Oh NOLA, how we love you so! New Orleans is one of our favorites cities to visit in the US. Great food, good music, friendly people, and only an hour and half flight from Dallas, what’s not to love?! This was our second time in NOLA so we thought it would be appropriate to share some of our favorite places. This is by no means an inclusive list, so please feel free to comment if you have other suggestions! We’ll be back soon, I’m sure, and could use a few more places to check out.
Music Venues:
Snug Harbor – if you are a jazz lover, we highly recommend this place! It’s out on Frenchmen Street, which is fun to explore on its own, even if you can’t make it here. They have live music everything night with shows at 8 and 10. We pre-bought tickets to be in the music room, but if you sit at the bar they have a live video feed from their music room and you don’t have to pay for tickets. However, if you are truly a Jazz fan, you know it is so much more fun watching it live. Highly recommend tickets.
RF’s – This bar is located off of Bourbon Street, and honestly the drinks were nothing fancy, but were really cheap during their happy hour. The reason we stumbled upon this place is because of the awesome band playing that we heard from the street that lured us in! The band was playing salsa, which was unexpected, but so fun. The band was called Yocho, and I highly recommend you check them out if they are playing anywhere in NOLA.
Frenchmen Street – If you aren’t willing to shell out money for a specific jazz show, I highly recommend you just take a stroll down Frenchmen Street after 8 PM and find yourself a cool place, go in and have a drink. There will always be some great live music happening somewhere!
Bars:
Sazerac Bar inside the Roosevelt Hotel – We are big whisky fans and luckily NOLA is home to many amazing whiskey based cocktails. We decided to check out this bar on our way to dinner one night. Warning – the drinks are pricy as this is a hotel bar, but they were pretty outstanding and the hotel is gorgeous. Really fun to walk around and explore a bit.
The French 75 Bar at Arnaud’s – Another classic upscale NOLA bar. We came here for a drink and snacks before dinner. They are famous for their Souffle potatoes and of course their French 75. Neither of us are big on bubbly though, so we both ordered bourbon drinks that were also on point.
The Old Absinthe House – For a more casual bar I would recommend this place off of Bourbon Street. They are well known for the Ramos Gin Fizz and Absinthe Frappe. Prices are cheaper than the other bars. Would recommend this place for late night drinks.
Food:
Restaurant August – Cannot recommend this place enough. We were SO impressed with our meal at this restaurant, so much that I we would rank it among our top meals EVER including Michelin star dinners. The service was on point. Everything we tried was delicious. It was a great way to experience traditional New Orleans flavors in a more upscale setting.
Foie Gras Trio
Amuse Bouche
Willie Mae’s Scotch House – This place was voted best fried chicken in the US by the Food Network, so obviously it was on the list of places to try. It is a little out of the way if you’re staying near the French Quarter, but SO worth the Uber/Lyft ride. We got there around 11 AM and there was no line, but we have heard that if you don’t get there early to expect to wait in line. Got the 3 piece meal with a side of the butter beans, which the waitress recommended, and a piece of corn bread. It was definitely a highlight of all the meals in NOLA. We did not have room for dessert but heard that their bread pudding is pretty delicious too.
Sylvain’s – This small brasserie in the French Quarter gets pretty packed every night, so we highly recommend reservations if you can get them. We tried the pork shoulder (was recommended to us by the bartender) that was served over grits, and it was spectacular. We would have loved to try more, but were so stuffed from all of the snacking we’d done. Eyed a few other dishes that looked great – including their special champagne & fries. A bottle of Delamotte champagne and a giant plate of fries for $50. Because what else do you need in life besides bubbly and french fries?
Turkey & the Wolf – We read about this place earlier this year when it was named Restaurant of the Year by Bon Appetit. On paper, it sounds like a strange choice for best restaurant, but once we tried it, we quickly understood why. Each item on the menu is carefully thought out and executed. The fried bologna sandwich is pretty spectacular as was their take on the Cobb salad. Highly recommend this place!
Nine Roses Cafe – When you need a break from all the fried Cajun goodness, I recommend a quick meal at this Vietnamese place with a location in the French Quarter. Their Vietnamese iced coffee is the perfect afternoon pick me up and their vermicelli bowls were delicious.
French Truck Coffee – This was our coffee shop of choice every morning. The coffee was so good, we ended up buying a bag to take home with us. Their pastries were pretty tasty too, tried both the ham and cheese croissant and almond croissant and loved them.
Cafe Du Monde – Of course we had to include this classic. No trip to NOLA is complete without a beignet and a cafe au lait from Cafe Du Monde. They are open 24 hours and take cash only. Tip – if you go late night, there is hardly anyone in line.
Things to Do:
Wander the French Quarter – The French Quarter is full of colorful beautiful architecture and is so fun just to wander. There are tons of cute antique shops, gift shops, and local clothing shops.
Harrah’s Casino – If you like a little gambling, there are a couple casinos in NOLA. We briefly checked out the Harrah’s Casino and were very impressed. It has a Vegas feel to it, with tons of tables and slots. It’s a great place to beat the heat during the day if you’re there during the summer.
French Quarter Market – Another great place to browse and wander. The market has tons of local artisans selling trinkets and souvenirs plus some food stands selling quintessential NOLA favorites like po boys, pralines, freshly shucked oysters, and NOLA style sno-balls.
Again, this is definitely not an all-inclusive list, so please share your favorite NOLA places with us in the comments. We’d love to check out new places next time we’re there!