You Have To Eat Here When Celebrating Mardi Gras In New Orleans

New Orleans may have just hosted the Super Bowl, but there’s another huge event coming to town: Mardi Gras. Mardi Gras (which translates to “Fat Tuesday” in French) celebrates the last day of Carnival in preparation for Lent. It commemorates the practice of eating rich, fatty foods leading up to the Christian fasting season. But in New Orleans, Mardi Gras also means another thing — partying. On March 4, visitors and locals alike will flock to Bourbon Street, donning masks and colorful costumes. But before every good party, you need some delicious food. Here are some of the best and most popular New Orleans restaurants for Mardi Gras.

Willie Mae’s Scotch House

This is probably the best fried chicken you will ever eat. Opened in 1957, Willie Mae’s has served New Orleans stellar fried chicken for decades. As a result of recent fire damage, their main location has been shut since 2023 — but four months ago, the establishment opened a new location downtown, called Willie Mae’s NOLA.

It’s hard to put a finger on what exactly the fried chicken at Willie Mae’s tastes like,  but it’s amazing in every way. It’s crunchy, flaky, juicy, airy, and savory, and quite frankly, eating Willie Mae’s fried chicken may be a religious experience for some. Paired with fried okra and mac and cheese, this is the perfect New Orleans meal.

Café Du Monde

If you are ever looking for some warming coffee and delicious beignets, Café Du Monde is a must-visit. This iconic open-air coffee shop churns out beignets like it’s nobody’s business. The hole-less donuts are made fresh and served hot out of the fryer here before being topped with powdered sugar; it’s quite exciting to watch their production line.

For a midday pick-me-up, order beignets with a café au lait (coffee with chicory and milk): you’ll get a delicious combo of sweet, pillowy, and chewy pastry paired with creamy, bitter, and smooth coffee.

Drago’s Seafood Restaurant

With five locations across Louisiana (and one in Mississippi), Drago’s is well known for its extensive selection of seafood. With gumbo, crawfish étouffée, shrimp and grits, lobster, and more on the menu, you can’t go wrong with whatever you order.

The most popular item on Drago’s menu is the charbroiled oysters, which are a smoky and juicy take on your regular oyster. Paired alongside the crawfish mac and cheese: you can’t go back to raw oysters and plain mac and cheese.

Brennan’s

Although this Creole restaurant serves all meals of the day, it excels in brunch and dessert. Founded in 1946, Brennan’s is the home of bananas foster — which was created to use up the restaurant’s excess stock of bananas. The well-known dish is not only a delicious dessert, it is a show. 

Bananas foster is made with bananas, butter, sugar, cinnamon, banana liqueur, and rum, and at Brennan’s, the dessert is cooked right at the table. With flaming rum and sweet bananas served atop vanilla ice cream, you simply can’t miss this staple when visiting New Orleans.

Commander’s Palace

If you’re in the mood for some fine dining, Commander’s Palace is the place to go. Reservations are a must, but they are so worth it. Housed in an iconic turquoise and white building, the restaurant (which opened way back in 1880) serves a range of fancy Creole dishes, from turtle soup and gumbo to escargots and cornfried catfish. Plus, Commander’s Palace also serves the most crispy and airy shoestring fries.

Commander’s Palace hosts jazz brunches on weekends with live music, as well as 25-cent martinis on Thursdays and Fridays. Eating here is the ideal excuse to get dressed up, go out, and eat a life-changing meal. Order the turtle soup: it may sound intimidating, but it is divine.

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