Complex City Guide: Where to Eat in New Orleans

Patois
6078 Laurel Street
(504) 895-9441
patoisnola.com
• Patois features and exciting array of contemporary remakes that feature all the classic Louisiana ingredients you'd expect from a city on the bayou; sourced locally of course. Their Sunday brunch menu features a mouthwatering lineup of authentic Southern fare sure to help you recover from even the latest nights of Jazzfest revelry.

Napoleon House
500 Chartres Street
(504) 524-9752
napoleonhouse.com
• This open-air time capsule is one of the best places to stroll in off the street and onto a bar stool for another local favorite, muffaletta. Essentially a big Italian sandwich on a round sesame loaf, it's ham salami, pastrami, swiss, provolone, and a housemade Italian olive salad served in wholes, halves, or quarters, with a whole easily serving two people. Wash it down with the house specialty, a Pimm's Cup, and you're on your way to NOLA food heaven.

Parkway Bakery
538 Hagan Avenue
(504) 482-3047
parkwaybakeryandtavernnola.com
• Set right off of St. John's Bayou in the Mid City neighborhood, this place served as a mecca during the post Katrina days and since their renovation after the storm, they've picked up right where they left off, serving the best po'boys in the city. Grab a picnic table and sit outside for lunch with your sammy and an ice cold Barq's root beer longneck.

Mother's
401 Poydras Street
(504) 523-9656
mothersrestaurant.net
• Since 1938 Mother's counter has been serving up homestyle food to just about everyone that's passed through town if you go by the photos and newspaper clippings the plaster the brick walls. Most notable is the famed Debris (deb-REE) po'boy made up of the drowned bits of roast beef that fall into the gravy while carving the sandwich.

Cafe Du Monde
813 Decatur Street
(504) 525-4544
cafedumonde.com
• A must stop for a breakfast staple in the Crescent City, get yourself a cafe au lait and an order of beignets. What's a beignet (ben-YAY)? It's just a square piece of dough, fried in cotton seed oil and doused in powdered sugar. Doesn't sound like much, but something about them have been driving N'awleans visitors crazy since 1862. Beignets come in orders of three, but you shouldn't plan on sharing.

Commander's Palace
1403 Washington Avenue
(504) 899-8221
commanderspalace.com
• Home of "haute Creole" Chef Tory McPhail, this Garden district landmark has more awards than Bourbon Street has boobs. You can't miss the towering Victorian building, bathed in robin's egg blue, and you shouldn't pass up the chance to eat in one of the best restaurants in the US of A; just make sure you bring a jacket for dinner and lose the shorts.

Casamento's
4330 Magazine Street
(504) 895-9761
casamentosrestaurant.com
• You'll need to make the short trip uptown for the definitive New Orleans oyster experience. Tucked in a tiled nook on Magazine Street, Casamento's is a must for bivalve bingers who'll go nuts over the oyster loaf (a fried oyster po'boy). They're as good as they get, and if you can't wait for it to come out of the kitchen, you can always start with a half dozen from the raw bar first.

The Joint
801 Poland Avenue
(504) 949-3232
alwayssmokin.com
• What trip to the South would be complete without some BBQ? Set in deep in the Bywater neighborhood since 2004, this smoked meat institution gives it to you straight, big, and dirty. The best BBQ anywhere in NOLA and a strong contender for the world, their ribs are, well, smokin'.

Coop's Place
1109 Decatur Street
(504) 525-9053
coopsplace.net
• Coop's is right across from the French Market and offers authentic N'awleans cooking with big portions, but unlike some spots in town this one won't break the bank. If you want to get down with a Jambalaya or groove on some gumbo, this unpretentious outpost of Cajun cooking will deliver.

Coquette
817 Common Street
504-525-1111
coquette-nola.com
• This unassuming corner bistro serves up fresh contemporary lunches and dinners in the Garden District. The small plates are great if you're looking to get away from the the deep-fried culinary leanings of the rest of the town and their cocktail list has some great contemporary drinks mixed with NOLA classics like the sazerac.