Cheap Eats in New Orleans
New Orleans is a city where eating cheaply is not only possible, it’s recommended, and practically insisted upon. Jambalaya, gumbo, Po Boy sandwiches… these are standard new Orleans cuisine, indicative of the city, and with zingy spicy flavors that say “New Orleans.” And yet these very dishes, along with Mardi Gras and governmental corruption, are proudly proclaimed by New Orleans residents as signature New Orleans experiences. It’s possible – likely, even – to get a satisfying, uniquely New Orleans meal for less than $10, leaving you with extra cash to enjoy the revelry and debauchery after the sun goes down.
The beauty of New Orleans’s budget cuisine is that you can find it anywhere in town, even the overpopulated and touristy French Quarter.
At Johnny’s Po Boy, they actually serve a couple of options that push the roof off of our $10 limit . And if we weren’t restricting ourselves to options under $10, I’d probably push you to try the $10.25 Alligator Sausage Po Boy. It’s a house specialty, and sounds so New Orleans in nature, you should be accompanied by a guy playing the washboard while you order it. Seafood items’ prices vary based on market rates, but if you want a sure thing, Johnny’s has plenty of options, appropriate for any meal of the day. Chicken Parm, catfish, a three-egg sandwich, or the Judge Bosetta (ground beef, swiss, and two types of sausage) can each be had for less than $10 and stick with you throughout the day.
For the best gumbo and jambalaya in New Orleans, take yourself to Coop’s Place. Keeping within our $10 budget is a simple matter here. Roux, okra, crab claws, shrimp and oysters jam your bowl of gumbo, and if you want extra seafood, that’s fine. Even with the extra serving, the cost is a shade under $10. The Rabbit & Sausage Jambalaya features the two eponymous ingredients, then bursts its own seams with vegetables, spices, shrimp, and tasso. Walk in with a sawbuck, order it Supreme and walk out with a full belly and a nickel.
For personality and food that fills you up, the diner is an American original. It may not get all schmancy with garnish and whatnot, but Mena’s Palace has all the deliciousness you want without any of the putting on of airs that its name would suggest. Purveyors of a solid breakfast designed to strangle your hangover into submission and prepare you for another day in the Big Easy, Mena’s Palace is the place you want to go to remember how much fun the locals are before joining the other tourists for a day of voodoo and bacchanalia.
A legendary restaurant with “the most sublime fried chicken ever,” Willie Mae’s Scotch House is woven into New Orleans culture like a fine golden thread. Willie Mae’s shack was a local favorite – more of a neighborhood institution than a source of city-wide pride. The chicken shack went along feeding the people of the 6th Ward, humbly serving amazing fried chicken, nearly perfecting a dish that millions of southern families claim as their own personal triumph. Then Katrina happened. A collection of volunteers from all walks of New Orleans life showed up to rebuild, and that brings us to today. Willie Mae’s Scotch House is back, newer and more popular than ever. The fried chicken so supernaturally delicious, it inspired a destroyed city to bring it back from its own demise… it’s practically fried phoenix.