Must-eat foods in New Orleans and where to eat them

The po’ boy sandwich has been a staple of Louisiana since the 1800s. These everything sandwiches are most often stuffed with meat and served on fluffy New Orleans French bread. With countless local reviews calling it “the best I’ve ever had,” the po’ boy sandwich at Guy’s Po-Boys is known across the city. This cash-only hole-in-the-wall painted in bright blue may not be much to look at, but there’s a reason locals come back again and again and again. Piled high with fillings like fried shrimp, catfish, roast beef, porkchop and alligator sausage, Guy’s sandwiches are the tastiest version of one of the most famous foods in New Orleans. 

If locals will stand in line for two hours to snag a table (and they do), you know Jacques-Imo’s Café must be one of the best restaurants in New Orleans. This quirky, colorful spot that has been around since 1996 is one of the most popular fixtures in the heart of the city. The menu offers an extensive list of local favorites, but there’s one that only the bravest dare to try. A menu item for several decades, Jacques-Imo’s shrimp and alligator sausage cheesecake – yes, you read that right – is something you can’t leave without trying. Despite its name, it doesn’t taste like cheesecake and it doesn’t taste like alligator. But what it does taste like, somewhat surprisingly, is heaven. Don’t believe us? Just try. 

Anyone just passing through New Orleans would find it easy to miss the unassuming building on the corner of Chartres and St. Louis. But to locals, Napoleon House is a historic landmark with a fascinating history: Constructed more than 200 years ago, Napoleon House was supposed to be the home of Napoleon Bonaparte, but the French military leader died before making it to his NOLA homestead. Today, Napoleon House is one of the best restaurants in New Orleans (and one of its most charming). Make your way to the palm-fringed courtyard and try one of the top foods in NOLA: the Muffuletta, a classic New Orleans take on an Italian sandwich. The one served at Napoleon House is stacked with ham, salami, a variety of cheeses, and fresh olive salad, and is regarded to be one of the best versions in the city.

End any day on a sweet note at one of the ultimate must-eat foods in New Orleans at Southern Candymakers, a local institution known for its multi-award-winning confections and what many locals believe to be the best pralines on earth. Taste them for yourself, and you’ll likely find yourself agreeing. Every rich, dark, sticky toffee and sweet caramel tortue (that’s French for “turtle,” and one of the most popular sweets on the menu) is crafted in small batches by hand every day. You’ve never had a candy experience that can measure up to this one. Skip out on the dessert menu at your lunch spot and instead head over to Southern Candymakers for a meal-end to remember. 

Bourbon Street is one of the busiest places in New Orleans, but there’s a place locals go to get away from the madness. Duck between the doors of Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop, and you enter another world. This iconic New Orleans hotspot is claimed to be the oldest bar in the U.S. and has been serving up drinks (to pirates, no less) since the 1700s. Its namesake is legendary privateer Jean Lafitte, who’s rumored to haunt the dark, candle-lit drinking hole. This is a bit of a cheat, because nobody goes to Lafitte’s for the food; they go for drinks – one drink, in particular, that we had to add to our list. The purple-hued voodoo daiquiri is a mix of bourbon, vodka, grape juice and ice and is one of the most famous drinks in the city.