Skip the French Quarter. Here's Why I Keep Coming Back to Uptown New Orleans

The car-eating potholes will make you feel like you’re driving in a third-world country. The mismatched brick sidewalks upended by tree roots will actively try to break your leg, or at a minimum, sprain an ankle. And the leaky, antiquated water system will create everything from small springs bubbling curbside to street-wide rivers when a main breaks. 

This does not sound like the description of a place I would recommend you travel to, but I absolutely do encourage you to visit New Orleans. 

The city actually welcomed more than 19 million visitors in 2024. Most came for conventions, conferences, sporting events, festivals, and of course, Mardi Gras. And if you haven’t been one of those visitors yet, I indeed do recommend you go, with one caveat: I want you to get out of the Central Business District and the French Quarter.

There is much fun and good food to be had there, and you absolutely should take it in, but if you want to get beyond the cheap tourist trinket stores and raunchy t-shirt merchants, I suggest you spend some time in my favorite part of the city – Uptown. Here, the homes run the gamut from stately mansions to simple shotgun houses, and the residents have the same beautiful diversity.

Uptown New Orleans, by a historic definition, is everything upriver from the broad, bustling Canal Street that is the heart of downtown. It encompasses a variety of neighborhoods such as the Garden District, Irish Channel, Freret, East Carrollton, Audubon, East and West Riverside, and Touro. It’s home to grand historic homes, tree‑lined streets, and blocks of independent boutiques, cafés, and restaurants that feel miles away from the French Quarter crowds.

Where Should I Stay in Uptown New Orleans?

I've had the good fortune to spend several extended periods of time in New Orleans — sometimes bringing my cat and dog — so Airbnb has been my choice, though not without some thought. The city has wrestled with investors buying up properties for short-term rentals, squeezing affordable housing, and has tried various rules to limit the practice. The guest houses I've stayed in have all been owned by individual New Orleans residents, some living on site or nearby, and being embedded in the neighborhoods alongside them has deepened my appreciation for their desire to share their culture without losing it.

Part of that neighborhood mix includes a variety of hotels, from boutiques to major chains, that do their best to maintain some local charm. The St. Charles Inn, conveniently located on the streetcar line, is one that I have stayed in and can recommend. Also on St. Charles Avenue, The Pontchartrain Hotel is a 1920s-era hotel that has been gorgeously renovated. I’ve not stayed overnight there, but if the lobby, restaurant, and rooftop bar are any indication (not to mention several awards they’ve received), I’m sure the rooms are quite nice. And, of course, also along St. Charles is The Columns - known to me as a beautiful place where I attended a wedding reception. Originally built as a private residence in 1883, it’s listed on the National Park Service’s National Register of Historic Places.

Where Should I Eat in Uptown New Orleans?

It’s always hard when friends ask me for recommendations on where they should eat when they visit New Orleans because there is such an abundance of good options. And because New Orleans has not totally zoned out its historical neighborhood commercial patterns, many of Uptown’s restaurants, cafes, and bars can be found embedded on residential corners, as well as on the main streets. 

Here are a few of my Uptown favorites:

• Atchafalaya is located on one such residential corner in the Irish Channel. It was originally opened as Petrossi’s Restaurant in 1924, and has evolved through several family owners to now offer “innovative” New Orleans cuisine. They’re big on brunch, offer a comfortable bar (great for solo seating), and have dog-friendly outdoor seating.
• It felt a little wrong as a long-time Texas resident to get tacos while in New Orleans, but I’m glad I stopped by Barracuda Taco Stand on Tchoupitoulas on my last trip there. To at least honor the city’s rich seafood heritage, I opted for the crispy fish taco and was not disappointed. Heaters kept me warm on a February day in their outdoor seating, and a random chicken wandering around the yard lent a fun quirkiness to the space.
• Empanola has two Uptown locations I’ve visited – one on Magazine Street and one on Freret. Home to delicious South American empanadas, this primarily take-out restaurant describes itself as Latin-inspired and Louisiana-influenced. If you’re looking for vegetarian options, they have many.
• When your cravings lean a bit more Middle Eastern, Lebanon’s Cafe on Carrollton has been dishing out comfort food with distinct flavor for more than 20 years. This is where you should go if you want family-friendly, no-frills, tummy-filling falafel, hummus, shish kebabs, and shawarma.
• Luca Eats is another family-owned restaurant tucked into a corner of the Carrollton neighborhood. They focus on a few things so they can be sure they’re the best possible. That means they’re only open for breakfast and lunch to serve fresh-pressed sandwiches and locally roasted coffee.
• Tucked into a University neighborhood corner not far from Luca is Panola Street Cafe, another breakfast and lunch option. Patrons arrive on foot, by bicycle, and by car for classics like Eggs Benedict, Crabcakes Benedict, and made-to-order omelets. When I went back for a second time, and the waitress remembered me, I felt like Norm at Cheers.
• Pascale’s Manale was a new restaurant to me on my last trip, but it's not new to New Orleans. Transformed from a grocery store to a restaurant in 1913, it passed through four generations of one family over more than 100 years. Now part of New Orleans’ famed Brennan family of restaurants, it's a place to go if you want to feel like you’re part of the back rooms where politicians, business leaders, and city officials rub elbows. You won’t go wrong ordering the barbeque shrimp and grits.
• If you want more traditional New Orleans seafood, then stop by Superior Seafood, next door to the St. Charles Inn. The menu is filled with classic French and Creole flavors and the latest fresh Gulf fish, shrimp, and oysters. And its elegant bar serves the original frozen French 75 cocktail.
• Vincent’s Italian Cuisine excelled at my test of an Italian restaurant when I visited their location near the river bend, where the streetcar turns from St. Charles onto Carrollton. The test was how delicious their lasagna was, but what really made the meal for me was its beginning and end. I started with the unique Rose of Sicily appetizer – baby artichokes, marinated, shaped like a rose, and then deep fried. And ended with a dessert that I can’t remember the name of, but was offered when I asked for affogato. Let’s just say it was like an affogato on steroids with a tower of gelato covered in chocolate and pecans, and then hot espresso. Squisito!

What Should I Do In Uptown New Orleans?

Ride the streetcar - Running since 1835, the St. Charles Streetcar line is the oldest continuously operating streetcar line in the world. It’s a great way to see Uptown from end to end for only $1.25 per ride. If you’re paying cash, be sure to have exact change, but it's even easier to go cashless with Le Pass, the New Orleans RTA app.  

Shop on Magazine Street - That Le Pass app can also come in handy if you want to spend a day on Uptown's other main thoroughfare. Magazine Street is lined with unique, locally owned boutiques, antique shops, art galleries, and diverse restaurants. It’s a great walking experience, but there is also a frequent bus line that makes it easy if you want to travel the full six miles.

Visit the Audubon Zoo - At the west end of Magazine Street sits the 350-acre Audubon Park where you’ll find walking/jogging paths that wind under majestic oak trees, as well as sport courts, and a golf course. But to me, the real jewel is Audubon Zoo, which is currently ranked #11 in USA Today’s list of Best Zoos.

Take a Cemetery Tour - New Orleans’ above-ground tombs are unique and the Garden District’s Lafayette Cemetery No. 1 is the oldest of the seven municipal, city-operated cemeteries in New Orleans. More than 7,000 people are buried in this one city block, but its most famous residents are fictional, thanks to the work of author Anne Rice, who lived nearby and often used the neighborhood in her novels. 

Enjoy the Nightlife - There are lots of options for evening entertainment, but two I recommend in Uptown are Tipitina’s and Hot Tin. Tip’s is a live music venue that has hosted a wide selection of famous local and traveling musicians since 1977. And Hot Tin is a cocktail bar on top of The Pontchartrain Hotel that I enjoy because it has one of the best views of New Orleans at night.

With all of these great things to experience and see in Uptown New Orleans, perhaps you can understand why I love it. Yes, the ancient infrastructure is in constant need of repair, but there are few other places in America where this much history is mended and patched together. You really do have to spend time soaking it in to understand.