You want a real New Orleans recommendation? Ask a local where they actually eat on a Tuesday night.
Here’s what you won’t find: anything described as “tucked away” or “hidden gem” or “off the beaten path.” You know why? Because locals don’t talk like that. They just go places.
Where People Actually Eat
Willie Mae’s Scotch House
Willie Mae’s Scotch House serves fried chicken that made an Uber driver tell a complete stranger they had to try it within 30 minutes of landing. The chicken is crispy on the outside and ridiculously juicy inside. Get it with rice and beans, greens, and mac and cheese. Lines are long. It’s worth it.
Chicken’s Kitchen
Chicken’s Kitchen operates Monday through Friday, lunch only. Chef Marlon “Chicken” Williams changes the menu daily. The New York Times named it one of the 50 best restaurants in America in 2022. It’s in a space that looks like nothing special. The food is everything.
Coop’s Place
Coop’s Place is a dive bar that happens to serve exceptional jambalaya, gumbo, and fried chicken. Servers might tell you to get off your phone and enjoy your dinner. People love this.
Queen Trini Lisa
Queen Trini Lisa serves Trinidadian food in Mid-City. The doubles are loaded with chickpea curry. The BBQ jerk chicken is smoky and slightly sweet. Soca plays from the speakers. There are a few tables, and it’s never packed.
Brigtsen’s
Brigtsen’s has been serving Creole and Cajun food for nearly 40 years in a cottage that feels like someone’s house. Get the paneed eggplant parmesan or the grilled beef filet. Chef Frank Brigtsen has won a James Beard Award.
Toups Meatery
Toups Meatery is where you go for boudin, cracklins, and lamb neck with black-eyed peas. The chef spent a decade in fine dining kitchens before opening this place. It’s carnivore heaven.
Clancy’s
Clancy’s is what locals pick for an upscale meal when they’re doing it up. The food and service will knock your socks off.
Deanie’s on Hayne
Deanie’s on Hayne serves better seafood than most French Quarter spots at half the price. The crabmeat-stuffed redfish runs around $20. The seafood platters are massive and shareable. Maw Maw Deanie hangs out there on Thursdays and might chat with you.
Coffee and Morning Spots
French Truck Coffee
French Truck Coffee on Chartres Street is where you hit the French Quarter in the morning before it gets hectic.
Levee Baking Co.
Levee Baking Co. makes savory vegetarian croissants that beat the standard ham-and-cheese version any day. It’s just off Magazine Street in the Garden District.
Ruby Slipper
Ruby Slipper is where you go the morning after a night in the French Quarter. Get the Peacemaker, which lets you pick two of their creative Benedicts. The Costa Rican is their take on Huevos Rancheros.
What Locals Skip
Most signature drinks on Bourbon Street are sugar, food coloring, and cheap grain alcohol. They’ll give you temporary blindness and a hangover that’ll make you question your life choices.
Try a Sazerac at the Roosevelt Hotel or a French 75 at Arnaud’s instead. Cure on Freret Street makes traditional and eclectic cocktails if you want something more adventurous.
Willy’s Chicken Shack looks like it might be related to Willie Mae’s. It’s not. It’s a chain owned by the same family that runs all the t-shirt shops.
What You Should Know
Monday is red beans and rice day. Some local restaurants close because it’s traditionally a day to rest and eat that classic Creole dish.
Don’t pick up Mardi Gras beads from the ground during Carnival season. It’s considered bad luck, and the streets get unsanitary. Catch them in the air.
Most places close early compared to what you’d expect from a party city. But live music happens every night of the week.
The French Quarter at dawn is a different city. Go early. See it before the crowds arrive.
You don’t need a car. Walk, bike, take the streetcar, or grab an Uber. The whole city is 15 minutes across.
Talk to people. Bartenders, servers, people at coffee shops. They’ll tell you where to go. The directions might involve “keep walking until you see Manny sleeping in front of the red house with the cross-eyed cat,” but with Google Maps you’ll figure it out.
