Culture / Travel

PaperCity Guides — New Orleans, Louisiana

A Thorough Compilation of the Best Places to Stay, Eat, Drink, and Explore Right Now

BY // 10.03.22

New Orleans is a mythic metropolis, where the perfume of the past and the strains of jazz, zydeco, and blues encounter a contemporary renaissance that honors history. Here, the gilded griot of multiculturism pervades while a fresh breeze of culinary, design, and cultural creativity blows in—our visitor guide does its best to compile it all in one easy place.

 

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Hotel St. Vincent on Magazine Street.

Hot New Orleans Hotels to Book Right Now

The Chloe, 4125 St. Charles Ave.

A minimalist take on a 19th-century Uptown mansion. Fourteen dapper and dreamy rooms accompanied by a beautifully appointed bar, restaurant, and pool reverie.

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The Columns in New Orleans (photo by Arnaud Montagard) 

Columns, 3811 St. Charles Ave.

National Register 1883 mansion with a storied history as a hotel and bar since 1953. Guest rooms on the second and third floors whisper of the past. Legendary intimate bar and restaurant.

Hotel Peter & Paul, Schoolhouse guest room_(credit Hotel Peter & Paul)
Hotel Peter & Paul

Hotel Peter & Paul, 2317 Burgundy St.

Lush, layered take on the historic Sts. Peter and Paul Catholic church, rectory, convent, and school, exquisitely restored and refashioned into a divinely decorated hotel.

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Hotel St. Vincent

Hotel Saint Vincent, 1507 Magazine St.

A beacon of hospitality (from hot Austin hospitality group MML) in the Lower Garden District. The former orphanage, dating to 1861, was remade into a boutique hotel. Monthly jazz concerts and burlesque experiences (titled Worship) in the Chapel Club. Fabled pool. Cocktails at San Lorenzo and airy Paradise Lounge a must.

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Maison de la Luz, 546 Carondelet St.

Sumptuous guest house with 67 spectacular suites, steps from the French Quarter. From Atelier Ace; designed in partnership with Studio Shamshiri. Cocktails at Bar Marilou is design nirvana.

new orleans visitor guide
Perch on Magazine Street in New Orleans

Where to Shop in New Orleans

Arthur Roger Gallery, 432 Julia St.

Most important of the Julia Street dealers, with an acclaimed stable including Texas greats David Bates and Joe Havel.

Bourbon French Parfums, 805 Royal St.

Established in 1843, a scent experience for heritage perfumes.

Coutelier, 8600 Oak St.

Gorgeous Japanese knives and cutlery. Chef owned.

Crescent City Books, 240 Chartres St.

HQ for New Orleans literature and historical volumes; books and prints from the last 500 years. Make time to explore bins of maps and prints.

Falkner House in New Orleans

Faulkner House Books, 624 Pirate’s Alley.

A civilized spot for literature by and about William Faulkner; known for rare, signed, and out-of-print editions. Housed in the French Quarter, behind St. Louis Cathedral’s rear garden.

Jonathan Ferrara Gallery, 400A Julia St.

Avant-garde roster.

Helene Florence, 2917 Esplanade Ave.

Vintage kimonos provide inspiration for this unique take on fashion.

Leontine Linens, 3806 Magazine St.

Founded in 1996 by Jane Scott Hodges and known for distinctive monograms, the haven for handcrafted linens melds tradition, beauty, and modernity.

Merchant House, 1152 Camp St.

For antiques/furniture/vintage home goods.

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M.S. Rau on Royal Street

M.S. Rau, 622 Royal St.

A century-old treasure house of rare and exemplary fine art, antiques, and jewelry sited along a classic block in the Quarter; one of the most eminent galleries in the country for Renaissance to modern paintings.

New Orleans Auction Galleries, 333 St. Joseph St.

A pedigreed, important auction house with a quarter century of record-setting sales of significant estates. Housed in a historic building in the Arts District, NOAG mounts 10 auctions annually of art, antiques, design, and jewelry conducted in a handsome 40,000-square-foot showroom.

Octavia Gallery in New Orleans

Octavia Art Gallery, 700 Magazine St.

Diverse contemporary stable. Recommended: Alia Ali’s extraordinary photographs of turbaned and swathed women.

Perch, 2844 Magazine St.

Mecca for pedigreed home goods, charmingly housed in an 1860s Garden District cottage.

 

new orleans visitor guide
Commander’s Palace, an old-guard New Orleans dining destination since 1893.

Where to Dine — and Book Reservations — in New Orleans

Arnaud’s, 813 Rue Bienville.

Legendary Creole dining in the heart of the Quarter.

Brennan’s, 417 Royal St.

Quintessential Crescent City epicurean experience. For private dining, book the second-floor Morphy Room, named for 19th century chess prodigy Paul Morphy, who once resided here.

Bywater American Bistro, 2900 Chartres St.

Culinary gem with inspired farm-to-table fare.

The Camellia Grill, the most famous diner in NOLA.

The Camellia Grill, 626 Carrollton Ave.

The most famous diner in NOLA; weekend breakfast until 2 am.

Clancy’s, 6100 Annunciation St.

Classic cuisine in a cozy neighborhood setting by the Audubon Zoo; extensive wine menu.

Commander’s Palace, 1403 Washington Ave.

Ask for the garden room. Old-guard dining destination since 1893.

Couvant, 315 Magazine St.

Romantic brasserie meets the new South in The Eliza Jane hotel.

Desire Oyster Bar, 300 Bourbon St.

Crescent City’s quintessential oyster bar; crossroads of the Quarter.

Dooky Chase’s, 2301 Orleans Ave.

Since 1941. Classic soul food and historic ties to the Civil Rights Movement, feeding freedom riders and meeting place for change.

new orleans visitor guide
Galatoire’s on Bourbon Street.

Galatoire’s, 209 Bourbon St.

Fifth-generation power palace for classic NOLA cuisine — a culinary institution; James Beard winner. The Friday lunch was named one of 25 greatest meals ever.

Hansen’s Sno-Bliz, 4801 Tchoupitoulas St.

Must get a snoball!

Herbsaint Bar & Restaurant, 701 St. Charles Ave.

Amazing gumbo.

Justine, a Parisian brasserie in the French Quarter

Justine, 225 Chartres St.

Paris-style brasserie for light bites or late-night cocktails.

Levee Baking Co., 3138 Magazine St.

For the best breads and other very special pastries.

Lilette, 3637 Magazine St.

French- and Italian-inspired dishes and drinks in a romantic setting.

Lengua Madre, 1245 Constance

St. Direct takes on Mexico City fare in vividly-hued minimalist interiors.

Loretta’s Authentic Pralines, 1100 N. Peters St, Stall G.

An institution at the historic French Market. Founded by the late.Loretta Harrison, the first African American woman to own a brick-and-mortar praline store; cookies and king cakes, too.

Marjie’s Grill, 320 S. Broad St.

Viet-Cajun food that never disappoints.

Molly’s Rise and Shine, 2368 Magazine St.

The best coffee in NOLA; house-made Pop-Tarts on Saturdays and cheesy breakfast things.

Mosquito Supper Club, 3824 Dryades St.

A must in NOLA. If you can’t get a reservation, go for cocktails and oysters at the bar. Chef Melissa Martin cooks pure, authentic, and heartfelt cuisine, and her book won a James Beard Award.

Mr. B’s Bistro, 201 Royal St.

Cindy Brennan’s casual bistro. Ask for Gumbo Ya Ya, barbecued shrimp, or Mr. B’s famous bread pudding.

N7, 1117 Montegut St.

French Restaurant and bar in the Bywater neighborhood.

Paladar 511, 511 Marigny St.

Innovative California Italian, consistently among top culinary experiences. Brunch was named the best hangover cure in the city.

Parkway Bakery and Tavern, 538 Hagan Ave.

HQ for classic poor boys since 1911.

new orleans visitor guide
Saba, Alon Shaya’s farm-to-table fare by the Garden District. (photo by Gabrielle Geiselman-Milone)

Saba and Saba’s Lounge, 5757 Magazine St.

Restaurateur Alon Shaya’s farm-to-table fare. The lounge features Israeli-inspired cocktails and signature hummus and wood-fired pita.

Shaya, 4213 Magazine St.

Alon Shaya’s James Beard Award-winning take on Israeli cuisine.

St. Roch Market, 2381 St. Claude Ave.

Chef-centric food hall spun around 11 dining options and craft cocktail bar, The Mayhew.

Sylvain, 625 Chartres St.

A raucous melding of restaurant and bar in a 1700s carriage house deep in the Vieux Carré.

Turkey and the Wolf, 739 Jackson Ave.

For ridiculous sandwiches.

Willie Mae’s, a longstanding southern gem in the French Quarter.

Willie Mae’s Scotch House, 2401 St. Ann St.

Renowned Mississippi and Louisiana fare since 1957; James Beard Award for America’s Classic Restaurant for the Southern Region.

 

Carousel Bar & Lounge, named one of the Top 20 Bars in the World.

The Best Cocktails and Coffee in New Orleans

Ace Hotel, 600 Carondelet St.

Raise a glass at Alto, the Ace’s rooftop garden and bar, with city vistas.

Bacchanal Wine, 600 Poland Ave.

Wine, bites, music. Branded as New Orleans Backyard Party, with Mediterranean style.

Café Du Monde – French Market, 800 Decatur St.

HQ for café au lait and beignets since 1862; open 24 hours, seven days a week.

Cane & Table, 1113 Decatur St.

Seasonal, classic, and rare cocktails.

Hotel Monteleone, 214 Royal St.

Order a Sazerac at the hotel’s Carousel Bar & Lounge with its opulent, revolving merry-go-round. Named one of the Top 20 Bars in the World.

Hotel Peter & Paul, 2317 Burgundy St.

Located in Marigny; toast to the hotel’s namesake saints at The Elysian Bar.

Jewel of the South, 1026 St. Louis St.

A cocktail program informed by history, paired with a contemporary attitude.

Pontchartrain Hotel, 2031 St. Charles Ave.

Hot Tin-Rooftop Bar boasts breathtaking views of the Mississippi and downtown. Forties decor inspired by Tennessee Williams, who penned A Streetcar Named Desire while living here.

The Will & The Way, 719 Toulouse St.

Formerly known as Longway Tavern. Classic cocktails; while away the hours amidst 18th-century architecture and the beguiling courtyard.

 

new orleans visitor guide
The New Orleans Museum of Art.

Can’t-Miss New Orleans Culture

Kermit’s Tremé Mother-in-Law Lounge, 1500 N. Claiborne Ave.

Jazz trumpet king Kermit reopened this shrine to the city’s music, founded by R&B legend Ernie K-Doe of the 1961 hit “Mother-in-Law” fame.

Longue Vue House & Gardens, 7 Bamboo Road.

The legacy of philanthropists Edith and Edgar Stern; stunning home and eight-acre garden by landscape architect Ellen Biddle Shipman; the only intact Shipman landscape open to the public.

Maple Leaf Bar, 8316 Oak St.

Live music seven nights a week until late. Blues, zydeco, R&B, jazz. Home to Grammy Lifetime Achievement winner funk bassist George Porter Jr.

Music Box Village, 4557 N Rampart St.

Uniquely NO experience; Burning Man-esque musical/art performance show.

New Orleans Botanical Garden, 1 Palm Dr.

Founded in the 1930s, an oasis of more than 2,000 global plants; 10 acres in City Park.

New Orleans Museum of Art (aka NOMA), One Collins C. Diboll Circle, City Park.

The encyclopedic museum was founded in 1911, housed in a grand Beaux Arts structure. Take in the acclaimed 12- acre Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden.

Ogden Museum of Southern Art, 925 Camp St.

A paean to art of the American South, historic to cutting-edge contemporary. Housed in a Henry Hobson Richardson edifice from 1889, married to a dramatic contemporary soaring glass-and-stone building.

Preservation Hall, 726 St. Peter St.

Foundational NOLA jazz venue.

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