New Orleans is a city that has plenty of delicious food waiting to be eaten as long as you’re willing to put down your drinks for a moment.

How long to stay?

New Orleans is one of the cities I’ve visited the most. That’s not because I’ve wanted to visit it for leisure purposes but more because of work obligations that bring me back. Over the course of my visits, I’d say my impression of the city has changed slightly. I originally thought of it as an alcoholic’s paradise because of, well, Bourbon Street and the ability to bring your open beverage anywhere (including in the car). However, I’ve come to realize it’s also a good foodie city.

Most of our time here has revolved around eating. So you’re not going to see too many activities available here but the focus is more on the food. Thus, I think an extended weekend is a good amount of time in New Orleans for a first visit.

What we did in New Orleans

Audubon Aquarium

We came to the Audubon Aquarium many years ago when Alex was less than a year old. What we recall of the aquarium is that it felt a little more on the smaller side than others we have been to. Part of that feeling comes from the fact that it mostly just guides you in a fixed path along the way. As I’ve mentioned in other posts, I don’t prefer this style of going through an aquarium and would rather explore it at my own pace.

That said, there is a decent variety of animals on display here, including a section dedicated to creatures you might find in the area. And when you’re done with the aquarium, you can go check out the Riverwalk Outlets next door or continue down the path to the original Cafe Du Monde.

Bourbon Street

Let’s be real: anyone wanting to come to Bourbon Street is simply looking for alcohol. That’s not technically correct, but for practical purposes it’s true. You could come for the jazz and piano bars, which is a fun way to spend an evening, but they’re all packed. Your best bet to listening to music is heading over to Frenchmen Street instead, as it shouldn’t be packed to the brim there with alcoholics.

Anyways, if you just want to walk the street with your kids, it’s better to do it during daylight hours. Coming here at night will just find plenty who are enjoying hurricanes and hand grenades. That might be what you’re looking for–I’ve done it a few times myself–but pace yourself.

Ride a carriage in the French Quarters

Want to take a trip around town in a horse-drawn carriage? Head over to Jackson Square to find plenty of horse-drawn carriages lined up ready to take you places. They’re supposed to just take you on a simple tour, but you can negotiate a more interesting route with your tour guide if you so desire. But keep that hush hush as they say they might get in trouble if caught. It’s kind of hard to hide a horse, though, so I’m not sure if the secrecy is just a ruse.

It can feel a little overpriced for what you get, but it’s a more interesting tour around the neighborhood than riding the hop-on-hop-off bus.

Where we ate in New Orleans

Meril

One of Emeril’s more casual restaurants, Meril is a good spot to visit if you’re in for some contemporary American food. It’s a place we’ve been to a couple of times as we’ve found the food tasty and reasonably priced.

The kitchen has a fairly open window, so it’s easy to take a peek inside. On my most recent visit to the restaurant, I was fortunate enough to get a nice opportunity to see it from my table.

The food is simple but effective. We’ve tried several items on the menu and haven’t found anything we didn’t like so far. While the kids haven’t had the chance to try out the food, I don’t have doubts that they would find something they enjoy.

Plates

I’m a bit sad that I didn’t get a chance to take photos of Plates, which is located on Annunciation Street. That’s because when I dined here with some friends, we all enjoyed it very much. As its name implies, it’s a restaurant that specializes in tapas. The flavors aren’t necessarily from the Louisiana area, but it’s still pretty delicious.

The best way to experience the restaurant is to get yourself a big crowd and share a bunch of different plates. You’ll be glad you did.

Gianna

If you’ve got some Resy credits to use up from American Express cards, Gianna is a place to consider. It’s located on the corner of Magazine and Girod, and serves up classic Italian food. Yes, it might seem strange to eat Italian in a city with strong French and Creole connections, but it works. Sometimes you just want to try other foods and there’s nothing wrong with that.

Let’s just say the food at Gianna is so tasty that it’s very easy to overeat. The saltimbocca was incredibly filling and flavorful. It definitely hit the spot that evening (and made me regret ordering the focaccia bread simply because there were wasn’t enough room in my stomach for all the food).

Brennan’s

Brennan’s is an institution in the French Quarters of New Orleans. Home of the banana’s foster dessert, it’s a bit tough to get reservations due to its popularity. It’s good, though a bit on the overrated side given how crowded the restaurant is. Despite that, it’s absolutely worth a visit if you haven’t been yet. But it’s not a place we’d be clamoring to go to every time we are in town.

Mother’s Restaurant

Mother’s is a popular spot for lunch. We normally go for a po’ boy (they’re huge), but there other filling options available. The service reminds me a bit of how things were growing up–a little rough around the edges but well-intentioned and still friendly. It’s a good spot if you’re in the mood for some guilty pleasures, but I feel like that can almost be said about much of the city.

Cafe Du Monde

Another institution in New Orleans is Cafe Du Monde. Come for the delicious beignets and you’ll likely be hit with a long line. While there are other food options available, we’ve always just kept it simple and went with the desserts. This is a great option well into the evening.

If you do feel like lines are too long at the original location in the French Quarters, you might want to consider two other locations. First is in MSY airport, which might work for you if you have time before your flight. The other is in the Riverwalk Outlets, which I find is never crowded. In fact, if you’re staying southwest of Canal Street, this is going to be the closest option for you.

One last thing is if you buy the beignet mix to bring home. Don’t be surprised if it gets flagged for secondary screening if you bring it in your carry on bags. I’ve done it and the TSA agents say it’s a pretty common occurrence for MSY airport. You could buy it at the airport and I didn’t notice a material price difference compared to buying it from Cafe Du Monde.

Where we stayed in New Orleans

Omni Royal Orleans

The Omni Royal Orleans is on St Louis Street between Royal and Chartres. This hotel is right in the midst of the French Quarter of the city. When you stay here, you’ll feel like you’re right in the middle of the action, which is appealing for some. The exterior of the hotel looks like it blends in well with the rest of the buildings in the area.

Inside, your experience might vary a bit depending on the room you get. Our room was on the compact size and on the top floor. While you might think the top floor is prestigious, it actually took away from the height of the room. I banged my head more than once on the diagonal walls in the room. On top of that, there seemed to be quite a bit of damage on the walls and in the bathroom.

From the condition of the room and the lagging service at the hotel, I wouldn’t recommend staying here to most, but if you really need to be in the French Quarter, I suppose it could work for you.

Loews New Orleans

The Loews New Orleans is on Poydras Street, diagonally across from the Harrah’s Caesars New Orleans. When visiting New Orleans, I far prefer this area as opposed to the French Quarter. Hotels and the surrounding area tend to be cleaner, street noise is better contained, and the rooms are bigger. The Loews generally falls into this category. The lobby and shared areas look inviting and there is plenty of natural lighting.

The bedroom is large for the New Orleans area, but I felt the housekeepers needed to do a better job with cleaning the room. The bathroom’s window area needed some cleaning and parts looked like they haven’t been touched in months. But there is an indoor pool and who doesn’t like being able to swim year round?

The Loews is a good enough hotel that I would consider coming back to, but I’d probably choose other hotels because the Loews loyalty program just isn’t compelling enough.

Le Méridien New Orleans

I unfortunately don’t have a picture inside the Le Meridien or an official review of the hotel, but over our many years of staying in New Orleans, we found this to be the best of what we’ve been to. While rooms were on the smaller side for a hotel on Poydras Street, service was excellent and we recall the food being good. The hotel is also immediately next to Mother’s Restaurant in case you get a case of the munchies.

Of the hotels in New Orleans we’ve stayed in, this is the one we’d be most likely to return to.

New Orleans Marriott

The New Orleans Marriott was one of the last hotels I stayed in before reviving the blog. It’s located on Canal Street, which you might recall as the largest street through the heart of New Orleans. From a location standpoint, it’s good to stay on Canal Street if you want both easy access to the French Quarters and to dining options on the south side of town.

However, I found this hotel was in need of some repair. For just a flavor of what I mean, take a look at the bath fixture below. It was still functional, but aesthetics are in need of a touch up. You choose this hotel because it’s the convention hotel or for work, but you can do better for a leisure stay.

What do you like to do in New Orleans, Louisiana?

Suggested reading:

• Other destinations we’ve visited
• Overcome Your Travel Fears and Enjoy Life
• The Value of a Marriott Bonvoy Elite Night