New Orleans recommendations

[uscgPSU]

I'm going to a conference in New Orleans for a week in August (25-30). Looking for any recommendations for things to do/see or places for dinner since lunch and breakfast are covered.

My wife is coming with me as it's our 10 year anniversary and she can work during the day from the pool/hotel room. I'd like to try and do a nice dinner Sunday night just the two of us before the conference starts.

Last time I was in NOLA was 1999, I was single, and on military orders, so my interests have changed a little.

 

[Lion84]

The WWII Museum is a must see. Cafe Du Monde for coffee and beignets is fun Bourbon St. smells like weed and piss and is very schetchy especially at night now.

 

[Monty2007]

I'd also recommend one of the cemetery tours. We did St Louis No. 3 and it was fascinating.

 

[PSU2UNC]

I'm going to a conference in New Orleans for a week in August (25-30). Looking for any recommendations for things to do/see or places for dinner since lunch and breakfast are covered.

My wife is coming with me as it's our 10 year anniversary and she can work during the day from the pool/hotel room. I'd like to try and do a nice dinner Sunday night just the two of us before the conference starts.

Last time I was in NOLA was 1999, I was single, and on military orders, so my interests have changed a little.

I've spent a lot of time there (both work and pleasure) and plan on retiring there.

August will be HOT.

Some general suggestions, and then some specific restaurant reccommendations:

1) There are plenty of cool spots in the French Quarter that are not Bourbon Street. I usually like to walk the length of Bourbon once just to people watch, but otherwise I steer clear. Lots of cool stuff in between Bourbon and the river to check out.

2) Strongly suggest getting out of the French Quarter as well. Magazine Street (Upper Garden District/Irish Channel) has cool restaurants and shopping. You can take the street car out St Charles (get off at like Washington Ave and walk down to Magazine) or it's a short Uber ride.

3) WWII Museum is EXCELLENT, so if you are a history buff, it's definitely worth doing. Could easily spend half a day there, so maybe you don't have time to do that.

4) Crime is similar to any big city. Just use common sense and you'll be fine.

Specifics recommendations (staying away from obvious touristy place like Commander's Palace, not that it isn't good but is well known):

Nice dinner for Sunday:
Seaworthy in the Central Business District (CBD) is a cool, not super touristy spot with very good (and creative) seafood and drinks. I try to go there every time I'm in town.
Tableau in the French Quarter is also excellent. One of Dickie Brennan's restaurants. Upscale New Orleans cuisine. Try the creme brulee for dessert -- a very unique take on it and it's delicious!

Other off the beaten path restaurant spots:
For dinner:
Tommy's Cuisine (in CBD) -- nice spot for Italian food
Briquette (in CBD) -- upscale New Orleans cuisine
Cafe Sake Uptown (on Magazine St) -- has a very good happy hour (drinks and sushi) but it ends early (6 pm?) so it may not fit into your schedule

For lunch:
Conchon Butcher (CBD/Warehouse District)

For breakfast:
Mother's (popular with tourists, but if you are passing by and there is no line, it's worth it)
Ruby Slipper (multiple locations, but avoid the one on Canal)

 

[LongJakk]

Briquette (in CBD) -- upscale New Orleans cuisine

We loved Briquette. Best meal of our trip and the only reason we went there was because Emeril's was closed (Monday) and it was literally directly below our VRBO. My son went to culinary school and used to work at 1700° and Ad Lib in the downtown Harrisburg Hilton so we know good food.

Antoine's is so so at best. Very dated food and decor. Ruth's Chris wasn't even close to being worth the price. Cafe Du Monde is great for what it is. Tour the park across the street afterwards.

We walked the French quarter and when done we looked for a safe place to catch an Uber. Went to a CVS and waited outside. While we were waiting a car bumped into another's bumper while parking. Guy starts yelling. Another guy starts pulling up his shirt revealing a gun. We hightailed it around the corner, while the first guy backed away.

 

[Obliviax]

You have to go get Beignettes at Caffe Du Monde 56 Dryfus Street (with their coffee). Anyplace in the Garden District is nice, clean and romantic. Also, don't miss the Manning home (Payton and Eli) at 1420 First Street in the Garden District.

 

[NewEra 2014]

One of the best food items we got there were the chargrilled oysters at Dragos. Simply delicious and I’m not normally an oyster guy.

Also, we really enjoyed Frenchman Street for music and nightlife much more than Bourbon Street.

We did some walking through the Garden District in the daytime and found it to be a pleasant area of the city. But you may not want to be doing much walking in August.

Have a great time—there is no other place like New Orleans.

 

[cbpitt2]

The WWII Museum is a must see. Cafe Du Monde for coffee and beignets is fun Bourbon St. smells like weed and piss and is very schetchy especially at night now.

For the life of me, why aren't beignets sold everywhere! I recently discovered by happenstance that there's a New Orleans stand that makes them in Frankenmuth, Michigan.

 

[PSU2UNC]

One of the best food items we got there were the chargrilled oysters at Dragos. Simply delicious and I’m not normally an oyster guy.

Also, we really enjoyed Frenchman Street for music and nightlife much more than Bourbon Street.

We did some walking through the Garden District in the daytime and found it to be a pleasant area of the city. But you may not want to be doing much walking in August.

Have a great time—there is no other place like New Orleans.

Frenchmen Street is indeed the best place to go for live music. There are probably 10 bars in two blocks all of which have live music nightly. Musical styles vary (jazz, funk, reggae, blues) and range from ticketed shows to no cover. You can walk there from the Quarter or short uber ride.

Another super cool music spot is The Maple Leaf (which is uptown). Usually ticketed shows, but a great spot and you can see some of the more famous local artists (e.g. George Porter Jr has been playing there a lot lately, but Dirty Dozen Brass band used to, etc). Next door to that is Jacques-Imo's which is a really good restaurant. If you head up that way, try to dine there before seeing a show next door. Can be tough to get a table (I don't think they take reservations) but put your name on the list, go drink an Abita at the Maple Leaf while you wait.

 

[PSU2UNC]

You have to go get Beignettes at Caffe Du Monde 56 Dryfus Street (with their coffee). Anyplace in the Garden District is nice, clean and romantic. Also, don't miss the Manning home (Payton and Eli) at 1420 First Street in the Garden District.

Quick tip regarding Cafe du Monde...the location in the French Quarter can get super busy. They also have an location in the Riverwalk Mall (same exact stuff), which is never busy and you can sit outside by the river and enjoy coffee and sugary treats.

 

[Monty2007]

Agree on Drago's grilled oysters. Last time we were there, had great meals at The Gumbo Shop and Broussards. Lots of good choices to pick from.

 

[PSU2UNC]

We loved Briquette. Best meal of our trip and the only reason we went there was because Emeril's was closed (Monday) and it was literally directly below our VRBO. My son went to culinary school and used to work at 1700° and Ad Lib in the downtown Harrisburg Hilton so we know good food.

Antoine's is so so at best. Very dated food and decor. Ruth's Chris wasn't even close to being worth the price. Cafe Du Monde is great for what it is. Tour the park across the street afterwards.

Antoine's is more about the experience than the cuisine (same for Commander's Palace and some of the other big name and/or celebrity chef type places). It's also great to ask local's what their favorite neighborhood (or new) spot is, e.g. grab a beer at the Bulldog uptown and ask someone sitting at the bar their favorite spot.

 

[Obliviax]

Quick tip regarding Cafe du Monde...the location in the French Quarter can get super busy. They also have an location in the Riverwalk Mall (same exact stuff), which is never busy and you can sit outside by the river and enjoy coffee and sugary treats.

Great tip. My thing is I want to experience the real deal. The mall is great but doesn't have the ambiance. Also, many go there after partying all night so if you go fairly early, like me because I don't drink very much, you can usually get in.

 

[Lion84]

Quick tip regarding Cafe du Monde...the location in the French Quarter can get super busy. They also have an location in the Riverwalk Mall (same exact stuff), which is never busy and you can sit outside by the river and enjoy coffee and sugary treats.

Another quick tip - if you see people in line outside the downtown location just ignore it and walk in - many don’t realize it’s first come first serve - they don’t seat you so just walk around inside until you see a table upon up and garb it. And also true the location in the mall is usually never busy.

 

[Fac]

Another quick tip - if you see people in line outside the downtown location just ignore it and walk in - many don’t realize it’s first come first serve - they don’t seat you so just walk around inside until you see a table upon up and garb it. And also true the location in the mall is usually never busy.

Shame on you. That was a local secret.
Mother's is for tourists, locals don't go there.
A lot of construction going on now in anticipation of putting on a nice presentation for the upcoming Super Bowl.
Some downtown street car routs are currently interrupted by the construction. Maybe they will be finished by August.
Agree with Conchon Butcher as we had my daughter's rehearsal dinner there.
Also, agree with Tommy's Cuisine.

WWII museum is a must if you have the time as was mentioned above. Worked there as a temp for 3 months after getting laid off. I would roam the museum on my breaks. Too much to see on one visit.

 

[PSU2UNC]

Shame on you. That was a local secret.
Mother's is for tourists, locals don't go there.
A lot of construction going on now in anticipation of putting on a nice presentation for the upcoming Super Bowl.
Some downtown street car routs are currently interrupted by the construction. Maybe they will be finished by August.
Agree with Conchon Butcher as we had my daughter's rehearsal dinner there.
Also, agree with Tommy's Cuisine.

WWII museum is a must if you have the time as was mentioned above. Worked there as a temp for 3 months after getting laid off. I would roam the museum on my breaks. Too much to see on one visit.

Agreed that Mother's is for tourists, but I that is mostly (IMHO) because it is often so crowded and you can get similarly good menu items at other neighborhood spots. But the food at Mother's remains good and it's an institution, so my suggestion is always if you are walking by at breakfast (or lunch) time and there's no line, it's worth doing.
(imperfect analogy: is the original Primanti Bros in Pittsbugh the best sandwich in the city? No, but it's good and an institution)

 

[PSU2UNC]

Great tip. My thing is I want to experience the real deal. The mall is great but doesn't have the ambiance. Also, many go there after partying all night so if you go fairly early, like me because I don't drink very much, you can usually get in.

That's fair, although I think sitting by the river is more relaxing than the Quarter location (mostly due to tourists) but I guess it depends on the time of day/day of week/time of year.

 

[step.eng69]

I'm going to a conference in New Orleans for a week in August (25-30). Looking for any recommendations for things to do/see or places for dinner since lunch and breakfast are covered.

My wife is coming with me as it's our 10 year anniversary and she can work during the day from the pool/hotel room. I'd like to try and do a nice dinner Sunday night just the two of us before the conference starts.

Last time I was in NOLA was 1999, I was single, and on military orders, so my interests have changed a little.

Google Sue Zemanick

Try the Zasu in midtown, Sue Zemanick is the owner & Chef of the newly opened restaurant. I've known Sue and her brother since they were born to my close friends Steven and Marie.

Unfortunately, my close friend (Sue's dad) passed away in the spring of 1999 and haven't been in touch too often since my friends passing. I followed Sue's accolades and achievements since she graduated from the Culinary I. A. I was very concerned when the covid was shutting down businesses because Sue and her husband just opened the Zasu in 2019, but it seems from their website they survived.
https://youtu.be/s-YS3o8_z5Q

Zasu
127 N. Carrollton Ave., New Orleans, LA 70119 (Directions)
View Website
(504) 267-3233

CHEF SUE ZEMANICK​

Food and Wine Magazine named Zemanick one of the top ten best new chefs in America​

Graduating from the Culinary Institute of America with a fellowship in seafood/fish, Chef Sue came to New Orleans as a Yankee transplant (she hails from Pennsylvania and New York). Like so many talents before and after her, she started in the Commander’s Palace kitchen before moving to Gautreau’s in 2004. An advocate for Modern American cuisine, Chef Sue made certain Gautreau’s cooking respected the classic French-inspired and New Orleans flavors when she took over as executive chef in 2005.

The awards came quickly. In 2008, Food & Wine magazine named her a “Best New Chef” and she was a James Beard Award finalist for “Rising Star Chef” in 2009, 2010, 2011, and 2012. Zemanick was also on Bravo’s “Top Chef Masters” in 2011and ran the much-missed Ivy, an Uptown restaurant that closed in 2015.

Chef Sue left Gautreau's in 2016, and opened her own restaurant in 2019, Zasu. The new bistro is inspired by Sue's Slovak heritage and features a mix of local and non-native ingredients in light dishes. It sits in a cottage in the Mid-City neighborhood.

Chef Sue is known for running her kitchens with tact and professionalism. She’s quick to give credit where it's due. Zemanick, her restaurant, and her cooking are indeed class acts.

 

[Parkland Fan]

My wife and I were there for a week last fall. I agree on most of the recommendations although I would give Mothers a higher grade because their seafood gumbo is great.
We stayed at the Residence Inn on St. Charles which was convenient to the Quarter without the noise and sleaze. We had breakfasts at Daisy Dukes next door - great breakfasts and reasonable prices. Also had a good oyster po-boy there.
Had a really good dinner at Lucy's Retired Surfers Bar and restaurant.
We wanted to eat at Dooky Chase in Treme but didn't realize that they were closed on Mondays.
Agree on Frenchman Street for music.
We enjoyed the Mardi Gras museum and of course the WWII museum.
I recommend the walking tour of the Garden District - might see John Goodman walking his dog.
There are several tour bus/van options. Might be good to get the lay of the city.
One negative is that there are a large number of homeless and some are aggressive. We did notice a heavy police presence everywhere.
Hope you have a nice visit.

 

[fastlax16]

My wife went to Tulane and I’m surprising her with a trip for her 40th this summer. Peche is a really great dinner spot. Making the rest of the resos this week and will post a few other places.

Also get ready to sweat your ass off.

 

[Hugh Laurie]

I highly recommend Brennan's. They've been in business since 1946. Their food is excellent and should you decide to dine there, their world famous Banana's Foster is a must have for dessert. It was invented there in 1951.

Brennan's