New Orleans Food!!

New Orleans is like a foodie’s paradise. There are so many restaurants and different types of food that you could plan your entire trip trying all the different classic NOLA dishes and would still struggle to get to all of them. New Orleans is obviously known for their southern cuisine, but it’s a different type of southern that you may get in other states. New Orleans is known for its cajun and creole food. When you mix so many different groups of people who originally settled in New Orleans, you get a vast range of food and culture. I had so much fun exploring this food scene and could’ve spent even longer learning the meaning behind it and trying everything.

One thing I would highly recommend for anyone visiting New Orleans, who wants to make food a main focus, is going on one of their many offered food tours. You pay a flat ticket price which includes all your food for however long your tour is. The only thing not included is gratuity and if you choose to get drinks along the way. There’s many different options when choosing your food tour. My sister and I decided to go on one that focused on Louisiana specialties that were located in the French Quarter. Trying items such as gumbo, rice & beans, po’boy, jambalaya, and pralines. Prior to this, other than rice & beans, I had never tried any of these dishes and was pleasantly surprised. Could’ve eat 4 more bowls of that jambalaya easily. Not only was the food spectacular, the tour guide was this adorable elderly lady who had long since retired from corporate world and spent her days running these tours, passing along her own knowledge of New Orleans and clearly showing why so many loved The Big Easy.

When we were not attending food tours, we spent our days trying Italian, Mexican, French, American, Cajun and so many more culture dishes. Of course, we had to visit Cafe Du Monde while we were there, and though it was fun to check out and learn how they made their ever famous beignets, G and I both agreed that they were just kind of ok. Probably not something I need to go back and try again. One thing we noticed though while we were down there is that ice cream stores close at 7-8 pm. Why!!!! I want ice cream after dinner (and sometimes prior). New Orleans please work on that time schedule. The only thing I was missing while I was down there was sushi and other Asian cuisine. I’m sure they have it down there, I just was craving it hard core when I landed back in Chicago. New Orleans food scene is unlike any place I’ve ever been to and will be thinking about some of those dishes for a long, long time.