Baby Got Balance

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Food, Travel, United States

Eating Your Way Through New Orleans

My favorite part of traveling, outside of the overall experience, is food! New Orleans offers up just about anything you could want, from vegan desserts to full on Cajun food (not vegan for sure). Here’s a quick recap of everywhere we ate in New Orleans (and everywhere you should, too!):

Revelator: Paloma Cafe

This corner cafe might look like it’s just a coffee spot but don’t sleep on their happy hour! I liked it so much I went back twice, once with company! Enjoy drinks like the “Gatorade” slushy (their take on the gross Slurpee like grain alcohol concoction you’ll find on Bourbon Street) and the Hibiscus Mule while you munch on a pickle plate or the tostones. Want something a little heartier? The mixed mushroom tacos with homemade escabeche rocked my world. If you need a little gas at the end of your hour (or more!) grab a delicious espresso, served in a sake cup.

Revelator: Paloma Cafe 800 Louisa Street

Quick takeaway: vegan options, happy hour, great drinks

Bistreaux

Located in the Maison Dupuy Hotel in the French Quarter, Bistreaux has a bar along with seated breakfast, lunch and dinner. There are zero options on the menu if you’re vegan but I was able to get the chef to make me a vegan veggie wrap while we were at the bar. It was ok but not memorable. The really enjoyable part of Bistreaux is the bar and the bartenders. The drinks are moderately priced but the staff is friendly and make a great drink!

Bistreaux 1001 Toulouse Street

Quick takeaway: pass unless you’re staying at Maison Dupuy or want a standard, but well made, drink.

St. Roch Market

If I had to choose only one place to eat in New Orleans it would be St. Roch Market! No joke. This food hall (beloved by Travel + Leisure, Zagat, Food & Wine and more!) offers up 12 different vendors, all in a beautiful location. I got roti with tofu, cucumber, cilantro, sprouts and homemade hot sauce and my travel pal grabbed “the best steak sandwich” she’s ever had (that’s a direct quote) along with some oysters. Neither of us had any room for dessert but I’m sure there’s something worth writing about.

St. Roch Market 2381 St. Claude Avenue

Quick takeaway: vegan options, good for groups, must go, great drinks

Auction House Market

Another food hall, similar to St. Roch (above), with similarly delicious offerings. I was also incredibly pleased to find that one of the vendors, Mac & Moon, not only had vegan macarons but also had vegan rolled ice cream. So yeah. I got some jackfruit dumplings, Khao Soi mushroom noodle soup and a yummy apricot cocktail. Then I had an orange creamsicle macaron with my strawberry and chocolate rolled ice cream. I also have zero regrets.

Auction House Market 801 Magazine Street

Quick takeaway: vegan options, good for groups, great drinks

Green Goddess

This small cluster of outdoor tables in the alley way serves a surprisingly creative brunch! Vegan options, blue corn cakes, mimosa honey biscuits and pepper jelly will all be found. A nice stop for outdoor breakfast in what feels like a fairly quiet alcove.

Green Goddess 307 Exchange Place

Quick takeaway: brunch, vegan options

Cafe Beignet

While there are multiple locations of Cafe Beignet in the French Quarter, you should check out Royal Street! They even sell adorable little bottles of bubbles (beignets & bubbles would probably be a good combo, just saying) and have standard breakfast offerings and sandwiches….but we know why you came. Grab a strong coffee and a bag of beignets and congratulate yourself on not waiting in line, in the hot sun, on Decatur.

Cafe Beignet 334 Royal Street

Quick takeaway: beignets, coffee

Mimi’s in the Marigny

We ended our stay in NOLA here and it was a good call! This place is a little bit local, a little bit dive and a lot of fun. They had good music, an interesting snack menu and the bartenders’ “surprise me” drinks were delicious!

Mimi’s in the Marigny 2601 Royal Street

Quick takeaway: great drinks

Pizza Delicious

Who doesn’t love pizza? This place was *ahem* delicious. They have perfect crust and offer vegan options (including a vegan slice so you don’t have to buy the whole pie!), salads, pastas and drinks. I got the vegan peppadew and arugula and would eat it again in a heartbeat. Also, you really have to give a place credit when they have a “no pizza for Nazis” sign up. Cheers!

Pizza Delicious 617 Piety Street

Quick takeaway: pizza, vegan options

G’s Pizza CBD

In all honesty I stumbled across this place in sheer desperation. My first night in NOLA I was in pretty rough shape: I had been up since 4am (my time) to catch my flight, had done a pretty full afternoon at Studio Be and a lot of walking around in the heat once I finally arrived, had a couple of drinks and was generally feeling overwhelmed and gross…..and my counterpart was still flying in that night! I needed to rally but I couldn’t figure my life out at that moment. So what did I do? I pulled up Postmates and found this place – they delivered to my hotel (yay!) and had vegan options on the menu (yay again!). I got an arugula salad with walnuts and a vegan jalapeno cheesy bread and ate my food on my balcony while regaining my humanity. Overall the food was quick, pretty inexpensive and the salad was fresh. The vegan cheesy bread was just as it sounds. And it saved me from having to go out in public and make decisions when I was totally burnt out. Cheers!

G’s Pizza CBD 833 Howard Avenue

Quick takeaway: delivery, vegan options, good drunk food

Bacchanal Wine

Go here! I loved the entire concept of this place. You walk into what appears to be a wine shop and can get assistance selecting a bottle. If you’re staying they will open it for you after you pay and then you go through the back door to the patio area. They have ice, ice buckets and glasses directly outside the door and tons of seating (with fans, lights and umbrellas everywhere). We grabbed a spot in the shade and enjoyed the rose we bought. Make sure to check their calendar if you’re going: they have live jazz music several times per day! They also offer food (tapas style snacks) or a build your own cheese plate but we had just wandered over from eating pizza at Pizza Delicious so food was a no-go for both of us.

Bacchanal Wine 600 Poland Avenue

Quick takeaway: wine, live music, small bites

There were also a few misses but I’ll save the negativity (you can always ask me if you really want to know). Even with a few bad experiences we were still able to eat some incredible food and drink some really, really good drinks. My only other recommendation would be to walk a bit more if you’re going to eat all the things…….let’s just say it’s far too easy to put on some pounds, even in a weekend *ahem*.

If you want to know more about how to spend a long weekend in New Orleans check out my post here!

Where’s your favorite place to eat in New Orleans? I’m always looking for recommendations!

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  1. Laura Beth Allen

    October 8, 2019 at 2:50 pm

    girllll, I love LA! I lived in Dallas for a few years, and was fortunate enough to be able to get out to Louisiana and eat a tonnnn of Tacos, and their food is incredible! This round up is perfection!

  2. Becky

    October 9, 2019 at 8:36 am

    Wow, this all looks great! I really like the idea of Pizza Delicious (and the no nazis sign!) and love that they have vegan options.

  3. Stephanie

    October 9, 2019 at 9:45 am

    Well this post certainly made me hungry. Auction House Market has the coolest vibe and Cafe Beignet sounds right up my alley. I hope I get a chance to visit NOLA at some point soon!

  4. cait

    October 9, 2019 at 10:08 am

    ive been wanting to visit new orleans forever and i def am pining this to use when i go 🙂 this all looks and sound so yummy!

  5. roxy

    October 9, 2019 at 11:16 am

    So true, eating while traveling is totally fun! I’ve been to the Auction House Market but had not heard of all of these places, and now I’m so excited for my next trip to NOLA so I can try them out!!

  6. Petra

    October 9, 2019 at 3:05 pm

    I have never bin to New Orleans. But I would love to try out some of the restaurants you shared

  7. Melissa

    October 9, 2019 at 9:29 pm

    This made me so hungry! My boyfriend and I want to go to New Orleans so bad. Definitely using this post when we need it!

  8. Tiffany Khyla

    October 9, 2019 at 10:46 pm

    I used to go to New Orleans all the time when I lived in Louisiana. It’s still one of my favorite cities. St. Roch Market is my fave!

  9. kileen

    October 10, 2019 at 12:29 am

    This looks so yummy! Definitely need to bookmark this post for future reference! Thanks for sharing.

    Kileen
    cute & little

  10. Marette F

    October 10, 2019 at 9:39 am

    I remember eating such delicious meals in New Orleans. I loved the beignets too!

  11. Christa

    October 10, 2019 at 12:09 pm

    Food is definitely my favorite way to explore a city! So many yummy things here.

  12. aisasami

    October 11, 2019 at 2:25 am

    What wonderful places to eat at in the fabulous New Orleans. This got me thinking though: does New Orleans have any local cuisine?

  13. Samantha Donnelly

    October 11, 2019 at 9:45 am

    This post has made me very hungry the food looks amazing, I would love to visit New Orleans one day

  14. Maddie

    October 11, 2019 at 9:53 am

    It’s official… I’m adding New Orleans to my bucket list. The food looks so good!

  15. Dalene Ekirapa

    October 11, 2019 at 10:15 am

    So I am not alone! My favorite experience in every getaway is the food too. Anyway, those tacos at Paloma’s cafe are so inviting. I would also love to visit Auction House Market- first off their decor is amazing!

  16. Marjie Mare

    October 11, 2019 at 9:50 pm

    That post comes at the right, we are going to spend 4 days in New Orleans for my husband’s birthday. I will save your post. Thanks for sharing.

  17. aisasami

    October 12, 2019 at 3:26 am

    Ever since I saw Princess and the Frog, I really want to try some Beignets. I think I would have to go to Cafe Beignet for that!

  18. Shar

    October 12, 2019 at 6:07 am

    What a helpful list of places! I always look for vegan food while abroad. Your post is very informative.

  19. Tatyanna

    October 13, 2019 at 3:06 pm

    I absolutely love New Orleans food! I’ll have to save this post for my next time in town.

  20. Liz Santos

    October 13, 2019 at 10:00 pm

    Wow! Never thought of how much wondrous, interesting and delicious food New Orleans could offer! I’ll take this as a list and roam the next time. Thanks!

  21. Clarice

    October 14, 2019 at 11:47 am

    I would love to try those vegan macarons from the Auction House Market. I had one a few months ago in a small cafe in California and it was good. I am also keen to try some jackfruit dumplings.

    Thank you for these tips. You just made a trip to NOLA exciting.

  22. Ramona dejesus-Curtis

    October 15, 2019 at 3:25 am

    Will check out some of these places when i go to new orleans

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