Things to do and Places to Eat in New Orleans and other spots in Louisiana
From inthekitchenwithkath.com
2018 – Places we liked in Louisiana
New Orleans
Brisbi’s Lakefront Restaurant and Bar
7400 Lakeshore Drive
504-304-4125
Lunch, happy hour, and dinner, closed Tuesdays
On the New Basin Canal, overlooking the Orleans’ Marina just off of Lake Pontchartrain
Raw oysters, seafood
Guys Po-Boys
5259 Magazine Street
504-891-5025
Monday – Saturday 11 – 4
(Soft drinks only – no beer)
Crescent City Steaks
1001 North Broad Street
504-821-3271
Lunch and dinner Tuesday – Friday, Sunday
Dinner only Saturday
Classic New Orleans steakhouse since 1934
Juan’s Flying Burrito – Uptown
5538 Magazine Street
504-897-4800
Open daily for lunch and dinner
Riccobono’s Panola Street Café
7801 Panola Street
504-314-1810
Great breakfast spot
Open daily 7am – 2pm
Mandina’s Restaurant
3800 Canal Street
504-482-9179
Open daily for lunch and dinner
“New Orleans’ favorite restaurant for Italian and seafood home-style cooking for more than eight decades.”
The National World War II Museum
945 Magazine Street
504-528-1944
Open daily 9:00 – 5:00
This is a MUST SEE in New Orleans! You could easily spend a whole day here and not see it all. It is huge!
“Ranked by TripAdvisor as the #1 Attraction in New Orleans, [and #2 museum in the United States, and #2 museum in the world], named by USA Today as the #1 Best Place to Learn U.S. Military History, and designated by Congress as America’s official museum about World War II, The National WWII Museum features a rich collection of artifacts that bring history to life.”
Don’t miss the excellent movie presentation, Beyond All Boundaries, narrated by Executive Producer, Tom Hanks
Interactive experience: Final Mission: USS Tang – Submarine experience places visitors aboard the most successful submarine in WWII for its fifth and final war patrol.
Audubon Zoo
6500 Magazine St.
504-861-2537
We love the Louisiana Swamp Exhibit, featuring local critters and recipes for some of them.
New Orleans Museum of Art
1 Collins Diboll Cir.
City Park, New Orleans
504-658-4100
The Museum Store features ceramics by our friend, Susan Bergman (sebergman.com)
In or near Covington, LA
Acme Oyster House – Northshore
1202 N Hwy 190
Covington
985-246-6155
Open daily for lunch and dinner
Classic seafood – oysters, fried seafood, po-boys, etc.
Crabby Shack
305 Hwy 21
Madisonville, LA
985-845-2348
Open daily for lunch and dinner
Since 2013, features “fresh Louisiana seafood dishes and New Orleans neighborhood favorites served in a friendly, casual atmosphere”.
Baton Rouge, LA
Heads & Tails Seafood
2070 Silverside Dr
Baton Rouge, LA
225-767-2525
Open daily for lunch and dinner
“fresh Louisiana seafood brought in daily”
Avery Island, LA
Tabasco Factory and Museum and the Tabasco Jungle Gardens
We had visited the gardens on a previous trip when we got there too late for the factory tour. This time we just toured the factory and museum. The tour is self-guided and it is very easy to follow. Each area has a number and you just follow the numbers from 1 – 8 to see everything. There are short video presentations along the way that further describe the process of making Tabasco sauce. I highly recommend the tour, especially if you’re a Tabasco fan!
Des Allemands, LA
Spahr’s Seafood Restaurant
3682 Hwy 90 East
Des Allemands, LA
985-758-1602
Open daily for lunch and dinner
Featuring “Wild Caught Des Allemands Catfish”
Our Favorite Places in New Orleans from past trips
Felix’s Oyster Bar
739 Iberville Street (in the French Quarter)
504-522-4440
“For over 65 years, Felix's has been a favorite dining spot for New Orleans residents and tourists alike with a relaxed, casual atmosphere that's uniquely New Orleans. Visitors to the city come back to Felix's year after year.”
Acme Oyster House
742 Iberville Street
504-522-5973
Some people like Felix’s best, some prefer Acme. They’re both great!
Cafe Du Monde
Open 24 hours
Café au lait and beignets and usually a jazz musician playing outside
1039 Decatur Street (right at Jackson Square)
K Paul’s Louisiana Kitchen http://www.kpauls.com/
416 Chartres Street
(504) 524-7394 (Reservations are a must.)
“Business Casual” dress code
Pascal's Manale
(for incredible BBQ shrimp!)
1838 Napoleon Avenue
504-895-4877 (reservations recommended)
At lunch you can get the BBQ shrimp in a sandwich—same great flavor, less expensive. Served on the light rolls that everyone uses in New Orleans—actually is delicious with the BBQ sauce.
Lunch Monday – Friday
Dinner Monday – Saturday 5 pm – closing (?)
Closed Sundays
Commander's Palace http://www.commanderspalace.com/
1403 Washington Avenue
New Orleans, Louisiana 70130
at the corner of Coliseum Street in the Garden District
(504) 899-8221 (Reservations a MUST, especially for weekend jazz brunch—call early.)
Lunch Monday – Friday
Dinner every night
Jazz Brunch – Saturday and Sunday
We like it best for the weekend jazz brunch.
Dress is upscale, collared shirts and toes-closed shoes for men, jackets are preferred.
No Shorts or jeans.
Complimentary valet service provided.
Great “Po-Boys” in the Quarter at:
Johnny's Po-Boys
511 Saint Louis St
New Orleans, LA 70130-2117
Phone: (504) 524-8129
Open every day 8:00 – 4:30
Very casual; great “cheap eats”!
Cash only
Muriel's Jackson Square Bistro
801 Chartres Street
(504) 568-1885
Open daily.
Fine dining with a casual dress code. (Jackets are not required; men's shirts should have sleeves. Jeans are fine.)
Reservations recommended.
Best Muffulettas:
923 Decatur St. (in the Quarter)
Open every day 9:00 – 5:00
They may have limited seating. I don’t remember. You can get the sandwiches to go.
Herbsaint
701 St. Charles Ave.
504.524.4114
Fabulous upscale dining where the locals go. (We went with friends in N.O.)
Reservations a MUST!
Open for lunch and dinner Monday – Friday
Open for dinner on Saturdays
Closed Sundays
Check out the website at: http://www.herbsaint.com/reviews.html
Red Fish Grill
Another restaurant operated by the Brennan family
115 Bourbon Street
(504) 598-1200
Open for lunch and dinner every day
Very good, and not as expensive as some other restaurants.
Casual Dress
Camelia Grill
626 South Carrollton Ave.
New Orleans, LA 70094
(504) 866-9573
Open every day, 8:00 – midnight
Just above St. Charles (where trolley takes a hard right turn). White columns. Old style grill. Not at all fancy. A classic New Orleans tradition. You’ve got to have a slice of apple pie. They drop a blob of bacon grease on the grill and then fry it.
Camelia Grill in the French Quarter
540 Chartres Street
504-522-1800
Things to do:
Rock and Bowl for fun music: https://www.rocknbowl.com/
3000 S Carrollton Avenue
504-861-1700
Thursday nights are Zydeco – very fun for all ages!
Preservation Hall (to hear the Preservation Hall Jazz Band)
726 St. Peter St., New Orleans
(504) 523-8939, (888) 946-5299
Open every night
Neighborhood: French Quarter
Description: Back in the days when the future of traditional New Orleans jazz seemed dim, this is the place that kept the music alive. There is no bar or climate control. (You can bring drinks in.) The music begins nightly at 5 p.m. with a line usually forming outside a half-hour before. For all ages.
Hurricane Katrina Tour
http://www.graylineneworleans.com/katrina.shtml
Royal Street in the French Quarter—walk down Royal Street for a lot of fun antique shops and art galleries
Magazine St. About 5--6 blocks toward the river (Miss.) from St. Charles. Lots of interesting little funky shops. Some upscale, some down. Restaurants, knick knacks, antiques, some galleries.
French Quarter (Notes from Bob)
A. Horse and buggy rides go through the Quarter. Actually, mules, because it can get too hot for horses.
B. Boat rides on the river (both regular tour boats and paddle wheels).
C. Walk to the levee and look up at the ships from Jackson Square. The Square is below the water level.
D. Lots of neat little shops all over the place, especially on Royal.
E. Jackson Square, near the river. Street artists draw portraits, street musicians and bands (some really good), street magicians (some quite good too), little black kids doing tricks for money and hustling (I'll bet you $5 I can tell you where you got your shoes. If you bite, "You got them on yo' feet”), etc. The whole square fills up at Christmastime for caroling.
F. Jean Lafitte’s Old Absinthe House for mint juleps. One is enough! Bob: "A friend and I once had three of them and when I tried to get up to go, couldn’t." On Bourbon St. (appropriately).
G. The French Quarter is like a Disneyland for adults. (Caution-dark alleys and streets can be dangerous.)
Cemeteries. All above ground because of the high water table (N.O. is all below sea level). They have fabulous architecture. Go to the Greenwood Cemetery or Old Metairie Cemetery. They are still actively used and so in good repair. Older ones are also interesting. Lafayette Cemetery is a National Historic Landmark. It's across the street from Commander's Palace, the restaurant where Paul Prudhomme got his start. It is in the Garden District on Prytania (1 block below St. Charles) at Washington. I went into this one a lot. If you get a chance, about three quarters of the way down the main aisle from the entrance, on the left, is the crypt of the Exerstein family. Look at Matilda Exerstein and Henry Cory and their relationship, ages, etc.
Lake Ponchartrain. Big (about 22 by 45 miles) shallow (mostly 16 feet) lake on the north side of N.O. Twenty-two mile causeway spans it going north. You are out of sight of land for a while.
Bob's List of Great Restaurants:
A. Galatoire's, in the Quarter. Creole/Cajun/Southern
Closed Mondays.
B. Brennan's, in the Quarter, as in "breakfast at Brennan's"
C. Antoines in the Quarter - a classic New Orleans restaurant since 1840
D. Mr. B’s Bistro - "The team at Mr. B’s is inspired by both Creole and Cajun dishes and both styles of cooking sit harmoniously on the menu.
E. Ponchartrain Hotel on St. Charles Ave. Not as great as other places, but a New Orleans tradition. Lots of old ladies live upstairs. Good breakfasts. Try the chicory coffee.
F. Bon Ton Cafe
http://www.thebontoncafe.com/
401 Magazine Street
504-524-3386
Open for lunch and dinner Monday - Friday
G. Ruth's Chris Steakhouse
525 Fulton Street, inside Harrah’s Hotel
505-587-7099
https://www.ruthschris.com/restaurant-locations/new-orleans/
Original one. The steaks here are better (at least in Bob's memory) than in Seattle.
H. Popeye's Chicken. Local chain all over town (now it’s national). Everyone loves it.
In Breaux Bridge, LA (near Lafayette)
Buck and Johnny’s
100 Berard St.
Breaux Bridge, LA
337-442-6630
Zydeco breakfast every Saturday 8:00 – 11:30
(We really enjoyed the Zydeco breakfast at Café des Amis in Breaux Bridge years ago but they have closed. I think Buck and Johnny’s offers the same experience.)