Central Grocery in New Orleans is the 1906 Decatur Street Sicilian-American deli that invented the muffuletta, with the round seeded loaf and house olive salad still made on site.
Tip: Order a whole or a half; the olive salad needs 15 minutes to soak into the bread for the canonical bite.
Address: 923 Decatur St, New Orleans, LA 70116
Hansen's Sno-Bliz in New Orleans is the 1939 Tchoupitoulas Street snowball stand at Bordeaux, the country's oldest sno-ball stand and a 2014 James Beard America's Classics winner.
Try: Sno-balls (shaved ice)
Tip: The stand is open March to October only; cash only, and the cream-of-nectar with condensed milk is the canonical order.
Verti Marte in New Orleans is the 24-hour Royal Street deli at Governor Nicholls, a French Quarter institution with the All That Jazz po-boy and one of the city's few 24-hour sandwich shops.
Try: Po-boys and sandwiches
Tip: The All That Jazz po-boy is the cult late-night order; phone in for delivery to a Quarter hotel.
The Saturday Vietnamese Market in New Orleans East is the early-morning market in the Mary Queen of Vietnam church parking lot, with pho, banh mi and breakfast Vietnamese street snacks.
Try: Pho, banh mi, banh cuon
Tip: Arrive before 08:00; vendors pack up by 09:00. Bring cash in small bills and bring a tote bag.
The Joint in New Orleans is the Bywater barbecue shop on Mazant Street, with Texas-style brisket, pulled pork and a backyard smoker visible from the patio at 701 Mazant.
Try: Texas-style barbecue
Tip: Brisket sells out by 19:00 on weekends; order half a pound to share with the sides.
Stein's Deli in New Orleans is the Magazine Street Jewish-Italian deli in the Lower Garden District, with pastrami sandwiches, San Francisco-style bagels and a long sandwich queue at lunch.
Try: Jewish deli sandwiches
Tip: The Reuben sandwich is the cult order; the deli closes Monday and runs out of bagels by 11:00 on Sunday.
Pizza Delicious in New Orleans is the Bywater pizzeria on Piety Street from Greg Augarten and Michael Friedman, with New York style cheese slices and an outdoor picnic patio.
Try: New York style pizza by the slice
Tip: The cheese slice is the canonical order; weekend pasta specials come and go in a single service.
