Where to Get Classic Comfort Food To-Go in New Orleans

Red gravy lasagna, dumplings, and of course, gumbo

by Beth D'Addono Updated Apr 8, 2020, 1:58pm CDT

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Shrimp wontons from Blue Giant

| Blue Giant/Official

by Beth D'Addono Updated Apr 8, 2020, 1:58pm CDT

Comfort food means different things to different people. Informed by family ties, cultural roots, geography, and childhood memories — sustenance for body and soul doesn’t come in one flavor. What it does, always, is make a person feel happier, safer, loved; something everyone could use right now.

Below are some of New Orleans’s best places to find a range of comfort foods for pickup or delivery. As things are changing all the time, it’s always best to call ahead.

Did we miss your favorite comfort food available for pickup or delivery? Let us know.

World Deli

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Everything at this family-owned market and eatery is so tasty, from the overstuffed po-boys to the daily specials. Stuffed peppers, breaded pork chops with mac and cheese, crawfish etouffee — and dinner comes with garlic bread and vegetable side. Call ahead to World Deli (except on Monday) to see if lasagna is on the menu, and if it is, get a lot. It’s one of the best stacks of cheesy red gravy goodness in town. Open for takeout 10 a.m. to 7p.m Tuesday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 4p.m. on Saturday.

4414 Clearview Pkwy, Metairie, LA 70006

(504) 885-4888

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District Donuts Sliders Brew

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Burgers...donuts, burgers...donuts. It’s a tough call which treat brings more solace, but at District Donuts Sliders Brew you can have both. Order a double Black Angus cheeseburger with American cheese and special sauce and then add on glazed donut, just to be on the safe side.

527 Harrison Ave, New Orleans, LA 70124

(504) 827-1152

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Martin Wine Cellar (Multiple Locations)

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Besides the terrific sandwiches from the Martin Wine Cellar kitchen, the deli case is fed with daily specials. One of the most popular is crawfish etouffee, smothered mudbugs that tastes like home cooking at its best. Offerings vary, but you’ll be happy, especially with that jeroboam of wine added to the order. Pick up curbside or receive free local delivery with orders over $50.

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3827 Baronne St, New Orleans, LA 70115

(504) 899-7411

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Shrimp and grits from Martin Wine Cellar

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Wakin' Bakin' (Multiple Locations)

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Love this cheery breakfast spot, with locations in Mid City and Uptown. Although Wakin Bakin is packing up a limited menu, the biscuits are on it, smothered in sausage gravy, the way the good lord intended. Comes with two eggs and four slices of bacon. Open Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. for contactless delivery and curbside pickup.

3625 Prytania St, New Orleans, LA 70115

(504) 534-5698

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Fried grit cakes with grilled shrimp, crawfish, and a spicy cream sauce from Wakin’ Bakin’

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Liuzza's by the Track

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April without Jazz Fest is a kick in the teeth — obviously the right move, but fans still mourn. Find comfort at Liuzza’s by the Track, the place where fest-goers usually congregate in droves (remember that?) for Bloody Marys on their way to the track. Order some of the bar’s wonderful gumbo and definitely a barbecue shrimp po-poy, buttery Worcestershire goodness overflowing a crisp pistolette. Call for takeout and delivery in Mid City.

1518 N Lopez St, New Orleans, LA 70119

(504) 218-7888

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Stein's Market and Deli

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For many, a go-to lunchtime win/win is grilled cheese with tomato soup on the side. Stein’s offers homemade tomato soup and a toasted sandwich made with your choice of bread (get the house-made sourdough) and nine kinds of cheese, including American. And for those in the know, Tuesday is Philly cheesesteak day. Call ahead 9 to 5 p.m., Tuesday through Sunday.

2207 Magazine St, New Orleans, LA 70130

(504) 527-0771

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Stein’s storefront on magazine street with large windows next to a door. — Stein’s

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Blue Giant Chinese

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Dumplings must be comfort food worldwide — there are versions of the dish everywhere, from Poland (pierogi) to Japan (gyoza) to Italy (ravioli). At Blue Giant, the Chinese version is shrimp wontons (their special soup dumplings don’t travel well), tender dough stuffed with ground shrimp and swabbed with spicy chile crunch. Get the egg roll too; best in town. Call to order; follow social for hours.

1300 Magazine St, New Orleans, LA 70130

(504) 582-9060

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A Guide to Takeout and Delivery in the Lower Garden District (LGD)

Carmo

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Taking care of ourselves matters, which is why Carmo is such a treasure. Chef Dana Honn’s Caribbean-inspired menu includes plenty of vegetarian and vegan options, along with nose-to-tail fish dishes, grain bowls and a daily broiled catch. Carmo is also offering a free (or pay what you can) daily vegan and non-vegan meal at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday through Friday.

527 Julia St, New Orleans, LA 70130

(504) 875-4132

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Sofia

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Pizza might just be the ultimate comfort food. Sofia’s wood-fried pizza is no joke, topped with the likes of Calabrian chile, prosciutto, broccolini, and burrato. Or raise a glass to our Italian brothers and sisters over a margherita, simply made with tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, and basil, the way they eat it in Naples. Open Wednesday through Sunday from 3 to 9 p.m. for pickup or third-party delivery.

516 Julia St, New Orleans, LA 70130

(504) 322-3216

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Sofia’s margherita pizza, shrimp scampi, beet salad, and squid

Banana Blossom Thai Restaurant

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Thai curry is a hug in a bowl, fragrant with coconut, basil, and vegetables. Banana Blossom in Gretna serves curry six ways, from an elegant green curry studded with fresh vegetables to the egg noodle-based Chiang Mai style, popular where owner Jimmy Cho’s family comes from. Pick a protein, from chicken to soft shell crab to shrimp, and order to your spice taste. From dumplings to fried rice and roti, everything on the menu is made with pride. Call to order.

500 9th St, Gretna, LA 70053

(504) 500-0997

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Melba's Poboys

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Melba’s does New Orleans down-home cooking right. Order over-stuffed po-boys, daily specials to the ever-present red beans and rice — Melba’s dishes it like your mama and them. Baked chicken, grilled pork chops, fried catfish, shrimp and grits, all lip-smacking good. But those creamy red beans and rice with hot sausage turn every day into Monday — apropos since it’s hard to tell one day from the next now anyway.

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1525 Elysian Fields Ave, New Orleans, LA 70117

(504) 267-7765

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Nine Roses Restaurant

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Although the French Quarter outpost of Nine Roses is closed, you can still get fragrant pho, crispy spring rolls, refreshing summer rolls, and lemon-grass scented vermicelli bowls at the location on the West Bank. Authentic chao — Vietnamese porridge flavored with the likes of duck or seafood, broken rice with char-grilled pork, and a handful of Chinese dishes can satisfy for curbside carryout Thursday through Monday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.