Ranked by TableJourney editorial score.
Louisiana red kidney beans simmered with the holy trinity, andouille and a ham bone for hours until creamy, served over white rice. The traditional Monday wash-day dish.
Red beans and rice is the Monday dish in New Orleans, dating to the early 1800s when Monday was wash day and a long-simmering bean pot could cook unattended while the laundry was done. Louis Armstrong signed his letters Red Beans and Ricely Yours. The beans are Louisiana red kidney beans (a specific cultivar, different from Northern red kidneys), the andouille is real andouille (smoke-cured pork, not the milder Cajun andouille). Mother's Restaurant has run red beans and rice on the Monday lunch counter since 1938. Camellia Brand red beans, sold in red mesh bags at New Orleans grocery stores, is the brand the home cooks trust.
4 editor picks for Red beans and rice in New Orleans, ranked by editorial score. All New Orleans signature dishes · Red beans and rice across every city.
Also in: Jackson.
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.
OrderFried chicken plate
TipLunch only Monday to Saturday 11:00-15:00; the gumbo and fried chicken combo is the canonical order.
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, still the room's anchor.
OrderThe BBQ shrimp po-boy, invented on this very counter.
TipCash only at peak; check the Jazz Fest schedule, the room turns into a circus on festival weekends.
Coop's Place in New Orleans is the Decatur Street Cajun dive open since 1983, with rabbit and sausage jambalaya, fried chicken and a Chicken Tchoupitoulas.
OrderThe rabbit and sausage jambalaya. Add the Chicken Tchoupitoulas if you have appetite.
TipCash-friendly dive bar atmosphere; the kitchen runs late and pairs with Abita on tap.
Mother's in New Orleans is the 1938 CBD lunch counter at Poydras and Tchoupitoulas, home of the Ferdi Special po-boy with ham, roast beef and debris served.
OrderThe Ferdi Special po-boy with debris. Add a side of red beans.
TipLines are real; arrive at 11:00 or after 14:00 for the shortest wait.
Red beans and rice makes more sense with someone from New Orleans explaining it. These are the classes and tours we have checked, with booking links.
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