[Tips]
- Take the streetcar. It’s old, doesn’t go that fast and sometimes doesn’t have air conditioning, but it’s just something you have to do!
- If you’re going during summer (we went mid Aug), bring an umbrella and a jacket. It will periodically rain and will be humid, but the AC inside the restaurants makes it pretty cold.
- Learn about the history through different tours. We did a plantation tour, swamp tour and cemetery tour. Some are free walking tours and some are paid.
- Go to Cafe Du Monde every.single.day. It’s that good!
[Day 1]
Morning/Afternoon: Travel from California
Evening:
Appetizers at Mr. Ed’s Oyster bar: If you want a super flavorful heart attack meal, come to Mr. Ed’s. The BBQ shrimp was amazing, especially with all the juices soaked up in the bread. The charbroiled oysters were filled with buttery goodness, and the turtle soup tasted a tad like gumbo, and the turtle tasted like tough chicken. Don’t get me wrong, it was pretty delicious though.
Canal Street, Riverfront to Steamboat Nanchez: When we went, a lot of the pathways were under construction, but if you like shopping, this is a good place to shop near the water and hang out after. There’s benches that faces the river, but it happened to be raining the day we went!
Dinner at Acme Oyster House in the French Quarter: They’re obviously known for their oysters, but maybe they’re too fresh because they still have a lot of dirt on them and wasn’t very cleaned out. The taste was not as “taste of the sea” as I would like. The soft shelled crab though was amazing and a must get!
Bourbon Street & Drinks: If you’re looking for a place to party, this is definitely it! The later you go, the more poppin’ it is. You can pretty much go any where and bounce in and out of bars. There’s a million Willie’s friend chicken restaurants as well- for drunchies I guess.
Ice Cream at Kilwins: Can never go wrong with salted caramel! Made fresh in house. It was soft and creamy, but not overly sweet.
[Day 2]
Morning: Cafe du Monde for breakfast
Cafe du Monde: While the lines may seem long, they actually go by pretty fast. They literally sell a couple of things which is beignets and coffee. The iced coffee is like a slushie and slightly sweet. Beignets come in a plate of 3 and freshly fried. No need for brunch when you got this place!
Afternoon:
Johnny’s Po-Boys for lunch: After breakfast at Cafe du Monde, we immediately went to lunch before our day’s activities. We opted out of the condiments (mayo and stuff) which made it pretty dry and there was way too much bread. However, the shrimp and alligator itself were good!
Plantation Tour at Oak Alley: We came here on a “tour” and the only real tour portion was when we got to see the big house. Otherwise, we walked around and read some of the signs which was interesting, but better if someone else actually gave a walking tour.
Evening:
Dinner at Bevi Seafood: We were craving a crawfish boil, but since it wasn’t in season, we still wanted other seafood and discovered Bevi. You can order whatever you want and it’ll come in plastic bags. It didn’t look like there was much flavor on the seafood, but the lady told us it was well seasoned– and it was! The seafood was really fresh and we went to town, not caring how we looked as we tore it all apart.
Gumbo Shop: Seafood never fills me up so we had to go for a second dinner. We’re in New Orleans so of course we had to try out some gumbo! We shared the sampler of seafood, sausage and vegetarian gumbo so we could try them all, and they were all really thick and flavorful. We also got the blackened catfish which was heavily dressed with shrimp, crab cake and gravy. The fish was really tender and the crab cake was fresh, but the shrimp was left to be desired. Don’t eat everything with the sauce or you’ll fall in a food coma.
[Day 3]
Morning:
Cafe du Monde: For breakfast- Yes, again! They were still super light and fluffy. I totally dunked it in all the powered sugar after every bite.
Afternoon:
Swamp Tour: I originally didn’t want to go because I was so scared we would see snakes, but all we saw were crocodiles. It’s pretty cool relaxing to cruise around and seeing the crocodiles jump and eat a marshmallow.
Willie’s Chicken Shack: I finally tried this after seeing so many Willie’s at every corner! With a price tag of $12 for 3 pieces of chicken, a measly amount of fries and a biscuit, it was so not worth it. There was a ton of bland breading, with little meat.
Cemetery & Garden District Tour: This was a combination walking tour where the places are right next to each other. The tombstones are big because 1) It keeps the casket underground and not floating and 2) If cremated, can fit multiple family members in one place. Next to it is the Garden District with extremely nice homes to those including Sandra Bullock, John Goodman and Nicholas Cage.
Evening:
Mother’s: We had an early dinner here and thankfully beat the lines. We had to redeem ourselves and get fried chicken again. This time, it was light, crispy, flavorful and you can actually bit into the chicken and not just the breading! It was really moist and flavorful. The jambalaya was pretty addicting because it was the perfect creaminess with a load of spices. In addition the gumbo was super flavorful and hits the spot.
Cafe Beignet: We came to Cafe Beignet for dessert because we had to try it out compared to Cafe Du Monde. Verdict? It unfortunately wasn’t as good. The dough was really oily and the beignets were really flat, not fluffy like we had been eating. See my sister’s side by side comparison HERE.
Pat O’Brien: This place is known for the hurricanes which basically tastes like fruit punch. So dangerously good! If you sit inside, there’s live music, but the back patio is nicely lit up with a fountain. Bonus points for giving us free bags of popcorn to munch on! You can also purchase the glass if you like as well.
[Day 4]
Morning:
Cafe du Monde for breakfast (again): Pretty explanatory- going 2 times is simply not enough. I don’t even know is acceptable to eat for breakfast anymore!
Souvenir shopping at Praline Store: Pralines (pronounced prah-leens) are great gifts! Simple, yet true to New Orleans, they’re a delicious treat.
Afternoon:
Cajun Seafood: We stopped by Cajun Seafood for lunch because we simply had to get some fresh seafood before we left (I don’t feel like we have it as good in CA). We loaded up on shrimp, crawfish, crab and king crab legs. Such a delicious and flavorful last meal before we headed off to the airport.
Evening: Travel to California
