New Orleans is without a doubt the most interesting American city. It looks, feels, sounds, tastes like no other. It’s both a place that’s nothing like the rest of the country and a place that could not exist anywhere else.

A visit to the Big Easy always feels like a wild party you can’t believe you’re invited to. At any time of year, the streets are alive with the sound of performers and the cacophony of an exhilarated crowd. Meals, whether at a 100-year-old fine-dining establishment or a simple po’boy shop, feel luxurious. Everyone from the bartenders to the retail clerks is prepared with some history and fun facts about the city. The centuries-old architecture, particularly in the French Quarter, is made even more magical by the fact that you can experience it all on foot (and we applaud the ingenuity of whoever started those foot massage places on every corner).

Of course, sometimes, even if briefly, the celebration stops. This year marks the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, a storm still seared into our collective memory. The city is recovering from the deadly New Year’s terror attack on Bourbon Street. But no matter what, New Orleans always has been, and always will be, a party—in a way, it’s how the city deepens its resolve.

In a November 2024 New York Times opinion piece about the (sober, realistic) New Orleanian outlook on impending climate catastrophe, local author Nathaniel Rich writes: “If anything, we love best what we most fear losing. We cherish what we have because we know it won’t last forever.” New Orleans never lets you forget this—starting minutes before touchdown at Louis Armstrong airport, flying over the wetlands that surround the city, patchy reminders to enjoy it to the fullest while you still can.

So as they say, laissez les bons temps rouler.

WHERE TO EAT

The New Wave

Compère Lapin: Celebrated chef Nina Compton blends her Caribbean heritage with New Orleans’s culinary sensibilities at her Warehouse District restaurant. Start with small bites like the blackened pig ears with smoked aioli, and follow it with the jerk pork belly with plantain crema and tamarind jus, plus curried goat with sweet potato gnocchi and cashews for good measure. Can’t decide? Choose the $75 “just feed me” option.

Dakar NOLA: This jewel by chef Serigne Mbaye and co-owner Effie Richardson is likely the most special, welcoming meal you’ll have in New Orleans. At Dakar, you’re in their home. The seven-course tasting menu begins with a tableside handwashing ceremony, as they do in Senegal. Selections change daily, but you’ll always have some version of “The Last Meal,” a rich black-eyed pea soup with Louisiana rice and seafood—we enjoyed ours with Gulf shrimp.

Fritai: Chef Charly Pierre brings Haitian street food to this corner of Tremé. Order the legim fèy smothered greens and sos pwa coconutty black beans, both served with your choice of chicken, shrimp, tofu, goat, pork shoulder, or oxtail (Sundays only). Wash it down with a cocktail made with Clairin, a Haitian liquor.

Mister Mao: Come to this vibrant, tropically decorated space for a good time and an even better cocktail (we love the simple Uncle Butthead: mezcal, amaro, lime). The menu is a melting pot of Southeast Asian, Indian, and Mexican influences. Appetizers and small plates deliver the best experience here—order a ginger salad, pani puri, and Gulf tuna crudo for the table.

Mosquito Supper Club: Since 2016, chef Melissa Martin has been welcoming diners into this beautiful white bungalow for an experience akin to a dinner party. The daily-changing menu written on a chalkboard is an exploration of southern Louisiana. It often features sweet potato biscuits with Steen’s butter to start, goodies from the sea like crab claws, and the restaurant’s famous Velma Marie’s oyster soup, served in a Dutch oven for the table.

Porgy’s Seafood Market: A seafood case full of that day’s freshest catch greets you at this darling little spot in Mid-City. The Sicilian sashimi plate is a must, a daily selection of three fish (think tuna, flounder, and sheepshead) that shines with a simple preparation of capers, red onion, lemon, and olive oil. Follow that with a seafood plate, gumbo, or a boil.

The Old Guard

Brennan’s: If you’re a Brennan’s of Houston fan, a pilgrimage to the OG is warranted. Opulent decor and old-school service define this 80-year-old French Quarter restaurant. Greatest hits here include the turtle soup, seafood gumbo, and Gulf fish amandine. The eggs hussarde, Brennan’s take on a Canadian bacon eggs Benedict with a red wine reduction sauce, is a good brunch option for a more casual experience.

Café du Monde: Touristy? Of course. Worth the bucket list? Absolutely. Come early and line up at the original location just off Jackson Square, which has been standing strong since 1862. Soil your outfit with powdered sugar from an order (or two) of beignets, and wash them down with chicory coffee.

Dooky Chase’s: A bastion of Creole cuisine—not to mention a stop on the Civil Rights Trail—this Tremé fixture is still New Orleans’s gathering place after 84 years in business. The restaurant has also seen the likes of Beyoncé, James Baldwin, and presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama dine here. You can’t go wrong with the shrimp Clemenceau, fried chicken, and oysters Norman.

Galatoire’s: The Friday lunch scene is legendary at this 120-year-old institution, where locals dress to the nines, pearls and all, and pretend they’re in another era. Start with an order of the restaurant’s famous soufflé potatoes (best described as puffy fries), then dig into the shrimp étouffée.

Sandwich Crawl

Central Grocery: This Italian deli and market reopened in December 2024 after a three-year closure due to Hurricane Ida. It’s where the muffuletta was invented almost 120 years ago, and it’s still one of the best places to score one in the city. Be warned: The sandwich is enormous, sold by the quarter, half, or whole.

Napoleon House: This historic, touristy spot is worth a visit for a warm muffuletta, a good contrast to the cold version at Central Grocery and many other joints in town. It is equally ginormous and also sold by the quarter, half, or whole. Order a Pimm’s flight as a chaser.

Porgy’s Seafood Market: A spot we love so much, we included it twice. The shrimp po’boy here is no short of perfect, and comes fried, blackened, or grilled (we’re grilled people, personally). Douse it with some drops from Porgy’s tray of hot sauces, which ranges from the classic and commercial Tabasco to housemade varieties like habanero naam jim.

Turkey & the Wolf: Chef Mason Hereford’s punk-rock sandwich shop in the Lower Garden District is a favorite hangout for locals. Ravenous? Order the huge-for-the-bit fried bologna sandwich, layered with crunchy potato chips, American cheese, and hot mustard. The collard green melt with Swiss cheese on rye is also a hit.

WHERE TO DRINK

Arnaud’s French 75 Bar: Adjoining Arnaud’s restaurant, this intimate and lively bar in historic digs is a favorite in town for its namesake cocktail. The team makes theirs with Courvoisier VS cognac instead of gin, and Moët & Chandon as the bubbly.

Bacchanal: Part bottle shop and part wine bar on a sleepy corner of Bywater, this is the hangout to flock to if you want to pretend you’re a local. Grab a glass from the fun rotating wine list, maybe some bites (like the garlic-sherry Gulf shrimp), and sit in the expansive backyard while listening to live music.

Jewel of the South: Head here if what you’re after is some serious mixology. Winner of the James Beard Award for Outstanding Bar in 2024, this French Quarter watering hole housed in a charming two-story brick house is the perfect place for a nightcap. Try the King Creole, made with Michter’s rye whiskey, Amer Picon, Italian vermouth, and Bénédictine.

Manolito: We were charmed by this cute Cuban spot with great music, a laid-back vibe, and fun cocktails. Order one of the many daiquiri variations, snack on croquetas and a Cuban sandwich, and sit on the mezzanine to people-watch the bargoers below.

Tatlo: This French Quarter spot is best described as a witchy bar, with mystical decor and cocktails that tout spiritual benefits. Did our Divine Connection with absinthe, butterfly pea flower, blueberry, and lemon give us a “divine energy awakening”? Who’s to say—but it was delicious, and the absinthe surely didn’t hurt.

WHAT TO DO

Ogden Museum of Southern Art: By far the most compelling art museum in the city, and one of the best in the South—Menil Collection regulars in particular will love this space. From the permanent collection, we were especially touched by the painting-and-collage mixed media from artist Benny Andrews, tucked away in a side room on the second floor. The Ogden also excels in curating photography, as seen in a recently wrapped Baldwin Lee exhibit and The Unending Stream, a showcase of contemporary New Orleans photography on view until June 8. Adult admission is $15.

Witches Brew Ghost Tours: Spooky tourism is huge in New Orleans, so even if you’re not really into the witchy stuff, you should lean in. This company’s two-hour Haunted Ghost Tour ($38, ages 21 and up only) takes you through the French Quarter and does a good job of blending insightful city history with entertainment.

New Orleans Museum of Art: The most interesting piece in this museum is Will Ryman’s America, a version of Abraham Lincoln’s childhood cabin coated entirely in gold, its interior walls lined with gas caps, pills, nails, bullets, and other objects. Adult admission for non-Louisiana residents is $20. Pro tip: Our favorite part was walking around the expansive grounds and sculpture garden, which is free.

New Orleans Pharmacy Museum: This creaky old house in the French Quarter provides a little something different. For $10 admission, you can walk around and look at the impressive collection of artifacts that document the pharmaceutical and medical practices of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, which will both fascinate and horrify you.

Don’t miss: If Big Chief Monk Boudreaux and his band are playing anywhere during your stay, drop everything to go see them. But pretty much any live music hits right in the Big Easy.

Our Hotel Pick: The Celestine

So you’ve got your itinerary all planned out. Now where to stay? You won’t be short on options, from überluxury stays to a good ol’ Hilton Garden Inn. (Note that short-term rentals like Airbnb are mostly prohibited in the French Quarter.)

We recommend posting up at the Celestine, a charming boutique hotel that opened on Toulouse Street in February 2024 in an old townhouse built in 1791. It’s right in the French Quarter action but far enough away from the ruckus of Bourbon Street that could otherwise keep you up at night (we tested this theory by staying in a street-facing room). The hotel is named after the wife of Antoine Amédée Peychaud, the creator of the Sazerac cocktail and Peychaud’s bitters; the couple lived in this house at one time. The property later became a hotel called Maison de Ville, where Tennessee Williams had writing sessions in the quaint courtyard that guests can still enjoy today.

The Celestine is an especially good stay thanks to the cozy adjoining bar, Peychaud’s. The staff makes a mean Vieux Carré cocktail, a New Orleans signature made with rye whiskey, brandy, sweet vermouth, Bénédictine, and Peychaud’s bitters.

Rooms generally start around $240 during the offseason, and $320 in peak season.

To drive or to fly?

We’ve done it both ways, and the verdict is in: Just fly. While the 75-minute flight feels environmentally frivolous, even with travel time to and from airports plus security lines it beats the five-hour drive on (boo, hiss) I-10. Not convinced? You’ll end up paying an arm and a leg to park your car (that you will not use even once) in a garage during your stay. Even if you’re not up for a lot of walking, cabs and rideshares are plentiful. Trust us. Just fly.