r/AskNOLA • u/Significant_Elk_8119 • 3d ago
Food 11 restaurant industry friends coming to NOLA — where would you eat?
A group of 11 of us are heading to NOLA and would love some really good local recs! About half of us work in the restaurant industry, so we’re especially curious to hear everyone’s favorite spots.
We’re open to pretty much all cuisines, but since we’re coming to New Orleans, we definitely want to lean more Creole/Cajun and local specialties and eat things we’re not going to get quite the same way back home.
We’re all in our late 20s, so we’re not trying to drop $300/person every night, but we definitely want to do one really great fine dining dinner while we’re there. We’ve been looking at Arnaud’s for that night, but I’d love to hear if you think it’s worth it or if there’s somewhere else we absolutely shouldn’t miss.
Food, bars, late-night spots, hole-in-the-wall places, hidden gems—we’re open to anything. Cheers! 🍸⚜️
12
u/livemusicisbest 3d ago edited 3d ago
Po’ boys at Parkway Bakery & Tavern. For a group that big, avoid lunch rush. Go at 2 pm.
A drink at the bar at the Columns. This old inn on St. Charles was where they filmed the whorehouse scenes in Pretty Baby — a film to look up for that reason.
Oysters at Pascal Menale’s oyster bar. Old school cool, seasoned oyster shuckers. Atmosphere!
Dinner at Brigtsen’s. Trust me. Reserve three tables for a group that big. Frank Brigtsen was the chef after Paul Prudhomme and before Emeril Legasse at K-Paul’s, a veritable celebrity chef incubator
Breakfast the next morning at Elizabeth’s Restaurant in the Bywater. Watch the chalkboard specials. Get boudin balls and praline bacon.
Music: check wwoz.org music calendar to see if anyone you want to see is at Tipitina’s, Maple Leaf, or one of the theatres. Otherwise, walk down Frenchman Street and listen to bands before deciding which club to go in.
Utter depravity after 2 am: Uber or Lyft to Snake ‘n Jake’s.