New Orleans with a seafood hater - help!

Regional Dining Discussions New Orleans, the South
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So, here’s the scoop: my sister (a non-foodie who will eat some seafood) and I (a seafood nut) are taking my mother (a certified seafood hater) to New Orleans for her 80th birthday at the end of May. My sister frequently travels to New Orleans for work so she has some favorites she wants to introduce to mom, but as a non-foodie her choices are a little pedestrian for my taste. I’m hoping to fit in at least one interesting place for dinner, but I need to choose something that isn’t JUST seafood or too out-there in terms of creativity.

Here’s our plan so far - I’d appreciate your suggestions for must-sees and must-dos in addition to meals! If it matters, we’re staying at the Courtyard by Mariott in the French Quarter (Iberville at Dauphine, a block east of Canal and a block north of Bourbon), but we’re willing to travel elsewhere for food.

Saturday: I arrive around lunchtime, a couple of hours before they do, so this is my chance to grab a poboy or a plate of (cooked, not a fan of raw) oysters without them after I drop off my luggage at the hotel. Felix’s? Any favorite spots for a poboy in the FQ?

They’ll get to the hotel around 2pm and grab a snack while we wander around the FQ and get the lay of the land. Maybe a little ride on the trolley, or if there’s time, the ferry to the Algiers neighborhood for a quick look around. My sister made a reservation for La Crepe Nanou for dinner at 6:30, so we’ll need to be in a cab by 6:10ish, I would guess. This looks very meh to me - any other ideas in the same vein that would keep us in the FQ?

Sunday: earlyish jazz brunch at Commander’s Palace, followed by a 2pm City & Cemetary Tour and Garden District stroll. Then dinner is open. Sister recommended GW Fin’s for seafood, which seems nice and would have something for everyone, but I was looking at Peche or Atchafalaya as potentially more interesting options - thoughts?

Monday: it’s Memorial Day, so I’m a bit concerned attractions//restaurants/shops might be closed - any insider knowledge on this? My sister suggested beignets for breakfast then a trip to Magazine Street for shopping. Lunch is open - Peche and Atchafalaya are both on/near Magazine, depending on how far west we go, so maybe I should suggest one of those for lunch instead of dinner? Then we were thinking of doing Mardi Gras World in the afternoon, potentially followed by the ferry to Algiers if we don’t have time for that on Saturday. Dinner at Cochon (which I am looking forward to) at 7.

Tuesday we depart around 2pm, so we thought we’d do some more poking around the French Quarter and a big breakfast or early lunch somewhere near-ish to the hotel so we can quickly retrieve our bags there before hopping in a cab to the airport around 12:30. Sis likes the Palace Cafe, any other suggestions?

Thanks as always for your input, HOs!

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Def Felix’s for char-broiled oysters. I still dream of those.

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BTW, I could use some guidance on music. I’d love to catch some live acts (might have to happen after mom is in bed), but I definitely prefer something chill, smaller ensembles, acoustic or minimally amplified, nothing too hard core either in terms of noise level or jazz experimentation. As an opera singer, I deeply appreciate GREAT voices and more traditional styles. :smiley: Any venues where I’m more likely to find what I’m looking for, or good websites to do a little preparatory research on musicians?

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Re music. We have been twice and both times have caught the Hot 8 Brass Band at Howlin’ Wolf. I wouldn’t call it chill, but they’re fantastic.

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We had a memorable Sunday brunch with live music at Court of 2 Sisters, in 1998.

I haven’t been back to New Orleans. I still remember most of our meals.

https://www.courtoftwosisters.com/

https://www.courtoftwosisters.com/menus/jazz-brunch

We also went to Commanders Palace (can’t remember which meal now) and had breakfast at Brennan’s.

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I’m a tourist too and also a New Orleans music enjoyer. For a smaller ensemble with no amplification, and if you are interested in traditional jazz, I would definitely recommend getting tickets to a show at Preservation Hall in the FQ, which is dedicated to the preservation of traditional New Orleans jazz. Reserve a little early if you want to be able to sit down. The room is quite small. They have recently done some renovations to the venue and the view from the back is a little better now since they removed the pillar in the middle of the room. There’s still no restroom though. Shows last about 45 minutes to an hour, and there are several shows a night. https://www.preservationhall.com/

For more chill / traditional jazz on Bourbon Street check out Fritzel’s. https://fritzelsjazz.com/

Also check out Frenchmen Street in the Marigny. Marigny is adjacent to the French Quarter and Frenchmen Street has several bars and clubs where there is live music. They are often right next to each other so if you’re not feeling the band at one place you can just move down the street to the next. Sometimes there’s a cover. Since you are going on a weekend (and a holiday weekend) many of the places may be pretty packed at night though, especially on Saturday. Frenchmen is more chill during the daytime and on Sundays in my limited experience, though Memorial Day Sunday would probably be an exception. If you want a more relaxed sit down experience on Frenchmen, Snug Harbor has ticketed events (I haven’t been). https://snugjazz.com/

Another more chill place for live music is Bacchanal, in the Bywater neighborhood which is next to Marigny. It’s a bar with an extensive wine list, and they also serve food. There’s tables and a stage outside, it kind of feels like you’re in someone’s backyard. It’s a really cool venue. Here is their music schedule: https://www.bacchanalwine.com/music#musicians

If you want to see what acts are playing in the entire city, WWOZ is a great resource: https://www.wwoz.org/calendar/livewire-music

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Court of two sisters is getting by on memories, it’s not good anymore

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Bacchanal is great and has the relaxed atmosphere Bio mentioned. And also agree about Frenchmen Street - it’s easy to wander and find music that appeals.

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Ok, gpod to know

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Thank you SO much for this informative post - exactly the musical guidance I needed!!!

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New Orleans resident here. I’ll take on your questions one by one but first I have to say one thing: in New Orleans they are streetcars, NOT trolleys :joy: Also, be aware that at the end of May it’s already quite hot, so keep that in mind when you are planning for wandering around outdoors in the daytime. Your 80-year-old mom, and perhaps you and your sister, may need frequent air-conditioned rest stops, as well as retreats to the hotel for showers and naps. Bring more clothes than you think you will need, because you will sweat through them.

I am linking here my Restaurant List for Visitors, which I update regularly. This may be helpful. Read the paragraph at the top before commenting on the contents of the list!

Re: the oyster question, this is literally the one food that I cannot eat, so I can’t provide a personal recommendation. But there are many good options—probably the best of them being a short distance outside the French Quarter, like Seaworthy in the CBD. Note that if you’re going for cooked oysters, char-grilled is what you’re going to get. They are mostly a vehicle for cheese and buttery bread crumbs rather than oyster flavor. That said, they are a New Orleans staple food, so you might as well get them. If you want a po-boy, you can get a good one at Verti Marte (a corner store, not a sit-down place, so you’ll want to walk over to the French Market to sit and eat it). Their sandwiches are absolutely enormous, so it depends on how hungry you are and how long it will be until your next meal.

La Crepe Nanou is in my neighborhood and I agree that it is pretty meh. Like, it’s not bad, but it’s also nowhere near the quality of food that you could get here. A 20-second walk from there is Costera, which is a Spanish place we love. Their wine list is very interesting and the food’s great and very share-able (if you are into that sort of thing). Tons of non-fish options for your mom. If you want to stay in the FQ, consider Sylvain (definitely make a reservation here). It is a lively spot, i.e. on the louder side when it gets going, but the food’s good and the atmosphere is nice—very New Orleans.

For your Sunday dinner, we do love GW Fins but it is very seafood-centric—that’s their thing. I’m not sure why your sister would suggest it considering that you are with someone who hates seafood? Same goes for Pêche. Yes, they both have non-seafood options, but why force your non-seafood-eater (during a celebration of HER birthday!) to get the one dish on the menu that’s not seafood? There are plenty of restaurants that have great dishes in all categories. See my list.

Mondays are slightly dicier for restaurants but there will definitely be plenty of things open; just check their hours. This is a tourist town and we know people are here on Mondays that need to eat. Re: Magazine St. shopping, recall my warning about heat and be ready to stop frequently as you’re walking. Luckily, there are plenty of great places to do that. I would not get beignets for breakfast—that’s more of a mid-morning or mid-afternoon snack, and I would suggest The Vintage on Magazine as a good place to get them. They also have nice cocktails and coffee—a good break spot amid the shopping. Pêche is not at all near the part of Magazine where the shops are (Garden District/Uptown) so that’s not a good lunch choice. Atchafalaya, maybe, but their food is heavy and you may not want that style of food on a day when you’re walking around in the heat. There are a ton of very solid restaurant choices along Magazine—be flexible and just pick something that’s near where you are when it gets to be lunchtime.

Mardi Gras World is an OK activity for the afternoon before you go back to your hotel before dinner at Cochon. The ferry to Algiers is a nice thing to do but honestly not worth taking the time for in your short visit. Algiers Point itself is just houses, pretty much, and a view of downtown New Orleans from the levee. Do a Garden District walking tour instead—more interesting, nicer architecture.

Palace Cafe for the big breakfast is fine, nothing stupendous. I haven’t been there in decades because it’s really a tourist place. But for that purpose, it’s fine. If you want to take a little walk out of the FQ and eat different food, look into Willa Jean in the CBD.

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100% agree. It is not good at all.

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Preservation Hall is a classic, but sometimes difficult to get in. We also happened to catch a lively zydeco band that was really fun, but I cannot for the life of me remember the bar’s name.

Popular place, too. You’ll have a blast wherever you go, no doubt!

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Oops! Noted - will update my vocabulary accordingly :D. My sister warned me about the heat, so we’ll be prepared. Mom is fully ambulatory but a bit slow, so we’re already planning for lots of breaks and flexibility on plans if anything becomes too much.

I have already made good use of this from one of your posts in another thread - thank you!

I prefer cheese and buttery bread crumbs to oysters so this is perfect for me, ha! Thanks for the Verti Marte rec - I had that on my list as a place to grab late night snacks, but good to know their po-boy is also worthwhile.

This sounds great - I will suggest it to my sister, although I think she chose La Crepe Nanou for the food rather than the location. (See my previous comment about her palate.) I’ll also take a look at Sylvain as I think we’d be better off staying in the FQ on Saturday evening since I’m sure my mom will be a little tired from her flight.

This one is more for me than for mom, tbh - sis suggested it because they have quite a few nice non-seafood options in addition to great fish. Mom is actually very cool about going to fish-centric places as long as she has a choice of chicken, beef or pasta, which GW Fin’s has covered. But we’ll see - I’m going to check out a few other places on your list before we commit on this one.

Good to know - I think we’ll play this one by ear. Peche is probably a little too out-there for my sister anyway.

Also good to know. Sis has never done either of these activities so she couldn’t comment. Mardi Gras World looks like the type of thing my mom will enjoy. We’re doing a Garden District walking tour on Sunday, so I thought the ferry to Algiers might be a good activity to pair with MGW as they are relatively near one another geograpically, but we’ll see. Is there any other must-do in that area?

Again, this is one my sister likes, but I don’t think it’s a must. Looking at Willa Jean, I think both of them would enjoy it too, so I’ll keep it in my back pocket. I see Brennan’s also does breakfast - worthwhile?

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And btw, THANK YOU for your helpful post and fantastic restaurant list! It’s amazing to have a resident expert here on HO!

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Mardi Gras World is near nothing, really (unless you count Walmart). The Convention Center is the closest thing to it, and heading east-ish from there along the river you eventually get to the FQ. The ferry terminal is right next to the FQ.

MG World is nothing I’d ever do myself, but that’s because I get to see Mardi Gras parade floats in the wild, during parades. A friend of mine who’s close to your mom’s age and a very curious and exploration-loving person went there one of the times that she came to visit me, and she really liked it. I think it would be interesting to see how the floats get built, actually.

If your mom suggested GW Fins then go, with gusto. We really, really like that place. The service is head and shoulders above any other restaurant in town. Try not to fill up on the biscuits, but it’s hard not to!

Much more so than Palace Cafe. Make a reservation. The courtyard is lovely.

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Awesome, reserving now! I see you recommended August and I’m going to ask my sister if we can do that instead of La Crepe Nanou, but I was wondering if you had any thoughts on their sister place, Luke - since they serve breakfast, lunch and dinner, it could be an option for our Tuesday pre-airport meal.

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In place of La Crepe Nanou, consider Cafe Degas, another French restaurant in a pretty cottage on Esplanade Ave. , much closer, tho not in the FQ. Another suggestion is Irene’s. Very good Creole Italian and very walkable from your hotel.

A favorite brunch/lunch p!ace on Magazine is Red Dog Diner, right across from the previously mentioned Vintage.

Breakfast at Brennan’s would be one if my go to’s, but these days they fill up almost as soon as reservations open. If you find one that fits your schedule, book it. You can always cancel.

Lots of good music rec’s, but no one has mentioned the Davenport Lounge at the Ritz Carlton; named for Jeremy Davenport the musician, not the furniture :blush:. I think you’d all enjoy his show, and unless its changed, your hotel and the Ritz have a reciprocal agreement being in the same building, so the front desk should have the details. Another is the Bombay Club at the Prince Conti Hotel. Walkable.

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Consider adding a Vietnamese or French-Viet place to your list, if your mom would be okay with the flavor profile.

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Great tips, thanks! I went ahead and made a res for Brennan’s and added The Vintage and Red Dog to my list of options for our day on Magazine Street. I’ll check out your music recs as well!