New Orleans – A Food Guide – Ginger Without Borders

The past week I spent some quality time with my father in one of my favorite places in the United States: New Orleans, Louisiana.

For most people New Orleans (pronounced “Nah-lens” by the locals; shortened to ‘NOLA’ by the tourism office) is a place to drink, party the night away, and barely remember the trip (essentially the southern version of Los Vegas). But for my father and I, it is a place to get some of the BEST food in the world. And the best beignets. I would kill for a fresh Café Du Monde beignet. (Beignets are essentially a french donut. But better than any donut you’ve ever had.) Now, there is an argument between Café Du Monde and Café Beignet for who has the best – but this is essentially a Dunkin Donuts vs. Krispy Kreme debate: it all depends on the person. And I’m for Café Du Monde all the way (they are less rich and doughy, analogous to Krispy Kreme).

Many years ago, when my brother and I were very young, my dad used to work in NOLA. He would leave my mom at home in NC to fly down for a week, then fly back up with stories of all the amazing food he ate. Which mom didn’t exactly love – she was stuck with two terrors for children (without fail, my brother would get sick right when my dad left; and I was just never an easy child – always too stubborn for my own good), while he got to have some of the best food in the world.

With all that time in NOLA, dad became a foody before a foody was even a thing. No joke – he took me out to dinner in NC to plan out every place we were going to eat – breakfast, lunch, and dinner – during our trip. We were eating while planning what to we would eat every day the next week.

A bit too much, in my opinion, but that’s how dad travels.

Anyway – to spread the food wealth, here is a list of our absolute favorite places:

Mother’s: 401 Poydras St; the best Southern breakfast I have ever eaten!
Saint Cecilia: 91 French Market Pl; this place is basically a mix of hipster-brunch and southern comfort breakfasts. We were going to go here for dinner, but thankfully we decided to go for brunch instead. Their Chicken and Waffles kept me full for I’m hungry even just thinking about them.
Gumbo Shop: 630 St Peter St; I’m not one for Gumbo normally (because outside of NOLA people make it much too spicy) but this place is just…incredible. Highly recommend the Chicken Andouille Gumbo – plus: its been voted the best by locals.
Café Sbisa: 1011 Decatur St; Built in one of the oldest buildings in the city, the food isn’t the only amazing thing in this restaurant. The mirrors are actually discolored by how old they are; its extremely interesting to see! And the food was to die for. Highly recommend the Prime Pork Ribeye!
Trinity Restaurant: 1117 Decatur St; At first I thought this place was a bit more hipster than I would like, but as usual for New Orleans, the food was better than anything you could find anywhere else. I decided to get a vegetarian dish, and I’ve never had any vegetables as delicious as here.
And my favorite:Broussard’s Resturant: 819 Conti St; this is one of the most famous restaurants in NOLA, and there is a reason for that. It is definitely more expensive, but I have literally never had a better meal in my life. Also, you must try the Bananas Foster (a dessert) and the Hurricane (an alcoholic drink):