Back to New Orleans French Quarter Info Page

Dining

Budget

 • Acme Oyster House 724 Iberville St: No ambiance, but good, cheap oysters and other southern delights.
 • Angeli on Decatur at Governor Nicholls, open all night
 • Cafe EnVie Espresso Bar & Cafe 1241 Decatur. Sandwiches, salads, omelets, quiches. Wireless internet access. 7am - 11pm 232-6530
 • Central Grocery 923 Decatur: Old Italian-American grocery sandwich shop, famous for their enormous muffuletta sandwiches (one is enough to feed two hungry people).
 • Clover Grill 900 Bourbon: Good eggs, burgers, and such 24 hours a day. Heavily (though not exclusively) gay clientele.
 • Coop's Place 1109 Decatur (near Ursulines): You can get good Cajun food at a really good price here.
 • Felix's Oyster House 739 Iberville: the Acme's traditional competition.
 • Jimani 141 Chartres: when you want a great roast beef sandwich at 2 in the morning
 • Mama Rosa's 616 N. Rampart: old style French Quarter Pizza.
 • Mona Lisa's 1212 Royal: Italian and Pizza
 • Port of Call 838 Esplanade: If you crave a bronto burger and a baked potato, dock here. Warning: Bring big appetite!
 • Verti Marte 1201 Royal: Will deliver po-boys and similar cheap but yummy grub to your place in the Quarter. It's also a small neighborhood grocery with wine & beer.

 • Cafe du Monde Serves coffee and beignets, 24 hours a day, across Decatur from Jackson Square. A local landmark since the 19th century.
 • CC's Royal at St. Philip. The French Quarter branch of a small local chain. Great iced coffee drinks for hot days.
 • Croissant d'Or Ursuline Street French pastries and light breakfasts & lunch.
 • La Marquise 625 Chartres (right up from Jackson Square). More French pastries.

Mid-range

 • Bacco 310 Charters, Tuscan,
 • Bayona: Inventive Mediterranean-ish food in pretty setting at 430 Dauphine.
 • Gumbo Shop 630 St. Peter: an institution for gumbos and similar traditional Louisiana dishes.
 • Louisiana Pizza Kitchen - upscale custom pizza, by the French Market
 • Margaritaville Cafe: Don't waste away, Jimmy Buffett fans! On Decatur St. near the French Market; OK this place isn't so great, but it had to be mentioned. The great ironies of Margaritaville are this: 1) It is downriver on Decatur where, thankfully, fewer tourists venture even though the place is mostly designed for the tourist trade and 2) Some of the finest musicians in New Orleans that don't play stereotypical New Orleans music (Dixieland jazz or R&B covers) play there and they DON'T play Jimmy Buffett covers.
 • Mr. B's Bistro 201 Royal
 • Petunia's 817 St. Louis: French crepes, breakfast, lunch or dinner.
 • Tujague's 823 Decatur (just down from Jackson Square): Pronounced "Two Jacks" Despite the weird spelling, it's been here since 1856 so they must be doing something right. The locals swear by it.

Splurge

 • Antoine's 713 St. Louis: French Creole restaurant that's the oldest in the U.S., under continuous family ownership.
 • Arnaud's 813 Bienville: Another of the great old French Quarter classics.
 • Bella Luna 914 N. Peters: Grand view of the mighty Mississippi on Decatur St. Southwest/Italian-ese.
 • Brennan's 417 Royal: one of the famous local traditions; fine Creole cuisine, known for their gourmet breakfasts. Ask to sit in the courtyard.
 • Court of Two Sisters 613 Royal: A place for daily brunch (with a live jazz combo) and post-night out hangover cures; beautiful courtyard.
 • Galatoire's 209 Bourbon: Classic Creole on Bourbon Street. Despite being in the tourist strip of Bourbon Street, locals do eat here. For the true experience, wait in line for the downstairs dining room (reservations can be made for the upstairs room, but locals don't eat there), and refuse the menu when you're seated. Let your waiter know your tastes and let him feed you.
 • K-Paul's 416 Chartres Street: Chef Paul Prudhomme's place; this is the restaurant that taught New Orleans and the world not to sneer at the Cajun food of rural Southwest Louisiana. Does not take reservations. Not a major dress code kind of place.
 • Louis XVI 730 Bienville, in the St. Louis Hotel: Elegant French & Creole.
 • NOLA 534 St. Louis: Stands for New Orleans, LA; Very good, run by chef Emeril Lagasse, not quite as pricey as his namesake restaurant in the Central Business District, and not as severe a dress code.
 • Peristyle 1041 Dumaine: Perfect for Friday lunches - very southern and sophisticated!

Drink

 • The Bombay Club Restaurant and Martini Bistro 830 Conti Street: High end cocktails with a dress code.
 • Cafe Lafitte in Exile 901 Bourbon. Claims to be the USA's oldest gay bar; "in exile" since the original Lafitte's (see above) went straight some 50 + years ago. Everyone welcome.
 • Crescent City Brewhouse 527 Decatur. Microbrewery, also serves food.
 • The Dungeon 734 Toulouse: Dark gothic bar opens at midnight.
 • Johnny White's: Down home bar. There are two, one on Bourbon Street and the other on St. Peter near Bourbon. The first has a restaurant, the second just booze. Open 24/7.
 • Kerry Irish Pub 331 Decatur
 • Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop Bourbon & St. Philip: Piano bar towards the end of the touristy part of Bourbon Street. Supposedly once the in-town headquarters of pirate & smuggler Jean Laffitte, many colorful stories are told about this location. They pour great Hurricanes.
 • Le Roundup St. Louis between Bourbon and Dauphine. The ultimate dive bar, home to transsexuals, hookers, transsexual hookers, cowboys, and Quarter eccentrics.
 • Molly's at the Market a great Irish/Quarterpunk bar on lower Decatur Street, long a favorite of bohemian locals
 • Napoleon House Chartres & St. Louis: The place to go if you like the thought of good drinks in a 200+ year old building whose owners are proud that the interior hasn't been repainted since World War I, with classical music playing over the sound system. Napoleon never made it here, as he died before the local plan to rescue him from exile and start his empire afresh in Louisiana could be carried out. Napoleon House also serves good sandwiches and a limited food menu, with service at a speed somewhere between leisurely and glacial-- don't stop here if you're in a hurry to be somewhere else.
 • O'Flaherty's Toulouse Street back from Decatur: Irish pub that often has live Irish music. Serves cider plus good Euro/English/Irish beers & pub grub. Some say the place is haunted, but you never know.
 • Oz 800 Bourbon. Loud hip gay disco.
 • Pat O'Brien's 718 St. Peter (between Bourbon and Royal): Famous for strong Hurricanes, Mint Juleps, TNTs, Purple People Eaters; Popular tourist hangout for a reason; been trendy for generations, has impressive fire/water fountain and patio.