The Court of Two Sisters began in 1886 as The Shop of Two Sisters. Two members of a prominent Creole family opened the fancy dress shop which was frequented by many of New Orleans’ finest women. The shop was closed in 1904 when the Creole population in the area began to decline. The building then went through many different phases...
The first Morning Call began serving beignets and coffee with chicory in the French Quarter in 1870. (Beignets, pronounced BEN-YAYS, are surprisingly non greasy fried pockets of dough covered in power sugar.) This Morning Call branch opened 142 years later in the old Casino Building in City Park. Now called the Timken Center, the Casino building was built in 1912 when...
Snug Harbor is a jazz club located in the Faubourg Marigny, a neighborhood right next to the French Quarter. Established in 1983, the establishment consists of three rooms which each could operate as an individual destination. The dining room features traditional New Orleans cooking but the hamburgers are their specialty. Choose from a steak, cheddar, or mushroom burger and get...
Located on Decatur St in the French Quarter, Central Grocery appears from the outside to be an ordinary shop. The store was opened in 1906 by a Sicilian immigrant and has been operated by the same family for three generations. The founder of Central Grocery was also the inventor of the locally famous muffuletta. This is made with a round...
Commander’s Palace has been pleasing our palates in the Garden District since 1893. The building is located in a residential neighborhood and, with a peacock blue and white striped awning, looks a bit like a diner from the outside. Inside is one of the fanciest dining establishments in New Orleans. Commander’s Palace was purchased by the Brennan’s family in 1974....
Parkway first opened in 1911 as a family run, neighborhood bakery. After the po-boy sandwich became popular in the early 1930’s, Parkway began making them for workers at the nearby American Can Company. For over 60 years Parkway’s business was mostly comprised of neighborhood customers and those workers. American Can Company closed in 1988 and Parkway followed in 1993, hurt...
Ernest Hansen invented the first ice shaving machine in 1939. Snow cones, at the time, were made from ice that was chipped off of blocks by vendors on the street. Hansen wanted his children to have a cold treat that was untouched by human hand. His machine made ice shaved so fine it was like snow. Mary Hansen, his wife,...
The first New Orleans Hamburger and Seafood Company opened in Metairie in 1984. There now are 10 locations scattered all around New Orleans and the surrounding area, including one that is directly on the main uptown parade route. They offer a nice balance between restaurant and fast food, with table service once you have ordered at the counter and a...
The New Orleans Coffee and Beignet Company was founded by the owners of the New Orleans Hamburger and Seafood Company and has three locations. Beignets are a local pastry made by deep frying pockets of dough then covering them in powdered sugar. NOCBC has expanded on this with chocolate varieties and miniature beignet bites. They also serve a variety of...
The corner of Napoleon and Claiborne has been home to several restaurants over the years. The Superior Seafood and Oyster Bar has occupied the building since 2012 and has attracted quite a following in such a short time. The location itself is perfect in a number of ways. In the heart of beautiful uptown New Orleans and directly on the...
Drago’s started the charbroiled oyster craze back in 1993. That was when manager Tommy Cvitanovich decided to experiment with smothering his grilled oysters with cheese, butter, garlic, and a variety of herbs. The city quickly found they could not get enough, and Drago’s now has three locations: Metairie, New Orleans and Jackson, Mississippi. The restaurant, however, has more to offer...
From the outside Casamento’s doesn’t look like much. The exterior is tiled with a very plain green and white sign. One could easily pass by the restaurant for years without giving it a second look. This would be a mistake. Established in 1919, Casamento’s has been serving up fresh, local seafood as well as many Italian favorites for almost 100...
Since 1952 Parasol’s has been the social center for the New Orleans neighborhood called the Irish Channel. On most days of the year newcomers may find the establishment a little hard to find. It’s a bit of a hole in the wall on a residential street with unassuming signs. Either way, getting inside is worth the effort. On one side...
Established in 1840, Antoine’s is arguably the oldest restaurant in New Orleans. Antoine Alciatore traveled here from France after a brief stopover in New York. The restaurant he created has survived for almost two centuries and is now owned and operated by his family for five generations. It was there that Antoine’s son Jules invented Oysters Rockefeller. The recipe is...
Move over white bread with American cheese. Make way for The Big Cheezy. This restaurant, with locations Uptown as well as Kenner, takes your mama’s grilled cheese to a whole new level. There are lots of variations on the sandwich like the Crazy Old Goat with bacon, goat cheese, monterey jack and pepper jelly. Or the Mac N Cheezy with...
New Orleans may not be known for snow, but it is famous for snoballs. While other places have snow cones made with chips of ice, our snoballs are made with finely shaved ice, as smooth as powder, and layered with syrup so the sweetness permeates all the way through. Every New Orleanian has their favorite stand, and Plum Street Snoballs...
New Orleans is not well known for barbecue, but Walker’s works hard to rectify that. Most people only experience Walker’s barbecue at festivals. There they are known for their cochon de lait po boys.They are, however, well worth a trip out to New Orleans East. The restaurant sells cochon de lait (French for suckling pig), but also try their smoked...
La Petite Grocery is a charming New Orleans restaurant with a confusing name.
Katie's Restaurant has been a New Orleans Mid City neighborhood favorite since 1984.