Where to Eat, Drink and Spot a Celebrity in New Orleans Ahead of Super Bowl 2025

Mar. 15, 2025

Bourbon St. in New Orleans.Photo:Aaron M. Sprecher/Getty

Aaron M. Sprecher/Getty

TheSuper Bowlis coming back to New Orleans.And while fans will be flocking to the Big Easy to catch the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles face off in a rematch of the 2023 big game, they will also certainly be taking in part of what makes the city so famous — it’s food!“I love how it’s really a melting pot of flavors and you really get to see that,” New Orleans native and content creator Evelyn Bories (@evie_eats) says of the city’s food scene. And while there are plenty of popular spots that are well worth the hype, creator Chasity Pugh (@letdatgirleat) says its also important to check out places off the beaten path.“A lot of the places with the best food and hospitality and just everything are typically your hidden gems,” says Pugh. “It’s not your super swanky restaurants, it’s your places that do pop-ups or your spots that are kind of holes in the wall.“Whether it’s Cajun seafood with Filipino influences, an Italian sandwich shop or a bakery that has created a birthday cake forTaylor Swift, the city has something for every palate.Ahead of the Feb. 9 game, PEOPLE chatted with Bories and Pugh about some of their favorite spots to eat — and spot celebrities — in the Crescent City.

TheSuper Bowlis coming back to New Orleans.

And while fans will be flocking to the Big Easy to catch the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles face off in a rematch of the 2023 big game, they will also certainly be taking in part of what makes the city so famous — it’s food!

“I love how it’s really a melting pot of flavors and you really get to see that,” New Orleans native and content creator Evelyn Bories (@evie_eats) says of the city’s food scene. And while there are plenty of popular spots that are well worth the hype, creator Chasity Pugh (@letdatgirleat) says its also important to check out places off the beaten path.

“A lot of the places with the best food and hospitality and just everything are typically your hidden gems,” says Pugh. “It’s not your super swanky restaurants, it’s your places that do pop-ups or your spots that are kind of holes in the wall.”

Whether it’s Cajun seafood with Filipino influences, an Italian sandwich shop or a bakery that has created a birthday cake forTaylor Swift, the city has something for every palate.

Ahead of the Feb. 9 game, PEOPLE chatted with Bories and Pugh about some of their favorite spots to eat — and spot celebrities — in the Crescent City.

01of 18PêchePêche.PecheNOLA/InstagramWhen it comes to seafood, a staple of New Orleans, Bories' pick is Pêche. Chef Nicole Cabrera Mills, who was namedFood & Wine’s best new chefin 2024, combines Cajun favorites with the flavors of her native Philippines.

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Pêche

Pêche.PecheNOLA/Instagram

PecheNOLA/Instagram

When it comes to seafood, a staple of New Orleans, Bories' pick is Pêche. Chef Nicole Cabrera Mills, who was namedFood & Wine’s best new chefin 2024, combines Cajun favorites with the flavors of her native Philippines.

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Heard Dat Kitchen

Heard Dat Kitchen.Courtesy of Chasity P. @letdatgirleat

Courtesy of Chasity P. @letdatgirleat

“I feel like it gets a boom whenever we have something like Essence Fest, Super Bowl coming up, things like that, but I feel like because it’s not in one of those ‘downtown New Orleans’ near-everything kind of areas, that’s why maybe it doesn’t getas muchtraffic,” she explains.

03of 18DakarThough Bories has only dined at this James Beard award-winning Senegalese restaurantDakaronce, it was the first choice out of her mouth when asked for her favorite places to eat in the city.“That one is one of the best meals,” she said. “I’ve only been one time [and] that’s still on top of mind for best restaurant.”

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Dakar

Though Bories has only dined at this James Beard award-winning Senegalese restaurantDakaronce, it was the first choice out of her mouth when asked for her favorite places to eat in the city.

“That one is one of the best meals,” she said. “I’ve only been one time [and] that’s still on top of mind for best restaurant.”

04of 18Alma CafeAlma Cafe/InstagramAlma Cafein the Bywater neighborhood of New Orleans was another pick from Bories. A James Beard Award finalist, this restaurant serves up modern Honduran cuisine from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. every day and from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Fridays for dinner service.

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Alma Cafe

Alma Cafe/Instagram

Alma Cafein the Bywater neighborhood of New Orleans was another pick from Bories. A James Beard Award finalist, this restaurant serves up modern Honduran cuisine from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. every day and from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Fridays for dinner service.

05of 18Francolini’sFor more of a grab-and-go meal, Bories says Francolini’s sandwich shop has been her go-to lately: “I can’t stop eating there, it’s really bad, but it’s so good.”

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Francolini’s

For more of a grab-and-go meal, Bories says Francolini’s sandwich shop has been her go-to lately: “I can’t stop eating there, it’s really bad, but it’s so good.”

06of 18Saint JohnNot far from Pêche is Saint John, which is Bories' pick for more of a classic New Orleans meal — specifically the restaurant’s turkey necks, she says.“It comes off the bone, and they also have a really good mac and cheese pie… I say get a bunch and split,” she adds.

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Saint John

Not far from Pêche is Saint John, which is Bories' pick for more of a classic New Orleans meal — specifically the restaurant’s turkey necks, she says.

“It comes off the bone, and they also have a really good mac and cheese pie… I say get a bunch and split,” she adds.

07of 18Arnaud’sArnaud’s.David NolaA quick search of good eats in New Orleans will likely lead to big name places like Commander’s Palace (more on that later), Antoine’s (that, too!) and Arnaud’s, which for Bories, reigns supreme among the “big New Orleans restaurants” especially those in the French Quarter.“They have a trout amandine, which I feel like I’m always getting — actually, I want that right now,” she says with a laugh.

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Arnaud’s

Arnaud’s.David Nola

David Nola

A quick search of good eats in New Orleans will likely lead to big name places like Commander’s Palace (more on that later), Antoine’s (that, too!) and Arnaud’s, which for Bories, reigns supreme among the “big New Orleans restaurants” especially those in the French Quarter.

“They have a trout amandine, which I feel like I’m always getting — actually, I want that right now,” she says with a laugh.

08of 18Tujague’sTujague’s Restruarant.fiveohpour/InstagramAnother classic New Orleans spot is Tujague’s on Decatur St., not far from the waterfront. Even as a born and raised New Orleanian, Pugh says its one of the most touristy restaurants still worth a trip to the French Quarter to eat at.“It’s one of those old New Orleans classic restaurants,” she explains. “It’s delicious there. They make really good cocktails, they have really good rich food and I feel like it’s one of those stops when you’re in New Orleans, you have to go there.““People are very weary of French Quarter places being too gimmicky,” she adds, “and I’m like, ‘no, it’s really good.'”

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Tujague’s

Tujague’s Restruarant.fiveohpour/Instagram

fiveohpour/Instagram

Another classic New Orleans spot is Tujague’s on Decatur St., not far from the waterfront. Even as a born and raised New Orleanian, Pugh says its one of the most touristy restaurants still worth a trip to the French Quarter to eat at.

“It’s one of those old New Orleans classic restaurants,” she explains. “It’s delicious there. They make really good cocktails, they have really good rich food and I feel like it’s one of those stops when you’re in New Orleans, you have to go there.”

“People are very weary of French Quarter places being too gimmicky,” she adds, “and I’m like, ‘no, it’s really good.'”

09of 18Antoine’sAntoine’s Restaurant.Antoine’s Restaurant/InstagramGrowing up, Pugh would spend lots of time at Antoine’s as she “always” had a family member working there.“I had my uncle/godfather was serving there for quite some time and that kind of introduced me to a lot of, they would say, the fine New Orleans classic cuisine,” she says.

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Antoine’s

Antoine’s Restaurant.Antoine’s Restaurant/Instagram

Antoine’s Restaurant/Instagram

Growing up, Pugh would spend lots of time at Antoine’s as she “always” had a family member working there.

“I had my uncle/godfather was serving there for quite some time and that kind of introduced me to a lot of, they would say, the fine New Orleans classic cuisine,” she says.

10of 18SabaBories shared that another celebrity favorite in town is Saba — in fact, Taylor Swift was spotted dining there back in 2022. At the time,PEOPLE reportedthat she dined on tzatziki, hummus with Brussels sprouts, charred cabbage, kofta and salad, per a source.

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Saba

Bories shared that another celebrity favorite in town is Saba — in fact, Taylor Swift was spotted dining there back in 2022. At the time,PEOPLE reportedthat she dined on tzatziki, hummus with Brussels sprouts, charred cabbage, kofta and salad, per a source.

11of 18Bywater BakeryBywater Bakery.Google Maps; Courtesy of Bywater BakeryAnd speaking of Swift, Bywater Bakery cooked up her"Lavender haze surprise"birthday cake back in 2022. The cake was two-tiers made up of a chai chocolate cake with chocolate ganache and caramel on bottom and a vanilla butter cake with banana mascarpone cream on top.

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Bywater Bakery

Bywater Bakery.Google Maps; Courtesy of Bywater Bakery

Google Maps; Courtesy of Bywater Bakery

And speaking of Swift, Bywater Bakery cooked up her"Lavender haze surprise"birthday cake back in 2022. The cake was two-tiers made up of a chai chocolate cake with chocolate ganache and caramel on bottom and a vanilla butter cake with banana mascarpone cream on top.

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Café Du Monde

Cafe Du Monde.Chris Graythen/Getty

Chris Graythen/Getty

It’s impossible to think of food in New Orleans and not think of the delicious, powdered sugar-covered beignets at Café Du Monde.

For Grammy-winning musician and New Orleans nativeTrombone Shorty, the iconic cafe is “absolutely” worth the hype.

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Commander’s Palace

One of the restaurant’s chefs, Meg Bickford,told Nola.comthat the rocker was “so incredibly courteous and kind” and even gifted her tickets to the show.

14of 18Hungry EyesHungry Eyes.Bories spottedGordon Ramsayin this 80s-themed restaurant on the famous Magazine St., which opened in 2023. The celebrity chef was recently in the Big Easy filmingKitchen Nightmaresthough Bories clarifies that he was simply dining on yummy food when she spotted him — not filming an episode of his show.

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Hungry Eyes

Hungry Eyes.

Bories spottedGordon Ramsayin this 80s-themed restaurant on the famous Magazine St., which opened in 2023. The celebrity chef was recently in the Big Easy filmingKitchen Nightmaresthough Bories clarifies that he was simply dining on yummy food when she spotted him — not filming an episode of his show.

15of 18The Chandelier Bar at the Four Seasons HotelPugh says not only does the Chandelier Bar inside the Four Seasons Hotelfeel"very star-studded” but “you would probably see celebrities as well.““I also love it there,” she adds.

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The Chandelier Bar at the Four Seasons Hotel

Pugh says not only does the Chandelier Bar inside the Four Seasons Hotelfeel"very star-studded” but “you would probably see celebrities as well.”

“I also love it there,” she adds.

16of 18Morrow SteakIn the summer of 2024, Megan the Stallion and Glorilla had a"private dinner"at Morrow Steak, one of Larry Morrow’s restaurants. The two were in town as part of the Hot Girl Summer Tour.

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Morrow Steak

In the summer of 2024, Megan the Stallion and Glorilla had a"private dinner"at Morrow Steak, one of Larry Morrow’s restaurants. The two were in town as part of the Hot Girl Summer Tour.

17of 18Neyow’sNeyow’s.Neyow’s Creole Cafe/InstagramPugh calls Neyow’s a “very classic NOLA” restaurant with “great chargrilled oysters, seafood pasta and classics like red beans, fried chicken, gumbo.”

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Neyow’s

Neyow’s.Neyow’s Creole Cafe/Instagram

Neyow’s Creole Cafe/Instagram

Pugh calls Neyow’s a “very classic NOLA” restaurant with “great chargrilled oysters, seafood pasta and classics like red beans, fried chicken, gumbo.”

18of 18Que Pasta NolaQue Pasta Nola.Courtesy of Chasity P. @letdatgirleatAnd because Super Bowl weekend will bring hoards of tourists, Pugh noted that her favorite “hidden gem” is a pop-up calledQue Pasta Nola, which is located inside the Siberia music venue in the Marigny area of the city.

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Que Pasta Nola

Que Pasta Nola.Courtesy of Chasity P. @letdatgirleat

And because Super Bowl weekend will bring hoards of tourists, Pugh noted that her favorite “hidden gem” is a pop-up calledQue Pasta Nola, which is located inside the Siberia music venue in the Marigny area of the city.

source: people.com