Karlynn’s Top Ten Must Eats in New Orleans

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New Orleans has long been on my Travel Bucket list and not only for the history, beauty and folklore, but let’s face it, some of the most famous food in North America is in this beautiful city. I knew that when we came there would be places and food that I would be checking off my Food Bucket List!

Without further adieu, after eating my way through New Orleans, I am happy to have compiled and thrilled to present my personal list of Must Eats when you visit New Orleans.

1. The Muffaletta Sandwich  (location: anywhere!)

The above sandwich that I posted on my Instagram had a lot of you not only drooling, but asking me what it was and where you could get it! Hey, one of you even put eating a muffaletta in New Orleans on your bucket list ( a fabulous aspiration indeed!). The muffaletta is  a sandwich whose beginning can be traced to Central Grocery in the French Quarter. I ate one in the French Market that was the most amazing one I’ve ever tasted, so it doesn’t have to be from the original location. If you want complete authenticity, head on over to the Central Grocery and have at!

2. Beignets & A Cafe au Lait from Cafe du Monde (Location: The French Quarter)

The Cafe du Monde is famous beyond compare when it comes to restaurants in the French Quarter. Established in the early 1860’s, this cafe keeps it simple, you get beignets and various drinks. That my friend, is it. However, on a chilly New Orleans morning, nothing tasted as good as those hot beignets and a cafe au lait. I also highly suggest sticking to the original concept and trying a cafe au lait, a blend of half milk and half coffee that is superb. Be sure to order one order of beignets each, as you will fight over the three that come per plate.

3. Willy Mae’s Scotch House Fried Chicken (Location – Seventh Ward, just outside French Quarter et al)

Again, my picture of leftover Willy Mae’s chicken for breakfast had y’all drooling and commenting over that delicious looking crispy chicken skin. Above is the picture of the chicken that was served in the restaurant. Start drooling now.

You are never going to taste chicken like this outside of the little restaurant in a quasi-scary part of town called Willy Mae’s. You will dream about another helping and flying to New Orleans for the weekend just to get a fix. The salty yet spicy crispy skin is like crack.

4. Ice Cream at Creole Creamery (Location: French Quarter and Lakeview)

With two locations, I am going to buck the trend and tell you to LEAVE the French Quarter and go to the second location in Lakeview, especially if you have kids. I am beyond the point where I need “ambiance” in my ice cream and prefer fast service, no crazy lineups and well, to be honest, an area that doesn’t stink like the excess of Bourbon Street. (you can only know that smell if you’ve been to the French Quarter. Eau de OMG GROSS). The molasses oatmeal raisin cookie ice cream was the absolute, life changing best ice cream  I have ever tasted, but don’t go looking specifically for that flavor as you might be disappointed with the menu changing all the time.

5) Frog’s Legs At Mulate’s (Location: Warehouse District)

Listen. If I can try frog’s legs, you can try them too. They seriously taste like a chicken wing and if you order the combo platter at Mulate’s, you can try out two legs with little commitment. While Mulate’s is not the best rated place – I completely disagree with the reviews –  the fact that it’s out of the French Quarter madness, has room for tons of people, a killer delicious catfish po’boy and a dance floor with a live Creole band made it one of my favorite places. This is my #1 pick for a family friendly place to eat. Heck, the live music with the guy on washboard made my entire  trip!

6) Stanley Eggs Benedict at Stanley Restaurant (Location: French Quarter)

I kept reading and reading about Stanley and we tried twice to get in for lunch, to no avail. However, this jewel of a French Quarter eatery quiets down in the evening and we walked right in at around 6:30 on a Tuesday. Wait until the evenings during the week as they are generally a lot quieter . Be sure to try the above signature dish of Eggs Stanley; Eggs Benedict accompanied by fried cornmeal-crusted oysters and make sure to dredge those oysters through the fabulous Hollandaise sauce. The only improvement would be to ask for a smidge more Hollandaise for absolute perfection! The red beans and rice were also a hit with my son and I must confess to sneaking a bite and they were fantastic!

7) Anything At District Donuts (Location: Lower Garden District)

This very new addition to the New Orleans food scene had me drooling in anticipation. Great donuts are not something that is plentiful in Edmonton sadly, so we were ready to go first thing New Years Day and were in the doors shortly after they opened at nine. Renowned for mixing it up with amazing flavors, they didn’t disappoint, in fact my first bite of my Pistachio Brown Butter donut is one of my most memorable Food Travel experiences yet. Slightly warm from the oven and the most delicious donut I’ve ever tasted, I soon wished we had one at home. (my waistline however is infinitely glad it’s thousands of kilometers away). They also make amazing Monte Cristo’s using donuts as the bread which will rock your socks off!

8) The Everything NOLA Sundae at Sucre (Location: Garden District)

Oh, when I saw there was a fabulously rated bakery in the Garden District I knew that we were a ‘going! This family does not miss out on trying bakeries where ever we happen to travel. Sucre did not disappoint with perfectly created macarons that melted in your mouth while giving you that delightful chew at the same time and ice cream sundaes that were absolutely divine! I suggest the Everything New Orleans sundae which had butter pecan gelato, bread pudding chunks, sugar-coated pecans and Banana’s Foster sauce, it was seriously amazing!

9) An Alligator Sausage Dog From Dat Dog

What the heck are you doing coming to New Orleans if you ain’t gonna eat gator? Listen. If you are a carnivore, it is your duty to try some gator while you are in NOLA and this hot dog is the perfect way to do it. Dat Dog is an extremely awesome casual eatery with hotdogs galore, a fabulous bar where they make a mean margarita and is perfect for kids. Try that ‘gator dog, you won’t regret it!

10) The Creole Slammer at Slim Goodies Diner (Location: Garden District)

If you can ignore the throngs of hipsters waiting to get in, Slim Goodies is an absolutely fabulous place to eat and kid friendly to boot. I was torn between the Creole Slammer and the Sweet Potato pancakes so I ordered both. You can get one sweet potato pancake as a side and I am telling you, do it! The Creole Slammer had a scrumptious Crawfish Étouffée on top of eggs and hash browns with a biscuit to sop up that Southern goodness. I’m going to be dreaming about this dish for a long, long time!

Phew! That was a lot of eating on this trip my friends, I hope you appreciate that I took one for the team! 😉

Love,

Karlynn