Hello Everyone!
It's great to have your attention again, this time for something a little different than what we usually meet at this URL for.
New Orleans has long been one of my favorite cities to visit and vacation in. My husband and I have been traveling there together for 10 years now, in fact- we just celebrated our 10-year anniversary together in N.O. By now, after dozens of trips, it's safe to say I know my way around and know a few of the vegan options the city has to offer.
Throughout the years I have stayed in just about every part of New Orleans. The French Quarter, Algiers Point, The 9th Ward, Marigny, The West Bank, and Bywater. The two neighborhoods that will always have a piece of my heart are Algiers Point and Bywater.
There is something so special about learning to live amongst cultures when traveling, rather than being a tourist. Immersing yourself in neighborhoods, taking local classes, or stopping by a bodega is really when you get to see what makes a city special.
Don't get me wrong; Cafe du Monde is delicious and a very cool attraction but not what makes my heart skip when I think of New Orleans.
Bywater has been my recent love affair. It's a small neighborhood characterized by its colorful shotgun housing, vibrant art, and live music venues. In Bywater, you find yourself far enough away from the bustle of Bourbon, but just close enough to walk to the Blue Nile for reggae night and drinks on the balcony. This neighborhood is one of the most vegan-friendly areas to stay in with restaurants like The Sneaky Pickle, Capulet, Small Mart, and Pizza Delicious.
Notable mentions: Breakaways R&B, Chance in Hell Snowballs, Bywater Bakery, Botanicals, Galaxy, and Flora Gallery & Coffee Shop.
The Sneaky Pickle is my top pick for Bywater, it's not a vegan restaurant but the menu is overwhelmingly plant-based. It is closed on Tues/Wed and open every other day from 11 am-4 pm and at 5:30 pm, the Sneaky Pickle transforms into Bar Brine.
If a posh high-concept bar had a baby with an indie pub, you'd get Bar Brine. The food menu and the drink menu are unmatched as far as creativity is concerned. In my opinion Bar Brine is the perfect way to start your night on the town.
Photos from https://www.instagram.com/yousneakypickle/
Right next to Bywater, you find Marigny- a neighborhood booming with creative culture. Marigny is home to Frenchman Street which has the highest concentration of live music venues in NOLA, within only 3 blocks. As Bourbon street grew in fame, Frenchman street, which is located less than a mile away, grew into a neighborhood for locals to enjoy authentic New Orleans music and gastronomy.
Marigny is by far my favorite place to spend time when in New Orleans. You can't go wrong grabbing a bite anywhere with eateries like The Three Muses, Sukho Thai, Dat Dog, Bao & Noodle, St. Roch Market, and Quitutes Cuisine. Marigny also hosts two of my best-loved live music venues, The Blue Nile and The Spotted Cat, both of which host some of the best performers in the south and have great atmospheres to pair.
To be honest, I plan most of my vacations to New Orleans around the Blue Nile's Thursday Reggae Night. I like to start the night with reservations at The Three Muses for an exquisite dinner, live music, and craft cocktails. Then, walk across the street to the Frenchmen Art Bazaar to peruse local artists' work and once 11 PM strikes the clock head to the Blue Nile for live Reggae music and drinks on the balcony, dancing the night away.
To the left of Marigny is the most famed district of New Orleans; the historic French Quarter or the Vieux Carré (old square), characterized by its unique European architecture, nightlife, and street performers. The Quarter is home to some of the nation's most sought-after attractions and restaurants. Jackson Square, Bourbon Street, Pat O'Brien's Bar, Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop (the oldest bar still operating as so in the states), Antoine's (operating since 1840), and Brennan's- which is known for creating Bananas Foster.
The French Quarter is filled with a plethora of culture, flavor, music, and fun. It can be hard to pick any one place to sit and enjoy the time because of how much is going on. It is by far the busiest district and has quite a few vegan-friendly options to choose from. Some of my favorites include Bennachin, Cuñada, Killer Poboys, Cafe Cour, Thaihey Nola, Sweet Saint, and Holy Crepes.
When you walk through the door of Bennachin, you're transported to the dining room of a friend. The food, the atmosphere, the laughter, and the love coming from the kitchen- makes you feel like you are at home. The restaurant is small with limited seating and is open Wed-Sun for lunch and dinner. The menu is vegan-friendly and full of homemade West African food classics like Jollof Rice, Fu-fu, Yassa, and Makube.
If you're in the mood for tapas and drinks while you're strolling down Bourbon, don't miss Cuñada. This adorable agave bar has certified Tequiliers, or catadores (yes that's a thing- move over sommeliers) delicious drinks, and a fun Mexican comfort food menu to pair. The mixologists behind the bar have a keen sense of creativity and are great at mixing. The restaurant also pays their employees a minimum of $15/hr and asks you to tip on top of the gratuity that's worked into the bill. As a service industry worker I love to see. *Tip the hands that feed, and well!* Honorable mention for food & drinks you should order: Vegan Ceviche, ¡Hola Pepi! and Coco-Ñada.
Photos from https://www.instagram.com/cunadanola/
To get to the Warehouse District you have to pass Canal St. another hot spot for great hotels, shopping, and parades in New Orleans. The Warehouse District is contemporary and walkable. It's the perfect place to spend an afternoon skipping around from an art gallery to a museum to a posh restaurant.
Art galleries to visit: Arthur Roger Gallery, Van Gogh Exhibit: The Immersion Experience, Gallery ESTELLA, and Callan Contemporary.
Museums to visit: The Sazerac House, Ogden Museum of Southern Art, The Museum of the Southern Jewish Experience, and The National WWII Museum.
Foods to eat: Carmo, Breads on Oak, The Daily Beet, Bearcat Cafe, G's Pizza, and Le Chat Noir.
Carmo is in my top 10 vegan restaurants of all time. It features cuisine from the Caribbean, Central and South America, West Africa, Southeast Asia, and the Gulf South. Almost everything on the menu has vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free options making it the perfect place to go with anyone. Some of my favorites include the Trifongo with Vegan Meat (a play on mofongo), Pan Con Chicharron, Carmo Salad, the Rico, and the Pão De Quejo. The drink menu is inventive yet familiar with drinks like the Batucada; a batida of cachaca, passion fruit juice, and coconut milk, and the Que Pina; a mix of Barsol Pisco, fresh pineapple, lime, Aji Amarillo pepper, mint, and cilantro, agave.
Carmo is a must-stop when in the Warehouse District- but make sure to reserve seats ahead of time because they do get quite busy in the evenings.
To the left of the Warehouse District you find Uptown, a larger area compromised of 4 larger neighborhoods. Uptown is characterized by classic-style mansions, the St. Charles Streetcar, the universities, and the gorgeous landscape. It's a great area to ride through and pass time enjoying the scenery and eating, but not as walkable as some of the other districts because of its size.
Breads on Oak, Bearcat, Kindred, Raw Republic, Mint Modern Vietnamese, Magasin Kitchen, LUVI, Ba Chi Canteen, Sukho Thai, Tal's Hummus, and Pomelo are among some of the best vegan options in Uptown.
Breads on Oak is an all-vegan bakery that offers an array of fresh-baked bread loaves, quiches, muffins, biscuits, cookies, sandwiches and more. I love to stop at this location when I am headed out of town to eat brunch and grab goodies to go. Some of my favorite things to order include the biscuit tower, big daddy burger, quiche, coconut cream cake, and if your in town during Carnival/Mardi Gras don't forget the king cake. Breads on Oak is open 7 days a week and has 2 different locations, the one in Uptown is open from 7:30 AM - 3 PM. Also, if you like cats- you'll find plenty of them here... just go and see for yourself.
Photos from https://www.neworleans.com/listing/breads-on-oak/33298 & https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g60864-d3573636-Reviews-Breads_on_Oak-New_Orleans_Louisiana.html
New Orleans is a city dripping with culture, everywhere you look there is something fun to get into or delicious to eat. You can't walk far without finding something intriguing, and that's precisely how I found the Westbank. Woldenberg Riverfront Park is the perfect place to walk beside the water and take in the beauty of the city around. At the south end of the park nearest the Audubon Aquarium, there is a ferry that can take you across the Mississippi River to Algiers Point for a few dollars per person. The ferry is also dog friendly much like the rest of New Orleans, so bring your furry friends!
Algiers Point is a great neighborhood to stay in because it's a quiet and walkable residential area. It's known for the Victorian cottage-style homes, and small bodegas sprinkled throughout. This historic neighborhood first established in 1719 was almost completely leveled by a fire in 1895 but came back to be the home of Jazz music legends like Kid Thomas and Papa Celestin. Ginger bloom scents fill the air, Mardi Gras beads hang from the highest tree branches and the familiarity of New Orleans is near but the skyline is at a distant view.
In Algiers Point, there are not as many fun-to-do attractions. But you can spend some time visiting local art shops like Rosetree Blown Glass Studio and Beatrixbell Handcrafted Jewelry, or walking/biking over the levee and visiting one of the most interesting food establishments I've ever found myself in: The Apatite Repair Shop.
The Apatite Repair Shop is a one-man-show. The chef is also the dishwasher, is also the social media manager, is also the FOH manager. Chef Peter Vazquez updates his Facebook group, Apatite Repair Shop Menu, daily with whatever foods he has blessed the Westbank with. Most of it is NOT vegan, but sometimes a strike of luck and his food can grace plant-based taste buds. The shop itself is small, mostly kitchen, with very limited seating inside and out so don't plan to eat your meal here, but rather take it somewhere cozy and enjoy the surroundings and good food.
Whether you find yourself in the French Quarter, Business District, Algiers Point or Bywater the Big Easy is always a great place to get away from reality. It's a safe haven to be yourself, enjoy yourself and eat your body weight in delicious food from all around the world. A true melting pot of cultures, history and culinary arts. New Orleans is one city that will always keep a piece of my heart.
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