Pie
814 South Peters Street
New Orleans, LA 70130
(504) 528-2PIE (2473)
Pie is a cleverly-named new pizza and pasta place right in the heart of the Warehouse District, just down the street from hotspots like Republic and Howlin' Wolf. With a big Italian menu and late night hours on weekends until 4:30 a.m., you're bound to wind up there sooner or later. When you do, try out one of their gourmet pizzas, with fancy toppings like prosciutto or alligator sausage. The crust is perfectly bendable and the sauce has a hint of sweetness that will keep you coming back for more. They even offer free delivery to the surrounding area!

 

Adolfo's
611 Frenchmen Street
New Orleans, LA 70116
(504) 948-3480
Adolfo's is a true local gem, especially since it's so tucked away that the chance of an out-of-towner finding it is slim to none. Sitting atop The Apple Barrel, in the heart of the Frenchmen Street club area, Adolfo's is so tiny that it only needs two servers for the whole restaurant. They specialize in comfortable, affordable Creole-Italian and seafood, and dishes like crab and corn canneloni and Veal Ocean, topped with crawfish, crab and shrimp keep people coming back for more. Adolfo, the Brazilian chef and owner, cooks everything to order. You can dress casually, and if you're faced with a wait, you can enjoy a drink in the bar downstairs and they'll come to find you. And your wait will be worth it: Once you're seated, you can hear the music from down the street wafting in through the windows.

Luke
333 St. Charles Avenue
New Orleans, LA 70130
(504) 378-2840
Renowned Chef John Besh opened Luke as an homage to the old brasseries that once reigned in New Orleans. Luke's menu combines French and German Old World cooking techniques, and the space is as warm and nostalgic as the menu. Brasserie features include blackboard specials and newspaper racks, not to mention the ceiling fans. These are elaborate pulley-and-belt driven ceiling fans, an early air-conditioning system first admired by visitors in the 1880s that has been recreated for the restaurant. There is a full service bar featuring an extensive French, German and Belgian beer selection, plus three exclusive house brews and wines from the Loire, Alsace and Savoie regions, as well as the Badischerwiens of Germany. Luke's location next to the Hilton St. Charles hotel in the Central Business District makes it even easier to imagine that you've gone back to the New Orleans of yore, and puts you in the right neck of the woods to turn it into a great night out on the town.

Gordon Biersch
200 Poydras Street
New Orleans, LA 70130
(504) 552-2739
Located in the heart of New Orleans, GB is a convenient favorite with the freshest of food and beers. The restaurant can accommodate 375 guests with outdoor patio seating. The bar features five plasma televisions, as well as a magnificent view of the restaurants brewing facilities; brewery tours and beer samplings are given by the Brew Master and staff. Free parking is available, which is a definite perk downtown. Gordon Biersch is a night out in and of itself, but you're also a short walk away from Harrah's, the Warehouse District and the French Quarter.

Wasabi
900 Frenchmen Street
New Orleans, LA 70116
(504) 943-9433
Located in the Marigny, right down the street from all of the best hole-in-the-wall bars and jazz clubs, you can satisfy a hankering for sushi late into the evening. For many years, Wasabi Sushi has been a New Orleans favorite for the authentic Japanese dining experience, in terms of both food and service. You can eat in the large Japanese-style dining room or at the large sushi bar, where deep-fried tempura, sushi and some of the warmest sake in town are to be found along with chilled Japanese beer.

Port of Call
838 Esplanade Avenue
New Orleans, LA 70116
(504) 523-0120
The Port of Call was established in 1963 as a steakhouse, a quiet, small neighborhood restaurant open only at night. These days, though, The Port has grown into an extremely popular destination for locals and tourists alike. Tucked away on Esplanade Avenue at the edge of the Quarter, Port of Call can be easy to miss if you’re not looking for it… and if there’s not a big group outside, which is rare! Both the hamburgers and the drinks (all tropically named) are way too big, but in a good way. A Monsoon and a Cheeseburger (as big as your face) would not only make a killer meal, but it would also provide a perfect excuse to nap for the rest of the day. They also have pizzas and steaks. Port of Call is self-described as “extremely casual.” No reservations.

Elizabeth's
601 Gallier Street
New Orleans, LA 70117
(504) 944-9272
Elizabeth's is tucked into the Bywater under the shadow of the Mississippi River levee, in a double-decker, 100-year-old building. About a mile from the French Quarter, and with totally affordable food and drinks, they make a great dinner place before a night out. When you leave, you'll be in the right neighborhood, and you'll still have money in your pockets. Not to mention the fact that Elizabeth's is one of the best places in town to try authentic Creole calas, rice fritters that are sort of like beignets. They serve up Southern-fried dishes from morning til night, and offer brunch on Sundays, too, all in a vibe remarkably similar to yo' mamma's house.

The Country Club
634 Louisa Street
New Orleans, LA 70117
(504) 945-0742
Set in a sprawling old Creole cottage filled with the requisite hardwood floors and abundant natural light, The Country Club is a lot of things. Like a less snooty version of the one you took tennis lessons at as a kid, the backyard requires a membership pass to enter ($10 on weekdays, $15 on weekends; annual passes are available). But it might be worth it in the hot summer months: It has multiple pools, lagoons and fountains. As for the inside, the menu is full of Louisiana flavors from their new chef, Coy LeBeau. You must be 21 to enter both the restaurant and the club. And afterwards? You can either stay there to have a night out or head to the nearby Marigny or Quarter.

Lucy's Retired Surfers Bar & Grill
701 Tchoupitoulas Street
New Orleans, LA 70130
(504) 523-8995
Lucy’s is actually a New York original, but when she moved down to the Crescent City, she adapted quite nicely. The menu is mostly Baja-Mexican, meaning fried grouper and ceviche tacos, a tuna steak sandwich and a “Cali” burger topped with avacado and sprouts, salad on the side. But these days you can throw fried crawfish tails on top of the queso , and the fried shrimp are seasoned with Zatarain’s. Although they serve food until 10, Lucy’s is much more of a bar than a restaurant come nightfall. Order a Shark Attack or Da’ Killer Blue Whale and you’ll get a story from the bartender and a fantastic souvenir.

Eat
900 Dumaine Street
New Orleans, LA 70116
(504) 522-7222
As they say on the Eat website, "We aim to serve food as fresh and satisfying as our mamas make - all in the comfort of our sunny dining room in the heart of the French Quarter," and that describes it to a T. It's a charming little restaurant on the corner of the street that, despite its French Quarter location, has retained all of the charm and none of the cheesiness that come with the territory. The food is simple, Southern, unpretentious and delicious, and the desserts are homemade and tasty. They encourage customers to BYOB, which definiely cuts down on the cost, and the interior of the space has just the right amount of whimsy. Its location makes it a perfect bet for a night on the town, and it also has brunch on the weekends.