If you’re stopping by in the ‘Big Easy,’ then there’s no way you can leave without having some of their iconic dishes. The vibrant nightlife of New Orleans is matched by its nourishing and mouth-watering food.

With roots in Creole, Cajun and French culture, the decades of sumptuous mixing of ideas and tastes has created a cuisine not only entirely new and fresh but also delicious.

If you’re new to New Orleans, then this is just the beginning of your Odyssey. Whether you’re just visiting for a couple of days, or you’re settling in for the long haul, you can’t miss the food.

Take a look at these five dishes you must try out, and some of the famous New Orleans restaurants you can try them at.

1. Char-grilled Oysters in the Acme Oyster House, French Quarter: Seafood delicacies abound in New Orleans, with the seafood history going back to the 1700s with the start of commercial fisheries. While oysters are a common delicacy throughout the South, chargrilled oysters are one of those New Orleans specialities that you can’t find anywhere else. While you’re there, try their Seafood Gumbo Cup too. The New Orleans French Quarter is a treasure trove of amazing seafood restaurants.
2. Gumbo in The Gumbo Shop, French Quarter: Gumbo is one of those things that show what a wild, crazy and delicious mix of cultures New Orleans is. A stew served over rice; there is no one true recipe for gumbo. Everyone has their own recipe. Sassafras and bay leaves are staple seasonings, as introduced by Native Americans, but everything else is a free-for-all.
3. Po’ Boys at Parasol’s: If you’re in the mood for a quick (but filling) bite, then try out another one of New Orleans’ specialities. Po’ Boys are overstuffed sandwiches with cut potatoes and roast beef gravy. These first started being made during 1929, where they were provided free to poor, striking streetcar workers (hence the name.) So you’re eating a piece of New Orleans food history!
4. Beer and Bar Food at The Avenue Pub: This may be cheating, but we feel any list with New Orleans eating places on it has got to have a good pub on it for newcomers who want to party the New Orleans way, and The Avenue Pub sure knows how to show you a good time. Discover 40+ beers on tap, each one unique, and pub comfort food the way only New Orleans knows how. Famously, the bar is open 24×7 so drop in whenever.
5. Beignets at Café Du Monde: Beignets can be distinctly traced back to the influence of the French-Creole denizens in the city. To the uninitiated, they are a little like doughnuts, but they precede doughnuts. The dough is combined then fried, and the mound is dusted with powdered sugar to create the famous New Orleans sweet dessert treat. You can buy your beignet mix from them and try it out at home if you like it.

Visit Often!

It’s tough to leave New Orleans, and it’s tough when you think about all of the amazing food that you just can’t get anywhere else, so come back whenever you can.

Live with good music, great food and a wonderful life in New Orleans.

LSI Keywords: famous New Orleans sweet dessert, New Orleans food history, New Orleans eating places, New Orleans French Quarter, famous New Orleans restaurants

References

http://www.neworleansonline.com/neworleans/multicultural/multiculturalhistory/creole.html

http://www.nola.com/business/index.ssf/2013/02/the_louisiana_seafood_industry.html

http://www.neworleansonline.com/neworleans/cuisine/traditionalfoods/poboys.html

http://www.gumboshop.com/

http://www.cntraveler.com/galleries/2015-02-11/10-iconic-new-orleans-foods-where-to-try-them/5

http://www.cafedumonde.com/

http://theavenuepub.com/

http://www.neworleansonline.com/neworleans/cuisine/traditionalfoods/

We wouldn’t be very wrong if we said that New Orleans takes its food more seriously than any other city in The States. In the city where every restaurant has something to offer that you won’t find anywhere else, it’s no surprise that the town is home to many iconic dishes. Here’s a list of places and food you can’t afford to miss.

1. Brennan’s Signature Banana Foster

The Banana Foster is essentially a banana sundae, but with a New Orleans twist. The bananas are slow-cooked with butter and sweet spices like cinnamon and vanilla. Then the rum is added, and the flames get to work, combining all the ingredients and imparting its delightful flavour.

The cooked bananas are served with the special in-house vanilla ice cream, and the best banana sundae of the solar system is born.   

Head over to 417 Royal Street and behold the magic yourself.

2. Gumbo Z’herbes at Dooky Chase

Talking New Orleans food without talking Gumbo would be like talking Halloween without the candies. Gumbo is a versatile dish which you can find almost everywhere and in a variety of flavour combinations.

The gumbo in question, Gumbo Z’herbes, is an extraordinary affair, though. Prepared by the legendary chef Leah Chase of Dooky Chase, Z’herbes is a particular dish which is available only on Holy Thursdays.

But you can still find their regular gumbos all year round, which are some of the best in town, on 2301 Orleans Avenue.

3. Oysters at Casamento Oyster House

Casamento’s is a seasonal oyster house located at 4330 Magazine Street. Seasonal meaning it’s closed in the summer.

But visit them at any other time of the year, and you’re bound to find some of the best bivalve oysters which the natives and tourists can’t get enough of.

Order some good wine to go with the oysters and engage in conversations with the oyster shucker. And who knows, he just might let you shuck a couple of oysters yourself if you ask nicely enough. 

4. Pascal Manale’s Barbeque Shrimp

We still have little idea as to why it’s called ‘barbbeque’ shrimp when it isn’t barbequed at all. What it is, though, is some quality sautéed shrimp with a Worcestershire butter sauce which tastes, well, as you can imagine, heavenly.

Pascal’s, on 1838 Napoleon Avenue, shouldn’t be too much work to find as it is a major city landmark since the 1950s.

5. Fried Chicken at Willie Mae’s

In a country that’s obsessed with fried chicken, claiming to be the best doesn’t come easy. But if there’s a place that’s often credited with the title of best-fried chicken in town, it must be for a good reason.

The thing which separates the chicken at Willie Mae’s from the crowd is its batter, which is very moist, luscious, and a secret recipe (you’ll find a lot of those here).

So, drive to 2401 St. Anne Street and get hold of some of them chicken wings.

And this sums up our list of some of the most popular and decadent food that the iconic city of New Orleans has to offer. We wish you to be reminded that this barely even scratches the surface of what the city has to offer. To really enjoy and appreciate the food culture there, New Orleans has to be visited and revisited.

References:

http://nola.eater.com/maps/new-orleans-25-most-iconic-dishes

http://www.neworleansonline.com/neworleans/cuisine/traditionalfoods/

https://www.thrillist.com/eat/new-orleans/traditional-new-orleans-food-best-places-to-eat-jambalaya-pralines-crawfish-etouffee-and-more-iconic-dishes?_e_pi_=7{ed162fdde9fdc472551df9f31f04601345edf7e4eff6ea93114402690d8fa616}2CPAGE_ID10{ed162fdde9fdc472551df9f31f04601345edf7e4eff6ea93114402690d8fa616}2C3639822545

https://www.thrillist.com/eat/new-orleans/your-new-orleans-food-bucket-list-from-muffalettas-to-charbroiled-oysters

LSI Keywords:

Iconic New Orleans Food

Best food inNew Orleans

New Orleans food culture

Gumbo in New Orleans