5 Foodie Experiences In New Orleans

New Orleans is synonymous with “foodie.”One simply does not go to NOLA and eat mediocre food, no – one goes for the food. Prior to my trip I did some research to find out where some of the best eats in the city were and I made a list of my favorites!

If you have three days in New Orleans, you can hit all the best places.

I hope if you find yourself in the Crescent City you try some of these because they were amazing. Let me know if I missed anything – I am always willing to go back and eat more 😉

Beignets 

A staple in New Orleans – you would be hard pressed to leave the city and not eaten at least half your body weight in this delicious french fried pastry.

Tip: do not wear all black when you go to eat these, not only is it messy but everyone will know just how much you enjoyed your food 😉

We stopped by Cafe Du Monde after reading endlessly about how good they were. I popped in for a hot chocolate and beignet after waiting 30 seconds for a table and was in and out in less than 20 minutes. My family gave this cafe a winning praise as well .. so I will keep this at the top of my list of places to eat in the city.

Fried Chicken
For the best friend chicken and sides in the country .. one must dine here at Willie Mae’s Scotch House.

Tip: there is a lot of chicken being sold in New Orleans and even some with very similar names .. but make sure you go to the right one. 

I will be upfront, you are going to wait for a table .. how long? I couldn’t tell you. We were a party of 3 and waited about 30 minutes outside the restaurant while tables of 1 or 2 kept being seated. Don’t let the line get you down – this is worth the wait! They claim to be “America’s BEST Fried Chicken” and I have not had any other fried chicken that holds a candle to Willie Mae’s – so I will let them have the title.

Fried okra

Willie Mae’s

Butter beans

We decided to just order a few things and split them because we weren’t overly hungry and just wanted to try stuff. We ordered fried chicken, butter beans, mashed potatoes, mac and cheese, cornbread muffins, and fried okra. We each had a piece of chicken and tried the sides – everything was amazing! As far as sides go – I think the table agreed the mac and cheese and okra was the best, so make sure and get these.
Tip: since the restaurant is so busy, there is a plate charge for anyone who does not order a meal at the table. It is on the menu and when our server let us know she would have to charge a plate fee for 2 of us, we asked if we could just order another side instead to try and she said ok. 
Gumbos and Jambalaya 
We accidentally popped into The Old Coffeepot Restaurant walking the streets of New Orleans and came across probably one of the best Jambalaya’s I have ever had!

We ordered the sampler and it came with jambalaya, seafood gumbo and chicken gumbo – and it was all scrumptious. I think the three of us ate it all in less than 2 minutes!! As far as the jambalaya goes – it was the perfect level of spicy and cooked to perfection!
Afternoon Tea
in New Orleans, the 170+ year old tradition of Afternoon Tea is a must. There is something quite divine about sipping loose leaf teas, eating dainty tea sandwiches and desserts, and enjoying scones with Devonshire cream, lemon curd and jam.

Afternoon tea at the Davenport Lounge – Ritz Carlton

Tea sandwiches

Selection:

• Crostini with Brie, Pin-wheel Prosciutto, Cranberry, Honey and Mint
• Salmon on Pumpernickel with Dill Crème and Lemon Zest
• Cucumber Roll with Pesto Cream and Capers
• Creole Deviled Egg with Caviar and Green Onion Blini with Cherry Tomato, Boursin Cheese and Garlic Chip
• Lobster Salad on Fried Won Ton with Tarragon Aioli

Scone Course

Afternoon tea is one of my favorite pleasures in life. There is something so refined about sitting down for an hour or two with one or more people and truly enjoying their company while sipping tea (champagne at times) and eating delicious tea treats.
My family and I truly enjoyed the afternoon tea at the Davenport Lounge in the Ritz Carlton in New Orleans. We went during the holiday season, so do check menus as they change.

Tea desserts

Selection:

• Vanilla Strawberry Tart
• Coffee Caramel
• Mango Passion Tea Cake
• Moelleaux Chocolate, Jivara Chantilly
• Pistachio Raspberry

Dinner:
There are a lot of places to eat in New Orleans and I have not even been to 1% of them – but after doing a lot of research, Domenica came highly recommended, primarily for their roasted cauliflower. A skeptic, I decided to try it – because how many ways can you roast a cauliflower and have it be unbelievable? To start – it was amazing. I don’t think it was the cauliflower itself but the whipped feta that accompanied it that made it stand out. Definitely pop in and give it a try if you are in the area.

Cauliflower – Domenica

We decided to branch out and try some different things on the menu and we were pleasantly surprised by how much we loved everything.
We ordered another appetizer to try, the burrata! It came on grilled bread with honey and sea salt. The flavors complemented each other very well – and this may have been my favorite dish here.

Burrata – Domenica

We tried a butternut squash pizza that had mascarpone with date and pecan pesto – a real pizza winner!

Pizza – Domenica

And the last dish we tried was the campanelle pasta. It was a white bolognese, & wood roasted Brussels sprouts.

Campanelle – Domenica

We split all the dishes between the three of us and had a lot leftover that we took back to our room.
Tip: the pizza sizes are definitely enough for 2 people and the pasta portions are pretty small (the pictures may depict otherwise but we took half a pizza back and there was no pasta left). 

I hope you enjoy 5 of my favorite foodie experiences to have in New Orleans – I cannot wait to return and try more of the amazing food! If you have any recommendations let me know.