There are two reasons to go to New Orleans: to party and to eat. Everything else to experience is just extra. The Big Easy is serious about food, and has a completely unique food culture. And there are several iconic New Orleans dishes you can’t leave the city without eating.

Even though I spent Christmas and New Year’s in New Orleans, I didn’t go there to party or drink 24 hours a day. I went to experience the culture and history, but ending up eating pretty much non-stop. I couldn’t help it! There were just too many dishes I can’t find anywhere else and the food was just too good.

Food is such a huge part of New Orleans that dozens of food tours are offered in the city. There are food tours mixed with history, food tours confined by neighborhood, and even food tours mixed with music. If you really want to understand the NOLA food culture, a tour is the best way to go.

In the meantime, here are the 7 iconic dishes in New Orleans and where to eat them.

7 Iconic New Orleans Dishes & Where to Eat Them

1. Beignets

Café Du Monde

Let’s get this one out of the way right now. Beignets are a fancy way of saying “fried dough” and in New Orleans they are drowned in powdered sugar. (And yes, it will get everywhere when you eat them!) French colonists brought them to the area in the 1700s and they’ve been a signature dish of the Big Easy ever since.

The sweet treats are everywhere in New Orleans but you have to eat them at Café du Monde. The open-air restaurant is a city landmark and has been serving beignets since the Civil War. It’s the only thing they serve and they do it around the clock. There’s always a line and I can’t guarantee it’ll be worth it, but it’s still a NOLA must do. Order them with Café au Lait, a chicory blended coffee created during a coffee shortage during the Civil War. Note: Café du Monde is cash only.

2. Gumbo

Gumbo Shop

Simply put, gumbo is a savory meat stew topped with a pile of white rice. Made with a rich stock thickened with okra and roux (a blend of fat and flour), the stew consists of celery, bell peppers, onions, and meat (usually sausage, ham, and shellfish). The dish traces its heritage to African, French, Spanish, German, and Choctaw cultures and is the state dish of Louisiana. The ingredients can vary by chef or restaurant, putting a personal touch on one of the most ubiquitous dishes in New Orleans.

It’s not hard to find gumbo in New Orleans, but head for the namesake dish at Gumbo Shop. Hidden down a hallway in the French Quarter, Gumbo Shop serves three types of gumbo: seafood okra, chicken and Andouille (smoked pork sausage), and gumbo z’herbes (a green version). The gumbos have been a local favorite since the 1940s when the restaurant opened and the chefs are legally bound to keep the recipes consistent. The restaurant is charmingly small, so like many places in New Orleans, expect a line.

3. Anything with Alligator

Cochon

I learned two things in New Orleans: one, alligator is actually a thing people eat. And two, it really does taste like chicken! Alligator, sourced from farms, is roasted, fried, sauteed, smoked, or sausaged (is that a verb?) and put on menus all over the city. It’s a staple of Southern cuisine and one of the must eat dishes in New Orleans.

As delicious as the alligator sausage Po Boy was, my favorite was fried alligator drenched in chili garlic mayonnaise at Cochon. The alligator was firm but crunchy and the spicy sauce was lick-your-fingers good. Cochon wasn’t one of my favorite restaurants, so order alligator wherever you see it (which is everywhere). After all, when in Rome — er, New Orleans…

4. Muffaletta

Napoleon House

The Muffaletta sandwich is another one of the iconic dishes of New Orleans. Originally created in Sicily and brought to the city by Italian immigrants, the hearty sandwich was perfected at Central Grocery in the French Quarter. The sandwich consists of sesame-crusted bread packed with Italian cured meats, cheese, and — the kicker — olive salad made with olives and giardiniera seasoned with spices and garlic.

As inventors of the Muffaletta, Central Grocery is on every Where to Eat in New Orleans list, but my vote goes to Napoleon House. The history alone makes it worth a visit, but the charming interior and excellent food doesn’t hurt either. Located in the heart of the French Quarter in a house built in 1914, the restaurant got its name from a plot to rescue Napoleon from exile. The house’s owner offered the house to the fallen Emperor but he died before the rescue mission could be carried out. Today the restaurant has a minimal menu known for their Muffalettas and Po Boys that are all big enough to share.

5. Jambalaya

Coop’s Place

Like several other iconic New Orleans dishes on this list, Jambalaya is the result of several cultures joining forces. Tracing its heritage to Spanish, African, and French cuisines, Jambalaya sounds simple but tastes much more complex. Smoked sausage and seafood (usually shrimp or crawfish) is mixed with onion, celery, and green pepper, seasoned with garlic and spices, and added to rice and broth. It’s similar to Gumbo, but is cooked along with the rice (instead of topped with it). Jambalaya is sometimes compared to Spanish paella, but the flavors are completely different.

It’s not hard to find Jambalaya in New Orleans either, but I won’t forget the bowl at Coop’s Place. The dive bar is cramped and loud, and the bartender will playfully give you a hard time, but it all adds to the experience. Jambalaya is the house specialty, made with rabbit, sausage, chicken, crawfish, shrimp, and tasso — a Louisiana style of ham — plus the required vegetables and spices. Coop’s is at the edge of the French Quarter, right on your way to Frenchmen Street, so fill up before listening to some jazz.

6. Po Boy

Mother’s

Another one of New Orlean’s iconic dishes is the Po Boy. The meat-filled sandwich is served on a baguette, but beyond that the Po Boy can come in all sorts of ways. The meat can be anything from roast beef or sausage to seafood — like shrimp, oysters, crawfish, or crab, which can be fried or grilled. It can be served hot or cold, plain or “dressed” with lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, and mayonnaise.

Head to Mother’s for a Po Boy that echoes the original created in the 1920s. The roast beef sandwich is served dressed, but it’s best eaten with some “debris.” Debris is the au jus gravy that drips into the pan as the roast beef cooks, giving the Po Boy a sort of Italian Beef-like quality. Mother’s is a bare-bones, cafeteria style restaurant with a massive menu and even bigger portions. A few warnings about Mother’s: the portions are monstrous, everything is delicious, and there will always be a line! (But it’s worth the wait.)

7. Oysters, Any Style

Everywhere!

Like many dishes on this list, New Orleans is credited with creating Oysters Rockefeller — where the delicious bivalves are topped with butter, parsley, spinach, bacon, parmesan cheese, and bread crumbs, then baked. Those, of course, are one of the must eat dishes in New Orleans, but don’t stop there. Oysters are abundant, so they are on every menu in every different way. From raw oysters to wood-fired ones, to those topped with rich butter sauces to spicy Cajun sauces and everything in between, it’s worth trying them in all their different styles.

Since oysters aren’t hard to find in New Orleans, chase down a few spots for something special. Antoine’s is the original creator of Oysters Rockefeller and has been open for 175 years (making it one of the oldest family owned restaurants in the country!). On the other side of town, Luke describes itself as a Creole-inspired Brasserie but is best known for 74 cent oysters during happy hour (3-6 pm daily). As for me, I really liked the house oysters at Oceana, chargrilled and smothered in a garlic cream Cajun sauce. (And everything else there won’t disappoint either.)

And, whatever you do, the one thing you must have in New Orleans…

…Is an iced Irish Coffee at Erin Rose in the French Quarter. I promise it’s the best Irish coffee you’ll ever have and that’s really all you need to know. You can thank me later.

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Related :: Exploring New Orleans Beyond Bourbon Street, a Plantation Day Trip and What to do in New Orleans

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