What to Eat at French Quarter Fest

The French Quarter Festival, New Orleans’s free, four-day festival held along the Mississippi River, returns April 13 — 16 for its 40th anniversary, bringing with it the beloved marketplace of iconic food that has become so essential to the attendee experience over the decades.

More than 50 local vendors are set to sling everything from smothered rabbit po’ boys to crawfish pies and sno-balls, a group that includes several exciting new names — 9 Roses, Bao Mi, and Heard Dat Kitchen, for example. With so many options, it’s important to figure out what you want to eat ahead of time and to plot your day around it, naturally. To help, here are Eater’s top 25 food picks and where to find them, from longtime favorites to exciting newcomers, arranged by festival stage areas.

For a full list of this year’s FQF vendors, see here.

Canal Street/Plaza

Ajun Cajun: Soft shell crab po’boy
Addis Nola: Sweet Awaze chicken
Cottage Catering: White chocolate bread pudding

Jackson Square

9 Roses: Pork belly banh mi
Vaucresson Sausage Co.: Creole hot sausage po’ boy
Patton’s: Oyster patties/Combo plate
Tujague’s: Shrimp ravigote and fried green tomatoes
Jacques-Imo’s: Shrimp and alligator sausage cheesecake

Jax Lot

Bao Mi: Pork belly bao
Heard Dat Kitchen: Skeesh shrimp
Lasyone’s: Crawfish or mushroom pie
Court of Two Sisters: Alligator sausage on a bun
Jack Dempsey’s: Soft shell crab po’ boy
Miss Linda’s Yakamein: Shrimp and beef yak-a-mein
Voleo’s Seafood Restaurant: Smothered rabbit po’ boy
Walker’s Southern Style BBQ: Cochon de lait po’ boy

Jazz Museum/The Old U.S. Mint

Cochon King: Whole hog sandwich; chicken and sausage jambalaya
Ma Momma’s House: Combo plate
Cocoa and Cream Catering: Fried catfish Acadiana

Kohlmeyer Lawn

Cafe Dauphine: Fried seafood stuffed bell peppers
Loretta’s Authentic Pralines: Praline beignet
Monday: Deep-fried whole snapper
Rib Room: Prime rib debris po’ boy

Palm Lawn

14 Parishes: Jerk pork
Beaucoup Eats: Vegan red beans and rice
Mrs. Wheat’s Pies: Shrimp and andouille pie
Restaurant R’evolution: Duck and andouille gumbo