Man oh man, we ate well in New Orlรฉans. ย And mostly thanks to you guys. I’m pretty sure every restaurant listed here is one that one of you suggested– except for maybe two spots. ย Seriously, they have the best vegan restaurants.ย We also ate the most amazing food last time we visited– but I almost think that this time was better– even with my new food allergies! At any rate, I totally suggest checking out the older ย New Orlรฉans restaurant guide too– the hot dog place has since closed, but the other places were super good (probably better) anyway.

So let me give you a reminder run down of my food allergies– well, first I’m vegan by preference, but now I’m also gluten, nut, and corn free. But still, ate SO well. I think going raw vegan the two weeks leading up to this trip was a GREAT idea. I had so much energy and felt great. It was only until the last two days that I started to struggle a bit… but that could be due to the abundance of fried and processed things I ate– like crepes, waffles, and batter fried tofu. I was definitely in one of those moments where I wanted the food and knew I would be going back to eating mostly raw after vacation, so I just went for it. I am paying for it a bit, but man it was all so good. SO where did we eat? And where should you eat… lets see….

Our Favorite Vegan Restaurants In New Orlรฉans!


Bennachin – western African food in the French Quarter
I got some sort of black-eyed pea dish with coconut rice and plantains. Alex got a African rice dish served with greens. I handed the roll over to him too. We asked for our mealย spicy, it wasn’t. But it was still delicious.

The Crepe Cartย  – in the French Market (French Quarter)
Because crepeeessssssss. We went here twice. Alex also told me I’m never allowed to call him fat after this trip. I literally dragged him from one side of the city to the other for more food. They say they can make any crรชpe they have vegan and gluten-free. I went for the fruit and coconut cream crรชpe– twice. Worth it.


Carmo! –ย Just west of downtown / east of the garden district
We had wanted to try this restaurant on our first visit but it was closed for the week (summer vacation). Man oh man, I was happy to try it this time. SO MANY veg/vegan/gf options. The thing I struggled most with was that a lot of the dishes I wanted contained nuts– so we just asked for the on the side. Between Alex and I we shared the Burmese tea leaf salad, the broken noodle salad, sweet potato fritters, and the curry of the day. All of it was delicious. I want the salads again. We tried to visit this place on our last night there but were bummed when we realized it was closed. Next time.

Sneaky Pickle – Bywater
So many of you guys recommend this place! And with good reason! I would best describe Sneaky Pickle as perfect hangover food. More fried and greasy for sure, but still tasty. Alex said his Reuben may have been his favorite meal the entire trip! That must have been a delicious sandwich! I got the sushi bowl with added tempeh. Tempeh is my favorite ever. Oh and a side of pickles, obviously. But to be honest, the pickles were whatever. I really only loved the okra ones.

Boswells Jamaican Grill – Midcity
We knew finding delicious vegan Jamaican food would be easy in Nola. We found a few options, but opted to head out west to mid city to visit Boswells. This is one of the longer running Jamaican restaurants in the area. Not only were our taste buds happy, but our stomachs were full for aย ย very cheap price! We were probably full until the very next day after this meal… but so worth it. I got the vegan plate and Alex got the veggie roti.

Mona’s Cafe – Frenchmen Street
This was one of those, “its late, everyone is tired, lets just walk somewhere close by” meals. It’s right on Frenchman street — you know a loud street with a bunch of drunk people, but inside you can’t tell. The food was cheap and decent enough. I got the grape leaf and salad plate.

Magasin Vietnamese Cafe – Garden District
I’ll be honest, I only picked this place because of the cute decor. It’s really not anything to write home about. But we were craving noodles and they had vegan options… so voilร , here we are. It was super cheap too, so that’s a plus.

Abyssian Ethiopian – Garden District
This was our first meal in New Orlรฉans this trip. And quite possibly my favorite. I regret not re-visiting it. I feel like a lot of Ethiopian food tastes so similar with very little variations– but this place was def a good mix up of the same ol’ flavors. I’d probably eat here weekly if we lived in Nola. We got two veggie plates to share. And we sat outside because the weather was perfect. Aka a dream.

We ended up visiting a lot of coffee shops since our internet was out. We’d often times just eat fruit in our apartment before heading out for the day. Or sometimes skip it and wait til brush-ish for our first meals.

On the left: ย Mojo Coffee
Their hibiscus latte was so good! And an acai bowl, obvs.

On the right: Good Karma Cafe
I got the veggie burger salad style, because they were out of GF bread (probably better for me that anyway) and a chai latte. Alex got toast (not pictured). This was a nice break from our heavier brunch meals.

Slice Pizza – Somewhere west of downtown ish. It wasn’t the best pizza in the world, but it was vegan (cheese-less) and gluten-free. It was also open on a Monday night. And within walking distance from where we got dropped off. So it was basically the universe dropping us off there. Probably a bit overpriced for what it was. And not amazing. But if you’re craving vegan, gluten-free pizza in Nola, welp, here you are.


Seed – Garden District
Tons of people recommended this place. And with good reason. This was our first breakfast/brunch in Nola. The first day I got the caesar salad and gumbo. Then the morning after the wedding, Alex was completely useless so I met up with Katie’s photographer: Joe (who is an amazing photographer by the way… and vegan) and we filled up our bellies here again. Alex and his old man hangover eventually joined us too haha.
I decided I was going to go out with a bang and really eat something I wouldn’t eat on a normal basis: tofu fried nuggets with waffles– and yes, it was totally all vegan and gluten free too. So much brown and processed-ness but so good. It was SO filling, but so good. I also opted to get the same salad again… because balance. I would pass on the gumbo next time, but I promised Marlowe I would take her and we could share a waffle. That’s love.
Well friends, there you have it! A second vegan New Orlรฉans food guide! I was very impressed with myself that I actually took photos of ALL my meals! It seems like A LOT of you guys are heading out to Nola soon– as you should, so hopefully this list will help you guys out– just like how many you guys helped me out ๐Ÿ™‚

You can also check out my other Nola posts for activities we did last time. And I’ll be posting even more photos eventually. But for now: FOOOOOD. And here’s a vegan food guide for Florida for when you’re heading there too ๐Ÿ™‚

Cheers! Happy eating friends!

3 Comments

  1. Pam Tewes

    Hi!

    Any suggestions for vegan food on Cape Cod? I am struggling!
    Also, I read your comment about your recent allergies to gluten and nuts. I am interested in reading more about your journey. I have similar allergies and am starting to feel VERY limited! I would love any advice. Be Well!

  2. Thank you! Was wondering if you had any recommendations for Vegan food in the Worcester/Boston area? Was there a few weeks ago and fell in love with Green leaf in Framingham but had a harder time finding good places in Worcester.

    • Andrea

      ugh, im always so disappointed by Worcester. There are SO many ethnicities and diverse cultures here– but WHERE IS THE FOOD? The only place that we found sort of decent in Worcester was Thai Time on Highland. Oh and this one hole in the wall eastern African place—- near goldstar blvd. I forget the name. I haven’t liked anything else I tried ๐Ÿ™