I’m from the Midwest and for all of my life I have tried to enjoy ‘authentic’ food from wherever. I have never really enjoyed the po’ boy, but that’s fine, I’ve never had it from where it was from until now. Now I am in New Orleans and have had a few. What I have consistency received was fried breaded shrimp that’s good on a hoagie bun that’s good or great with some lettuce and a scant amount of Mayo. The entire thing is a bizarre dry seafood sandwich. We’ve asked for tartar sauce and they’ve obliged and it makes it much better, but are we missing something, is that what a po’ boy is supposed to be? I’m here two more days and am staying in The French Quarter. Any recommendations for restaurants and menu item suggestions?
I much prefer them with fried oysters. Agree that it shouldn’t be too dry. The crusty bread soaks up sauce.
Go to Bourbon and Conti. There’s a bar on Conti close to Bourbon called The Erin Rose. Best Bloody Mary (breakfast in a glass) and cool people. Killer Po’ Boys operates out of there, along with a nearby stand alone location.
And be sure to visit Port of Call.. Get in line before they open. Order a burger. DO NOT order French fries.
Laissez les bons temps rouler
Should have some remoulade on it. I’ll echo trying Killer Po’Boys (but note, it’s not a traditional po’boy). Try some fried oyster po’boys or a debris po’boy.
I’ll second the recommendation for fried oyster po-boys. They’re my favorite kind!
If you’re in the French Quarter, go to Johnny’s on St. Louis street. It’s got all sorts of great po-boys, and is an authentic NOLA restaurant. (it’s just north/away from the river from Decatur St. on St. Louis)
Mother’s on Poydras is kind of overrated IMO.
New Orleanian checking in:
@Sitnam, are you mobile, or are you pretty much stuck with what you can get in and near the French Quarter? The very best renditions of the humble po’ boy are not found in the French Quarter, although the ones recommended upthread at Johnny’s and Hobnobber (blocks outside the Quarter) are quite good.
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One thing I find interesting is that a lot of people outside of Louisiana think a “po’ boy” is, specifically, a fried shrimp sandwich on french bread. Or else a fried seafood sandwich.
In fact, po’ boys come with any filling you would find on long sandwiches (e.g. hoagies, subs) anywhere else in the U.S. I wouldn’t even call a shrimp po’ boy the default or the most representative of the type (that would probably be a roast beef po-boy, and I’d entertain an argument for ham-&-cheese).
My wife and I were in NOLA for a friend’s wedding. We stayed a few days after to get a better look around.
One of those days we randomly walked into New Orleans Creole Cookery, a block SW from Jackson Square. They had a nice little courtyard with outdoor seating (this was pre-COVID). Of all the amazing meals we had in that town on that trip, the red beans and rice with sausage was the single best thing I ate the entire time. It was delicious and a huge portion. Our hotel didn’t have a fridge but I told our server if we were flying out that day, I would dump the leftovers in an envelope and mail it home, it was so good.
And if you’re looking for breakfast/brunch/lunch, The Ruby Slipper Cafe. There are several locations around the Quarter. Best Hollandaise sauce I ever had.
(standard warning I give everyone visiting New Orleans): If you haven’t yet taken your obligatory trip to Cafe du Monde, know that it’s kind of gross in there. Seriously, bring your own wet wipes, because you really don’t want to use the restroom. Literally everything in there is covered in powdered sugar and powdered sugar residue. They just wipe off your table for 3 seconds with the same damp rag they wiped off every other table with for the past 4 hours. Their limited fare is excellent, and worth the stop, but you’re not going to want to stay long. I’m pretty sure that’s by design.
I found a great place for po’ boys up here in the DC area. It’s really a seafood place so, of course, their idea of a po’ boy is fried seafood – or chicken tenders.
Scant mayo? No, you need more. Plus lettuce and tomato and Tabasco. Shrimp is good, but oysters are better. I never did get around to having a debris po’ boy because I like oysters so much. Better on a French roll that has been buttered and toasted.
Get yourself a muffuletta. (Or half of one.) Central Market is the traditional place to get them, and they’re good. But I prefer Frank’s, a couple of doors down, because you can get them hot there and I like them hot and melty.
I was in New Orleans and other places in LA the second week of March 2020 just as the world was unraveling. Anyway, while the seafood ones are best known, one of the best bites of the trip was a roast beef debris po’ boy.
Yes, though be advised it is a substantial sandwich. I had a hard time eating a quarter.
Yeah, a quarter should be enough for anyone.
Thanks guys, your guidance will not go unheeded.
Please report later with detailed descriptions of food y’all consumed. Thank you.
I was on the East Bank of Jefferson Parish for five years and never had one. Judging by the images I found, the deli counter at a Harris Teeter up here offers paninis roughly the size of half a muffuletta.
I used to work within walking distance from that particular location and would sometimes get one, eat half for lunch and the other half for dinner.
With pictures. Thank you.
Ate at Lucy’s tonight, a bit touristy but the catfish po’ boy was solid. We’ve been to Hobnobber three times over our week long trip and I haven’t brought myself to order anything other than the fried catfish and Jambalaya because it is so damn good. My wife claims they have the best potato salad she has had in her life and my kids love the pancakes. We’re heading back to Hobnobber tomorrow morning one last time before we leave to the airport. I had no idea catfish was so good, I had always assumed it was a trash fish southerners ate because it was plentiful and cheap, turns out it’s awesome and to me better than shrimp. Daisy Dukes shrimp and grits breakfast was excellent and Deja Vu’s shrimp po’ boy was memorable.
Mothers was a disappointment, both the beef po’ boy and everything else we ordered besides the Jambalaya side which is the best I’ve had on the trip.
I’ll see about pictures when I get back, I don’t know how to easily do that stuff on an iPad.
Oh, thank you for that… I had a glass of Ovaltine and some soda crackers for dinner. I might have to read your post a few more times. 
my favorites in the French quarter are Verti Marte @ 1201 Royal (a grocery store so take it to go to the French market and eat while listening to music) or Dragos at the other side of the Quarter for a Barbeque shrimp Po-boy.
Outside of the Quarter, Parkway po-boys is usually voted the best in NOLA.
Reminds me of a seafood restaurant a couple of miles west of the city; they had the best dill pickles. One time I was there was with my parents and a friend of the family from Wisconsin; we polished off two plates of pickles before our food arrived!
A Walgreens is on that property now.