Best & Cool Bars in French Quarter

"While you’re in the Garden District or shopping on Magazine Street, you have to stop by Commander’s Palace. The place has been around since 1880, and it’s one of the most famous restaurants in New Orleans for a reason. Their famous teal and white striped exterior is what landed them on this list, but definitely check them out for fine Creole dining and their jazz brunch too."

"Garden District Not all classic New Orleans restaurants live in the French Quarter. Uptown in the Garden District, right across from Lafayette Cemetery No.1, is the famous Commander’s Palace. You might recognize the former head chef’s name: Emeril Lagasse, who helmed the Palace’s kitchen in the '80s, long before “Bam!"

"You can’t miss the grand turquoise Victorian restaurant Commander’s Palace when you’re strolling through the Garden District and it shouldn’t be skipped!. Enjoy a fine Creole dining experience that makes you feel like you’ve gone back in time."

"Heralded as serving the best po’ boy in America, Parkway Tavern has been a New Orleans cheap eats institution for over 100 years. Must-try po’ boys include wild caught Louisiana shrimp, fried to crispy perfection; and surf and turf, layering shrimp, slow-cooked roast beef and gravy. For between $12 and $15, you have a feast for two."

"Parkway has been around for over a century, since 1911 to be exact. Legend has it that the name poor boy, also referred to as po’ boy, comes from the Great Depression era when a sandwich was created to be given free of charge to transit strikers. Folks have been clamoring for Parkway’s poor boys ever since."

"Parkway Bakery & Tavern, a spot to score sandwiches, seafood and desserts in Bayou St. John, is another much-loved go-to, with 4.5 stars out of 1,731 Yelp reviews. Head over to 538 Hagan Ave. to see for yourself."

"The Ruby Slipper Café is an award-winning café chain with five locations around the country that offer traditional Southern breakfast classics, brunch delights, and fresh lunch dishes with New Orleans flair. The family-owned and operated café serves classic dishes with a quirky twist such as the Festin' Benedict of poached eggs, fried green tomatoes, Louisiana crawfish, and three kinds of cheese on a buttermilk biscuit. The Dirtiest Pancake in the Game features a stack of buttermilk pancakes with Oreo crumbles, chocolate ganache, and cream cheese icing, and BuYa Honey Toast is a crispy French Toast-battered Brioche with a cream cheese filling, whipped cream, honey syrup, seasonal berries, and French toast croutons."

"What you're getting: Chicken St. Charles Though the Ruby Slipper has multiple locations around town, it’s best to hit up the Mid City original for a morning meal of fried chicken. Served over a biscuit and topped with poached eggs, the Chicken St. Charles is brought together by a creamy pork tasso sauce. And if that alone doesn’t do it for you, pair it with one of the six other eggs Benedict variations on the menu for just $15."

"The Ruby Slipper Café is a popular spot for breakfast, brunch, and lunch. Its focus is fresh food with a New Orleans twist. The restaurant uses local produce."

"Like many New Orleans restaurants, Coquette is located inside a handsome, historic townhouse, this one in the peaceful Garden District. With two beautiful, wood- and brick-accented dining rooms and an antique, refinished wood bar, the setting alone will impress your date, and the inventive New American fare from chef Michael Stoltzfus is likely to blow them away. With a daily-changing menu that emphasizes local produce such as lima beans, collards and Gulf oysters, Coquette’s fare is predictably delicious but never predictable, featuring unexpected flourishes such as carrot juice in the cachaza-based Tyler’s Ghost cocktail, whipped honey on the hot chicken appetizer, and french fries and stout served alongside donuts and chocolate ice cream on the Late Night Snack dessert plate."

"Pastry chef James Kubie does beautifully plated and oh so tasty desserts at this Garden District stunner, including a black tea semifreddo, coconut cake with tamarind, cashew, and sesame, and more incredible wonders that compliment chef Mike Stoltzfus' intriguing Southern menu."

"Anna’s takes over the space formerly home to Mimi’s in the Marigny, a locals favorite for pool downstairs and creative small plates upstairs. Wisely, the new owners have kept the same idea, and brought in two vets of the New Orleans food and drink world: Anna Giordano (Jewel of the South, Bar Tonique, and Longway Tavern, among others) runs the bar, and chef Chris Hamm (Coquette, Cavan, Sylvain) leads the kitchen. The menu is similarly tapas-like, with highlights including the manchego toast, crispy octopus, and papas bravas; as well as a delicious bistec served with green garlic salsa verde."

"Anna’s opened in early June, taking over the space that formerly held beloved neighborhood dive Mimi’s in the Marigny. As far as replacements go, it sure is promising — it’s from two vets of the New Orleans bar and restaurant world, who are calling it a “locals’ spot turned destination dive.” Anna Giordano (Jewel of the South, Bar Tonique, and Longway Tavern, among others) serves as bar director, with chef Chris Hamm (Coquette, Cavan, Sylvain) in the kitchen. It’s open seven days a week for pool, drinks, and food, 4 p.m."

"Peacock Room is the restaurant in the new Kimpton Hotel Fontenot downtown, the the restaurant snagged Chris Lusk, a longtime New Orleans chef who has cooked at Restaurant R’evolution, Cafe Adelaide, and the Caribbean Room, for a menu of dishes like fruits de mer pho made with cashew hoisin, grouper, shrimp ramen, and crab boulettes; chicken and eggplant fricasse with tomato and toasted farro; and black lentil vadouvan curry. The cocktail program is also a standout, curated with hard-to-come-by spirits and cocktails like the Primp and Preen, made with mezcal, white rum, orgeat, fresh citrus and blue curaçao; a Ruby Bridges made with gin, Cynar, citrus, strawberry, and basil; and the Sackcloth and Ashes, with Toki Japanese whisky and Amaro Montenegro (and mysteriously, “umami”)."

"The elegant restaurant in the new Kimpton Hotel Fontenot downtown has a killer cocktail program, thanks to Paula Echevarria, a longtime NOLA cocktail creator and writer. The beautiful bar is curated with hard-to-come-by spirits and serves cocktails like the Primp and Preen, made with mezcal, white rum, orgeat, fresh citrus and blue curaçao; a Ruby Bridges made with gin, Cynar, citrus, strawberry, and basil; and the Sackcloth and Ashes, with Toki Japanese whisky and Amaro Montenegro (and intriguingly, “umami”). Helpfully, each specialty cocktail includes a few adjectives to help anticipate the flavors of the drink."

"Chef Chris Lusk is killing it at the sexy new Peacock Room lounge in the newly opened Kimpton Hotel Fontenot in the CBD. His goal was to cook food that he’d want to eat after some time drinking at a bar — and that mission is accomplished in spades. Add his haute burger to the fancy chef-driven winners in town, an ample house-ground patty topped with bacon, Boursin cheese, crispy shallots, and tomato jam on a brioche bun."

"People hang around the doors of this modest Metairie institution, night after night, the way barbecue lovers flock to the newest and hottest joints in Texas, except that R&O has been around since the ’80’s, that’s how much people love it here, and why shouldn’t they—the roast beef po boys are some of the most distinctive in town, but there’s so much else to eat here, too—shrimp salads, eggplant parmesan lunch specials, thin crust pizza, the works. Fancy it’s not, unforgettable all the same."

"For good reason: They’re reasonably priced, filling and about as egalitarian as a local food can be. Fried seafood po’ boys get much of the love, but consider the unsung hero of po’ boy land: the roast beef po’ boy. Here in the first suburb west of New Orleans proper is R&Os, home of the finest roast beef po’ boy with gravy that can be."

"One of the definitive restaurants of the famed French Quarter, The Pelican Club prides itself on its “sophisticated Creole menu.” The carrot ginger soup, and the vegetarian and/or ..."

"The Pelican Club has been a lively and happening place in the French Quarter since 1990. The restaurant boasts a Creole menu with Asian influences, and it has a reputation for bein..."

"The Pelican Club’s location in the French Quarter automatically gives it a romantic charm. Inside, couples get to enjoy beautiful floors and columns made from Italian marble."

"New Orleanians love Five Happiness, a sprawling eatery on Carrollton since 1979. Named for the Chinese tradition of five kinds of happiness: longevity, wealth, health, virtue, and peaceful death, Five Happiness adds a full belly to the list. The crispy whole fish with black bean sauce is a winner, ditto the Peking duck, which comes with ten thin crepes for bundling."

"This magnificent Mid City Creole-Italian has survived it all, and while a post-Katrina renovation changed the layout of the restaurant, the food remains untouched by time; come for crispy paneed veal and luscious fettuccine alfredo, one of those old-school New Orleans combinations long-timers can’t get enough of, order the delicious red gravy that derives much of its sweetness from copious amounts of bell pepper, try the meatballs and the sausage, and the remarkably tasty pizzas, leading off with cold, crispy antipasto salads. You’re in good hands here. Dessert is next door at Angelo Brocato’s, one of America’s oldest (and best) Italian bakeries."

"Some Italian restaurants prefer to stick to one specific type of Italian dish when they put together their menus - think of an all pasta menu, and all seafood menu, or an all veal menu. Here at Venezia Restaurant, however, they prefer to let you keep your options open by offering up a little taste of everything for you to try. Whether they’re showcasing some fresh local seafood, some chicken parmesan, or even a whole pizza pie they’ve cooked up in their traditional stone oven, they’ve got a little bit of something for everyone to enjoy here at Venezia."

"Red’s Chinese is a favorite spot where New Orleans’s residents want to indulge in a spread of Chinese flavors. It is a modern joint with a playful design that, coincidentally, creates an inviting and inspiring atmosphere for all kinds of diners. A visit here will bring you face to face with dishes such as crawfish rangoons, kabocha squash soup, General Lee’s chicken, and kung pao pastrami among other inventive and delicious dishes."

"I am officially, 100% percent ripping that off,” Fieri told Avery’s owners Christy and Justin Pitard after devouring their kicked-up Fried Potato Salad. That’s just one of their twists on local classics. Another featured was the couple’s riff on Oysters Rockefeller in—you guessed it!"

"For over three decades, Pho Tau Bay has remained a go-to place for Vietnamese food in New Orleans - and with good reason. Their traditional Vietnamese menu features an extensive selection of authentic dishes, drinks and sweets. Begin your meal with their signature, freshly prepared spring rolls made with shrimp, pork, vermicelli and fresh herbs."

"Pho Tàu Bay, family-owned and a local favorite, recently reopened its doors in the Central Business District. Sometimes it has caramelized flan for dessert, the perfect counterbalance to a satisfyingly salty broth."

"Napoleon House has been a staple of the French Quarter food scene since 1914; nowadays, famed NOLA restaurateur Ralph Brennan is at the helm of it, guiding the ship that shows no sign of sinking. That's because Napoleon House has the best muffaletta sandwich in town, layers of ham, Genoa salami, Swiss and provolone cheeses and a house-made olive salad, served warm. Pair that with the famous Pimm's Cup cocktail and you don't need anything else."

"Though Napoleon House never actually housed Napoleon Bonaparte, that was the idea. The owner at the time offered up the building to Napoleon as refuge during his exile. Now an historic landmark and beloved local restaurant, this 1797 building has been family-owned since 1914."

"The Courturie Forest is another gem you can experience in City Park. Located not far from Scout Island, the trails through this park take you away from the manicured lawns and giant oak trees into a much more wild area along a waterway that is full of birds and turtles. Also located in the Couturie Forest is Laborde Mountain."

"Outside of New Orleans East, Couturie is the wildest natural space in the city. A series of paths wind through acres of Louisiana hardwood forest and lead to the highest point in the city: Laborde Mountain, towering at 43 feet over the surrounding park. When to go to New Orleans"

"If you have younger children, a couple of hours at Storyland (also located in City Park) would be a worthy investment of your time. Storyland is a child’s dream come true and a fairytale come to life. The imaginative outdoor spot is filled with 20 larger-than-life colorful sculptures and playscapes in the shape of storybook characters."

"Just like LCM and Cafe Du Monde, Storyland is located in New Orleans City Park. Within the walls of Storyland, your children’s favorite storybook characters come to life!. There are over 25 larger than life exhibits waiting to be climbed on, explored, and played on."

"One of the best inexpensive things to do in New Orleans with toddlers is Storyland. Tickets are less than $6.00/each and children under 36″ are free. Kids will love strolling through this vibrant and imaginative play area."