Best Pastries in Westwego

"The quintessential museum of Louisiana, the permanent collection includes nearly 40,000 world-class works of regional, national and international art, such as Picasso, Braque, Dufy and Miró, and drawings by Degas, who worked just blocks from the museum when he visited maternal relatives in the early 1870s. Lectures, book clubs, film presentations, art classes and musical performances are all presented with aplomb – and you can even take yoga classes in the sublimely beautiful Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden, where works of the 20th century's master sculptors reside in a sub-tropical sanctuary. 1 Collins C Diboll Circle, noma.org."

"New Orleans Museum of Art, 1 Collins Diboll Circle, (504) 482-1264; www.cafenoma.com. An Americana grain bowl includes chicken breast over wild rice, sweet potatoes, cranberries and baby spinach with warm bacon vinaigrette."

"When I walked into Revelator Coffee and saw all of their unique blends and espresso machines at work, I knew I was in for a treat. Their coffee tastes legit, and you can even buy some coffee grinds to DIY at home. Along with the relaxing music playing, the sounds of their espresso machines were extremely therapeutic while studying."

"Dong Phoung has gained several accolades over the years for their king cake, including a James Beard Award. This Vietnamese bakery attracts lines of people each carnival season hoping to snag one of their seasonal treats. Indulge in a Randazzo’s King Cake on the first day of Carnival season, Jan. 6 (otherwise known as Twelfth Night) (Photo: Paul Broussard)"

"There are po’ boys aplenty to choose from in New Orleans, but few places offer Dong Phuong’s take: a Vietnamese riff on the Big Easy classic. Locals and tourists alike venture to eastern New Orleans for a Vietnamese Po’ Boy (aka banh mi sandwich). Choose from more than 15 variations or go for the owner’s favorite, Vietnamese Sausage."

"Dong Phuong Bakery is worth the trip to New Orleans East for bánh mì. It supplies its trademark French loaves to many other Vietnamese restaurants throughout the city, and bakes everything fresh daily. A lot of times where good pho is found, a well-made Vietnamese sandwich accompanies."

"New Orleans (well, old Metairie), now has an outpost of the Houston-based Shipley’s Do-nuts, best known for its yeast doughnuts, cake doughnuts, filled doughnuts, and kolaches (like the “Big Earl,” Earl Campbell sausage, cheese and jalapeño). Its doughnuts are mostly straightforward and toping-less, and classically good."

"The team at Warehouse District food hall Auction House has an on-trend new cocktail menu for summer, offering a Kalimotxo that marries the traditional Basque punch and a Whiskey Sour; a Barcelona style G&T with gin, El Guapo tonic, thyme, clove, house tincture, and grapefruit; and the cloudy Pau Hana, made with rum, manzanilla sherry, lime, banana and pimento dram. The bright, plant-filled space makes for a nice setting to sip drinks, and there’s are new happy hour specials weekdays from 4 to 7 p.m."

"I actually went here twice because of its location, and it’s obviously got some delicious options. It was only a few minutes walk from our first hotel, Loews New Orleans, and also near the WWII Museum. The food hall is from the same team that’s behind the more well known St. Roch Market, and it has a number of different vendors."

"Liuzza's by The Track is a local gem famous around the city - the country, maybe even the world - for its gumbo. Made with a dark roux base, this gumbo is packed with freshly cooked seafood, homemade local sausage, 13 spices and a few secret ingredients. Your chicken finger and french fry experts will be happy with some of the best chicken fingers featured on a local kid's menu – definitely not from a freezer bag, plump and juicy."

"Liuzza’s by the Track is more than ‘just’ a Po Boy shop located near the Fairgrounds Race Course. With a full bar as well as a menu that features burgers, salads and a full range of seafood plates, it’s more of a neighborhood restaurant. However, despite its varied menu, Liuzza’s signature dish is its BBQ Shrimp Po Boy Po Boy."

"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."

"Housed in a low-slung purple building in Treme, you are obliged to place your order at a bulletproof glass window within. No worries, you will have plenty of company and even massive catering-sized orders roll up magically fast. The fried wings are addictive ($5.39 for 8 plus a side of fries or shrimp fried rice and a side salad) and the yakamein ($5.49) is spot on, too."

"The best place to find this street food is really at neighborhood corner joints like Manchu Food Store and Chinese Kitchen, a small bright-purple cinderblock building under the bridge on Claiborne."