• Brennan's
• Dakar Nola
• Lengua Madre
• Mister Mao
• Seafood Sally's
• Royal Masks

Mask shop

• Jazz Show at Preservation Hall

An intimate acoustic jazz concert in the heart of the French Quarter (on St. Peter Street). This was so much fun. The show is about 45 minutes long (we went to a 6:15 concert one evening before dinner!) and is the perfect thing to do to start out your night. I will mention that they do not have a bathroom or any drinks… so, use the restroom before you go and maybe bring a bottle of water with you (it was hot and I was thirsty!). You can get tickets here!

• Drink & Learn Tour

I wasn’t so sure about this tour (big group outings are just not my thing!) but it ended up being the most fun! Hosted by Elizabeth Pearce (fun fact: she also has a podcast about the history behind our favorite drinks and does virtual cocktail classes!) walked us through the French quarter as she took us through the stories and history behind three classic New Orleans drinks: St. Charles Punch, the Sazerac (New Orleans’ official drink), and The Hurricane. It was fun and informative (and just the right amount of boozy – I couldn’t finish all three drinks but they were delightful!). I definitely recommend doing this after a meal (we had lunch beforehand).

• JAM NOLA

JAM NOLA stands for Joy Art Music. The exhibit features 17 different rooms/shows of pure joy, highlighting the best of the city: the iconic art, music, food and theatrics of the city through the eyes of over 30 local artists. Definitely worth making your way through. We did not need the full hour but really enjoyed our time here.

• Jewel of the South (Dinner)

This spot is famous for its cocktails (created by Chris Hannah who has won an award as US Bartender of the Year), but we had an incredible meal here! I highly recommend doing the caviar appetizer as it is served with these giant potato beignets. We also really loved the burrata and the short rib. It’s located in a beautiful 19th Century Creole Cottage – felt like we were in someone’s old home… a beautiful courtyard, a vaulted dining room… it’s a cool space (with GREAT cocktails and food.

• Brennan’s (Breakfast)

We had a really nice traditional breakfast at Brennan’s on Royal Street. Brennan’s is a bit of an institution in New Orleans – they’ve been around since 1946! The menu borrows influences from both French and Spanish offerings. They are famous for their posh breakfast (we loved it!) and Bananas Foster for dessert (it was too early for that but it’s on my list for my next trip back!!).

• Elizabeth Street Cafe (Lunch)

This may have been my favorite food of the whole trip! It’s located in the beautiful Hotel Saint Vincent on Magazine Street in New Orleans’ Lower Garden District (right near some very good shopping I might add). Their focus is on French-Vietnamese style cuisine. It’s casual but delicious. We sat in the shady garden courtyard surrounded by palm trees, munching on spring rolls, the restuarant’s signature ginger-chili oil dumplings, and more. Highly, highly recommend.

• Commander’s Palace (Dinner)

It’s funny, the only other time I have visited New Orleans was a very boozy trip in my twenties and the only thing I remember vividly was going to Commander’s for a jazz brunch and being blown away by the food, the service, and the music! And so it was really special to get to go back again, this time for dinner. And my – it did not disappoint. We both had the pecan crusted fish (delightful) plus our own appetizers and then we shared the bread pudding souffle for dessert. Commander’s is in the middle of the Garden District and has been around since 1893! The restaurant is famous for its award-winning food and the incredible service. It’s like walking back in time. Also: the restaurant has won seven James Beard Foundation Awards… it is a culinary legend!

• Peche (Lunch)

This came highly recommended both by you in the DMs and everyone we seemed to come into contact with! To be fair, we went on our third day and were feeling very full but we split a bunch of small plates and loved everything we tried, particularly the seafood salad, tuna dip, and crispy okra!

• Bywater American Bistro (Dinner)

This was where we had dinner on our last night. It’s located very close to Studio Be and JAM NOLA, making it the perfect destination for after you check out those two things! We loved everything we ate. We started with a round of passion fruit Palomas (so yummy!) and then split a few appetizers and pastas. Casual and delicious… felt like a happy neighborhood spot. I love that they focus on working with smaller farms and using local ingredients.

• Jewel of the South

While it is technically a restaurant and where we had dinner on our first night, this spot is all about the cocktails (it’s won several awards) so I needed to include it here!

• Bar Marilou

This is the coolest bar ever – it’s in a former library! I wish we had one in Charleston as I would be a regular. The fun part was that it’s actually connected to our hotel! It’s a speakeasy style bar with mostly all red walls and shelves and shelves of books. It felt like drinking in a sexy library. Would be perfect for a date… an absolute MUST in my book.

• Loa Bar

This downtown New Orleans bar is led by internationally recognized bartender Abigail Gullo, who has proven that “mixology” combines art, craft, and science. It’s inside the International House Hotel, which also happens to have an original Banksy in the lobby. Very much worth checking out!