Vaucresson’s century-old sausage making legacy lives on in its signature chaurice, or hot sausage, spiked red with paprika and cayenne peppers. It’s a spicy reminder of the Black Creole heritage of New Orleans’s 7th ward. After Katrina, their sausages were relegated to festival stands, but now they’ve reopened by North Roman St., offering their famous hot sausage po’boy. This simple yet perfect sandwich combines juicy, spicy sausage with lettuce, tomatoes, and mayo on crispy Leidenheimer bread.

New Orleans is a city defined by its communal spirit and seasons of celebration, and nothing embodies that quite like the crawfish boil. Amidst the pandemic, NOLA Crawfish King's food truck, run by Chris "Shaggy" Davis and Kat Brennan, became a beacon of hope and community on Franklin Avenue, doling out spicy, citrus-y bags of the stuff from a parking lot by the Happy Discount gas station and liquor store. Now, this royalty has their own palace from which they continue feeding the community.

After opening in 2017, this cafe quickly became a local favorite, attracting neighborhood regulars and jazz icons for impromptu performances. Pastry chef Chaya Conrad creates indulgent pastries and unique dishes like "breakfast gumbo" alongside her husband, Alton Osborn, a designer with deep ties to the local music scene. The bakery is a lively spot, hosting block parties and musical events, celebrating New Orleans culture and supporting local charities.

There is gumbo, and then there’s Chef Greg Sonnier’s gumbo. It starts with an impossibly dark roux and a rich, smokey duck stock that is simmered for days. It’s studded with various meats – sometimes duck, sometimes hen, and always with a housemade sausage that takes the traditional andouille to a whole new level (think fennel and dried fruit). A trip to the Treme is always worth it, and Gabrielle is a throwback to the corner family restaurants that used to dominate the city’s dining scene.

Mercedes Place has always been a slice of heaven in the community, a place to meet friends new and old, to duck into for a cold beer when the second line passes, and to grab a bowl of red beans and rice on a Monday. Here, Mercedes Gibson has made a living slinging suds and set-ups for over three decades. And now, early in the morning before the bar opens, her granddaughter, Lichelle Gibson, is serving a different kind of brew – coffee.

Scanning the tight but impeccably executed menu of po’ boys at Killer takes about a second, but picking your favorite might take some soul-searching. Camille “Cam” Boudreaux – who cut his teeth in some of New Orleans’s fancier kitchens – offers exactly four options (a small number by local standards), all of which riff on long-standing po’ boy tradition: shredded roast beef, seafood, roasted sweet potato, and rum-roasted pork belly.

A half block off Bourbon Street, scan the back bar at this Irish pub, and you’ll see a jumble of memorabilia that indicates a drinking hole that knows its lane. Layers of “historic” decor plaster the smoke-stained walls from rail to ceiling. But there’s more than meets the eye here. Edge past the line of perpetually occupied barstools and beyond the obligatory video poker alcove, and you’ll find a hidden French Quarter treasure – the original location of Killer Poboys.

In the South, storefront churches are not uncommon, and Beignets & More is an ascetic temple tucked into a Chalmette suburb strip mall. The name is a cloaking device of sorts: The fresh beignets – a French doughnut that has become synonymous with New Orleans – are almost an afterthought on a menu studded with delicious pho, vermicelli bowls, banh mi and other Vietnamese delicacies. The large, airy beignets, however, are beautifully accompanied by Vietnamese iced coffee.

After Chef Loretta Harrison’s passing in 2022, her beignet legacy is being carried on by her family. While everything at Loretta’s is sublime (we love the the crabmeat stuffed beignets), it is the praline stuffed beignets that consistently wow both visitors and locals alike. The beignet itself has the delicacy of a laminated dough, similar to a croissant, with a crispy exterior and an airy, yielding interior that gives way to a burst of melted praline candy that is surprisingly balanced.

Any proper New Orleans brunch begins with booze. At Buffa’s, they are served in plastic to-go cups, filled to the rim and with no-frills. Head past the broom-closet kitchen to the back for jazz, or unwind in the sun-filled barroom over perfectly cooked omelets, biscuits and gravy, or burgers to rival those of nearby legend Port of Call. Inside, the red walls are bedecked with black and white photos, old signs and other tchotchkes that give it the well-worn personality of your uncle’s home bar.