“The Big Easy” has not had it easy since the 2005 hurricane season, when Katrina, Rita and Wilma swept through the Gulf Coast like Godzilla in downtown Tokyo. While New Orleans may not be all the way back, the city is alive and well. From Mardi Gras to the Super Bowl XLIV champion Saints, epic annual Jazz & Heritage Festival to the Voodoo Experience music and arts festival, the Crescent City is a party town and cultural hub par excellence in America. As long as the levees hold, NOLA will endure and prosper evermore.

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One day and night is a paltry amount of time to dedicate to a city like New Orleans but if that is all you can spare, you need to come hungry. Food is religion in Louisiana and the restaurant scene in the Big Easy is as decadent, branché and influential as any in the country. With that, delve elbow-deep into oysters, crawfish, po’ boys, muffulettas, étouffée, remoulade, maque choux, gumbo, jambalaya and dirty rice.

A good brunch is a good way to start. The most important weekend meal in New Orleans has several choice purveyors. (Word to the wise: though it is home to several restaurant institutions, few locals actually eat in the French Quarter.)

Elizabeth’s
601 Gallier Street, Bywater

Landmark home of praline bacon.

Café Atchafalaya
901 Louisiana Avenue, Garden District

Hipster soul food with remarkable grits & grillades.

Commander’s Palace
1403 Washington Avenue, Garden District

Swanky, upscale jazz brunch icon.

Lil Dizzy’s Café
1500 Esplanade Ave., Tremé

Inexpensive, convivial BYOB joint.

Where to stay: Loews Hotel New Orleans

Brunch is nice but save room for lunch – even if you ate those eggs sardou at 2pm. Your gastro-itinerary has to include the likes of:

Cake Café & Bakery
2440 Chartres Street, Marigny

Order the Reuben on Rye and a slice of Red Velvet. And a Sazerac cup cake to go.

Parkway Bakery & Tavern
538 Hagan Ave

For titanic po’ boys that can choke a Yeti.

Johnny’s Po-Boys
511 St. Louis Street

The oldest po’ boy (or po-boy) lunch counter in the city.

Jacques-Imo’s
8324 Oak Street, Uptown

Pitch-perfect Creole soul food. Start with the fried chicken and keep going.

Mother’s
401 Poydras, CBD

Legendary soul food cafeteria-style grub.

Where to stay: Renaissance New Orleans Arts Hotel

After lunch, take a leisurely walk in the Garden District, French Quarter or explore Bayou Sauvage National Wildlife Refuge just outside of the city. Hopefully you feel a wee peckish after all that and can handle some insane ice cream, courtesy the Creole Creamery.

The Creole Creamery
4924 Prytania Street, Uptown

A short nap will refresh you for a proper dinner. But first, a proper aperitif. New Orleans has a bar culture where venerable mixology – not flare tomfoolery – is held in high esteem. This is the city of the Sazerac and Ramos Gin Fizz, after all.

Arnaud’s French 75
813 Bienville Street, French Quarter

One of the most mythical restaurants in the city is home to one of the most chi-chi cocktail bars.

Bar UnCommon
817 Common Street

Bar none the best bartender’s bar in the Big Easy.

Cure
4905 Freret Street

Fastidious attention on details and gorgeous décor.

Where to stay: The Roosevelt New Orleans, A Waldorf Astoria Hotel

With just a hint of inebriation in your veins, end your day of hedonistic palate pleasures at one of the city’s best restaurants. A few stand out:

August
301 Tchoupitoulas Street

Chef John Besh is a celebrity with old-school kitchen chops.

Herbsaint
701 St. Charles Avenue

Twists on Cajun classics with a delicate touch.

Galatoire’s
209 Bourbon Street

A venerable grand dame on the New Orleans restaurant scene.

Where to stay: The Ritz Carlton New Orleans Hotel

New Orleans City Guide

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