New Orleans 5-Day & 4-Night Food, Drink & Fun Guide

Five days in NOLA? That’s the perfect length for a deep dive into this vibrant city—you’ll get to savor every bite, sip every cocktail, and soak up every jazz note 🎉! 🍴 Food: Must-Try & Total Misses ✅ Don’t Miss These Bites Cafe Beignets 🍩: Head to the spot in Photo 1! They have live outdoor band performances—super chill vibes. The beignets are so good 🥹—I still crave them long after leaving NOLA. Jewel of the South 🍹: It’s a world-class bar, but you’d be missing out if you only go for drinks! Forget "Southern Gem"—it’s confident enough to be America’s Gem. Two Chicks Cafe 🥪: NOLA really knows how to cook chicken! Every chicken dish I tried here was amazing—even the usually dry, fishy chicken breast was delicious (no basic flavors here!). Oysters 🦪: I tried 5 popular oyster spots—check my previous oyster-specific guide for details! Top picks: Felix’s and Luke. Pierre Maspero‘s: A random find, but their chicken salad was surprisingly good. Cafe du Monde (Park Location): Cute, but Cafe Beignets is way better. GW Fins: A NOLA fine dining must! I talked about it separately before—highly recommended. Willie‘s: Fried chicken tastes extra good after a few drinks 🍻—trust me. ❌ Total Letdowns (Skip These!) Zesty Creole: Way too salty and lazy—nothing here is edible… Mr.B Bistro: To everyone hyping this up as a "classic fine dining spot"—can you apologize? It’s embarrassing to call this fine dining. PoBoy: Tastes average anywhere, and even Mother’s (the so-called "famous" spot) was terrible. 🥂 Drinks: Top Spots Jewel of the South: Already mentioned, but it’s so good it deserves a second shoutout! Carousel Bar & Lounge: A "bar on a carousel"—it’s awesome! Go ASAP 🎠. 🎡 Things to Do Day Tour (Plantation + Swamp & Alligators) 🐊🌳: Book a one-day tour to visit an oak plantation and a swamp—you’ll check two big NOLA experiences off your list at once. Sazerac House (Cocktail Museum) 🥃: Tons of interactive games! It’s free, no reservation needed, and you get 3 free cocktail samples—win-win. Natchez Jazz Cruise 🚢: Night cruise on the Mississippi River with jazz—highly recommended. The views + music = perfect evening. City Park 🌳: Super underrated—hardly anyone talks about it, but it’s amazing! Every corner has great design, beautiful scenery, and art sculptures. Rent a bike and ride around the lake—it’s so relaxing. Preservation Hall 🎷: NOLA’s most famous jazz venue—don’t miss a show here. French Quarter 🏛️: It keeps French colonial-era architecture. Wander the streets, listen to street bands (so cozy!), but stay safe at night—especially Bourbon Street, which gets chaotic. #GlobalFoodieSquad #NewOrleansTravel #NewOrleansFood #NOLATravel #NewOrleansGuide