Let's face it: It's 2020 and we are stuck in the middle of a COVID-19 pandemic. If you are lucky enough to be attending school in person this semester, you probably have had experience with quarantine or isolation. When my time came to endure the dreaded 14-day quarantine after being contact traced, I decided to make the most out of my time and take it as an opportunity to explore the NOLA takeout scene. I ordered from a variety of COVID-friendly New Orleans restaurants that offer delivery and picked my favorites to share.
All of these meals were placed through online ordering and delivery services. They were delivered seamlessly to my hotel room without person-to-person contact.
Lebanon's Cafe
Lebanon's Cafe is one of my favorite budget-friendly spots for Mediterranean food and is always a "go-to" for an easy dinner. Naturally, it was the first meal that we ordered in quarantine, and it did not disappoint.
Ordering was quick and easy through Grubhub and I had my meal in less than an hour. I ordered my usual chicken shawarma and gyro combo platter, and it was just as tasty as it is served fresh in house. When eating in the restaurant, the staff makes sure that you always have enough of their complimentary pita, and this pita was free of charge for takeout as well.
Also pictured are my roommates' chicken kabob dish and falafel gyro.
Tsunami Sushi
After scrolling through pages of Ubereats, Tsunami Sushi was my spur-of-the-moment decision that I would make again. I have only been to one sushi spot since being at school, so Tsunami was a new experience. My friends and I split the vegetable fried rice, a veggie roll, tofu roll, and the ginger dressing side salads. The rice was super flavorful and the rolls were fresh, served with extra ginger - which is a must for me. Delivery was quick and Tsunami also has a pickup option, which I will for sure be utilizing in the future.
Cookie Dough Bliss
When the quarantine sweet tooth craving hit, I knew we had to order from Cookie Dough Bliss. It's a shop that I had never heard of, but the description on Ubereats was too good to pass up.
From the edible cookie dough bar with a variety of flavors, fresh baked cookies, ice cream, and other classic desserts - we really treated ourselves. The cookie dough sandwich (cookie dough between two baked cookies) is a must-have. I enjoyed the seasonal pumpkin spice flavor between two warm chocolate chunk cookies.
Copper Vine
Coppervine is a spot that I have been dying to try since I've been in New Orleans. The earthy aesthetic of the restaurant on Poydras is just as beautiful as the food - even after Ubereats delivery. Deciding what to order on the copious menu was a struggle, nonetheless we ended up with a delicious meal. The brussel sprout starter was amazing and the perfect size to share, and the blackened tuna nicoise salad was well prepared and elegant tasting. This meal had me counting down the days of quarantine so that I could go visit in person to try the rest of the menu!
Domenica
Domenica was the first restaurant I visited upon my arrival in New Orleans for move in, and I have been dreaming of the fried tuscan kale appetizer ever since. It's the perfect restaurant to satisfy an Italian craving with a sophisticated twist, made easy with Ubereats and Grubhub. Plus, their sister restaurant Pizza Domenica is also on Ubereats. My roommates and I feasted on the fried tuscan kale (obviously), squid ink tagliolini, classic spaghetti and meatballs, and the arugula salad from the comfort of our quarantine hotel room.
La Boulangerie
Voted one of the best croissants in New Orleans, La Boulangerie breakfast is one that I never pass up. Available through Toast delivery and D'livery NOLA, I was able to get my fix of the fresh Saturday morning croissants along with the avocado toast for the perfect quarantine breakfast. These were some of the best croissants I've had. They had a buttery-freshness to them, even after the delivery process.
Honorable Mentions
There are a wide variety of restaurants that offer takeout and delivery in the New Orleans area that didn't quite make the cut for my favorites, but still deserve some recognition. Poke Loa was a reliable option through Grubhub that even accepts Tulane Nola Bucks, but became a poke-mess after being tossed through delivery. Chipotle never fails when it comes to a quick and easy option available on Grubhub and Ubereats, but it was nothing special compared to these picks. I never got around to ordering it myself, but word on the street is that Pinkberry delivery through Ubereats is pretty impressive with the included ice bag to keep the fro-yo cold. Now all we need is for Creole Creamery to start offering a delivery option...