Creole Crescent Culinary Trail

New Orleans’ cuisine is like no other. Since the city’s founding three centuries ago, French, Spanish, Caribbean, and African influences—and, actually, many more—have had a hand in creating the iconic dishes so associated with the Big Easy. There’s no such thing as too many cooks in this multicultural kitchen. New Orleans, in fact, now boasts more unique restaurants than ever before.

Start your journey in this cosmopolitan center, home of the Sazerac cocktail, oysters Rockefeller, and bananas Foster. Here, locals celebrate a week’s end with the much-anticipated Friday Lunch, a lingering repast that’s more event than meal. It often lasts until dinner. Next, explore the nearby suburbs, and then make your way around Lake Pontchartrain to Louisiana’s Northshore, known too for its culinary contributions (think Abita Beer and chef John Besh’s La Provence restaurant). As you explore the Creole Fusion Culinary Trail, you’ll find more than good meals. See why the region and its people have earned a place in the hearts of many.