After meeting your guide in New Orleans’ French Quarter, set off on your stroll around the city to learn about its culinary history while scouting out its top eateries. Founded by the French, the city holds the country’s influence close to its heart, and French classics—albeit with a New Orleans twist—feature on its restaurant menus alongside the distinctive Creole and Cajun dishes of Louisiana.
One of the city’s burgeoning food hotspots is the area around St Charles Avenue and the upmarket Garden District. Head there on foot and start sampling dishes aplenty in the eateries that many city visitors miss. Dishes and venues may change on occasion, but your route always includes at least four food stops that collectively provide enough food for a meal.
Visit the Avenue Pub, a real locals’ favorite, to try the chef’s surprise and a craft beer, and then continue to Pralines by Jean for a selection of traditional New Orleans candy and pralines. Peruse the wares at Fleurty Girl, a sell-everything-store where goods are made by local New Orleanians, and sample Irish-inspired fare at the lively Irish House pub.
Treat your tastebuds to contemporary southern classics such as a pork belly slider in the traditional Tivoli and Lee restaurant. Then, head to Belloq, cocktail lounge and New Orleans institution, to watch their mixologists create a 19th-century-style punch. Finish your food tour on a high note with a glass of the fruity alcoholic brew, and then walk back to the French Quarter with your guide, where your tour finishes.