Best Dinner Places to Eat in Jean Lafitte

"This Garden District beauty made famous by renowned restaurateur Ella Brennan (who employed both Paul Prudhomme and Emeril Lagasse during her tenure) is known for its twenty-five cent martinis at lunch. Chef Tory McPhail also offers an affordable three-course prix-fixe special for about $35 or so, a steal for this landmark."

"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."

"Located in the Garden District, Commander’s Palace is one of New Orleans’ finest and most famous restaurants. You’ll need to plan ahead, as Commander’s Palace does have a dress code, and reservations are needed."

"Being an enterprising restaurant owner, Owen Brennan encouraged Paul Blangé, his chef, to invent a dish with bananas as the main attraction, in 1951. The dish was named after Richard Foster, the former chairman of the New Orleans Crime Commission and friend of Owen Brennan. In this iconic dish, bananas are flambéed tableside with brown sugar, butter, cinnamon, rum and served with New Orleans Ice Cream Co. vanilla bean ice cream."

"If you’re doing breakfast right in the Crescent City, you’re doing it leisurely, in a charmed setting with astute service and superb food. That likely means you’re doing it at Brennan’s. The French Quarter institution fell into disarray for a number of years until the kitchen was brought back to relevant life by Slade Rushing."

"The birthplace of Bananas Foster, that flaming tableside dessert of bananas, rum, and brown sugar served over vanilla ice cream, is still going strong with an array of classic desserts to please the breakfast crowd. Because you should always have dessert at breakfast."

"For more than a century, there’s been a long line outside Galatoire’s, the most famous restaurant on one of the world’s most famous streets (Bourbon). Like the city itself, Galatoire’s is a restaurant that combines elegant with raucous. From the Soufflé Potatoes appetizer followed by Black Drum topped with Jumbo Lump Crabmeat to Carmel Cup Custard and a cup of Flaming Café Brûlot, this is an experience not to be missed."

"The recipe for fun at Galatoire’s: show up early for the chance of a Friday lunch table on the ground floor; ask for a waiter named Bryan; ease in with a Sazerac and souffle potatoes; trust the server to bring you whatever fish looks best; and revive yourself with cafe brulot. The people-watching alone is worth the effort."

"If you're lucky enough to go on a night when soft-shell crab is on the menu, it'll be one of the best damn pieces of food you'll ever put in your mouth."

"Head to GW Fins's, where entrées rotate daily based on the supply from local, sustainably-minded seafood suppliers. Expect both chilled and hot appetizers like tuna tartare and lobster dumplings as well as main dishes that range from local grouper to sea scallops, halibut, and black bass, all with pristine white tablecloths, impeccable service, and the backdrop of the Quarter as you dine."

"GW Fins is one of the best restaurants in New Orleans to find a fish selection from around the world. Their menu is on the fancier side, and their appetizers are worth every craving!. Some of their appetizers include Lobster Dumplings and Fried Snapper Breast."

"Opened in 2001, GW Fins is a restaurant that specializes in fish. The restaurant itself buzzes with energy, so it's a fun place to go for a meal that feels enlivening and electrify..."

"Dat Dog has mastered the art of gourmet hot dogs growing from a small hot dog stand in 2011 to a critically acclaimed restaurant with four locations across New Orleans. They offer many creative hot dog experience’s but what you must try here is the Crawfish Etoufee Dog which is made with crawfish sausage, sour cream, onions, tomato’s and creole mustard. To be honest, there are a few other must eat’s at Dat Dog so let’s mention some of the other incredible options; The Guinness Special (Irish Guinness sausage, andouille sauce, onions, shredded cheddar cheese, bacon, yellow mustard), and the Rougarou (alligator sausage, grilled onions, creole mustard, tomato’s, jalapeno’s, BBQ sauce, and bacon)."

"Combining the soul of Louisiana with the sophistication of Europe, Dat Dog’s artfully crafted cuisine of Hot Dogs, sausages (including vegetarian, vegan and fish), burgers and chicken (fried, grilled or tossed in buffalo sauce) are a thing of beauty. The over 30 toppings available at no extra charge allow you to create your very own “jazz improvisation in a bun."

"If it’s tubular tastes that you seek, Dat Dog is here to delight your every desire. Yes, the classic Vienna beef with ketchup is on the menu, but it’s wildly outshined by the dozens of other elaborate combinations. Go all-in on an alligator dog with dat sauce and nana’s slaw."

"Adam Biderman’s homage to the simple burger — thin patty, American cheese, fresh ground meat, no lettuce, no tomato — blew the burger scene in New Orleans wide open when Company Burger opened in 2011. Since then it’s won local and national raves and awards from all directions and is in residence on busy Freret Street Uptown. The menu has a few other sandwich options well worth a try, like that tasty fried chicken sandwich."

"611 O’Keefe Ave., Suite C7, (504) 309-9422; 4600 Freret St., (504) 267-0320; www.thecompanyburger.com. A Company burger features two Creekstone Farm beef patties, American cheese, bread-and-butter pickles and red onions."

"The Vintage on Magazine Street serves beignets (and more) all day long. Pair the pillowy delicacies with seriously good coffee in the morning, or a glass of wine or bubbly (whether cava or a splurge-worthy Veuve Cliquot) at night. Here you'll find  beignets of the elevated and ever-changing variety, which can mean s'mores beignets on one visit, king cake or matcha beignets on another."

"Located on Magazine Street, The Vintage is a coffee shop cafe that also serves up some of the most unique beignet options in town. Some of them change seasonally (like the pumpkin spice beignet we had on our visit), and others are staples, like the beignet bites that you can also get in a to-go cone. My personal favorite was the cinnamon sugar beignet."

"301 Chartres St., (504) 291-1860; www.governorrestaurant.com. Shrimp Clemenceau includes sweet peas, mushrooms, brabant potatoes, roasted garlic and sweet cream corn grits. Reservations accepted."

"Piscobar does exactly what it says it does — Pisco, exceptionally well. Located on the 13th floor of the lovely Catahoula Hotel in the Central Business District, this equally lovely rooftop terrace is the perfect perfect place to kick back after a day sightseeing. Decorated with bare wood panelling, sunloungers and a tikki-bar, it’s a private oasis in the midst of office building skyscrapers."

"A post shared by Simon Gommerud (@sgommy) on Dec 16, 2019 at 4:50pm PST. Perched inside the Catahoula Hotel in downtown New Orleans, the Piscobar specializes in a number of cocktail mixes keeping pisco at its forefront. Pisco is a brandy that is manufactured in the wine-making regions of Peru and Chile and is the national spirit of Peru."

"The Catahoula Hotel is not only beautiful but home to Piscobar. Piscobar is a vivid vegan Taiwanese restaurant and bar using the freshest ingredients and flavorful spices. The food is out of this world and so are the drinks!"

"From here, you’ve got Jackson Square literally across the street, or if you walk out and to the right you can go to the French Market. Do both in whatever order you like then head into the center of the French Quarter. Some key points to check out in this small zone are: the artists along the street at Jackson Square, St Lous Cathedral (you can’t miss it), New Orleans Pharmacy Museum, Marie Laveau’s House of Voodoo, and shopping for antiques on Royal Street. Of course, Bourbon street is here too and always popping even in the daytime."

"Just walking around the French Quarter, with its famed wrought-iron balconies and historic architecture, is quite the experience. Bourbon Street is a rowdy, neon-lit thoroughfare that runs through the neighborhood, but there are hundreds of restaurants and bars and the antique stores of Royal Street. The Mississippi River frames the city, and the Audubon Aquarium of the Americas and Harrah's Casino are also top attractions."

"Home to New Orleans’ moneyed elite (and more than a handful of celebrities), the Garden District is the perfect place to walk around and gape at gorgeous homes. Whether you’re in search of Hollywood filming locations (the coven house from American Horror Story is here), familiar facades (the inspiration for the Haunted Mansion in Disneyland calls this neighborhood home), or celebrity homes (Sandra Bullock, John Goodman, and Anne Rice have both lived here, among others), or you simply want to enjoy the architecture, there’s plenty to love about exploring the Garden District."

"Once you’re ready for lunch, dole out $1.25 at the St. Charles / Common stop and make your way to the Garden District, home to some of the city’s most impressive and iconic mansions. For $3, you can get unlimited rides for 24 hours. Not only is this streetcar the world’s oldest continuously operating street railway system, but it’s also a unique and inexpensive way to transport yourself throughout the city."

"The Garden district is a nice neighborhood with beautiful architecture and breathtaking mansions. Celebrities like Sandra Bullock, and Brad Pitt own houses in the Garden district. I did both the Cemetery and Garden district tour with Tour New Orleans which lasted for 2 hours."

"The Contemporary Arts Center, housed in a large redbrick building that stands out in the relatively muted Central Business District, is one of the city’s most prestigious spaces for the full gamut of contemporary arts, including painting, film, theater, and music. Exhibits, which rotate every four to eight weeks, can include any visual art form, from photography to sculpture and painting. The featured works are well-curated—sometimes around themes, sometimes around individual contemporary artists."

"Visit the spacious art galleries of the Contemporary Arts Center to see some world-class fine art in the up-and-coming warehouse district in downtown New Orleans. There are different artist residences happening and constantly rotating and changing exhibits. The museum is famous for the events that it hosts with different performances and lectures."

"The CAC (900 Camp Street; 504-528-3805) has been in the heart of the Warehouse District since 1976. It is the place to find new and exciting expression in the medium of painting, theater, music, performance art, dance, photography, video, sculpture and more in New Orleans. Love is in the air at the NOMA Sculpture Garden in City Park."

"Take the famous St. Charles Streetcar to Central City to visit the McKenna Museum of African American Art. The museum’s mission is to make African Diasporan fine art available and accessible to visitors of all ages. They work to preserve the culture of the African American community in Louisiana."

"The McKenna Museum is a fine art institution with a direct focus on African Diasporan pieces. In addition to their collection, McKenna offers a range of diverse programming such as guest speakers, workshops and book readings to further their mission and work."

"Congo Square is located within Louis Armstrong Park, just north of the French District. It is a location steeped in history as the the enslaved of New Orleans would gather here on their day off to set up a market, sing, dance, and play music. There isn’t much here now, but the tiles and tress make for an interesting composition steeped in untold history."

"Inside, there are iconic sites like Congo Square, a historic meeting place for slaves in the 1800s. There are also sculptures, a duck pond and plenty of green space where you can relax after spending your morning walking around the city."

"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."

"Filled with 25 larger-than-life sculptures modeled after storybook characters, this unique playground boasts a dragon slide, Captain Hook's pirate ship, and the whale from Pinocchio. A post shared by nataliekcochran (@nataliekcochran) on Mar 13, 2018 at 7:11pm PDT"

"Arcing around the east bank of the Mississippi opposite Algiers Point is a riverside park laid out in the 1980s and 90s on the site of former wharves and warehouses. Woldenberg Park fronts the French Quarter and is bordered to the south by the Audubon Aquarium of the Americas and the Entergy Giant Screen Theater. During the French Quarter Festival in early April the main stages are put up in Woldenberg Park."

"For a day of exploring in the French Quarter, Woldenberg Park is an essential stop. Located right where the Quarter meets the mighty Mississippi, the park begins at the Audubon Aquarium of the Americas and runs along the water to St. Philip Street. Picnic spots, gazebos, and waterfront benches provide some of the city’s best views of the river."

"For example, at the Woldenberg Riverfront Park is a 16-acre park in front of downtown near everything. Woldenberg Riverfront Park is a wonderful place to go jogging or picnic. You’ll find people playing their music in the park."