Are you curious about visiting New Orleans? In this blog post, I list some of my favorite New Orleans restaurants, museums, and music/entertainment venues to make the most of your time in NOLA.
I fell in love with New Orleans the first time I traveled here for Mardi Gras 2008. The culture — the food, the music, the people — captured my heart and I knew I needed to return and learn even more about this city. Now I live here and continue to uncover more about the Crescent City, its fascinating history and vibrant communities. Living in a city that attracts and caters to tourists means I always have friends visiting and asking me for recommendations!
I especially love to support Black-owned or people of color owned establishments and/or spot that are owned and operated by local folks. I also create itineraries so feel free to contact me for more details on how I can help you plan a visit here! This is just a taste of what the city has to offer.
Food and Drink:
The good food here is INFINITE. For traditional New Orleans food like beignets, Loretta’s Authentic Pralines is the one. While I like the basic powdered sugar ones are amazing, branch out to the praline beignets or savory crawfish beignets. Definitely worth stopping through (and don’t sleep on their sweet potato cookies)! If you’re in the quarter, I prefer the Cafe Beignet on Royal Street in the French Quarter over Cafe du Monde. Shorter lines and the beignets taste better to me.
For poor boy sandwiches or “po-boys,” I like Parkway Tavern in Mid-City and Verti Marte in the Quarter. NOLA PoBoys is pretty good too especially if you get your poboy dressed with gumbo…yummmmm. For classic Creole cuisine like jambalaya or gumbo, check out the historic Dooky Chase where civil rights leaders would gather, or Cafe Reconcile which provides hearty meals while supporting youth job training programs. Vyoone’s is one of my top 10 restaurants, offering contemporary French cuisine with an Afro-Creole French fusion twist – lots of seafood! It’s named after the owner who is friendly and brilliant (was a geneticist and a classical musician!) and who you may meet because she’s often there chatting with customers. Both are Black-owned by locals and the food is fantastic.
For brunch, Bearcat CBD is my one of my go-to spots — their breakfast potatoes with cajun crawfish gravy is a MUST! Toast on Gentilly Boulevard is a neighborhood gem — no frills, come as you are and ALWAYS delicious (I love their catfish and grits, and their B.L.T. with a fried egg). Commander’s Palace is an institution and experience — it’s one of the oldest restaurants in the city.
For my vegans and vegetarians, I gotchu! I-tal Garden is so tasty; their vegan, plant-based and gluten-free options have a Creole and Caribbean vibe. I’m usually not hyped about vegan food tbh but they do a great job of using mushrooms and proteins like seitan instead of processed soy. Just my preference. But there’s also beautiful art, Indoor and outdoor seating and it’s Black-owned and family-run.
For upscale dining, visit Compere Lapin, run by Nina Compton of Top Chef fame, which honors her Caribbean ancestry and New Orleans history through the menu. I’m also a fan gurl of Palm and Pine in the French Quarter — their dinner menu is fire and they also have late night burlesque and bites! Plates is a wonderful spot for brunch or dinner and if you have large groups, you can hire them for a private crawfish boil! I don’t go Uptown much but Mister Mao is worth a stop. Chef Sophina Uong’s “tropical roadhouse” is “unapologetically inauthentic,” merging global flavors with elegance and funk. Asian woman-owned and an emphasis on locally sourced ingredients..
There’s infinite spots to have cocktails but here are a few of my favs: Nightbloom, a craft cocktail bar with a creative menu and lots of local patrons. It’s Black and Latinx-owned; a sexy yet chill little neighborhood spot. Visit the beautiful Elysian Bar for Instagram-worthy bites and craft cocktails in a gorgeous courtyard. Bar Tonique on the edge of the French Quarter is an awesome spot for impeccably prepared cocktails at a great price! If you’re in the Quarter looking for a great happy hour, check out The Will & The Way from 3-7pm with well-crafted $9 cocktails and savory bar bites (the wings are on point).
For a real local treat, visit Chance in Hell Snoballs in the Bywater. Snoballs are a low-key New Orleans delicacy, and this spot, run by two legendary drag and burlesque performers, serves up icy treats with seasonal flavors and housemade syrups. Both boozy and alcohol-free options and it’s woman, LGBTQIA+-owned.
Activities:
If you’re into history like me, there’s a lot of dope ways to learn more about the city. The #1 museum I recommend is the Backstreet Cultural Museum dedicated to Mardi Gras Indian culture. The photo above shows the intricately beaded suits created by different tribes and worn on Mardi Gras. Another great place to learn about New Orleans’ unique history is the Musee de f.p.c. which focuses on the free people of color communities in the 1800s. To learn about jazz here in its birthplace, visit the New Orleans Jazz Museum and the Petit Jazz Museum in Treme. There’s also a myriad of tours – on foot or via bikes that highlight the rich history of this city. Do not miss StudioBE, a warehouse gallery established by the visual artist Brandan “BMike” Odums showcasing mural art that engages dialogue about resistance, now…and then. Book an hour-long tour with a guide or take a self-guided experience to move at your own pace. And the New Orleans African-American Museum in Treme has some incredible various exhibits plus the Calas Cafe is worth a stop on its own!
Also, you MUST visit Congo Square in Louis Armstrong Park. It is a spot with deep ancestral knowledge: a historical landmark and a sacred ground where both Native Americans and African descendants celebrated their spirituality, and gathered as a marketplace of goods and ideas. Native Americans traded there, and later enslaved Africans met on Sundays to sell goods, worship and organize. The roots of this city are literally here. There is a beautiful mighty ancestor tree where people leave offerings but in general it’s an important place to visit and show your respect to the city. Every Sunday, the Congo Square Preservation Society holds drum circles that are free, open to the public and communal. Dancing is encouraged!
If you like the outdoors and want to get out of the French Quarter, visit City Park. It was designed by the same architect who created New York’s Central Park and it’s just as robust. There’s a lake with paddleboats, the Louisiana Children’s Museum, The Botanical Garden and a free sculpture garden.
Also ride the streetcar from Canal Street up St. Charles Avenue to see some beautiful houses in the Lower Garden District.
Music:
Frenchman Street offers a variety of bars and jazz clubs in a few short blocks. The Blue Nile has great acts and DJs, as well as DBA, Cafe Negril and The Spotted Cat have live music pretty much every night. Sometimes it’s free and sometimes there’s a 2 drink minimum depending on the night and the bar. The Royal Frenchman Hotel and Bar usually has free live music and I’ve been blown away by the talent. (Also their cocktails are magnificent!)
Local radio institution, WWOZ’s Livewire Calendar always has a listing of what live shows are happening that night. Located uptown, Le Bon Temps Roule and Tipitina’s are classic music venues and should be on any music lover’s bucket list. For traditional New Orleans jazz, Preservation Hall is the quintessential historical spot with hourly shows most afternoons and evenings. Also the Dew Drop Inn which just reopened is bringing in top talent, and Canoa NOLA features Caribbean and New Orleans arts events and dance parties.
New Orleans is also known for its festivals which are in abundance! While the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival is the most well known, French Quarter Fest also has nine stages of epic musical acts and its free!
The Congo Square Gumbo Festival is free and amazing in the spring, as well as the Bayou Boogaloo is set up along the bayou. Check out New Orleans and Company to plan ahead for a visit during one of the smaller but just as fun music festivals.
For some super dope queer art and burlesque, visit The Allways Lounge in the Bywater, and the Saturn Bar was some funky DJ nights and local music.
I hope this gives you some New Orleans travel inspiration. There’s so much to explore and experience in this city. For some ideas for group trips, take a look at the New Orleans bachelorette party guide I wrote for Conde Nast Traveler!
For more New Orleans content and a deeper dive, check out my interviews with local New Orleans experts!
Ifatumininu Bamigbala-Aresa – Artist, Curator and Founder of A Black Creatives Guide
Dr. Nicole Caridad – Foodie, Historian and New Orleans Food Influencer EatenPathNOLA
