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Cajun & Creole
Parkway in New Orleans is the 1911 Mid-City po-boy room on Hagan Avenue near Bayou St John, with $13 fried shrimp po-boys dressed on Leidenheimer bread.
TryShrimp po-boy with debris
TipThe back garden patio runs cooler in summer; the counter line is faster than the wait staff.
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Cajun & Creole
Domilise's in New Orleans is the 1918 family po-boy counter on Annunciation Street in Uptown, with $13 fried shrimp po-boys dressed on Leidenheimer bread.
TryFried shrimp po-boy
TipCash and local-card only at the counter; the kitchen closes when the bread runs out for the day.
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Cajun & Creole
Mother's in New Orleans is the 1938 CBD cafeteria-line lunch counter at Poydras and Tchoupitoulas, with $12 red beans and rice plates and the Ferdi Special.
TryRed beans and rice
TipLines run long; arrive 11:00 or after 14:00 for the shortest wait, the cafeteria runs fast at the counter.
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Cajun & Creole
Liuzza's by the Track in New Orleans is the Bayou St John lunch counter near the Fair Grounds that invented the BBQ shrimp po-boy, $15 with butter-pepper.
TryBBQ shrimp po-boy
TipCash only at peak; check the Jazz Fest schedule, the room turns into a circus on festival weekends.
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Cajun & Creole
Hansen's Sno-Bliz in New Orleans is the 1939 Tchoupitoulas Street snowball stand at Bordeaux, the country's oldest sno-ball stand at $5 to $8 a cup.
TrySno-ball with cream-of-nectar syrup
TipOpen March to October only; cash only, the cream-of-nectar with condensed milk is the canonical order.
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Cajun & Creole
Killer Poboys in New Orleans is the Conti Street po-boy counter at the back of Erin Rose, with chef-driven $13 po-boys including the rum-glazed pork-belly.
TryGlazed pork-belly po-boy
TipPork-belly with rum ginger glaze is the cult order; the bar in front serves drinks while you wait.
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Cajun & Creole
Verti Marte in New Orleans is the 24-hour Royal Street deli at Governor Nicholls in the French Quarter, with the $12 All That Jazz po-boy as the cult.
TryAll That Jazz po-boy
TipPhone the deli for delivery to a French Quarter hotel; it runs 24 hours a day on the Royal Street counter.
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Sicilian
Central Grocery in New Orleans is the 1906 Decatur Street Sicilian deli that invented the muffuletta, with $13 half muffulettas built on the round seeded.
TryMuffuletta (half)
TipA half feeds one; a whole feeds two to three. Order to walk and eat in Jackson Square across the street.
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Cajun & Creole
Coop's Place in New Orleans is the Decatur Street Cajun dive open since 1983, with $13 rabbit and sausage jambalaya and the Chicken Tchoupitoulas plate.
TryRabbit and sausage jambalaya
TipDive bar atmosphere, late kitchen, cash-friendly. Pairs with Abita Amber on tap from the bar.
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Italian
Stein's Deli in New Orleans is the Magazine Street Jewish-Italian deli in the Lower Garden District, with $15 Reuben sandwiches and a long sandwich queue.
TryPastrami Reuben
TipThe Reuben sandwich is the cult order; the deli closes Monday and runs out of bagels by 11:00 on Sunday.
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Fried chicken
Lil' Dizzy's Cafe in New Orleans is the Baquet family's Treme Creole soul-food corner at Esplanade and N Robertson, with fried chicken and a lunch buffet.
TryFried chicken plate
TipLunch only Monday to Saturday 11:00-15:00; the gumbo and fried chicken combo is the canonical order.
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Vegetarian
Dat Dog on Freret in New Orleans is the Freret Street specialty hot dog counter, with $9 alligator sausage, crawfish dogs, vegetarian franks and crawfish.
TrySpecialty hot dog
TipBuild with crawfish etouffee on top of a frank for the local order; sides of fries run $4 a basket.