The 13-block strip of Bourbon Street is not all neon hustle and gigantic drinks in souvenir cups. It’s actually home to some of the most vibrant restaurants in the city — high and low, round-the-clock, world-famous — and just interesting. Here’s a quick rundown of the best food you could find on this most-visited street in the French Quarter, starting with Upper Bourbon on Canal Street and walking towards Esplanade Avenue.

Red Fish Grill

115 Bourbon St.

Ralph Brennan’s Red Fish Grill has been around for more than 20 years, offering a child-friendly respite in the middle of the Bourbon Street chaos. It’s known for its seafood-heavy menu and good happy hour deals on the drinks and the oysters. Signature dishes include BBQ oysters and double chocolate bread pudding.

Krystal

116 Bourbon St.

This longtime fast-food chain is a popular late-night stop. You should find it easily for its hulking retro facade and bright sign. Krystal serves kids’ meals, breakfast, and those popular square burgers on steamed buns 24/7.

Bourbon House

144 Bourbon St.

An old-school seafood restaurant run by the Brennan family with a raw oyster bar and Creole fare like New Orleans-style BBQ shrimp and pasta with pork belly and crawfish tails. “If it’s not in season, you won’t find it on the menu” is a promise delivered. The Fruits de Mer from the oyster bar is quite something — with oysters, shrimp, seafood salads, and marinated crab fingers. Bourbon House also lives up to its name with a selection of small-batch and single-barrel bourbons.

Galatoire’s

209 Bourbon St.

Galatoire’s should be on everyone’s New Orleans bucket list, and it’s likely to deliver an hours-long eating and drinking extravaganza you won’t forget. Founded in 1905, the restaurant has become a fine-dining institution beloved by generations of New Orleanians as much for its old-world upscale Creole fare as for the joie de vivre scene. The decadent classics like crabmeat maison, duck crepes, foie gras, and turtle soup has been served there for over a century, and the diners from all strata of society had been lining up to get in for all the good reasons. Jackets required.

Galatoire’s 33 Bar & Steak

215 Bourbon St.

Galatoire’s added a steakhouse to its family of restaurants in 2013, right next door to the original. Galatoire’s 33 is named after a post marker found inside the historic building during the renovation. It serves traditional steakhouse fare.

Desire Oyster Bar

300 Bourbon St. (inside Royal Sonesta)

Redesigned in 2015, the elegant hotel restaurant has a Broadway-style marquis sign, huge windows, a tin ceiling, and black-and-white checkered floors. Besides oysters, the menu emphasizes the Gulf seafood and features New Orleans favorites like shrimp and grits, gumbo, po-boys, and fried green tomatoes.

Crescent Pizza Works

407 Bourbon St.

A late-night pizzeria at Conti St., with pies that have telling names like the Big Cheesy and Chicken Bacon Krunch. The BBQ pork pizza will chase your hangover away with pulled pork, two types of cheese, and a generous serving of Sweet Baby Ray’s BBQ sauce. The ever-popular Chizzaburger combines Angus beef, onions, mozzarella, pickles, ketchup, and mustard.

Pier 424 Seafood Market Restaurant

424 Bourbon St.

A seafood-focused casual eatery with balcony dining and a large oyster bar. Try the sauteed crab claws or bayou frog legs (battered, with buffalo sauce), or corn and crab bisque. The Taste of New Orleans sampler is crawfish etouffee, red beans and rice, gumbo, and jambalaya.

Cornet

700 Bourbon St.

Cornet, on the corner of St. Peter and Bourbon, serves traditional Cajun and Creole dishes like crab cakes, grilled gator sausage, po-boys, seafood platters, pasta, and staples like crawfish etouffee. Try the smothered shrimp and okra, or the Satchmo Sampler of jambalaya, gumbo, and red beans. Balcony seating is available.

Clover Grill

900 Bourbon St.

A retro-classic, 24-hour diner in a city that sorely lacks them, Clover Grill “loves to fry and it shows” (as the menu states). The food is a reliable greasy-spoon fare, but you’ll be coming in at 4 a.m. as much for the scrambled eggs as the vibrant mix of its French Quarter crowd. The restaurant’s interesting existence is reflected in its no-nonsense menu, which is peppered with requests like: “We don’t eat in your bed, so please don’t sleep at our table” and “Dancing in the aisles only, please keep off the tables.”

All of these restaurants are located in the heart of the New Orleans French Quarter, short blocks from French Market Inn. Book a stay at our historic French Quarter boutique hotel, right in the epicenter of all of the action!

You can easily find delicious renditions of the New Orleans and southern staples that make the food-bucket lists for very good reasons in many restaurants in the French Quarter, from the ambitious newcomers to the old-world landmarks. Here are our five top picks of the dinner dishes that define New Orleans and where to try them in the French Quarter.

1. Crawfish Étouffée

This spicy seafood stew, made with shrimp or crawfish, is a traditional Creole/Cajun favorite (the French word étouffée, pronounced “eh-too-fey,” means “smothered”). The iconic Galatoire’s (209 Bourbon St.) serves a classic shrimp étouffée over rice as an entree and, like many other restaurants, also offers it as an add-on topping over fish. For a more casual dining option, head to Deanie’s Seafood (841 Bienville St.).

2. Gumbo

One of Louisiana’s most famous dishes, excellent gumbo is easy to find anywhere in New Orleans, it just depends on whether you like your gumbo with darker or lighter roux, and with meat or seafood (or both).

Appropriately, the French Quarter restaurant that includes the dish in its name is a great place to try several of its varieties. Gumbo Shop (630 St. Peter St.) serves seafood and okra gumbo that is thick with shrimp and crabmeat, a smoky chicken and andouille sausage gumbo, and even gumbo z’herbes, a rarely-seen vegetarian gumbo made with greens.

Gumbo Ya-Ya, a house specialty at Mr. B’s Bistro (201 Royal St), is a Cajun country-style gumbo made with a dark roux, lots of Creole spices, chicken, and Andouille sausage.

3. Jambalaya

This flavorful one-pot, rice-based dish is right up there with gumbo when it comes to well-deserved international fame. This staple traditionally incorporates stock, meat, seafood, long-grain rice, and vegetables (like the “holy trinity” also used in gumbo — bell pepper, onion and celery). The main distinction is that the Creole version has tomatoes and the Cajun recipe does not.

You can find one of the best versions of jambalaya at the casual Coop’s Place (1109 Decatur St.). Coop’s rabbit and sausage jambalaya can be upgraded to “supreme” by adding shrimp and tasso, a spicy Cajun ham smoked on premises.

If you just want a taste, the spicy jambalaya at Napoleon House (500 Chartres St.) comes with chicken and sausage and could be ordered as an appetizer or as a side. And the New Orleans Creole Cookery (508 Toulouse St.) has a vegetarian version, not something many restaurants offer.

4. Po-Boys

A po-boy is a sandwich (just please don’t call it that) that comes in as many versions as there are ingredients to stuff inside a loaf of French bread. Some of the classics are fried seafood, like oysters or shrimp, but the ingredients vary all the way up to French fries. Ask for your po-boy “dressed,” so it will come with lettuce, tomato, pickles, and mayonnaise.

Johnny’s Po-Boys (511 St. Louis St.) has been dishing them out since 1950, and Killer Poboys (219 Dauphine St.) plays around with the non-traditional ingredients.

5. Red Beans and Rice

In the past, Monday was traditionally laundry day in New Orleans, and also the day for having red beans and rice. Our laundry schedules aren’t that rigid anymore, but you can still find a delicious plate of beans and rice around town, usually accompanied by a hunk of smoked sausage.

While many restaurants still feature it as a Monday special, you can still find beans and rice on many menus on any day of the week. A particularly delicious version is served daily at Original Pierre Maspero’s (440 Chartres St.), located in a historic 1788 building: slow-cooked red beans served with white rice and topped with Andouille and alligator sausage. (You can also get it as part of the sampler.)

All of these restaurants are in the heart of the New Orleans French Quarter, short blocks from French Market Inn. Book a stay at our historic French Quarter boutique hotel, right in the epicenter of all of the action!

One of New Orleans’ most celebrated creations is a tall, bready Sicilian-Cajun invention that reflects the city’s diverse cultural and culinary heritage. The muffuletta goes back to the 19th century, when the French Quarter was sometimes referred to as “Little Palermo,” and its Sicilian working-class population consisted of laborers, dockworkers, fishermen, and farmers. A few of the immigrants opened grocery stores and bakeries and catered to the Sicilians who lived and worked in the Quarter and parts of Treme.

What’s in a muffuletta?

“Muffuletta” (pronounced “muffuLOTta” and sometimes also spelled as “muffaletta”) comes from the bread known in Sicily under that name. Traditionally, the sandwich is made with the sesame-crusted wheel of bread, Italian salami and ham, cheese (usually provolone and Swiss), and olive salad. Known as giardiniera, the olive salad consists of finely chopped green and black olives, celery, cauliflower, carrots, sweet peppers, pepperoncini, onions, capers, vinegar, and garlic. Spices and herbs are also added (parsley, oregano, etc.).

Where does the muffuletta come from?

The invention of this oversized sandwich is credited to Salvatore Lupo, the proprietor of Central Grocery on Decatur Street in the French Quarter. The “Home of the Original Muffuletta” opened in 1906 and has been selling the sandwich for over a century. Legend has it that the Italian farmers and laborers would buy what became the ingredients for the muffuletta for lunch from Lupo’s store (and other vendors in the French Quarter), and eat them separately. Lupo decided to assemble them into a sandwich, tweaked a few components — and muffuletta was born.

The variations outside tradition

Like with most signature New Orleans creations, opinions run strong when it comes to any deviation from the tradition. Some maintain that muffuletta is a cold-cut sandwich, period. Others had been serving it warm straight out of the oven, like the James Beard Award-winning chef Donald Link, owner of Cochon Butcher. Yet others offer it hot AND cold (Verti Marte). And Creole House Restaurant & Oyster Bar on Canal Street serves its fine muffuletta pressed to melt the cheese.

Liuzza’s Restaurant & Bar in Mid-City also popularized the “Frenchuletta,” a muffuletta version served on French bread. PIZZA domenica, the Uptown spin-off of Domenica’s downtown location, has muffuletta pizza with provolone, cured meats, pickled vegetables, olives, and garlic aioli.

There are seafood versions, like the one sold at Parran’s Po-Boys & Restaurant, which has locations in Metairie and Kenner. Parran’s “Original Seafood Muffuletta” comes with fried oysters, shrimp and catfish, and is dressed with housemade Cajun mayo.

Who makes the best muffuletta?

Central Grocery

The original cold-cut version.

Central Grocery’s made-to-order muffulettas have the visitors and the locals lining up ever since Salvatore Lupo stuffed his first sandwich. Today’s muffuletta at Central Grocery keeps it traditional: Genoa salami, Holland ham, mortadella (bologna), the secret-recipe olive salad, and Swiss and provolone cheese — served on an 8-inch round bread.

The sprawling, old-fashioned grocery store is still run by the same Lupo family, selling imported Italian delicacies and the housemade olive salad by the jar. You can eat in at the counter, or take your muffuletta to go (Woldenberg Park by the river is a great spot for a picnic). The visitors of the city have been known to pack their muffulettas for a flight or a drive home, but you don’t have to — Central Grocery now ships nationwide.

Cochon Butcher

Melted cheese, the meats are cured in-house

Another New Orleans joint that serves its muffulettas hot (unless you request yours cold) is Cochon Butcher in the Warehouse District, chef Donald Link’s companion to Cochon. The much-praised Cochon muffuletta comes on a Sicilian roll, with housemade giardiniera. All the meats are cured in-house.

Frank’s Restaurant

Baked, with melted cheese and toasted bread

“The home of the other muffuletta,” Frank’s has been around for over 50 years, serving a different kind of muffuletta to scores of its loyal fans just down the block from Central Grocery. The crucial difference is that Frank’s “World Famous Original Muffuletta” is baked and served with toasted bread and melted cheese. Frank’s is also known for its po-boys and classic Italian fare. The downstairs looks like a deli with a to-go counter, but the second-floor dining room is spacious and has balcony seating if you want to dine in with a view of the French Quarter.

Napoleon House

Big enough to share, house specialty

Muffuletta is one of the specialties at Napoleon House, which is housed in a historic landmark on Chartres Street that dates back to the 1700s and has the unique ambiance of old-world New Orleans. The traditional muffuletta is served warm and is big enough for two people (you can also get it in half and quarter sizes). Wash it down with the restaurant’s signature drink, the Pimm’s Cup.

Verti Marte

Overstuffed, generous on meat, served cold or hot

The tiny, beloved Verti Marte on Royal Street is open 24/7 for takeout or delivery (cash only). Verti Marte gets a lot of love for its long breakfast menu and epic po-boys, but don’t discount the “Mighty Muffuletta.” It’s overstuffed with ham, salami and cheese, but — here’s the catch — it could be served hot or cold. So if you’re not from the cold-cut purist camp and won’t mind your cheese melty and your meat warm, this is one of the best places to try the hot version.

All of these muffuletta destinations are located either in the heart of the New Orleans French Quarter or nearby, blocks from French Market Inn. Book a stay at our historic French Quarter boutique hotel, right in the epicenter of all of the action!

Is there a better place to indulge your sweet tooth than New Orleans? We think not. With its French (and Spanish) roots and its rich Creole and Cajun cuisines the Crescent City is not the place to count calories. From pralines to Doberge cake to beignets to Bananas Foster there is an abundance of confections that will satisfy even the most discerning dessert lover. Here are our five picks for the best dessert and where to get it in the French Quarter.

1. Bananas Foster

Bananas Foster was made famous by way of New Orleans. Today, this decadent dessert remains a staple, impressively served flambéed tableside as it was intended, or in many delicious variations (as a pie, ice cream, or French toast) in some of the best restaurants in the city.

Its creation in 1951 is credited to Paul Blangé, a Brennan’s Restaurant chef. Chef Blangé came up with sautéing the bananas in butter, sugar and cinnamon, and then adding rum and igniting the concoction. The dessert was named after Richard Foster, a friend of Owen Brennan and the chairman of the New Orleans Crime Commission.

To this day, the original-recipe Bananas Foster at Brennan’s Restaurant (417 Royal St.) is its most-ordered item. The restaurant reportedly flames 35,000 pounds of bananas for the famous dessert.

2. Beignets

Those little deep-fried pockets of doughy goodness dusted with powdered sugar are one of the city’s most iconic culinary treats. The beignet is honored with its own festival and is beloved unconditionally. Getting an order of beignets with a cup of café au lait at the 24/7 Café du Monde (800 Decatur St.) is one of the most classic New Orleans experiences you can have, as is getting that pesky powdered sugar all over yourself.

3. Bread Pudding

A mainstay finale at many a storied Creole restaurant in the city, the bread pudding rules here. Its roots go back centuries and way beyond stale bread. The Southern-style bread pudding is typically made with French bread and served warm, usually covered in rich, boozy sauce and topped with pecans, walnuts or raisins.

You can get variations of the dessert ranging from traditional to new interpretations all over the French Quarter, but we especially recommend Antoine’s pecan bread pudding (713 St. Louis St.). The oldest continuing operating family-owned restaurant in New Orleans, Antoine’s Restaurant has been setting standards for elevated Creole cuisine. Antoine’s bread pudding is a delicious concoction of Leidenheimer French bread laced with cinnamon, golden raisins, and slathered with a hot buttered rum sauce.

4. Grasshopper

This sweet liquid offering celebrated 100 years back in 2018. The one-time owner of the Tujague’s (823 Decatur St.) restaurant, Philibert Guichet, invented the drink for a 1918 cocktail competition in New York City. The combination of equal parts crème de menthe, crème de cacao, and cream known as the Grasshopper sports an unmistakable green color and packs a sugary punch. It became so popular it now holds a permanent spot on the restaurant’s cocktail menu. The Bombay Club (830 Conti St.) also makes a solid version, and you can sip to live jazz.

5. Pralines

This classic southern confection makes for a great edible souvenir to take home and is pretty easy to find in the French Quarter. Southern Candymakers (334 Decatur St.) makes small batches daily. You can also find fresh and delicious pralines at Loretta’s location at the French Market.

All of these restaurants are in the heart of the New Orleans French Quarter, short blocks from French Market Inn. Book a stay at our historic French Quarter boutique hotel, right in the epicenter of all of the action!

The French Quarter knows no meaning of last call, being open for business 24/7, and that means that a few restaurants are also open late. Here are a few of our favorite spots where you can eat after 9 p.m. in the French Quarter.

Buffa’s

1001 Esplanade Ave.

Around since 1939, the iconic Buffa’s is perched just outside of the French Quarter on Esplanade Avenue. It’s beloved by locals, has live music in the back room seven days a week, and excellent burgers. You can also get your New Orleans staples on like red beans and rice and blackened Gulf fish. One of Buffa’s signature dishes is bratwurst jambalaya — beer-soaked bratwurst added to a “super secret award-winning jambalaya recipe.”

Open 11-4 a.m. Friday and Saturday; 11-2 a.m. Monday through Thursday.

Café du Monde

800 Decatur St. (French Market)

This mainstay needs no introduction and will eagerly satisfy your cravings with delicious beignets and a cup of cafe au lait, around the clock.

Open 24 hours.

Cane & Table

1113 Decatur St.

Cane & Table made a name for itself with its potent rum-based cocktails and eclectic, Caribbean-influenced small and large plates in the elegant space that evokes Old Havana. Park yourself in the gorgeous courtyard while you try some small plates or braised ribs. (The menu changes depending on the season.)

Last seating at 10 p.m. Wednesday – Sunday (closed on Monday and Tuesday).

Clover Grill

900 Bourbon St.

The tile-and-chrome diner has been representing what’s weird and wonderful about the Quarter since 1939. The no-frills food comes under the motto, “We love to fry, and it shows,” but it’s the scene you might want to come for, both inside and outside the diner.

Open 24 hours.

Coop’s Place

1109 Decatur St.

If you want a quick, inexpensive meal, with some local color thrown in, Coop’s Place is unbeatable. Located on the always-busy stretch of Decatur Street, Coop’s is both a divey bar and restaurant with a surprisingly extensive menu. One of the standouts is the seafood gumbo. It comes with Coop’s own dark roux, okra, filé powder, shrimp, oysters, and crab claws. (You can ask for extra seafood.) Follow the gumbo with Coop’s excellent rabbit and sausage jambalaya. Note: No one under 21 is allowed.

Open on Monday and Thursday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Friday – Sunday 11 a.m.-11 p.m.; closed on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Cosimo’s

1201 Burgundy St.

This cozy, dog-friendly neighborhood bar mixes up a huge mahogany bar, colorful locals, a pool table in the back room, darts, and seriously good bar food like boudin balls and pizza. There are also taco Tuesdays and crawfish when in season. Trust us, this one is a gem.

Open 4 p.m. – Monday through Thursday; 2 p.m. – 1 a.m. on Friday; 2 p.m. – 5 a.m. on Saturday, and 2 p.m. to midnight on Sunday.

Cuñada

833 Conti St.

Cuñada (“sister-in-law” in Spanish) is a tiny family-owned Mexican spot with tacos, carnitas, and other specialties plus agave-based margaritas, and a wide variety of Mexican beer.

Open till midnight seven days a week.

Déjà Vu Restaurant and Bar

400 Dauphine St.

Déjà Vu serves up New Orleans staples like biscuits and gravy, po-boys, burgers, and seafood plates. Breakfast is served all day, too, plus there are poker machines, a jukebox, big-screen TVs, and plenty of people-watching.

Open 9 a.m. till 11:30 p.m. daily.

Effervescence

1036 N. Rampart St.

Effervescence opened its tall doors on N. Rampart St. in March of 2017 and has become the destination for high-to-low sparkling wines from all over the world, champagnes, small plates, and live music. The setting is modern and polished, and there’s ample outdoor seating. There’s also a full bar, and dozens of still wines by the glass and bottle. The small plates are meant to be shared — like the Gulf seafood plate or crispy Brussels sprouts (the menu changes, this is just an example). Effervescence is also a good spot to try caviar, from the prized osetra to the local (and more affordable) bowfin.

Open 4-10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday; 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. on Sunday.

Erin Rose 

811 Conti St.

Erin Rose is a low-key watering hole favored by the locals, located just a few doors away from Bourbon Street. Check the memorabilia galore and try the bar’s excellent frozen Irish coffee or a Bloody Mary (made with the house secret recipe). Of course, there’s Guinness on tap plus a selection of local brews. The bar is home to the popular Killer Poboys (look for the takeout window in the back). Everything on the small but mighty menu is delicious.

Open till 7 a.m. seven days a week.

Justine

225 Chartres St.

This stylish and popular brasserie is one of the latest additions to the French Quarter dining scene, opened by husband-and-wife team Justin and Mia Devillier. The high-end late-night menu changes, but typically includes French-centric delights like escargots and mussels, plus premium steak and pan-roasted fish.

Open 5-10:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday; till 9:30 p.m. Sunday through Thursday.

Quarter Master Deli

1100 Bourbon St.

This takeout/delivery 24-hour institution is also known as the Nellie Deli. Quartermaster’s menu is full of burgers, overstuffed po-boys, house-made salads, and other New Orleans-style Southern fare like BBQ chicken and ribs. There are also hearty breakfast and late-night menus.

Open 24 hours.

Palm & Pine

308 N. Rampart St.

The late-night menu offers delicious cocktails like smoky paloma and caipirinha; the food menu offers elevated versions of things like burgers and chicken sandwiches.

Late-night menu is served on Friday and Saturday from 11 p.m. to 1 a.m.

The Bombay Club

830 Conti St.

Located in the elegant Prince Conti Hotel, the Bombay Club offers some of the most refined food you’ll find in the French Quarter after 9 p.m., served among polished wood and high-end cocktails. Small bites include such classics as meat pies and gumbo plus European nods like ploughman’s board. The sheer number of martinis on the menu alone will blow you away, and there’s live music too.

Bar is open till midnight Wednesday through Sunday.

Verti Marte

1201 Royal St.

If it’s late at night and you “need” a po-boy, head on down to this tiny 24-hour takeout-only deli on Royal St. with a loyal following. There’s plenty to love on the menu of this bastion of calories, but you can’t go wrong with the epic specialty sandwiches like the vegetarian Green Giant and the mountainous All That Jazz — with grilled ham, turkey and shrimp, plus two kinds of cheese, grilled veggies, and the special “wow” sauce on grilled French bread. Free delivery to the French Quarter, the Marigny, and the CBD; cash only.

Open 24 hours.

Book a stay at our historic French Quarter boutique hotel, right in the epicenter of all of the action!