Avoid these 14 touristy restaurants in New Orleans

Meril

I grew up watching Emeril Lagasse's TV shows, so it pains me to admit that one of his New Orleans restaurants treads into mediocrity. Meril is a contemporary spot in the Warehouse District that acts as a more casual alternative to the famous chef's upscale eponymous restaurant. It offers modern dishes with international influence and a hint of Louisiana flair. While the food itself is innovative and tasty (albeit not the best from the renowned chef), it's a combination of other factors that make Meril's a spot to skip on your next trip to NOLA.

Diners at Meril often complain of slow, inattentive service and long waits for food to arrive. The restaurant is almost always packed, likely due to the owner's big name in the New Orleans food scene and not because it's a great place to eat. Drinks are marketed as being artisanal and made with fresh ingredients, but they're known to be disappointing and overly sugary. If you're looking to experience chef Lagasse's legendary cuisine, opt for his flagship restaurant Emeril's, just a couple blocks down on Tchoupitoulas Street, instead.

Bourbon House

Bourbon House is one of many ventures from the Brennan family — New Orleans' most notorious restaurant group — and is known to locals as one of the city's most prominent tourist traps. Its menu and location draw in visitors looking to experience the seafood that the city is famous for, but Bourbon House doesn't do NOLA's cuisine justice whatsoever.

A shrimp po'boy for $24 is egregious, especially in a city that's known for inexpensive, rustic cuisine. Charbroiled oysters are Bourbon House's claim to fame, but they're shriveled and flavorless and come drowned in a bland sauce. The wide selection of the restaurant's namesake liquor and cocktails doesn't come close to saving it from its low-quality, tourist-trap designation; drinks are overly sugary and weak, which is basically sacrilege in New Orleans.

For an alternative whiskey-and-oyster experience, take the streetcar to the Central Business District and enjoy a vast booze selection at The Rusty Nail — one of New Orleans' best dives. The bar shares a patio with Sidecar Oyster Bar, where you can get your seafood fix.

Port of Call

Port of Call proudly boasts that it serves the best burger in all of New Orleans, but just about every New Orleans resident would beg to differ. The burger joint — first established in 1963 — is located on Esplanade, just a block from tourist hot-spot Bourbon Street. Inside, it looks like any other divey NOLA bar-and-restaurant, but the branded take-out cups tend to give away its tourist-trap status.

Burgers at Port of Call usually arrive either undercooked or overcooked, accompanied by subpar service. Port of Call — like a fair amount of other New Orleans burger joints — doesn't melt the shredded cheese that it uses on its burgers, and no one really knows why. Now, don't get me wrong; when the burger is cooked well (it usually takes coming in on a slow afternoon), they definitely hit the spot. But to call it "the best burger in New Orleans" is an egregious overstatement. For one of the (actual) best burgers in town, head over to the Central Business District and stop into Cochon Butcher.

Voodoo Chicken and Daiquiris

Voodoo Chicken and Daiquiris — much like Willie's Chicken Shack — is a boisterous fast-food restaurant offering low-quality chicken and sugary frozen drinks in a tacky atmosphere. The small chain, which first opened in 2022, has two locations, one on Canal and one on — you guessed it — Bourbon. It consistently pumps out loud electronic music to lure folks in, and then keeps them around with a vast selection of flavored frozen daiquiris behind the counter. Those visiting for the first time may feel like they found the holy grail of frozen drink options, but the truth is that this daiquiri setup is ubiquitous in this city; you'll find dozens of daiquiri choices at nearly every gas station and fast-casual eatery around.

The offensively decorated restaurant may be tempting, with flashing lights and cheesy novelty cups and trinkets, but its corniness should immediately give away that it's a tourist trap. If you're dead set on staying on Bourbon and grabbing some frosty drinks, head over to Fat Tuesday instead for a better vibe, better music, and better booze and grub.

Hard Rock Café

It seems almost every tourist-friendly city is home to a Hard Rock Café or two, so it comes as no surprise that a city famous for its music would be home to a branch of the kitschy chain on its most famous street. The rock-and-roll-themed chain is absolutely massive, with locations in over 74 countries and dozens in the U.S. alone. And, as is the case with any restaurant that gets too big for its own good, quality gets put on the back burner. Food at the Hard Rock on Bourbon is far from fresh and local. Mass-produced bar food and cheesy decor don't come close to the authentic experience that every tourist wants.

For a French Quarter experience that incorporates everything the Big Easy is famous for, check out Crescent City Brewhouse on Decatur. As The Quarter's only microbrewery, it offers unique drink options to pair with traditional Louisiana cuisine, all topped off with a live jazz performance that gives tourists a taste of the essence of New Orleans.