Eat, Sip, and Spin in ... New Orleans

Making some of the best music players on earth isn’t the only thing we do at Victrola. Our staff loves to travel, loves record stores, loves to eat, loves a fine cocktail, and loves to hunt for the best places to do all those things in every metropolis in the United States. We want to share our favorite places with you, so we invented Eat, Sip, and Spin in…to tell you about our favorite places to do those things.

Of all the cities we'll feature in ESS, New Orleans is the one the most members of staff could rave about; it's come up again and again in preferred conference spots, in remembrances of best concerts, and in places to visit on vacation. 

In some ways, it's a sister to our last entry on Memphis, in that its position on the Mississippi River has made it the landing place for travelers, musicians, artists, sailors, and basically every group of people to land on American soil in our 400 years of history. It's a city with its history visible down every block, its culture visible on every city stage, the vibes immaculate and unique everywhere. Here, one of our staffers shares their favorites in the city on the Delta:   

Eat

For breakfast: Slim Goodies is a great greasy spoon on Magazine Street. It's fun to be surprised by their chickens running free in the backyard. The Camellia Grill is one of our favorites! It's a diner style. The waiters serve behind the counter and banter endlessly creating constant laughter. From the quarter, take the St. Charles Streetcar to get there. It takes you through the Garden District

For lunch: Tableau is located in the Quarter on the corner of Jackson Square. Great spot to sit upstairs along the balcony and people watch and the food is really good. Napoleon House in the Quarter is iconic. Their Po Boys are great and it’s a cool atmosphere. Cochon Butcher is in the Warehouse District. Amazing food! It's a real butcher (with an indoor/outdoor dining area) so be warned, you may see an entire carcass being butchered but they make delicious deli sandwiches!

For dinner: La Petite Grocery on Magazine Street, is our staff member's favorite restaurant. If you don't get the blue crab beignets, you'll regret it! Irene’s Cuisine in the Quarter is delicious and the ambiance is fun and lively with a bit of class. Adolfos is located on Frenchman street above The Apple Barrel. It’s a small Italian restaurant with amazing food- the Ocean Sauce on anything is phenomenal! They don’t take reservations, highly recommend getting there when they open and put your name in. it’s very small. If you have to wait, I recommend you go downstairs to the Apple Barrel bar and grab a drink and listen to live music.

Sip

Go to Napoleon House and get a traditional PIMMs cup. Lafitte’s is an old blacksmith shop and is only lit by candlelight. Try their Purple Drink, but only have one! The Dungeon (go after midnight) Hole in the wall…literally! You go down a skinny opening within a block. It’s funky and the employees are even funkier!

Spin

NOLA Mix Records on Magazine Street is small but cool vibe. They have live DJ's sometimes too. Louisiana Music Factory is on the famous Frenchman Street. Great selections, cool vibes and kind southern hospitality