Best New Orleans Neighborhoods: A Color Lovers Guide

Before heading to the vibrant city of New Orleans, I did some research on the things I cared to explore most. 1. Where should I eat? 2. What are the best New Orleans neighborhoods where I can find colorful architecture?

If you’re like me and love exploring colorful cities than this post will be right up your alley. I knew little about the neighborhoods, so I did a quick search to find all the best colorful spots. I was very happy with the mini-tour I created, so I thought I’d share it with you.

Where to Eat in New Orleans

But first things first, where to eat? New Orleans has an abundance of delicious restaurants to choose from, so narrowing it down can be overwhelming. We pulled recommendations from various sources and below I’ll list our favorite stops.

Surrey’s Cafe and Juice Bar- Banana foster french toast is a New Orleans classic. Surrey’s was highly reviewed and near the Garden District. This place was SO GOOD and the french toast was some of the best I’ve ever had.

source: yelp.com

Sucré- They have delicious macarons in unique flavors like banana foster and chicory. Their cupcakes are also a good choice. Plus, they have a cute outdoor patio.

Domenica- Go during happy hour! A friend recommended this place, and I’m so glad I tried it. They have half-off pizzas and select cocktails every day from 2-5 pm. You can also reserve your spot on OpenTable. The pizza was delicious and Jorge found a new favorite wine. Win, win!

Dat Dog- Jorge loves trying hot dog places with unusual choices. So we headed to Dat Dog where he ordered an alligator dog. Eek, no thanks. They have regular hot dogs, too, for us boring folk. I only ordered fries, which were great and perfectly crispy. He definitely wants to visit again whenever we’re back in New Orleans.

Carousel Bar & Lounge- GO HERE!! It was such a fun experience. You’ll find this bar inside the Hotel Monteleone. I read that it’s usually packed and hard to get seats at the carousel, but we went really late so we had no issues. The carousel slowly spins as the bartenders make drinks.

Cafe Du Monde- This is a given! It’s a famous little cafe that’s worth a stop (or three). The little puffs of heaven (as a friend calls them) live up to the hype. We had some each day we were there because why the hell not? But I sure paid for it later…

Cochon Butcher- We love BBQ, so we walked miles and miles to try this place. We were happy with Cochon and do recommend it.

Erin Rose- We heard the Frozen Irish Coffee here was some of the best. It was only a few blocks from our Airbnb so we gave it a try. Definitely good. They apparently make killer po’boys too, so that’s on our list for next time.

Where to Stay in New Orleans

We booked an Airbnb in the French Quarter about a block away from Bourbon Street. We didn’t go to any bars on that street (not our scene), so I have no recommendations. But, I did love being close to a lot of great places, including all of the colorful homes in the quarter.

If this is your first time trying Airbnb, click here for $40 off your first booking. Update: Our specific stay is no longer listed on Airbnb, but there are plenty of other great places listed on there!

I foolishly didn’t realize I would need a car in order to explore all the neighborhoods in the short amount of time we had (2.5 days). We booked one with Hertz and it was only $32 for the day, which is cheaper than doing a bus tour.

Best Colorful Neighborhoods in New Orleans

If you don’t want to rent a car and adventure out, there’s still plenty in the French Quarter neighborhood alone.

If you are up for exploring then head toward the Garden District and Irish Channel neighborhoods. There you’ll find gems like this Alice in Wonderland inspired home.

In my opinion, the Bywater and Marigny neighborhoods win in the colorful homes department. There was a colorful facade at every turn.

If you’re a fan of colorful cities, I have numerous posts on cool, vibrant towns you can check out. Click here to read more about those.

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