New Orleanians love to eat, and so do the visitors who flock here. While dinner is the star of the culinary show, a host of classic New Orleans foods pop up at lunchtime. Gourmands can enjoy a long, leisurely lunch at some of the Quarter’s fanciest restaurants for a fraction of what they’d pay for dinner, or pick up a tasty lunch to go at a grocery store or po-boy shop. Try something different every day to experience the full spectrum of the city’s moveable feast.

Muffulettas at Central Grocery

923 Decatur St.

Sicilian immigrants have been a linchpin of the New Orleans food culture since they first arrived in the city. Founded in 1906 by Salvatore Lupo, Central Grocery gave birth to the most iconic Sicilian food of all: the muffuletta. Made with in-house sliced meats and cheeses, heaped with Central Grocery’s famous olive salad and sandwiched inside homemade sesame-seeded bread, muffulettas are guaranteed to satisfy your lunchtime cravings.

Prix Fixe Lunch at Antoine’s

513 Royal St.

Founded in 1840, New Orleans’ oldest restaurant offers one of the city’s best lunch bargains in an elegant historic environment. Seasonal $24 lunch specials include a choice of appetizers like coconut shrimp bisque and equally renowned entrees like Gulf fish.

Charbroiled Oysters at Acme Oyster House

724 Iberville St.

Visitors love to belly up to the oyster bar at the Acme, where entertaining staff members make time fly while you feast on fresh raw oysters. But save enough room for must-have charbroiled oysters! Jazz it all up with a couple of oyster shooters with vodka and hot sauce and you’re all set for the day.

Burgers at Port of Call

838 Esplanade Ave.

There’s a reason why you always see a line of hungry people waiting outside Port of Call. Its signature burgers have been hailed as New Orleans’ best by everyone from Zagat’s to Fodor’s, while its signature cocktails are infamously strong. The menu description of Neptune’s Monsoon says it all: “An old recipe used frequently as a last request by pirates condemned to walk the plank.”

Po-Boys at Johnny’s Po-boys

511 St. Louis St.

Looking for a real deal old-school New Orleans po-boy joint? Local favorite Johnny’s delivers and, like Port of Call, is worth the wait. Heaped high on Leidenheimer’s, the only true po-boy French bread, there are dozens of choices. Seafood lovers gravitate to the classic fried shrimp and fried oysters, but the roast beef po-boy is also one of the city’s best, and laden with gravy debris.

Gumbo at Restaurant R’evolution

777 Bienville St.

Gumbo is on the menu all over town, but one of the most memorable versions is found at R’evolution, an elegant nouveau cuisine restaurant that puts a unique spin on classic Cajun and Creole cooking. The seafood gumbo is a solid choice, but cognoscenti head straight for “Death by Gumbo,” which is worth every cent of its hefty $20 price. Steeped in a dark roux, its centerpiece whole semi-boneless quail is stuffed with smoked Andouille sausage, file rice and poached oysters. Overkill? Sure. But death never tasted this delicious.

Planning a trip to New Orleans? Check availability for your travel dates and book your stay online. Also, make sure to take advantage of our low weekday rates and special offers. If you find lower rates on your Place d’Armes room at the time of booking, we will match the rate! And you can get exclusive deals and discounts at our New Orleans hotel by signing up for our email list.

New Orleans boasts a bounty of iconic foods, from po-boys and muffuletta sandwiches to hot-out-the-pot boiled crawfish. Many of the items on local appetizer menus, like shrimp remoulade and gumbo, can be a meal in themselves, and some of the city’s tastiest treats are classic desserts like bananas Foster and bread pudding.

That said, when dinner rolls around, the stars of the menu are the main-course entrees. Here are some New Orleans classics you don’t want to miss. Pro tip: You get more bang for your buck if you order these dishes at lunch.

Barbeque Shrimp

Don’t let the name fool you. This rich melt-in-your-mouth dish has nothing to do with grills or traditional BBQ sauce. It’s spicy in-the-shell shrimp, sauteed in Worcestershire, garlic, and a positively decadent (and delicious) amount of butter. To sample it at the source, head uptown to Pascal’s Manale Restaurant (1838 Napoleon Avenue), where the dish was invented. Mr. B’s Bistro (201 Royal St.) in the Quarter also makes an excellent version, while Bayona (430 Dauphine St.) ups the decadence ante by serving its barbeque shrimp with cheese grits (Bayona’s menu is seasonal and subject to change).

Softshell Crabs

Softshell crabs, a seasonal delicacy available from May through September, have recently molted their hard outer shells and make for delicious eating. Usually deep-fried, they are sometimes used in po-boys, but also star as an entree on many menus. Widely available throughout the Quarter, the softshells at GW Fins (808 Bienville St.) get especially high marks for their crispiness.

Crawfish Étouffée

The French word étouffée (pronounced eh-too-fey) means “smothered,” and this spicy seafood stew, made with shrimp as well as crawfish, is a traditional Creole/Cajun favorite. World-famous Galatoire’s (209 Bourbon St.) serves a classic shrimp étouffée over rice as an entree and, like many other restaurants, also offers it as an add-on topping over fish. Yum! Don’t want to put on a jacket for dinner, which Galatoire’s dress code for men requires? Some of the city’s best crawfish étouffée is found at the casual eatery Deanie’s (841 Bienville St.).

Gulf Coast Fish

Any New Orleans restaurant worth its salt features catch of the day on its menu, and fresh Gulf Coast fish, served grilled or fried, are local staples. For the biggest selection, head to Ralph Brennan’s Red Fish Grill (115 Bourbon St.), which serves grouper, pompano, swordfish and snapper, in addition to its namesake swimmer. But the award-winning Peche (800 Magazine St.) in the Warehouse District is rightly famous for its whole grilled fish, which is big enough to serve a whole table of seafood lovers.

Blackened Chicken

Blackened fish gets more press, but blackened chicken, its Cajun cousin, is just as delicious. Pierre Maspero’s (440 Chartres St.), housed in a historic building where Jean Lafitte once plotted his escape, serves its blackened chicken two ways: with blackened jambalaya and tossed with a creamy alfredo pasta.

Shrimp Creole

One of the first dishes that comes to mind when visitors think of New Orleans cuisine, shrimp Creole is a staple on many local menus. Try the traditional version of this savory tomato-based dish at New Orleans Creole Cookery (508 Toulouse St.) or the Gumbo Shop (630 St. Peter St.).

Planning a trip to New Orleans? Check availability for your travel dates and book your stay online. Also, make sure to take advantage of our low weekday rates and special offers. If you find lower rates on your Place d’Armes room at the time of booking, we will match the rate! And you can get exclusive deals and discounts at our New Orleans hotel by signing up for our email list.