Please note :

• French Quarter restaurants are not included in this guide because we want to let people know what is fairly close to the Convention Center so you can get a bite to eat and not miss any programs.

• Two locations that have food courts are Canal Place and the Riverwalk. The Riverwalk is located next to the Convention Center so that is a great place to duck in for a quick bite. However, summer is the "slow" tourist season here in New Orleans, so take some time and treat yourself to some great meals at some of the fabulous restaurants listed.

• Dining in New Orleans is an experience, and most restaurants want to give you plenty of time to enjoy your meal. If you hope to be in and out of a good restaurant within an hour, you will be sorely disappointed. Therefore, plan accordingly and do what the natives do - relax. It's just too hot to rush around for any reason.

• Make sure to carry plenty of cash with you when heading out to dine. Some restaurants, especially smaller ones, do not accept anything but cash. Larger places will take plastic. Call ahead to be sure.

• For really good restaurants, dinner reservations are a must. It may even be necessary to make reservations for lunch. Summer is the slow time for tourist season, but better to call than wait at the bar for an hour. Unless of course they have cheap martinis at lunch (25¢ at Cafe Adelaide and 10¢ martinis at Bacco).

All of the following restaurants are open for lunch and dinner daily:

Café Du Monde
1st level
(504) 587-0841
$
Coffee and beignets.

Cento & Fanti Italian Eatery
Bon Fete Food Court (3rd level)
$
Italian fast food.

Creole Delicacies Café
Bon Fete Food Court (3rd level)
$
Cajun food.

Famous Wok
Bon Fete Food Court (3rd level)
(504) 525-2686
$
Chinese food.

Fat Tuesday
Bon Fete Food Court (3rd level)
(504) 566-8992
Frozen daiquiris.

Garden Fresh Grille
Bon Fete Food Court (3rd level)
(504) 410-1653
$

Haagen Dazs Ice Cream
Bon Fete Food Court (3rd level)
(504) 523-3566
$

Riverside Internet Café
Bon Fete Food Court (3rd level)
(504) 299-1945
$
Sandwiches and salads.

Kanno Express
Bon Fete Food Court (3rd level)
(504) 581-1520

Margherita del Rio
Bon Fete Food Court (3rd level)
(504) 412-0053
$
Mexican food.

New Orleans Style Gourmet Nuts, Inc.
Bon Fete Food Court (3rd level)
$
(504) 571-1830

Paradise Island Bar
Bon Fete Food Court (3rd level)
(504) 525-3931

Refreshment Company
Bon Fete Food Court (3rd level)
(504) 228-6140
$

Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory
Bon Fete Food Court (3rd level)
(504) 679-7005

Steak Escape
Bon Fete Food Court (3rd level)
$
Steak sandwiches.

The Fudgery
Bon Fete Food Court (3rd level)
Fudge.

Drago’s
Lunch: Mon-Sat 11am
Dinner: Mon-Sat 4-10pm
Drago's, a New Orleans dining institution, offers an extensive seafood menu, including signature dishes such as Drago's Original Charbroiled Oysters and Mama Ruth's Gumbo. Reservations aren't needed. We are open for Dinner Monday - Saturday 4pm - 10pm.$$

Kabby’s Sports Edition
Hours: 7days, 11am-11pm
With 24 42'' Plasma TV's and 8 30'' LCD TV, Kabby's Sports Edition Grille is voted Favorite Bar/Lounge by New Orleans Magazine's Readers' Choice Poll. Stop in for draft beer, burgers, muffulettas, po-boys, and more.$

Le Croissant
Hours: 7 days, 6am-11pm
All day dining. For a quick breakfast or a delicious lunch or dinner to get you ready to hit the town. American fare. $

River Blends Café (serving Starbucks coffee)
Breakfast hours: 7 days, 6am-noon
Our on-site coffee house proudly serves Starbucks Coffee. Enjoy a quick breakfast and a cup of coffee, espresso, or latte right next to The French Garden Bar. Or take it to go.$

****Cafe Adelaide
Loews Hotel, 300 Poydras
(504) 595-3305
Breakfast: Monday - Sunday, 7:00am - 10:30am
Lunch: Monday - Friday, 11:00am - 2:30pm
Dinner: Monday - Sunday, 6:00pm - 9:30pm
Cost: $$-$$$
Contemporary Creole
Bon Appétit voted it one of the Hot 50 restaurants in the nation:“Owned by the legendary Brennan family and named after a favorite aunt, Café Adelaide is headed by talented chef Kevin Vizard, who first cooked at eh family’s Commander’s Palace in 1981. The adjoining Swizzle Stick Bar is fast becoming another popular New Orleans watering hole." They also feature a "prix fixe" menu for lunch for $20 which includes appetizer and entree. (This is one of my favorite "nice" places for lunch. The turtle soup is not to be missed! Did I mention they have 25¢ martinis and appletinis at lunch? - Amy HJ) Credit cards accepted.

***Cochon
930 Tchoupitoulas
(504) 588-2123
Hours: Mon-Fri: 11am-10pm, Sat: 5-10pm
$$-$$$
Nominated for two James Beard Foundation awards in 2007, Cochon opened after Katrina. Chef Link and co-owner Chef Stryjewski, receive whole pigs and oversee an in-house Boucherie, creating boudin, andouille, smoked bacon, and head cheese. The menu also features handmade crawfish pies, rabbit & dumplings, and spoon bread with okra & tomatoes. Cochon offers specialties from the wood-burning oven such as roasted oysters, suckling pig, and beef brisket. Seafood from local waters round out the offerings with Chef Link's signature roasted gulf fish "fishermen" style.

Local opinion: NOAALL member Tara Lombardi has been there twice, and loves the decor. She recommends the crawfish pie, and says if you like meat, this is the place for you!

Corporation Bar & Grill
931 S. Peters St.
(504) 527-6069
Hours: M-Sat, 11am-5:30
Cost: $
American, Bar/Pub Food.

Herbsaint
701 St. Charles
(504) 524-4114
Lunch M-F, dinner M-Sun
Reservations recommended.
Cost: $$$
This is the place locals love for its great food and reliability, but is a showcase restaurant of an independent thinker. What else to call a chef who imbeds parmesan beignets in spinach salads, drops fried poached eggs atop piles of homemade spaghetti and otherwise views straight but stellar versions of grilled hanger steak, dirty rice, eggplant dressing and oyster-andouille gumbo to be worthy vehicles for his considerable talent and ambition? The result is a great restaurant disguised as a modest one, propelled by a chef who evidence suggests is driven by a simple desire: to cook for people who know good food when they taste it. Selected by The Times Picayune as the “Top Ten Restaurant” in the 2006 Fall Dining Guide. Handicapped accessible. (P.S. Try the shrimp and green chile grit cakes. YUM! And I don't even like grits. - Amy HJ)

***La Boca
857 Fulton
504-525-8205
Hours: M-W, 6-10pm, Th-Sat, 6-midnight
Dinner Mon.-Sat., late-night Thu.-Sat.
Cost: $$$
Steaks speak with a South American accent at this Warehouse District hotspot inspired by the steakhouses of Buenos Aires. Whether you order the familiar filet or the short ribs, the meat here is accompanied by various piquant chimichurri sauces. Pasta dishes play a supporting role, with specials changing nightly. Some of the outstanding sides include crisp fries and grilled provolone with herbs and olive oil. No reservations. Credit cards accepted.

After more than a half century, the daily queue that forms at Mother's sandwich counter is no doubt as long as ever. To many tourists and convention-goers, Mother's is the quintessential source of po' boy sandwiches, jambalaya, gumbo and hefty breakfasts with a side of home-style biscuits. You'll find considerable disagreement among locals, especially those who remember Mother's in its true glory days two or three decades ago, when the eggs and grits were never cold, as they sometimes are these days. Still, few would challenge the goodness of today's po' boys, made with beef and ham cooked on the premises and laden with shredded cabbage and, in the case of the roast beef, the meat shreds and pan drippings known as debris. The chicken gumbo is a winner, as well. As for the methodology of getting served, order somehow triumphs over chaos, and everyone apparently finds a seat, although it may be a stool at the shallow counter along the wall.

Red Eye Grill
852 S. Peters
(504) 593-9393
Lunch Mon.-Sat., dinner and late-night daily
Cost: $
Sandwiches. Seafood.
The Red Eye offers a green light to hungry folks out for a night on the town. There’s a menu of bar food classics and large burgers grilled before your eyes. Fried broccoli, meat pies and jalapeno poppers call out for the Red Eye’s other major specialty — cold beer. For the health-conscious, mixed greens can also be topped with grilled chicken or tuna, popcorn shrimp or a turkey burger. No reservations. Credit cards accepted.

*****Restaurant August
301 Tchoupitoulas
(504) 299-9777
Lunch: Fri: 10am-3pm
Dinner: 7 days a week: 5:30-10pm
Cost: $$$
French. Eclectic.

Riche
Harrah's Casino Hotel, Poydras at Fulton
(504) 533-6117
Hours: Breakfast 7-10:30am, Lunch 11:30-2:30pm
Saturday & Sunday Brunch 10am- 2pm Daily: Dinner 6-10pm
Cost: $$$
A Bon Appetit "Restaurateur of the Year" and honoree of the prestigious James Beard Foundation, world-renowned chef Todd English has selected Harrah's New Orleans as the site of Riche, his first and only French brasserie. Riche by Todd English serves signature French cuisine within a warm, intimate setting illuminated by a lively, open grill area and oyster bar. The tantalizing menu features flavors of garlic, mushroom, and aged cheeses which enhance luxurious cuts of meat and fish, braised, baked and poached to an authentic French taste.

**Roux Bistro
500 Canal (in the Sheraton Hotel)
504-595-5506
Bkfst: 6:30-10am
Lunch: 11am-1pm
Dinner: 5:30-10pm
Cost: $$

With nationally acclaimed local chef Chris Brown at the helm, Roux Bistro has become a favorite of guests and locals alike. Chef Brown turns out expertly executed dishes like Crawfish Beignets with zesty sauce remoulade and Red Bean Cassoulet studded with duck confit and duck sausage seven days a week.

Sugar House
Embassy Suites, 315 Julia St.
504-525-1993
Hours: 7 days a week: 5-10pm
Cost: $$$

Cajun/creole. Savor the flavor of our special New Orleans style cuisine at the Sugar House Restaurant. Named for the original hotel built on the site for the 1984 World's Fair, the 75-seat restaurant serves authentic New Orleans style cuisine with a view of the trendy Arts & Warehouse District and the upscale Julia Street promenade in a newly-renovated tropical setting. The 65-seat Madeleine's Lounge is the perfect spot to unwind with your favorite wine, beer or cocktail. Open noon to midnight daily, Madeleine's offers guests spectacular views of neighboring art galleries as well as our garden atrium.

***Wolfe's in the Warehouse District
859 Convention Center Blvd.
504-613-2882
Breakfast Daily: 6:30am - 10:00am
Lunch: 11:30am - 2:00pm
Dinner Nightly: 5:30pm - 10:00pm
Sunday Brunch: 11:30am - 2:00pm
$$$

Wolfe's in the Warehouse features renowned Chef Tom Wolfe. He take on contemporary New Orleans cuisine, using the foundation of New Orleans as a true melting pot to create a twist of contemporary Creole cuisine influenced by different nationalities. Wolfe's in the Warehouse will provide a fine dining experience and exemplary service in a casual, low-key ambiance.

3rd floor food court:

Café Nuage
504-522-4191
Hours: Mon-Sat: 10-7, Sun: 12-6
Cost: $
Sandwiches, salads, coffee and tea.

Café Sbarro
504-581-9943
Hours: Mon-Sat: 10-7, Sun: 12-6
Cost: $
Fast food pizza, salads and pasta.

Centre Deli
504-568-9954
Hours: Mon-Sat: 10-7, Sun: 12-6
Cost: $
Sandwiches.

Chills
504-525-2445
Hours: Mon-Sat: 10-7, Sun: 12-6
Cost: $
Ice cream, smoothies and sandwiches.

Mrs. Field’s Cookies
Hours: Mon-Sat: 10-7, Sun: 12-6
Cost: $

Panda Café
Hours: Mon-Sat: 10-7, Sun: 12-6
Cost: $
Chinese fast food.

The River Grille
504-524-7900
Hours: Mon-Sat: 10-7, Sun: 12-6
Cost: $
Hamburgers and po-boys.

Café du Monde
Riverwalk Marketplace
Lunch and dinner hours

Perks Coffee
Marriott Conv. Ctr., 859 Convention Ctr. Blvd.

River Blends Café (serving Starbucks coffee)
Hilton New Orleans Riverside (next to Riverwalk)
Breakfast hours: 7 days, 6am-noon

Sweet Dreams Café
Doubletree Hotel, 300 Canal St.
Opens at 6:30am 7days a week
Coffee and pastries.

Starbucks locations:
1. Sheraton lobby: 500 Canal St.
2. Canal Place, 365 Canal St., 1st floor
3. Harrah’s Casino
4. New Orleans Marriott Convention Center, 800 Convention Ctr. Blvd.
5. New Orleans Convention Center, Hall C in the Atrium Café, 900 Convention Ctr. Blvd.

Fuddruckers
Hours: Sun-Thurs: 11am-midnight, Fri-Sat: 11am-1am
Cost: $
Home of the "World's Greatest Hamburger", which you dress to your
liking, using our signature dressing bar. Also serving a variety of other delicious sandwiches, soups, salads and real ice cream shakes.

McAlister’s Select
Hours: Sun-Thurs: 11am-10pm, Fri-Sat: 11am-midnight
Cost: $
Provides the most delicious deli sandwiches, salads, spuds, desserts and of course, McAlister's Famous Sweet Tea.

Starbucks
Hours: Sun-Thurs: 8am-10pm, Fri-Sat: 8am-11pm

Bambu Asian Grille & Sushi Bar
Hours: Mon-Thurs: 4:30-11pm, Fri: 4:30-midnight, Sat.: noon-midnight, Sun: noon-11pm
Cost: $$
Harrah's welcomed Bambu, a charming new Asian eatery, to the casino on May 25. Owned and operated by local chef Richard (Ricky) Toy, Bambu serves Chinese, Japanese, Thai and Vietnamese classics, as well as Toy's own Asian-fusion creations.

The Buffet at Harrah’s
Breakfast Hours: Mon-Sat: 6am-10am, Sun: 6am-9am
Lunch Hours: Mon-Sat: 11am-3pm
Dinner Hours: 7 days a week: 4pm-midnight
Sunday Jazz Brunch: 11am-3pm
Cost: $$
From the Pacific Rim to Creole and French fare, The Buffet at Harrah's is complete with something scrumptious for everyone. Our staff provide you with upscale culinary treats featuring indigenous, traditional fare including his own award-winning Creole gumbo, Kolby steamship round, smoked salmon, Tur-Duck-Hen, various smoked sausages and jumbo shrimp cocktail, just to name a few.

The Besh Steakhouse
Reservations: (504) 533-6111
Hours: Open nightly at 5pm
Cost: $$$
With 150 seats set amidst blue water-like crystal puddles and a dazzling amber bar, The Besh Steakhouse at Harrah's is not your traditional steakhouse. Complete with George Rodrigue's Blue Dog artwork and an open brushed-silver kitchen, gourmets and food critics alike will be swept away with the sleek and contemporary aura of the newest addition to dining grandeur at Harrah's New Orleans.