Belgian$$
Parleaux Beer Lab is a belgian room in New Orleans. Dogs are welcome on the back patio; the pizza pop-up runs Friday and Saturday evenings most weeks.
Why locals love it: The Bywater nano-brewery on Lesseps Street with Belgian ales and a dog-friendly back garden, off most tourist itineraries because it sits past the main Bywater food row.
Tip: Dogs are welcome on the back patio; the pizza pop-up runs Friday and Saturday evenings most weeks.
Bakery$$Thu-Sun 09:00-13:00
Magazine Street bakery from Christina Balzebre (2017): sourdough from locally milled grain plus pastries with local eggs and dairy, Thursday to Sunday morn.
Why locals love it: The Uptown levain bakery just off Magazine Street at 9th, with sourdough loaves, kouign-amann and a Cuban pastelito programme that runs off the main Magazine browse path.
Tip: Bread sells out by 11:00 Saturday; pastries hold longer. Cash discount at the register.
Brunch$$
Pagoda Cafe is a brunch room in New Orleans. Outdoor counter and walk-up window only; the breakfast tortilla with house granola is the cult order.
Why locals love it: The Seventh Ward breakfast and lunch boutique on N Dorgenois near Bayou Road, in a small pagoda-roof building locals love and visitors south of Esplanade rarely reach.
Tip: Outdoor counter and walk-up window only; the breakfast tortilla with house granola is the cult order.
Vietnamese$$
Open-air Saturday market in New Orleans East beside Mary Queen of Vietnam church and Ly's Supermarket; Vietnamese elders sell garden herbs from 5am to 9am.
Why locals love it: The 06:00-09:00 Saturday-only Vietnamese church-parking-lot market in New Orleans East that locals know and most tourists miss because it ends before brunch.
Tip: Bring cash in small bills and arrive before 08:00; vendors pack up at 09:00 sharp.
Cafe$$
Algiers Point cafe-roaster on Pelican Ave from Eliot Guthrie (2015); seasonal single-origins, year-round blends, breakfast pastries Thursday to Monday.
Why locals love it: The Algiers Point cafe ten minutes across the river by ferry from Jackson Square, with single-origin pour-overs and a quiet patio that almost no tourist crosses to reach.
Tip: Take the Algiers Ferry from Canal Street; ten minutes across and Congregation is two blocks from the dock.
N7 ★ 4.4
Wine bar$$Mon-Thu 17:30-22:00, Fri-Sat 17:30-23:00
N7 is a wine bar room in New Orleans. Look for the unsigned wooden fence on Montegut between Royal and Dauphine; the garden seats open at 17:00.
Why locals love it: The unmarked French wine bar in a Bywater garden on Montegut Street, behind a tall fence with no street sign; you walk past the front three times before you see it.
Tip: Look for the unsigned wooden fence on Montegut between Royal and Dauphine; the garden seats open at 17:00.