What to eat in New Orleans
Three hundred years of French, Spanish, African, and Cajun cooking in one joyful, jazz-soaked bowl.
Five dishes. Zero regrets.
Beignets
Pillowy squares of fried dough buried under a snowdrift of powdered sugar, served hot with chicory coffee — New Orleans may not have invented them, but it put them on the map. Messy hands are mandatory.
Try it at: Café du Monde in the French Quarter
Gumbo
The city's signature stew: a dark, chocolate-brown roux loaded with seafood, sausage, or chicken and the holy trinity of onion, celery, and bell pepper, served over rice — Louisiana's history in a bowl. Seafood gumbo in fall, chicken-and-sausage in winter.
Try it at: Commander's Palace or the Gumbo Shop
Po'Boy
Crusty, airy New Orleans French bread stuffed with fried shrimp, oysters, roast beef, or catfish — 'dressed' with lettuce, tomato, pickles, and mayo, and best eaten with a stack of napkins. Born during the 1929 streetcar strike as free food for 'poor boys.'
Try it at: Johnny's Po-Boys or Parkway Bakery
Muffuletta
A whole round loaf of Sicilian bread layered with mortadella, salami, ham, provolone, and a briny marinated olive salad — created in 1906 for Italian market workers and still one of America's great sandwiches. One sandwich feeds two; a half feeds one honest eater.
Try it at: Central Grocery, where it was invented
Bananas Foster
Bananas flambéed tableside in butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, and rum, served over vanilla ice cream — the flaming dessert invented in 1951 when the city was drowning in banana imports. Theater and sugar in equal measure.
Try it at: Brennan's, where it was created and remains the most-ordered item
