The food options in New Orleans are extraordinary. While many American cities have a signature dish or two, New Orleans has numerous delicious dishes on its menus. Some of these dishes have influences from countires like France, Germany, Italy and Vietnam while others are pure Cajun or Creole.
Discover a dozen must-eat New Orleans food favorites that you can’t miss during any food-focused trip to the Big Easy.
1. Gumbo
Gumbo could be one of the greatest soups in the world… assuming that it’s a soup and not a stew. A roux-thickened, brown bowl of Louisiana gumbo, filled with thick slices of Andouille sausage, chicken or seafood, is a quintessential American dish.
Discover great globlal soups.
2. Jambalaya
Jambalaya is rice dish inspired by settlers from Spain and West Africa. Beyond rice, a proper jambalaya recipe includes andouille sausage, shrimp, Louisiana’s vegetable trinity (celery, onions and green peppers) and a whole bunch of spices. Creole jambalaya adds tomatoes while Cajun jambalaya is a tomato-free dish.
Discover a jambalaya recipe.
3. Po Boys
Invented by New Orleanians, this submarine hybrid stands out from the sandwich pack starting with its Leidenheimer baguette. Adding crispy seafood and slow cooked beef elevates the po boy to icon status.
Discover 5 great Po Boy shops in New Orleans.
4. Muffalettas
Invented by some of the first Italians to immigrate to America more than a century ago, the muffaletta is NOLA’s second sandwich icon. Those immigrants channeled their roots when they first made this round sandwich with bread traditionally eaten in Sicily and filled it with tasty toppings like cured meat, cheese and marinated olive salad.
Discover more American sandwich icons.
5. Fried Chicken
Female chefs Leah Chase and Willie Mae Seaton, both now deceased, perfected the art of frying chicken at their restaurants (Dooky Chase’s Restaurant and Willie Mae’s Scotch House) located a block apart from each other. Now managed by their descendants, those two Tremé restaurants both won James Beard awards and have become destination dining for fried chicken fans around the world.
6. Turtle Soup
Popular in New Orleans where Cajun and Creole food rule the roost, turtle soup proves the age-old adage that most proteins taste like chicken. But make no mistake – the savory soup does indeed include turtle meat in its stock and also as an ingredient.
See what it’s like to eat turtle soup at Commander’s Palace.
7. Oysters
Finding oysters in New Orleans is the opposite of a problem. Restaurants serve the plump bivalves raw over crushed ice all year long, not just during months that contain the letter ‘r.’ Some NOLA cooks fry the little critters before piling them inside Po Boys while others bake and grill them.
8. Shrimp Remoulade
Simpler than many New Orleans dishes, shrimp remoulade is basically a shrimp salad served with remoulade sauce in lieu of dressing. But this remoulade is slightly different from its French cousin. Cajun seasonings and ingredients like spicy mustard and horseradish bring a bit of heat to the saucy party.
Discover more global salads.
9. Zapp’s Kettle Chips
American potato chips are fairly standard except in New Orleans where kettle chips come in flavors like Spicy Cajun Crawtator and Voodoo. Zapp’s has been producing these unique flavors, as well as special edition Mardi Gras chips, in Louisiana since 1995.
Discover more great American chips.
10. Hot Sauce
There’s not just one hot sauce that’s popular in New Orleans. Many New Orleanians choose Crystal which is produced locally. Others opt for Tabasco produced in Avery Island near Lafayette. Yet others choose Louisiana Hot Sauce which is produced in New Iberia also near Lafayette.
Discover more great American hot sauces.
11. Bananas Foster
Bananas foster debuted more than a half century ago in New Orleans. Its preparation involves combining butter, cinnamon, brown sugar and bananas (of course) in a pan before adding rum and banana liqueur. Flames flair and excitement builds before the caramelized mixture is plated along with a heaping scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Discover more great New Orleans desserts.
12. Beignets
Although the beignet wasn’t invented in New Orleans, it’s become an integral part of the city’s food culture since the 18th century when Acadian settlers started frying French fritters in Louisiana. It’s even the state’s official donut.
Discover more great global donuts.
Read Next: The Best New Orleans Restaurants
Now that you know the must-eat New Orleans foods, it’s time to learn where to eat them all. Start your New Orelans restaurant crawl at the city’s most iconic restaurants. They range from cheap eats to fine dining and they’re all great.
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Discover more great American food cities and what to eat in each tasty city.
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About the Authors
Daryl and Mindi Hirsch
Saveur Magazine’s BEST TRAVEL BLOG award winners Daryl and Mindi Hirsch share their culinary travel experiences and recipes on the 2foodtrippers website. Since launching the site in 2012, they’ve traveled to over 40 countries in their quest to bring readers a unique taste of the world.