For gelato and Italian cookies - a New Orleans dessert institution
Take a walk around the quarter, stop and find a book
Delicious pastries and coffee to start your day
In case you need a smoothie, avocado toast and oat milk latte
Excellent lunch spot. Hummus!
For a whiskey soda and a bite at whatever food pop-up happens to be popping up out front
In case you need something to wear to the wedding last minute, something vintage, something designer perhaps or something with a feather or sequin
In case you want to pick up a bottle of wine, or want to sit and sip a bottle of wine in a low key environment
In case you need a bagel sandwich and a perfect latte
For the red gravy
For a classic New Orleans brunch. Have a 10 cent martini, why don't you.
Go and get yourself a shrimp poboy.
Take a ride on a swan boat, enjoy a walk around the sculpture garden or check out some art in NOMA.
Enjoy a beignet and cafe au lait set away from the madness of the French Quarter
For the love of oysters
The perfect little French Quarter spot for a daiquiri and cuban sandwich
If you need a vegetarian/vegan bite in a low key atmosphere
Part jam shop, part wine bar, Bar Pomona is a pocket of pure cozy joy along St. Claude Avenue. For dinners, find sharable platters of cheese, meat, conservas, and more, alongside an impressive list of natural wines, thoughtful cocktails, and an offering of N/A beverages. On weekends, they offer brunch with donuts, breakfast sandwiches and more, or swing by for lasagna nights on Mondays. Everything pairs especially well with owner Sara Levasseur's signature jams and perfectly salted focaccia to scoop everything up with.
The restaurant (Eater NOLA’s Best New Restaurant award-winner) has become a Bywater favorite that demands repeat visits to sample such Oaxacan-influenced dishes as salsa verde crab claws and octopus with escabeche sun chokes, and bask in the upbeat atmosphere where South American music bumps and the staff is always eager to make suggestions or explain ingredients. Don’t miss the main-event mariscos, both hot and cold.
Tân Định is not New Orleans’s only great Vietnamese restaurant located in a strip mall, but it is perhaps the one most universally loved by East Bank and West Bank residents. Everything here is revitalizing, but try the like the goat curry and lemongrass chicken wings. An institution. Also a great excuse to go for a drive and see a different part of town.
The Mississippi River levee is the backdrop for an outdoor sculpture garden at the Crevasse 22 River House. A river buoy has been turned into a colorful metal sculpture. It’s a statement of the connection this region has to the mighty river. Visitors can walk through a ground-level maze of gravel that reminds me of the sediment flow that spreads across the river delta. Nearby, small half-domes of glass cover the ground and offer a glimpse of tiny micro-environments inside. “All kinds of things happen,” River House Director Jeanne Nathan explains. You never know what will grow inside, Nathan says, “little ant colonies, little special flowers that kind of like being in that little terrarium kind of setting.” It's a beautiful drive out there, by the way. Check their website to ensure they're open before going.
The buzz generated by Mason Hereford’s inventive twists on childhood favorites at Turkey and the Wolf has yet to wear off, and for good reason. The sandwiches and specials that won so much acclaim upon the restaurant’s Lower Garden District debut continue to surprise, satisfy, and delight. While it was the bologna sandwich that first caught on nationwide, the collard green melt and smoked ham sandwiches are just as notable. Don’t miss the frozen margarita.
Serigne Mbaye’s dazzling Senegalese pop-up tasting menu dinners became a permanent fixture at an intimate cottage in Uptown New Orleans in late 2022; a year and a half later, it won the 2024 James Beard Award for Best New Restaurant. Mbaye’s upscale riffs on traditional West African and Senegalese dishes blend West African and Louisiana ingredients in a welcoming communal setting. Stunning dishes at Dakar NOLA might include soupa konja, a sort of Senegalese gumbo; fonio salad with West African millet, finger limes, and satsuma (or other seasonal produce); and a Gulf shrimp dish made with tamarind and parsley oil, which loosely recalls a less-saucy New Orleans-style barbecue shrimp. The level of hospitality is transcending.
t’s impossible to say which shop has the best po’ boys, but this Uptown contender is always in the running. Domilise’s doesn’t look like much from the outside, a nondescript corner shop identified only with a hand-printed sign for decades. Inside, longtime employees sling giant versions of the iconic sandwiches to locals, politicians, visiting celebrities, and anyone with good taste. The po’ boys might be considered pricey (a large shrimp goes for about $16), but they’re generous and worth every penny, especially the melt in your mouth roast beef and crispy fried shrimp. Always say yes to the sandwich fully dressed, topped with shredded lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, and mayonnaise. Lee's personal favorite poboy in the city.
A great option for brunch or dinner with excellent cocktails. Brunch entrees might include avocado toast with a jammy egg and salsa macha, biscuits and gravy, and a fiery fried chicken sandwich. Grab a seat at the romantic bar or sit out back in the equally charming courtyard.
See the brick with Lee's Grandpa's name on it, among other things
a great place to wander into
this is our friends' spot - buy a vintage jacket or Low Timers branded tee or whatever
a casual beer, yes
what's more fun and delicious than chance in hell snoballs - not much
we know you're not tired of croissants yet
lee used to live across the street at the free people of color museum's guest house and would wander here for a coffee on the outdoor patio, so you should try it to, and go to the free people of color museum.
Le Musée de f.p.c., a historic house museum, is one of the country’s few attractions dedicated exclusively to preserving the material culture of and telling the story of free people of color. Free people of color, often abbreviated f.p.c., is the term used to refer to Blacks who were born free or manumitted prior to the Civil War. Also referred to as gens de couleur libres, their presence in New Orleans is recorded as early as 1722. Although there were enclaves of free people of color who numbered well over a quarter million residing throughout the United States during the antebellum period, New Orleans and south Louisiana were home to one of the oldest and largest populations of such. On the eve of the Civil War, in New Orleans alone, resided 18,000 individuals who owned and paid taxes on $15 million of property.
romance and boozy cocktails
The perfect venue for a classic New Orleans cocktail. Have a sazerac!
If you're into Tiki, this is your heaven.
One of the best dive bars in the world.
Get the perfect linen set or handmade bag.
Buy a bottle, sit outside, listen to some music, have a bite. Very Bywater.
The food is always impeccable - try the squid ink pasta.
Graham and Lee love these burgers. Perfect smash burger experience.
Classic Magazine Street fine dining experience
very fun and delicious brunch experience - great for groups
for you natural wine heads
pure New Orleans vibes
cornmeal muffins, pain au chocolate, seasonal Danishes, cardamom buns, gateau Breton, focaccia sandwiches, yum
fried green tomatoes and smoked redfish dip, you say?
brunch time