tender spicy brisket, chicken, or veggies, platters including charra beans, chips and a homemade salsa roja, queso, salads and build your own nachos. Ciao Bella Cucina offers traditional Italian fare based upon family recipes and highlights a rich marinara sauce. Dishes include favorites such as eggplant parm, chicken parm (can be served as platters or poboys), spaghetti and meatballs, a wonderful eggplant toast featuring marinara, eggplant slices and melted cheese served atop toasted garlic bread, and array of salads and specials each day. Of course Ciao Bella also offers a variety of Italian desserts such as tiramisu and cannoli. Finally, last, but not least, is market newcomer Junkanoo Café featuring Bahamian and Caribbean inspired foods. The fried conch is a showstopper, along with jerk chicken, honey jerk wings, oxtail, calypso salmon, a number of soups (try the conch chowder), rasta pasta, sides and salads. Junkanoo also offers overnight oats, fruit cups, homemade blended fruit drinks, and freshly made desserts. To accompany all of this great food, the market also offers a fully stocked bar Roch’s Reprieve, providing specialty cocktails, beer, and wines. The market is open daily from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., and until 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday nights.
Café Beignet: cafebeignet.com
622 Canal St.
600 Decatur St.
311 Bourbon St.
334 Royal St.
The beignet is the official donut of the State of Louisiana. However, beignets are not like the traditional donut many of us envision; they are small, pillowy, puffed squares made of pate a choux dough that is deep fried and served with a healthy dusting of powdered sugar. The beignet is perfect for breakfast with a cup of New Orleans style chicory and coffee, or maybe an afternoon treat with some iced coffee, or late at night, when you’ve had a full day, but want a little something sweet, beignets always fit the bill.
Founded in 1990 at their 334 Royal St. location, this year, Café Beignet celebrates 35 years of successful business in the French Quarter. While beignets are the star of the menu, each café serves much more than their namesake donut. Sit a spell in the oasis of the courtyard on Bourbon street, with lush green foliage, and a beautiful fountain, or pop into the Decatur street location on the first floor of Jax Brewery, with its tile floors and soaring windows, that open so that you can watch all the people along Decatur street and choose from one of the many of their full breakfast options such as an andouille omelet, or a pecan waffle. If you’d like a taste of a more traditional New Orleans dish, Café beignet offers jambalaya, red beans and rice, crawfish etouffee and a variety of sandwiches too. The four locations are open daily and each one offers a fun atmosphere, good food, wonderful New Orleans style coffee and chicory, and a number of other hot and cold beverages, and of course, the fabulous beignets.
Deanie’s Seafood
841 Iberville St. - Deanies.com
Deanie’s Seafood is a local institution that has been serving Louisiana and Gulf Coast seafood to locals and visitors for more than 60 years. Its original location, opened in the historic fishing village of Bucktown, located on Lake Pontchartrain, is the oldest seafood market still in operation in New Orleans. Well-known for generous portions and a fun, family-friendly atmosphere, the menu offers an array of boiled, broiled and fried seafood that is sure to satisfy your seafood cravings, including an array of gluten-free options. The menu offers small bites, large platters and everything in between. A great way to start your meal is a cup of the gumbo, a Louisiana favorite, and Deanie’s offers both seafood and okra gumbo, or chicken and sausage gumbo. Another great way to start your meals is with a dozen raw oysters, fresh from the Gulf, or maybe a dozen chargrilled? Don’t forget about the onion rings: hand-cut and fried to a perfect golden brown, onion rings are something of a staple accompaniment to seafood. Maybe you can’t decide and really feel like a little bit of everything? In that case, the fried seafood platter is definitely an excellent choice, loaded with shrimp, oysters, catfish, softshell crab and crab balls served atop a bed of French fries you can’t go wrong! If you’d like something that isn’t fried – try the New Orleans BBQ shrimp – not what you might think – it is a shell on shrimp cooked in a seasoned butter sauce with French bread for dipping! When they are in season, you might also consider some of Louisiana’s most famous fare: boiled crawfish! Deanie’s has a full-service bar featuring beer, wine and cocktails to accompany your meal and is open seven days a week in its French Quarter and Bucktown locations, and Tuesday–Sunday in its Uptown location and features lunch, dinner and happy-hour specials in all its locations.
Killer Poboys: killerpoboys.com
219 Dauphine St.
811 Conti St. – Back of the Erin Rose Bar
The po’boy is eponymous with New Orleans. Invented in 1929 to feed striking streetcar drivers, Killer Po’boys has taken the humble poboy to the next level! Their website says internationally inspired and chef crafted, and they’re spot on with that byline. The original location is in the back of the always bustling and bubbling Erin Rose bar. Make your way to the back through the crowd and be prepared to have a bit of patience as this location is always busy and crowded (but your patience will be rewarded!) Choose from four po’boy offerings: a luscious beef debris bursting with flavor, with a horseradish cream; a seared gulf shrimp with a special sauce and a bit of refreshing cucumber and herbs; for the vegetarians among us there is a roasted sweet potato po’boy with black eyed peas and a pecan spread; and last, but certainly not least, a dark and stormy pork belly po’boy with crisped chunks of tender pork belly featuring a rum ginger glaze, lime slaw, and a garlic aioli. Each one of these delectable po’boys is served on a Vietnamese style Bahn Mi bread and it is the perfect pairing to allow those main ingredients to shine. For those who might not want a po’boy, they do have a whiskey grilled cheese on whole grain bread. All of these pair wonderfully with the many libations offered at the Erin Rose. If the crowd at the Erin Rose is too much, or you would just like a bit more space to enjoy your Killer Po’boy, the second location, which they affectionately call Big Killer Po’boys is located a few blocks away, at 219 Dauphine St. In addition to more space, this location features additional menu offerings such as a BBQ Chicken Confit po’boy, a Thai BBQ Tofu po’boy, and many others.
Morrow’s – morrowsnola.com
2438 St. Claude
Owned and operated by the mother-son dynamic duo, Chef Lenora Chong and Larry Morrow, this Marigny hot spot has quickly become a local’s favorite for its soulful New Orleans classics, authentic Korean cuisine and lively, affable atmosphere. The intimate, casual eatery, which threw open its doors in 2018, is typically bustling with foodies eager to dive into their perfectly cooked, juicy inside and crunchy outside fried chicken, bountiful fried seafood platters, and unique Asian-inspired dishes such as Gumbo Ramen, ramen noodles kicked up with sausage, chicken, shrimp, and vegetables; teriyaki-glazed grilled salmon; and Lenora’s decadent Hawaiian bread pudding. While you can’t go wrong with anything on the menu, the crawfish bread appetizer is not to be missed. This bite full of bliss melds crawfish tails into a multiple-cheese, cream-based sauce spooned atop French bread, finished with more cheese then popped into the oven creating crisp, cheesy perfection. If you can’t get enough mudbugs, Morrow’s Creole crawfish pasta, an ultra creamy Alfredo-style pasta sauce kicked with up with a liberal amount of Creole spices and crawfish tails, then topped with a couple pieces of golden-brown fried catfish will surely hit the spot.
St. Roch Market: strochmarket.com
2381 St. Claude Ave.
Located five minutes outside of the French Quarter, down St. Claude Ave, awaits a bevy of food options all under one roof and in a beautiful renovated food hall. The historic St. Roch Market will celebrate 150 years on the New Orleans culinary scene on May 1, 2025. Originally an open-air market, the St. Roch market underwent a significant renovation in 2015, and now features eleven food and beverage outlets to tantalize your tastebuds.
Artiza’s Kitchen offers authentic Cuban fare, including the most flavorful, tender ropa vieja, a crispy Cuban sandwich that might be the best one in the city, empanadas, tostones, Yuca con Chicharron, and more. CR Coffee opens each morning at 7 a.m. to provide a variety of coffees, tea, pastries and muffins throughout the day and evening. Dolma offers authentic mediterranean food that is absolutely delicious including classic Gyros, a variety of Shawarma options all perfectly seasoned, Falafel that is freshly made to order, roasted eggplant, tender grape leaves, and some of the most ethereal hummus on the planet. Family Cajun Kitchen also opens early each day to provide southern breakfast options including shrimp and grits, a big Cajun breakfast, chicken and waffles, mini bacon egg and cheese waffles, and throughout the day offers a variety of pastas and fantastic burgers that run the gamut from traditional to specialty burgers featuring shrimp, hot sausage and more, creative loaded fries (try the fries with the chicken cracklins – trust me), and freshly baked deserts. Laksa offers us an introduction to Burmese food with their beautiful Laksa bowl, featuring a flavorful Laksa broth, noodles or rice, your choice of protein and garnished with lime, cucumber, onion, and a spicy apple blended sauce for dipping, or maybe try their eggrolls, salads, coconut curry, and many additional, wonderful dishes. Olive, Cheese & Crackers offers curated charcuterie boards that often look like a work of art when brought to your table, studded with a variety of cheese, meats, stuffed peppers and other accoutrements, fancy grilled cheeses (try the gruyere and bacon with caramelized onion), flatbread pizzas, and an array of freshly made, delicious cookies for a sweet treat. Lin’s Poke and Sushi offers a variety of made to order sushi rolls and poke bowls, bento boxes, all artfully crafted, including a creative vegan tuna (tomato!) but try the tuna bites for a special treat: marinated tuna, that is lightly spiced and served with tangy sauce, atop a small crisp that provides a magical bite. The Salted Pearl provides a raw oyster bar, featuring fresh gulf oysters shucked to order, shrimp cocktail, a decadent crab mac and cheese, a crab and brie dip, charbroiled oysters and much more. Additionally, they offer a week-day oyster happy hour from 3 to 5 p.m. featuring $8 half-dozen oysters and $14 for a full dozen! Taceaux Loceaux brings their famous tacos and other Mexican foods to the market with mouthwatering options such as a tender spicy brisket, chicken, or veggies, platters including charra beans, chips and a homemade salsa roja, queso, salads and build your own nachos. Ciao Bella Cucina offers traditional Italian fare based upon family recipes and highlights a rich marinara sauce. Dishes include favorites such as eggplant parm, chicken parm (can be served as platters or poboys), spaghetti and meatballs, a wonderful eggplant toast featuring marinara, eggplant slices and melted cheese served atop toasted garlic bread, and array of salads and specials each day. Of course Ciao Bella also offers a variety of Italian desserts such as tiramisu and cannoli. Finally, last, but not least, is market newcomer Junkanoo Café featuring Bahamian and Caribbean inspired foods. The fried conch is a showstopper, along with jerk chicken, honey jerk wings, oxtail, calypso salmon, a number of soups (try the conch chowder), rasta pasta, sides and salads. Junkanoo also offers overnight oats, fruit cups, homemade blended fruit drinks, and freshly made desserts. To accompany all of this great food, the market also offers a fully stocked bar Roch’s Reprieve, providing specialty cocktails, beer, and wines. The market is open daily from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., and until 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday nights.
