Red Rooster’s yak-a-mein (or yet-ca-mein)

Where to Find Yak-A-Mein in New Orleans

‘Old Sober’ is an iconic New Orleans noodle soup and hangover cure

by Beth D'Addono and Eater Staff Updated Feb 17, 2021, 2:53pm CST

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Red Rooster’s yak-a-mein (or yet-ca-mein)

| Red Rooster/Official

by Beth D'Addono and Eater Staff Updated Feb 17, 2021, 2:53pm CST

Yak-a-mein, a meaty noodle soup known as Old Sober, is New Orleans’s tried and true hangover cure. It’s commonly found at corner groceries and takeout spots, and is a staple at the neighborhood parades called Second Lines and city festivals.

Spelled myriad different ways (yakamein, ya-ka-mein, yaka mein, yaka meat), yak-a-mein is street food, dished up by vendors from the tailgate of pickup trucks. The soulful brew is a crossbreed of Asian and African-American culinary traditions, typically made from a combination of beef, cooked eggs, green onions, and noodles stewed in a spicy, salty broth.

The most popular explanation of its origins is that Black soldiers who fought in the Korean War got a taste of the food and brought it back home, where spouses, mothers, and grandmothers made the recipe their own. Another is that Chinese immigrants who came to Louisiana to work on sugar plantations and railroads brought their noodle soup with them and introduced it to their African-American coworkers.

However it got here, a steaming bowl of Old Sober is a distinctly New Orleans dish. Here now, Eater’s guide to the city’s yak-a-mein, arranged geographically. -BA

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Red Rooster Snowball Stand

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Line up at the window (or now, order online) at the wonderful Red Rooster, just off Washington Avenue near the Magnolia Marketplace shopping center, and place an order for snowballs, po’boys and of course, yak-a-mein. The soy-driven, salty broth studded with tender nibs of beef makes this yak-a-mein just about perfect.

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2801 Washington Ave, New Orleans, LA 70113

(504) 895-6786

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Dusky soy-infused broth makes Red Rooster’s version of ya-ka-mein a winner

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John & Mary’s Food Store

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This bright and tidy corner store off Orleans Avenue features a full service take away kitchen that includes Vietnamese, Chinese, and New Orleans dishes, with yak-a-mein always on the menu. The pork flavor is spiked with char siu roasted pork, giving the broth a reddish hue, helped along by a generous squirt of hot sauce.

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3238 Orleans Ave, New Orleans, LA 70119

504-484-3003

Pork ya-ka-mein at John and Mary’s comes with plenty of chile heat

Eat Well Food Mart

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A once lesser-known, now well-loved mini mart located on Canal and Broad has a killer food counter known for its Vietnamese specialties like banh mi and pho. It serves a yak-a-mein that’s just as good (and a great value) with a somewhat notable distinction — a flat, linguine-shaped noodle.

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2700 Canal St, New Orleans, LA 70119

(504) 821-7730

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Ms. Linda the Yak-A-Mein Lady

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New Orleans native and culinary icon Linda Green, aka Ms. Linda the Ya-Ka-Mein Lady, creates her signature dish at festivals, Second Lines, and at the Ogden Museum of Southern Art’s After Hours program — in normal times. Currently, your best bet is to follow Ms. Linda’s Facebook page for pop-ups and collaborations and check in on her website for catering and other opportunities. Hers is the ya-ka-mein gold standard, so don’t miss it.

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925 Camp St, New Orleans, LA 70130

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Manchu Food Store

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Although the low-slung purple building at the corner of Claiborne and Esplanade is known for its wings (and with good reason), this family-owned eatery also dishes Chinese food, po’ boys, and egg rolls in numbers meant for tailgating. The mamas in the kitchen also prepare yak-a-mein to order, stir-frying the noodles and adding bits of what tastes almost like corned beef to the broth.

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1413 N Claiborne Ave, New Orleans, LA 70116

(504) 947-5507

Man Chu dishes a darn good ya-ka-mein, freshly made to order

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Rampart Food Store

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The Rampart Food Store, aka the Orange Store, is renowned for its cheap, jumbo shrimp and fried to order po-boys. But the lighter than usual ya-ka-mein is worth the trip too, thanks to a frizzle of ramen noodles, thin curls of beef and fresh veggies like broccoli, carrots, and cauliflower.

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1700 N Rampart St, New Orleans, LA 70116

(504) 944-7777

The Real Pie Man

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Gretna’s beloved Real Pie Man is as popular for its Creole gumbo and yak-a-mein as it is for its counter full of lovely fruit pies. Pie Man’s brew comes with dark broth with layers of flavor, all-the-way boiled eggs, and big hunks of beef debris, and it’s available for takeout.

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1701 Franklin St, Gretna, LA 70053

(504) 362-4545

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Capt. Sal's Seafood & Chicken

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For a version of yak-a-mein on the lighter side, head to this family-owned seafood shop on St. Claude in Bywater. Besides all manner of boiled seafood, order the beef or chicken, a portion floating with veggies like bok choy, carrots, and bell pepper in the mix.

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3168 St Claude Ave, New Orleans, LA 70117

(504) 948-9990

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Veggies are front and center in Captain Sal’s ya-ka-mein

Bywater Bakery

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Can’t make it to the Ogden? This spunky little neighborhood bakery in the Bywater dishes yak-a-mein for lunch, a steaming cup for $7. Save room for dessert here, the chocolate doberge by the slice is swoon-worthy.

3624 Dauphine St, New Orleans, LA 70117

(504) 336-3336

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