Best Late Night Food

Locals, tourists, and students will all point late-night food seekers to the same place: Camellia Grill. Opened in 1946, the landmark diner is located at the intersection of St. Charles Street and Carrolton Avenue, making it a convenient streetcar ride away from Tulane’s campus. The price range is also appealing to broke college students – the most expensive item on the menu is under nine dollars. The diner is open from noon to midnight during the week, and from 8 A.M. to 2 A.M. on Fridays and Saturdays, making it a perfect place for breakfast, lunch, dinner or a midnight snack. Breakfast is served all day, along with a variety of sandwiches and first-rate pies served a la mode and grilled with butter to intensify their flavor. The diner itself has an old-time feel, complete with bar stool seating, marble countertops and an incredibly attentive and gregarious wait-staff. Camellia may be one of the only places in New Orleans where you’re not allowed to consume alcohol, but deliciously thick and creamy “freezes” – their name for a milkshake – are always on tap. – Halle Kaplan-Allen

626 South Carrollton Avenue

Best Happy Hour

Though New Orleans certainly has no lack of happy hour specials, one local favorite is indisputably The Bulldog,. Opened in 1994 by four New Orleanians who wanted a bar that took beer seriously, The Bulldog has definitely achieved that prestige. It was named the best place to drink beer by New Orleans Magazine in 2001 and rated the best beer selection in New Orleans by Gambit Magazine for the last five years. It has more than 50 beers on tap, 100 more bottle selections and great daily happy hour deals. On Wednesdays, customers receive a free collectable pint glass with every pint of beer purchased, and on Thursdays, pitchers of microbrewery beer are $2 off. Most patrons come for the huge outdoor patio, which features a fountain that has beer taps instead of spigots. The patio, which runs parallel to Magazine Street, is also an ideal place for people watching. – Halle Kaplan-Allen

3236 Magazine Street

Best Place to Bring Family

Come for the atmosphere, stay for the taste-bud-slaying Italian food. Adolfo’s is a place where you can be proud to bring your family. Located in arguably New Orleans’ hippest neighborhood, Adolfo’s is hidden above The Apple Barrel, a great place for a drink to pass the time you will most certainly have if you don’t make a reservation. The restaurant is two tiny, dimly lit rooms, all soft music and tables with those identifiably Italian red-and-white tablecloths. The wine is superb, and the food is doubly so – the grouper with Ocean Sauce makes heads spin. This writer knows for sure Adolfo’s is the perfect place for family because he took his grandparents there earlier this year. His grandmother, who has spent decades living in Upper Manhattan, said it was the best food she had eaten in her entire life. Eat it, Manhattan. – Charles Bramesco

611 Frenchmen Street

Best Po’Boy

Po’boys aren’t rocket science – they are essentially a regular sandwich with more fattening ingredients. The cooks at Mahony’s understand this formula, and simply do it remarkably, mouth-wateringly well. Our fair city has countless places to get a po’boy, but only one of them received the official Guy Fieri stamp of approval with a feature on Food Network’s “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.” The Fried Chicken Livers and Creole Slaw Po-Boy and the Fried Oyster, Bacon and Cheddar Cheese Po-Boy, affectionately nicknamed “The Peacemaker,” both took home awards at the New Orleans Po’boy Preservation Festival, but for a hidden gem, try the Real Roast Turkey and Gravy. It’s really a gr (note from the editor: article left unfinished, as the writer could not wait any longer to go to Mahony’s and get himself a damn po-boy.) – Charles Bramesco

3454 Magazine Street

Best Breakfast

New Orleans has many delicious breakfast locales, from the upscale to the dives. While places like Refuel and Fat Hen are great for a quick hangover cure, everyone should venture out of the uptown area and into the Garden District to check out Surrey’s. It is vegetarian friendly and has a full breakfast menu with tons of choices, but its best treat is the homemade juices made as fresh as humanly possible. While the juices are pricey, they are worth every penny, and restaurant-goers can make any combination of fruits they like. Surrey’s is locally renowned as one of the best breakfast places in town, so diners should expect a wait, especially on weekend mornings. Its comfortable local atmosphere and delicious breakfast goodies make for a fun place to take visitors. Be sure to try their Migas, a dish with cheddar cheese and tortilla chips. Most of the meals come with a side, such as grits, hash browns and biscuits, and all of the choices are tasty. If you grab breakfast at the more downtown location head by Coliseum Square on the way back to campus -it’s the beautiful park across the street crawling with puppies. If you’re looking for a pleasant way to spend a weekend morning, Surrey’s is the place. – Margaret Abrams

1418 Magazine Street | Breakfast ranges from $6 – $12

 

Best Hole-in-the-Wall

Concealed in a small neighborhood is the Regla Grocery Store. Though some would say it is dirty or dank, the food is surprisingly delicious. While the small grocery offers exotic fruits and snacks such as plantains and coconut juices, the best thing that Regla has to offer is its genuine, fresh Cuban food. Order any of the $8 daily specials such as the Wednesday special of Ropas Viejas or even their homemade tamales, and the massive quantity and appetizing quality of food will astonish, all made in a corner resembling the kitchen of a small family. While Regla Grocery has an unshowy exterior, patrons will definitely recognize the warmth of kind folks who own the store, as well as the authenticity of their culinary skills. – Anna Nguyen

4200 Dhemecourt Street

 

Best Burger

If you’re looking for a life-changing burger within walking distance from campus, stop by The Company Burger, located in the revived area of Freret Street, nicknamed the “New Freret.” The Company Burger doesn’t offer much in terms of diversity – the menu offers seven main items and some sides. Instead, it focuses on quality ingredients, including locally baked buns, antibiotic and hormone-free beef patties, and house-made bread and butter pickles. The burgers are so fresh and delicious, making condiments unnecessary. The Classic American Burger is simple and beautiful – a melt-in-your-mouth patty on a light, crispy bun. Try the Lamb Burger with chili mint glaze or the Turkey Burger, both delights. Add some freshly made sweet potato fries, and time spent at any other burger joint will seem like a waste. The Company Burger boasts reasonably priced entrees and a laid-back, minimalist atmosphere, with friendly staff and seating available at the counter or tables. With The Company Burger’s recent grand prize win at Hogs for the Cause, expect a busier storefront as people try to get a taste of some of their award-winning specials from the festival. – Stephanie Chen

4600 Freret Street | Prices run from $10 a burger.

 

Best Lunch

If you’re looking for some cheese in New Orleans, this is the place to be. Whether you’re a cheese fiend or casually craving some lunch, St. James Cheese Company has choices for everyone. For lunch you can enjoy a delicious sandwich or salad, but we suggest a decadent with a cheese plate. St. James will choose an assortment of cheeses, and they usually choose right. Feel free to suggest some of your favorites, or request that they choose some less stinky ones. The cheese plate will magically appear with assorted accoutrements like fruit and fun jellies. If you especially love one of the cheeses you can take it home, as they have a full market. This place is a cheese-lover’s heaven, but even if you feel lukewarm about your love of cheese, St. James is a place for everyone, from little kids eating homemade macaroni and cheese to wine aficionados. And, if you manage to save a little room for desert you can head next door to Creole Creamery. – Margaret Abrams

5004 Prytania Street | Cheese plates start at $10.50

 

Best Brunch

The Country Club’s Pool and Jacuzzi facilities and the nude sunbathers that frequent them commanded attention, but this Bywater gem also offers food, music and movies. The best time to visit the Country Club is on the third Sunday of each month, when it hosts its Drag Brunch. At Drag Brunch, $10 will get you a bottomless mimosa, and along with a mouth-watering breakfast menu, diners are also treated to a variety of colorful drag queen performances. Performers dance around tables to the loud, upbeat music and personally croon to lucky attendees. After you down a few drinks and a full meal, you can take off your top and hit the pool. – Sonya Soz Zhang

634 Louisa Street | $10 bottomless mimosas

 

Best Vegetarian

Located in the Bywater neighborhood, this is one of the best casual, inexpensive and vegetarian-friendly spots in town. The owners keep their menu perfectly in sync with the supply of local farmers, and every dish feels like the chefs just picked the vegetables from their backyard garden. Satsuma offers a bevy of fresh-squeezed organic juices. Once only open for breakfast and lunch seven days a week, it now offers dinner from Wednesday to Saturday. The dinner menu includes delicacies such as as spiced Marcona almonds, beet and crab salad with avocado and buttermilk-chive dressing and butternut squash and kale gnocchi. The decor is adorable, the servers are incredibly nice and polite, and the kitchen is open, giving restaurant-goers a nice view of preparation. – Sonya Soz Zhang

3218 Dauphine Street | Breakfast entrees average at $10