Best Lunch Restaurants in Westwego

"600 Carondelet St | Warehouse District | josephineestelle.com. Italian culture has always been consistent when it comes to one thing in particular: the love that they have for their families. Think about every movie you’ve ever seen that features a big Italian family and what the common tropes you saw across each one were, and what do you see?"

"European-style attention to detail applied to full-flavored Southern-style ingredients results in an innovative culinary experience at Josephine Estelle, which serves some of the b..."

"Ace Hotel, 600 Carondelet St., (504) 930-3070; www.josephineestelle.com. Fried Brussels sprouts salad includes lima beans, golden raisins and yogurt. Reservations accepted."

"Like its sister Bearcat uptown, Bearcat CBD offers a menu of wholesome goodness for “Good Cat” (e.g., the savory Ranchero with vegan black beans, cashew crema, ranchero sauce, pico and avocado) and “Bad Cat” (country fried steak on Texas toast) cravings. There is more on offer downtown, however, including a contemporary rear patio fit for the pages of Dwell magazine. According to general manager Michael Matthews, Bearcat’s outdoor space has been a work in progress since the restaurant opened in December 2019."

"The Bearcat Cafe located in the Uptown District is consistently busy and well-known for their good food and high quality ingredients. Our favorite on the menu is the Crab Daddy Biscuit which involves a soft-shell crab on a biscuit served with a sunny egg and cajun gravy. You might be waiting a while for a table but there is a reason why people are willing to wait for the food here."

"Green is beautiful at Satsuma, a fetching dining spot with locations on Maple Street Uptown and on Dauphine Street in the Bywater. Yard eggs scrambled with basil pesto and shaved Nueske's ham, free trade coffee and freshly made juices concocted in their industrial juicer behind the bar are just a few of the daily specials. Vegans are in heaven here, thanks to dishes like the tofu scramble and black bean burger with avocado mash."

"A Bywater spot with a great and well-deserved reputation, the Satsuma Café can be easily identified by the line of customer that are often snaking out the door. But this is a good thing, and it’s not hype. You won’t find pancakes on their printed menu, but their delicious spins on buttermilk creations (think roasted pear or s’mores pancakes) are usually a daily special."

"This breakfast and lunch spot is a local favorite on Magazine Street. Slim Goodies serves classic comfort food with bold twists, all made with fresh ingredients (and lots of love). Everyone loves the slammers: hash browns slathered in something delicious – think crawfish étouffée or chili with bacon and cheddar cheese – but the sweet potato pancakes are not to be missed."

"Ten years old and going strong, Magazine Street's quirky, always-slammed early morning to lunch time diner, is known for their Slammer options, a hangover-helper made with hashbrowns and scrambles of various sort (eggs, chili, tofu, what have you). There is also a potato latke/crawfish etouffee dish called the Jewish Coonass, not PC, but a fan favorite."

"Slim Goodies Diner is a dive-y diner located in the Garden District/Irish Channel portion of Magazine Street in New Orleans. The venue has a retro feel with the old Coke signs, red leather booths and counter stools. Breakfast/brunch is the specialty here, and waits can be long if you come at peak times, say around 10 am."

"This chain has two New Orleans locations, and the menu offers a wide variety of options from omelettes to benedicts. The spot also offers a kids menu and vegetarian dishes. Prices top out at around $12."

"It was awful- the crab meat Benedict was greasy and smelled the eggs floated in grease - I loved the coffee cups More reviews"

"Category: American, Breakfast, Delivery, Po-Boys, and Seafood. Mena’s Palace Restaurant has been serving New Orleans fare for over sixty years. Located in the historic French Quarter, stop by for breakfast or lunch to experience authentic Cajun cuisine Read more..."

"Opened in 2017 in the Garden District, Lula is New Orleans’ only Creole/Southern restaurant with an in-house distillery. Partner Jess Bourgeois, formerly of Commander’s Palace, handles the restaurant while co-owner Bear Caffrey, a Baton Rouge ER doctor with a penchant for chemistry, oversees the distillery. To open a combined full service restaurant with a micro-distillery, Bourgeois and Caffrey had to seek approval through House Bill 233, which passed in the summer of 2015, paving the way for future restaurant-distillery concepts in Louisiana."

"Tea-brined, buttermilk battered Cornish hen is served with Creole slaw and fries. Reservations accepted. Lunch and dinner daily, brunch Sat.-Sun."

"No shortage of Uptown huff has surrounded this longtime Magazine street bakery since Donald Link and partner Stephen Stryjewski took over from the previous (French) owners in 2015. What is undeniable: La Boulangerie’s impressive selection of hearty breads, among them the splurge-worthy olive fougasse, the blue cheese, and rosemary with sea salt loaves. Sandwiches served all day, including Boulangerie’s uptake on the egg McMuffin."

"You may not have heard of La Boulangerie even though the Uptown cafe has been open since 2000. You also may be unfamiliar with the Link Restaurant Group that started managing La Boulangerie in 2015. However, you probably know some of the management group’s restaurants like Cochon, Herbsaint and Peche."

"4600 Magazine St., (504) 269-3777; www.laboulangerienola.com. A L’Atlantique sandwich includes smoked salmon, avocado, arugula and lemon mayonnaise on toasted olive bread."

"When this Mexican spot from the team at CureCo (which also operates nearby Cure and French Quarter favorite Cane and Table) opened last summer, it brought the Freret neighborhood a welcome open-air dining option. The former gas station has been reimagined as a sprawling, casual gathering spot serving up tacos, ceviche, queso fundido and specials like the birria torta. The CureCo bar pedigree is evident in the cocktail and spirits list, which includes not only praiseworthy margaritas but also creative twists on classics like the mezcal negroni or Oaxacan old fashioned."

"The gist: The team behind Cure Co. headed down Freret Street to open Vals, a taco stand with pitch-perfect mezcal margaritas and a big, gorgeous patio, making it a great pick for those who aren’t yet ready to dine indoors.The food: You’ve got “not tacos” (elotes, a beautiful tuna tostada, chips, various salsas) and tacos (crispy beef belly, sweet potato, chicken in green mole, fried fish, and pork shoulder). The cost: Starters and side $5 - $10, tacos $3, beer are $4 - $5, frozen margaritas $10 - $70.How to book: Stop by for counter service or order take-out online."

"Neal Bodenheimer and his partners pushed through the pandemic to open Vals, a former garage on Freret they’d been eying for more than five years. The space is warm and inviting, chef Fredo kills it with his charred tomato salsa, green mole chicken tacos, and ceviche of the day — and no surprise, the drink menu is amazing. Scan the QR code to dive deep into the tequila and mezcal list."

"We live in an unapologetically weird city, and places like Tresor, devoted to showcasing the best of New Orleans contemporary art, have always been idiosyncratic outposts against creeping normality. While it’s hard to pin down any one kind of art at this spot, you can always expect something, well, unexpected. Eclectic at the least – we’ve seen darkly decorated baby dolls, folk art-style wall panels, fantastical mixed media sculptures, graphic novelesque illustrations and work that feels graffiti-ish in origin."

"Editor's Note: There's no photo available at the time of writing. Mid-City Market is an urban infill shopping center located at the northwest corner of North Carrollton Avenue and Bienville Street. This market has great things to offer, from groceries to trendy clothes."

"Located in the center of City Park is NOMA, New Orleans Museum of Art which the building itself is beautiful holding a permanent fine art collection of over 40,000 pieces. We will be checking this out on our next trip as well!"

"The Cabildo’s twin, facing Jackson Square on the north side of the cathedral, is from 1791 and held as one of the masterpieces of colonial Spanish architecture. Previously the domestic quarters, or presbytère, for the cathedral’s Capuchin monks had stood on this spot, which explains the name. This ornate building has come through a few different uses, and was a courthouse from 1834 to 1911."

"The Presbytere Museum has two permanent exhibits that are extremely important to the city of New Orleans. The Mardi Gras exhibit explores the annual celebration and all the traditions that go along with it. Learn more about the Mardi Gras Indians and different Krewes that partake in the events and how they got their start."

"One of the twin Spanish colonial buildings flanking the St. Louis Cathedral, this one, on the right, was built on the site of the priests'…"

"The Whitney Plantation House is meant to be the best one which doesn’t just focus on the mansion and owners but instead focuses on slavery and is turned into a slavery museum, with the money benefitting descendants of slaves (from what I’m told). I am really bummed I didn’t go here – I thought they might be unethical, then Sam talked to some locals who said this place was legit and totally a do-not-miss. Something to do on the next trip."

"The Whitney plantation is the first American museum dedicated to slavery. It has records of memoirs from literate slaves and their experiences. The Whitney plantation focuses on the institution of slavery. The Laura plantation is a creole owned plantation whereby the family tell the history of the their generation."

"If you’re going to visit any plantations, please make The Whitney Plantation a priority. It’s the first slavery museum in America, dedicated to telling the history of slaves in their own words, taken from historical records."

"Lizardi rolls are egg rolls filled with cabbage, crabmeat, shrimp and crawfish seasoned with Asian and Cajun spices and served with sweet chili sauce. Reservations accepted. Lunch daily, dinner Mon.-Sat."

"You know you've come to a unique place the moment you enter Justine on Chartres, beginning with the showgirl fan dancer who greets you at the reception desk and continuing with the wildly vibrant décor that assaults your senses as you enter the French brasserie. The latest restaurant from the husband-wife team of chef Justin Devillier and his wife Mia, known for Le Petite Grocery, Justine opened its doors in 2019 to big buzz. Popular entrées include a messy wagyu burger served on a brioche bun, Moroccan spiced short ribs and moules frites."

"Justine isn’t necessarily fancy, but it’s definitely a splurge, because it’s in the French Quarter. Really, it’s a brasserie. When you walk in, there’s a front café room, with a sidewalk-café feel to it."

"Sauteed Gulf fish amandine is topped with toasted almond brown butter sauce and served with haricots verts. Reservations accepted. Lunch Tue.-Fri., dinner daily, late-night Fri.-Sat., brunch Sat.-Sun."

"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."