Vegetarian-friendly restaurant options in New Orleans

June 13, 2018 12:20 PM

I'm looking for vegetarian-friendly restaurants in New Orleans, at all price ranges. I'll be staying in the Central Business District, so suggestions in that general area would be great, but ideas throughout the city are welcome. Also open to restaurants that have good options for fish that isn't shellfish or crustaceans. Thanks!
posted by Conrad Cornelius o'Donald o'Dell to Food & Drink (15 answers total)

The veggie po boy at Killer Po Boys is really really good.
posted by Exceptional_Hubris at 12:48 PM on June 13, 2018 [1 favorite]

Green Goddess has a lot of good veggie options: http://greengoddessrestaurant.com/

and Latitude 29 has definitely enough veggie options to get by and incredible drinks: https://latitude29nola.com/

Yum! Have fun.
posted by leastlikelycowgirl at 12:55 PM on June 13, 2018

"Restaurants that have good options for fish" is nearly every restaurant in New Orleans. The ones that do shellfish or crustaceans will almost always also have catfish and other options.

Erin Rose pub in the French Quarter did a nice veggie poboy last time I was there.
posted by waffleriot at 1:00 PM on June 13, 2018

Erin Rose pub in the French Quarter did a nice veggie poboy last time I was there.

Just wanted to clarify that this is the same veggie po boy I recommended. Killer Po Boys has a location inside of the Erin Rose Pub (get a frozen irish iced coffee to go with your sandwich).
posted by Exceptional_Hubris at 1:02 PM on June 13, 2018

I had a really good meal at Carmo
posted by kbuxton at 1:04 PM on June 13, 2018 [1 favorite]

Sneaky Pickle
posted by veery at 1:07 PM on June 13, 2018 [1 favorite]

restaurants that have good options for fish that isn't shellfish or crustaceans

Peche!!! Welcoming but casual and very loud atmosphere, if that's yr thing.
posted by ftm at 1:12 PM on June 13, 2018 [1 favorite]

Vegetarian in NOLA here.

Carmo is amazing.
Shaya - you may need to go off-peak.
Green Goddess. Sit on the patio. Surprisingly good cocktails.
Auction House on Magazine and Julia - fancy food court, lots of yummy options.
Lily's on Magazine.
Lost Love Lounge if you're down with a dive.
Meals from the Heart - vegan versions of Southern comfort foods. In the French Market.
Kin has an excellent vegan ramen.

Places you might consider but that I can't recommend:
Mopho
Parkway
Steamboat Natchez
Royal Sushi
Little Korea

Most of the classic NOLA restaurants have a veg option by request, but it's usually disappointing.
posted by aquamvidam at 3:24 PM on June 13, 2018 [2 favorites]

Everyone's covered most of my go-tos but I'll add that Good Karma Cafe is on the Canal St. streetcar line and has some really tasty vegan food.
posted by komara at 7:25 PM on June 13, 2018

Komara - good suggestion about Good Karma. I just want to point out that Good Karma uses Hindu iconography rather disrespectfully, if this is something OP would like to avoid.
posted by aquamvidam at 7:48 PM on June 13, 2018 [1 favorite]

I did not notice that, and would also like to hear more about that. Send me a private message if you don't feel it's appropriate to continue here.
posted by komara at 9:26 PM on June 13, 2018

Boucherie always has a great (and unique) vegetarian dish on the menu. It's in the Garden District. I enjoyed Green Goddess too.
posted by chimpsonfilm at 6:44 AM on June 14, 2018

Saffron on Magazine is really great for modern Indian food, and all the best things are vegetarian.

Mahoney's is good for unhealthy vegetarian like cheese fries and fried green tomatoes, and just opened a French Quarter location - I'm going today for lunch, in fact.

Boucherie is not in the Garden District, it's down in Carrollton. I mention this only so you don't try to fold it into a Garden District tour or something like that.
posted by CheeseLouise at 7:34 AM on June 14, 2018 [1 favorite]

My mom's a vegetarian, and when she came to visit me in New Orleans we went to La Crepe Nanou. I forget which vegetarian crepe she had, but she loved it.

Brunches are pretty veg-friendly, and New Orleans does great brunches. Jazz brunch at The Columns is really fun. I can't find a menu online, but I rarely eat meat at brunch so I am sure they are veg-friendly.
posted by radioamy at 8:18 PM on June 14, 2018

Response by poster: I have found that New Orleans can definitely be a challenging city for those who don't eat meat, but with some planning, it can definitely be navigated—and much deliciousness enjoyed. These are the notable places I wound up eating, mostly in or near the French Quarter, though not all.

• Latitude 29. Best known for tiki drinks, but also has a tasty Asian/Polynesian-inspired menu with a number of vegetarian options.

• Meril. This is an Emeril Lagasse restaurant, but there's nothing shticky or touristy about it, and not a single "Bam!" was heard all evening. Very solid, and lots of vegetarian choices.

• St. James Cheese Company. A great place to grab a sandwich. Can't go wrong with cheese.

• NOLA. Another Emeril place, not too different from the one above. Its own website describes itself as casual, but it's actually pretty nice.

• Killer Poboys. As noted above, this is a little shop inside the Erin Rose bar. Very satisfying and hearty vegetarian poboy (when I was there, it was made with sweet potato).

• Cure. Oh man. These were some of the best cocktails I've had in a very long time—I strongly recommend. But they also serve a number of very tasty bar bites with some vegetarian options.

• SoBou. Went here for their "Legs and Eggs" burlesque brunch. Very enjoyable! Not a huge menu, but vegetarians will be fine. (If you're curious about the burlesque: You sit at ordinary tables in an ordinary dining room—no stage or anything. If you're there between 11:30 am and 1:30 pm, a performer will make her way around the dining room three times. We caught her two times while we were there. Fun!)

• Cavan. Wow this place was good—we had an incredibly excellent meal here. I'm not sure there were many vegetarian choices, but I eat fish (albeit only with fins & scales) and had some amazing food. Also it's in a really cool old home with two dining rooms on different floors. If it's not too busy, ask for a look around, or just wander yourself!

• Cafe du Monde. There is just one food item on the menu here: beignets. They are, of course, very tasty. Even if you see a long line for a table, it moves very quickly.

• Shaya. Really, really good modern Israeli cuisine. Tons of vegetarian options. Strongly recommend.

• Pêche. This is a seafood place and is very, very good. Vegetarian choices very limited, but if you eat fish, excellent place.

posted by Conrad Cornelius o'Donald o'Dell at 4:56 PM on August 19, 2018 [5 favorites]