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Closeup shot of one half of a fried shrimp and roast beef-stuffed po’ boy.
A fried shrimp and roast beef po’ boy from Parkway.
Parkway Bakery and Tavern

22 Essential Po’ Boy Spots in and Around New Orleans

Where to find the best po’ boys in and around New Orleans, from roast beef to fried oyster and BBQ shrimp

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A fried shrimp and roast beef po’ boy from Parkway.
| Parkway Bakery and Tavern

Philly has cheesesteaks, Manhattan has subs, Chicago has Italian beef. But only New Orleans has po’ boys, the iconic, overstuffed sandwich that is a city-wide crave. As the story goes, po’ boys were first slapped together to feed striking streetcar workers in the 1920s, tasty and cheap “poor boy” sandwiches that soon fed the city’s working class. But what started with dock workers and laborers crossed all strata. Before too long, everybody was eating po’ boys.

Ask any New Orleanian and they will tell you, with fervor, where to find the best po’ boy in town, from corner stores to dive bars to sit-down restaurants. Some have different favorites for seafood, roast beef, and hot sausage; others will proclaim their spot is the best for all varieties. Of course, this list could be twice as long and still not do justice to all the great po’ boys in the New Orleans area, but here is a wide-ranging collection of some of the best. And of course, locals know to order the sandwich dressed, with mayo, lettuce, tomato, and pickles.

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Seithers Seafood

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Seither’s, tucked away in Harahan in a small, brightly colored building, is a powerhouse seafood destination. Popular for boiled crawfish, live music, and Jason Seither’s super creative seafood dishes, the po’ boys are another main draw, especially varieties like the oyster, bacon, and mozzarella monster po’ boy, BBQ shrimp and andouille and soft shell crab.

Short Stop Poboys

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Short Stop is another top Metairie’s po’ boy shop, a decades-old, family-owned shop with an old-school vibe and attentive service. A king-size debris-style roast beef easily feeds two. There are three options for size, which is helpful if you’re looking to try a few, like the hot sausage, catfish, or the carb-laden French fry, dripping with roast beef gravy.

Short Stop Poboys/Official

Parran's Po-Boys & Restaurant

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The Gendusa bread is an excellent sign that Parran’s po’ boys are top shelf. The variety is another tip-off, with options like blackened tuna, eggplant parm, and Italian sausage. Lots of gravy with the roast beef, and the grilled pastrami and provolone is a terrific combo.

Bears Poboy's at Gennaro's

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While Bear’s offers an extensive line-up of the usual po’ boy suspects, it’s roast beef that stands out at this Metairie comfort food haven. House-roasted and served on locally baked Leidenheimer bread, Bear’s proclaims to have the best roast beef po’ boy around. There’s a barbecue beef version too.

Radosta's Restaurant

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This neighborhood po’ boy spot in Metairie hangs onto its family legacy and homey feel. Radosta’s is especially known for its Italian sausage po' boys, but the extensive menu also includes seafood, combos, and even a pork chop po’ boy. The grand slam is an impressive whopper, a 10-ounce grilled rib eye with mushrooms and onions in a white wine sauce.

Adams Street Grocery

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Ask locals for the best deal on po’ boys, and it won’t be long before someone points you towards this petite corner grocery tucked into a quiet Uptown neighborhood near Tulane University. Among the options, you’ll find generous fried shrimp, fish, or roast beef and gravy po’ boys all coming in under $10. Another plus: This Carrollton gem serves po’ boys on perfectly crispy Dong Phuong bread. Takeout only.

R & O Restaurant and Catering

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R&O’s, a family establishment in Bucktown since the 1980s, touts pizza as its primary trade, but the po’ boys loom large for locals. Servers, quick to say baby or honey to their customers, are quick and efficient. There is plenty of seating, cold beer, and a casual vibe that includes a roll of paper towels on every table at this restaurant at the lake. Roast beef comes with red or brown gravy and there’s fried soft-shell crab when it’s in season.

Frankie & Johnny's

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Frankie & Johnny’s is one of few sit-down options for a po’ boy, a homey seafood destination in Uptown with a nice front porch and covered back patio. Love that a half po’ boy and a cup of gumbo combo is available. There are charbroiled oysters and Italian specialties too.

Guy's Poboys

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Marvin Matherne has owned this 60+-year-old, petite lunch staple since 1992, and he’s usually in the kitchen making the po’ boys himself, stuffing well-seasoned shrimp inside loaves and slathering them with mayo before topping it with pickles, lettuce, tomato, and ketchup. Indeed, the fried shrimp po’ boy is one of the best the city has to offer and there’s also a very good grilled shrimp po’ boy.

Domilise's Po-Boy & Bar

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The longtime po’ boy destination in the “Sliver by the River” has something of a cult following. Easy to miss, a hand-painted sign signals the entrance to a no-frills time warp of Formica and wood paneling. Like Parkway, Domilise’s has a long history tied to the city’s working class, and the family business marked its 100th anniversary in 2018. Both fried seafood and roast beef debris are customer favorites here.

Zara's Lil' Giant Supermarket & Po-boys

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For more than 80 years, Zara’s has been a beloved and affordable grocery that manages to successfully cater to its upscale Prytania St. neighborhood without the Uptown price tag. Order at the deli counter and take your po’ boy to go or park yourself at one of the tables out front.

Bevi Seafood Co.

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Bevi is a one-stop shop for po’ boys, boiled crawfish, and daiquiris. Though known for seafood, Bevi’s meat po’ boys are also top-notch. Can’t decide? Go for the Peacemaker: fried Louisiana shrimp, roast beef debris, and Swiss cheese. Oyster and pork belly and corned beef with collards aren’t on most menus.

Parkway Bakery & Tavern

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On a list of greats, few po’ boy spots can match the iconic status of this classic Mid City corner institution. Parkway’s doors first opened more than a century ago, serving po’ boys to striking street car workers in the 1920s. Now two favorites, the overstuffed fried shrimp and the roast beef and gravy, have fervent followers — unless it’s the holiday season, then Parkway’s Thanksgiving po’ boy is most coveted. Also worth a mention for its rarity: the steamed corn beef brisket po' boy. There are vegetarian choices too.

Roast beef po’ boy at Parkway.
Parkway Bakery & Tavern

Liuzza's by the Track

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Come Jazz Fest, this popular, laid-back, horse-themed corner joint by the track is like its po’ boys, overflowing. Liuzza’s by the Track is known for its gumbo, but the Worcestershire and butter-fueled New Orleans-style barbecue shrimp po’ boy is the real star. The fried oyster with garlic butter is another winner.

Killer PoBoys

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Killer Po-Boys takes the traditional po’boy and gives it a global twist. The beef is beer-braised Louisiana wagyu with pickled green beans and banana peppers. Seared local shrimp is bright with pickled carrots and crunchy daikon, drizzled with Sriracha aioli, and topped with herbs. Vegan options include roasted cauliflower, Thai BBQ tofu, and roasted sweet potatoes with collards. A tasty road less traveled.

Barbecue Chicken Confit Po’ Boy
Barbecue chicken confit po’ boy.
Josh Brasted/Eater NOLA

Li'l Dizzy's Cafe

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Li’l Dizzy’s Cafe has been a Treme institution since 1947. While perhaps best known for the Baquet family’s fried chicken and gumbo, the po’ boys are outstanding, all three flavors: shrimp, hot sausage, and fried catfish. The setting is friendly and lively, a neighborhood icon.

Li’l Dizzy’s shrimp po’boy.
Clair Lorell/Eater NOLA

Johnny's Po-Boys

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Since 1950, Johnny’s paper-wrapped po’ boys are a favorite for many and are a particularly good option for visitors who can’t necessarily go exploring off the beaten path. As a convenient stop for lunch in the heart of the Quarter, there are more than 30 po’ boys on the menu, like the shrimp and oyster, alligator sausage, surf n’ turf, or soft shell crab.

Verti Marte

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Verti Marte is the French Quarter’s longtime neighborhood cash-only deli, known for its breakfast, extensive menu of sandwiches, no-nonsense counter service, and 24/7 hours, a top late-night eats destination. It’s loved equally for the hot sausage po’ boy, a sloppy roast beef version made with a secret sauce, and the All That Jazz, a po’ boy stuffed with a stack of grilled turkey, ham, American and Swiss cheeses, fried shrimp, and sautéed mushrooms.

Josh Brasted/Eater NOLA

Sammy's Food Services & Deli

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Owner and former butcher Sammy Schloegel’s insistence on quality meat has made this Gentilly shop one of the best po’ boy destinations in town — Sammy’s was previously the supplier of the sausage patty used in the beloved hot sausage po’ boy from Gene’s, which closed in 2019. Choose 6” or 10”; a large Ray Ray, one of the shop’s most popular with fried chicken, ham, and cheese, will set you back $15; and fried seafood options run around $14.

Frady's One Stop Food Store

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More known for its breakfast and lunch plates than for “making groceries,” this joint is old school and proud of it. Frady’s is about as basic as it gets; orders are to-go and cash only. The fried shrimp and oyster or juicy roast beef with provolone are good bets. Tradition dictates chowing down at one of the shaded benches out front or sidewalk tables on Piety.

William A. Morgan/Shutterstock

Louisiana Pride Seafood

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Out on Downman Road in New Orleans East, Louisiana Pride is one of the area’s best po’ boy destinations. In addition to a beloved hot sausage, the standard roast beef, shrimp, and oyster offerings are accompanied by a smoked sausage version, a take on a Philly cheesesteak, and fried catffish po’ boys. 

Walker's BBQ

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Don’t come looking for fried shrimp here at this New Orleans East po’ boy hotspot. At Walker’s, it’s all about barbecue: pork, brisket, and smoked chicken. The barbecue institution is also the brains behind one of Jazz Fest’s top-selling food items, the cochon de lait po’ boy. Topped with a sweet, spicy mustard slaw, it’s the gold standard. Note: Doors close when the meat is gone.

Seithers Seafood

Seither’s, tucked away in Harahan in a small, brightly colored building, is a powerhouse seafood destination. Popular for boiled crawfish, live music, and Jason Seither’s super creative seafood dishes, the po’ boys are another main draw, especially varieties like the oyster, bacon, and mozzarella monster po’ boy, BBQ shrimp and andouille and soft shell crab.

Short Stop Poboys

Short Stop is another top Metairie’s po’ boy shop, a decades-old, family-owned shop with an old-school vibe and attentive service. A king-size debris-style roast beef easily feeds two. There are three options for size, which is helpful if you’re looking to try a few, like the hot sausage, catfish, or the carb-laden French fry, dripping with roast beef gravy.

Short Stop Poboys/Official

Parran's Po-Boys & Restaurant

The Gendusa bread is an excellent sign that Parran’s po’ boys are top shelf. The variety is another tip-off, with options like blackened tuna, eggplant parm, and Italian sausage. Lots of gravy with the roast beef, and the grilled pastrami and provolone is a terrific combo.

Bears Poboy's at Gennaro's

While Bear’s offers an extensive line-up of the usual po’ boy suspects, it’s roast beef that stands out at this Metairie comfort food haven. House-roasted and served on locally baked Leidenheimer bread, Bear’s proclaims to have the best roast beef po’ boy around. There’s a barbecue beef version too.

Radosta's Restaurant

This neighborhood po’ boy spot in Metairie hangs onto its family legacy and homey feel. Radosta’s is especially known for its Italian sausage po' boys, but the extensive menu also includes seafood, combos, and even a pork chop po’ boy. The grand slam is an impressive whopper, a 10-ounce grilled rib eye with mushrooms and onions in a white wine sauce.

Adams Street Grocery

Ask locals for the best deal on po’ boys, and it won’t be long before someone points you towards this petite corner grocery tucked into a quiet Uptown neighborhood near Tulane University. Among the options, you’ll find generous fried shrimp, fish, or roast beef and gravy po’ boys all coming in under $10. Another plus: This Carrollton gem serves po’ boys on perfectly crispy Dong Phuong bread. Takeout only.

R & O Restaurant and Catering

R&O’s, a family establishment in Bucktown since the 1980s, touts pizza as its primary trade, but the po’ boys loom large for locals. Servers, quick to say baby or honey to their customers, are quick and efficient. There is plenty of seating, cold beer, and a casual vibe that includes a roll of paper towels on every table at this restaurant at the lake. Roast beef comes with red or brown gravy and there’s fried soft-shell crab when it’s in season.

Frankie & Johnny's

Frankie & Johnny’s is one of few sit-down options for a po’ boy, a homey seafood destination in Uptown with a nice front porch and covered back patio. Love that a half po’ boy and a cup of gumbo combo is available. There are charbroiled oysters and Italian specialties too.

Guy's Poboys

Marvin Matherne has owned this 60+-year-old, petite lunch staple since 1992, and he’s usually in the kitchen making the po’ boys himself, stuffing well-seasoned shrimp inside loaves and slathering them with mayo before topping it with pickles, lettuce, tomato, and ketchup. Indeed, the fried shrimp po’ boy is one of the best the city has to offer and there’s also a very good grilled shrimp po’ boy.

Domilise's Po-Boy & Bar

The longtime po’ boy destination in the “Sliver by the River” has something of a cult following. Easy to miss, a hand-painted sign signals the entrance to a no-frills time warp of Formica and wood paneling. Like Parkway, Domilise’s has a long history tied to the city’s working class, and the family business marked its 100th anniversary in 2018. Both fried seafood and roast beef debris are customer favorites here.

Zara's Lil' Giant Supermarket & Po-boys

For more than 80 years, Zara’s has been a beloved and affordable grocery that manages to successfully cater to its upscale Prytania St. neighborhood without the Uptown price tag. Order at the deli counter and take your po’ boy to go or park yourself at one of the tables out front.

Bevi Seafood Co.

Bevi is a one-stop shop for po’ boys, boiled crawfish, and daiquiris. Though known for seafood, Bevi’s meat po’ boys are also top-notch. Can’t decide? Go for the Peacemaker: fried Louisiana shrimp, roast beef debris, and Swiss cheese. Oyster and pork belly and corned beef with collards aren’t on most menus.

Parkway Bakery & Tavern

On a list of greats, few po’ boy spots can match the iconic status of this classic Mid City corner institution. Parkway’s doors first opened more than a century ago, serving po’ boys to striking street car workers in the 1920s. Now two favorites, the overstuffed fried shrimp and the roast beef and gravy, have fervent followers — unless it’s the holiday season, then Parkway’s Thanksgiving po’ boy is most coveted. Also worth a mention for its rarity: the steamed corn beef brisket po' boy. There are vegetarian choices too.

Roast beef po’ boy at Parkway.
Parkway Bakery & Tavern

Liuzza's by the Track

Come Jazz Fest, this popular, laid-back, horse-themed corner joint by the track is like its po’ boys, overflowing. Liuzza’s by the Track is known for its gumbo, but the Worcestershire and butter-fueled New Orleans-style barbecue shrimp po’ boy is the real star. The fried oyster with garlic butter is another winner.

Killer PoBoys

Killer Po-Boys takes the traditional po’boy and gives it a global twist. The beef is beer-braised Louisiana wagyu with pickled green beans and banana peppers. Seared local shrimp is bright with pickled carrots and crunchy daikon, drizzled with Sriracha aioli, and topped with herbs. Vegan options include roasted cauliflower, Thai BBQ tofu, and roasted sweet potatoes with collards. A tasty road less traveled.

Barbecue Chicken Confit Po’ Boy
Barbecue chicken confit po’ boy.
Josh Brasted/Eater NOLA

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Li'l Dizzy's Cafe

Li’l Dizzy’s Cafe has been a Treme institution since 1947. While perhaps best known for the Baquet family’s fried chicken and gumbo, the po’ boys are outstanding, all three flavors: shrimp, hot sausage, and fried catfish. The setting is friendly and lively, a neighborhood icon.

Li’l Dizzy’s shrimp po’boy.
Clair Lorell/Eater NOLA

Johnny's Po-Boys

Since 1950, Johnny’s paper-wrapped po’ boys are a favorite for many and are a particularly good option for visitors who can’t necessarily go exploring off the beaten path. As a convenient stop for lunch in the heart of the Quarter, there are more than 30 po’ boys on the menu, like the shrimp and oyster, alligator sausage, surf n’ turf, or soft shell crab.

Verti Marte

Verti Marte is the French Quarter’s longtime neighborhood cash-only deli, known for its breakfast, extensive menu of sandwiches, no-nonsense counter service, and 24/7 hours, a top late-night eats destination. It’s loved equally for the hot sausage po’ boy, a sloppy roast beef version made with a secret sauce, and the All That Jazz, a po’ boy stuffed with a stack of grilled turkey, ham, American and Swiss cheeses, fried shrimp, and sautéed mushrooms.

Josh Brasted/Eater NOLA

Sammy's Food Services & Deli

Owner and former butcher Sammy Schloegel’s insistence on quality meat has made this Gentilly shop one of the best po’ boy destinations in town — Sammy’s was previously the supplier of the sausage patty used in the beloved hot sausage po’ boy from Gene’s, which closed in 2019. Choose 6” or 10”; a large Ray Ray, one of the shop’s most popular with fried chicken, ham, and cheese, will set you back $15; and fried seafood options run around $14.

Frady's One Stop Food Store

More known for its breakfast and lunch plates than for “making groceries,” this joint is old school and proud of it. Frady’s is about as basic as it gets; orders are to-go and cash only. The fried shrimp and oyster or juicy roast beef with provolone are good bets. Tradition dictates chowing down at one of the shaded benches out front or sidewalk tables on Piety.

William A. Morgan/Shutterstock

Louisiana Pride Seafood

Out on Downman Road in New Orleans East, Louisiana Pride is one of the area’s best po’ boy destinations. In addition to a beloved hot sausage, the standard roast beef, shrimp, and oyster offerings are accompanied by a smoked sausage version, a take on a Philly cheesesteak, and fried catffish po’ boys. 

Walker's BBQ

Don’t come looking for fried shrimp here at this New Orleans East po’ boy hotspot. At Walker’s, it’s all about barbecue: pork, brisket, and smoked chicken. The barbecue institution is also the brains behind one of Jazz Fest’s top-selling food items, the cochon de lait po’ boy. Topped with a sweet, spicy mustard slaw, it’s the gold standard. Note: Doors close when the meat is gone.

Related Maps