Bucket List: What to Eat in New Orleans
Are you wondering what to eat in New Orleans? Are you on the hunt for dishes invented in New Orleans? Read on for our detailed bucket list of the best traditional food in New Orleans.
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Order “The Trinity” from Elysian Seafood to sample several New Orleans classics in one sitting.
If you look up the dictionary definition of happiness, I'm pretty sure there's a picture of some freshly fried beignets lightly dusted with powdered sugar.
And while people literally will line up for multiple city blocks to get their hands on some world-famous beignets (you know the place), there are endless unforgettable, mouth-watering eats in New Orleans.
So, what should you eat in New Orleans? Basically, everything. There is just so much incredible regional fare in this special place. New Orleans' unique history and melding of cultures over the centuries make the Cresent City a hub of flavorful, culturally rich, and historically interesting dishes and cocktails.
Whenever my husband and I travel, we like to deep dive on the food and beverages in the area - thus how we ended up eating literally nothing but tacos in La Jolla - and this is our constantly evolving bucket list for what to eat in New Orleans! Below you'll find some of the old-school classics and modern takes on traditional cuisine from all over NOLA, along with a brief history of why each item made the list.
Bon Appetit!
Be sure to eat some alligator during your trip to New Orleans. Pictured: the Rougarou ‘Dog from Dat Dog on Frenchmen Street
What to Eat in New Orleans: Savory
Gumbo
The official state cuisine of Louisiana, gumbo was first notably served in 1803 at a gubernatorial reception in New Orleans. The origins of gumbo stretch back further than that, however, and it gets its name from the West African word for okra. Today, gumbo is a delectable mix of stock, a roux or thickener such as filé powder or okra, meat and or seafood, celery, bell peppers, and onions. There are endless tasty variations on gumbo, but tomatoes are a hotly contested (and often protested) ingredient in a truly traditional gumbo.
Famed St. Charles Avenue eatery Herbsaint does a scrumptious gumbo, and per our server’s recommendation, I also ordered the cornmeal fried oysters to dunk in the gumbo. It was truly a beautiful thing!
Jambalaya
Jambalaya has a mysterious origin story. Did it result from Spanish settlers’ attempts at making paella with tomatoes instead of hard-to-obtain saffron? Is it an adaptation of a classic one-pot West African rice dish, jollof? Either way, jambalaya is rumored to have been born in the French Quarter (but at least definitively in Louisiana).
There are endless variations of this tasty mix of meat, vegetables, and rice, and I highly recommend trying both Creole jambalaya and Cajun jambalaya. Creole jambalaya is the red kind, and it usually contains chicken or sausage with vegetables (yes to tomatoes), seafood, and rice. Cajun jambalaya (that yummy brown kind) starts with browning meat in a cast-iron pot, adding onions, celery, pepper, stock, and then rice.
On our last trip to New Orleans, I discovered Basin Seafood & Spirits’ Jumbalaya Fumada, and y’all: run, don’t walk. My husband and I all but licked the plate, and I’ve been dreaming of that jambalaya ever since!
Make your way to the Garden District and order Crusted Crab & Eggs Sardou at Red Dog Diner.
Eggs Sardou
Antoine’s restaurant is a New Orleans institution for oh-so-many reasons, but one of the most delicious is eggs Sardou, which was invented there in 1892 in honor of visiting French playwright Victorien Sardou.
This decadent and savory breakfast concoction has several more creative iterations these days, but the original recipe calls for perfectly poached eggs piled on a bed of creamed spinach and artichoke hearts, topped with hollandaise sauce and served on a very warm plate. Eggs Sardou graces brunch menus across New Orleans, including at beloved brunch heavyweights like Antoine’s, Brennan’s, and Commander’s Palace.
I checked this delectable dish off my New Orleans bucket list at the Garden District’s Red Dog Diner. Their Crusted Crab & Eggs Sardou features lump crab meat and a puff pastry, and it’s absolutely addictive, especially with a few dashes of Crystal hot sauce on top!
Alligator
Naturalist William Bartram discovered the alligator in the St. John’s River in Eastern Florida and regaled the public with horrifying accounts of its savagery in 1791, but John Audubon’s milder account of the animal based on his experiences in Louisiana was published in 1826. While humankind has been plating up alligator and crocodile meat across the world in places such as China, Australia, Thailand, the Philippines, and South Africa, we know the large reptile was gracing dinner tables in New Orleans as far back as the 1800s.
Today, alligator meat remains a common ingredient in Louisiana fare. Try it fried, grilled, sautéed, in gumbo, or as a sausage.
Where’d I get mine? Dat Dog in Marigny; I heartily recommend the alligator sausage “Rougarou”.
Shrimp or Crawfish Étouffée
Étouffée comes from the French word “to smother,” and this seafood-and-roux-based stew is traditionally served over rice. Étouffée is one of New Orleans’ trademark dishes, having graced restaurant menus since the 1950s, but it likely was popular among the Cajun population across Louisiana’s bayous and backwaters long before then.
Red Beans and Rice
Did you know it’s a New Orleans tradition to consume red beans and rice on Mondays? The idea is to throw the ham bones from Sunday suppers into a pot with kidney beans, vegetables, and spices to slow cook throughout the workday (or the traditional laundry day in a by-gone era). This beloved NOLA dish evolved in the 1700s when French-speaking Haitians fled the Saint Domingue revolution and came to New Orleans.
Muffaletta
Though we commonly use the word "muffuletta" to refer to the world's tastiest sandwich ever invented (no arguing, please), muffuletta also denotes a type of Sicilian sesame bread that predates the actual sandwich.
It's said that Sicilian Central Grocery Co. owner Salvatore Lupo was the first genius to assemble the muffuletta as we know it today, back in 1906.
A traditional muffuletta sandwich is a muffuletta loaf split lengthwise and filled with olive salad, salami, ham, Swiss cheese, provolone, and mortadella.
Where’d we go to knock this one off our New Orleans bucket list? We hit Stein’s Market & Deli on our last trip for a distinctly no-frills-and-no-hand-holding local experience. The sandwiches are giant, the atmosphere is gruffly authentic, and there’s an amazing beer selection - including non-alcholic beer if you’re in the middle of your workday.
Shrimp Creole
Shrimp Creole is, obviously, a cherished Creole dish found on menus across New Orleans. Shrimp are cooked with tomatoes, onion, celery, and bell pepper and seasoned with hot sauce or cayenne-based spices before serving over steamed rice. This delectable dish's origins lay in French, Spanish, and African cuisine.
Po’ Boys
Did you even go to New Orleans if you didn't get a po' boy? History has it that we owe this glorious NOLA sandwich staple to the generous Benny and Clovis Martin of Martin Brothers French Market Restaurant and Coffee Stand. The kindly brothers offered the sandwich free to striking transit workers in 1929, and the city fell in love with it.
So, what's in a po' boy? These days the protein varies and you can find creative, gourmet takes on this classic sammie all over, but a traditional po' boy features fried shrimp on a loaf of French bread with pickles, Blue Plate mayonnaise, tomatoes, and shredded lettuce.
Crawfish Cheesecake
What’s that? A savory cheesecake? Yes, girl. And it’s delicious. The savory crawfish cheesecake appears to be a newer addition to New Orleans’ list of distinctive dishes, and it’s a hearty mix of crawfish, cream cheese, Creole seasoning, herbs, and a tasty crust. The crust is sometimes made with Ritz crackers; other recipes call for ground pecans or bread crumbs.
Turtle Soup
Turtle soup may sound odd to most tourists at first glance, but it's actually been a delicacy since the 1700s when sailors returning from the West Indies popularized the dish in England. The New Orleans version of turtle soup can be traced back to the arrival of the French Acadians more than 300 years ago, who took advantage of the abundance of this food source in local waterways. Traditionally, New Orleans-style turtle soup contains eggs to ensure extra protein during lean times, and the turtle meat should be cubed or pulled instead of ground.
Corn Maque Choux
Corn Maque Choux is a savory dish of corn, bell peppers, onion, cream, and bacon grease. Though a staple of Creole and Cajun cuisine, many food historians attribute the origins of this yummy corn medley to Native Americans in the area, which was slowly adapted and modified by French and Creole settlers over time.
Modern takes on the dish may also include jalapenos, sausage, okra, or tomatoes.
Oysters Rockefeller and Charbroiled Oysters
Our born-and-raised New Orleanean Uber driver nearly threw me out of the car when I said we were about to leave town without eating some NOLA oysters. (My ignorant rationale was that we eat plenty of oysters in Charleston, and could they really be so different here?)
Here's what I didn't know: Oysters Rockefeller was created in 1889 at the New Orleans restaurant Antoine's by Jules Alciatore, son of founder Antoine Alciatore, in response to an escargot shortage.
While decadent Oysters Rockefeller is a true New Orleans original, charbroiled oysters with butter, parmigiana, and herbs are a mainstay of this seafood-loving city.
New Orleans BBQ Shrimp
Another New Orleans staple that our sweet Uber driver educated me on is BBQ shrimp. I hadn't ordered it during our stay because there's plenty of BBQ shrimp in Charleston, where we're from, but what I didn't realize is that New Orleans-style BBQ shrimp is completely different from South Carolina's understanding of BBQ shrimp.
Firstly, New Orleans-style BBQ shrimp isn't actually barbequed. Secondly, BBQ shrimp in NOLA doesn't come with BBQ sauce on it.
New Orleans-style BBQ shrimp is a mouth-watering meal of head-and-tails-on shrimp cooked in a silky sauce of Worcestershire sauce, garlic, and butter. It usually comes with a side of tasty bread to mop up the sauce and a bib as you eat this one with your hands, y'all. Rumor has it that New Orleans-style BBQ shrimp debuted in the 1950s at Pascal's Manale.
Crawfish Boil
Crawfish as a regional delicacy among the Houma Tribe was documented as early as in the 1600's, and the Cajuns and Creoles quickly incorporated the little crustaceans into their cuisine in the 1700's and 1800's.
Crawfish season marks the arrival of spring, and crawfish boils became prevalent in the 20th century. So, what is a crawfish boil? It's casual shared meal of boiled crawfish with bay leaves, red pepper, spices, celery, onion, and garlic served with corn on the cob and quartered red potatoes. The communal meal is best enjoyed outdoors because it is messy, which is half of the fun. Expect to work your way through the little crustaceans shoulder-to-shoulder with neighbors, family, or friends, taking breaks to tell stories, catch up, and laugh together.
New Orleans Cornbread
Cornbread is another New Orleans staple with roots in Native American cuisine. Widely popular throughout the Southeastern United States, cornbread recipes vary from place to place and even from family to family. In New Orleans, however, you'll frequently enjoy a sweet, moist cornbread flavored with Cajun or Creole spices or jalapenos.
Ya-Ka-Mein
After a rowdy night on Bourbon Street, beeline for a hot, steaming bowl of Ya-Ka-Mein, lovingly nicknamed "Old Sober." A classic New Orleans hangover cure, Ya-Ka-Mein is an often-spicy beef noodle soup that's frequently garnished with half a hardboiled egg and green onions.
Did Ya-Ka-Mein make its way into New Orleans culture via the now-extinct Chinatown? Did it come about to satisfy the cravings of African-American soldiers returning from Asia?
No one is quite certain, but it's been one of the best things to eat in New Orleans after a night out since the 1930s.
Crawfish Bread
As with a lot of food in New Orleans, the foundatation of perfect crawfish bread is a perfect loaf of French bread. Now, imagine that bread filled with a gooey, rich mixture of crawfish in creamy white wine spread with sauteed chopped garlic, green onion, celery, bell pepper, and a pinch of Cajun seasoning
The New Orleans Jazz Festival classic is the brainchild of John Ed Laborde, who first came up with crawfish bread in 1984.
Blackened Redfish
Now, blackened fish is one of my favorite things, so much so that I just assumed it's been around since forever. But did you know we owe our beloved spicy fish filets to one Louisiana native?
Chef Paul Prudhomme masterminded blackened redfish in the spring of 1980 at K-Pauls, and the dish became so popular so quickly that state fisheries officials imposed limits to save the species from overfishing. Many people credit Chef Prudhomme with popularizing Cajun and Creole food on a national scale, so order something blackened and raise a Vieux Carre in his honor!
Shrimp Remoulade
Though the origins white, creamy remoulade sauce dates to 14th century France, New Orleans took the original recipe and improvised - or dare we say, "jazzed" it up, har har - to add flavorful touches like Creole mustard, paprika, and even hot sauce. It's usually paired with shrimp, crab, crawfish, and fried green tomatoes.
Shrimp remoulade supposedly appears in some form in New Orleans cookbooks back as far as 1885, but the recipe went mainstream by 1901, when it was featured in "The Picayune's Creole Cook Book." By 1918, Shrimp Arnaud, Arnaud's take on shrimp remoulade, became a menu staple.
What to Eat in New Orleans: Sweet
Beignets
Is any sweet so synonymous with New Orleans as the beignet? These hot, fluffy fried pastries have been delighting residents and visitors and leaving trails of powdered sugar in their wake since the 1700s. The French Acadians who settled the bayous around New Orleans brought beignets with them, and by 1862 the famous Cafe du Monde was open for business. Today, you can find classic and creative takes on beignets, including cream or praline-filled, across the Big Easy.
While Cafe du Monde is still everyone’s go-to, and I did enjoy them, my pick for beignets is Carousel Bar.
Bananas Foster
Like Oysters Rockefeller, Bananas Foster is another dish I didn't realize is a New Orleans original. According to Wikipedia:
"Though many think the dish was created at the restaurant Brennan's in New Orleans, it actually got its start a few years earlier in Owen Brennan's Vieux Carré restaurant. In 1951, Ella Brennan and the restaurant's chef Paul Blangé worked together to modify a dish made by Ella's mother in the Brennan family home. At this time, New Orleans was a major hub for the import of bananas from South America. It was named for Richard Foster, the chairman of the New Orleans Crime Commission and a friend of restaurant owner Owen Brennan."
Today, you'll find classic and creative takes on the dish all across the city, from the classic cooked bananas with butter, brown sugar, and rum sauce to decadent Bananas Foster pancakes.
King Cakes
If the idea of a colorful cake with a plastic baby hidden inside raises an eyebrow, hang on. There's a story there.
King cake is a Mardi Gras classic. The sweet dessert falls somewhere between a coffee cake and a cinnamon roll with yellow, green, and purple icing on top. You'll also find fruit and cream cheese filings alongside that infamous plastic baby inside this NOLA must-have dessert.
Named for the Biblical story of the three kings, king cake is enjoyed between early January and Ash Wednesday in New Orleans. So, what's the story behind the baby? Tradition has it that whatever lucky soul finds that plastic baby in their king cake must bring the next king cake or throw a party.
Pralines
New Orleans pralines as we know them are born from a 17th-century French confection of sugary, caramelized almonds with chocolate called praslins. When the French settlers arrived in New Orleans, they took one look at the expansive sugar cane fields and seemingly-never-ending pecan trees and adapted the original recipe to the foods at hand. Today, most praline recipes use only a few simple ingredients: Louisiana cane sugar, fresh cream, butter, and pecan halves.
Sno-balls
Anyone who has visited New Orleans in the summer understands that sno-balls are not a dessert, they're life-sustaining relief from Louisiana's unrelenting heat and humidity.
Don't confuse New Orleans sno-balls with snow cones or Italian ice, however. The fine and fluffy shaved ice was developed by Ernest and Mary Hansen in New Orleans in the 1930s, and it's designed to hold up to and evenly absorb the sweet syrups and condensed milk toppings.
Doberge Cakes
Let them eat richly layered Doberg cake! Invented in New Orleans by local baker Beulah Ledner, the Doberg cake consists of many thin layers of cake and dessert pudding, most often half-chocolate and half-lemon. A thin layer of butter cream or fondant covers the 6 or more layers of this decadent dessert!
What are your favorite things to eat New Orleans? Let me know what I’ve missed in the comments below!
