Ahhh…Jazz Fest. The quintessential New Orleans festival. Music, food, sun, crafts, watermelon shirts…and more music and food! Sure the music is the main event, but some (ahem…me) say that the food is just as essential to a complete & successful Jazz Fest experience.
I’ve spent many years trying all of the different dishes, and I’m happy to report back to you with my favorites. And just like any useful guide, I’ve also included a “what to wear” and “what to pack” list that could potentially make or break your Jazz Fest.
Enjoy!
Food Tent Guide
FOOD AREA I
Crawfish Bread
Bread, gooey cheese and crawfish…what’s not to love?! I love the Crawfish Bread because it’s delicious, easy to eat and provides a necessary #cheesepull for the ‘Gram!
Cajun Shrimp & Duck Pasta
Oof this pasta is my favorite! It’s packed with flavor and the serving size of meat is V generous. Also there is something about that wavy pasta that grips the chunks of meat in every bite just right.
Cochon de Lait Po-Boy
My favorite “sandwich” of Jazz Fest! If you’re hangry, this is your go-to dish. Two slices of French bread with a very generous portion of shredded pork smothered in allll the spices and topped with hot sauce, of course
Crawfish Sack, Oyster Patties, Crawfish Beignets
Beware: this trio dish makes a great pic but IMHO, it’s not that tasty. As in, it didn’t really have any flavor. Maybe I caught it on a bad day, either way, I thought it was my duty to give you the heads up.
Fried Oyster Spinach Salad
This is a great option if you’re watching your carbs. The oysters are fried to perfection and have a lot of flavor.
Ya ka Mein
The Ya-Ka-Mein Lady, Linda, uses a secret recipe that has been passed down through several generations of women in her family. This dish is classic New Orleans street food, and although you may not naturally gravitate towards a warm soup at Jazz Fest, trust me the flavor is worth it!
Mango Freeze
An iconic Jazz Fest treat, and a must after all of your savory treats to help cool you off. Sno-balls, obviously are another great cold treat, but (from what I know) you can only get the Mango Freeze at Jazz Fest, whereas sno-balls you can get almost year round in Nola.
Red Beans+Rice & Jambalaya
If you are visiting New Orleans from out of town, then Jambalaya and Red Beans & Rice are musts. But honestly, I still order it at Jazz Fest sometimes simply because it’s so good.
FOOD AREA II
Crawfish Monica
Talk about ICONIC! Cheezy, spicy pasta mixed with big ‘ol Louisiana crawfish tails…you can’t get more Jazz Fest than this. If you want Crawfish Monica, you better make a bee line to this food tent early because they tend to sell out. And nothing’s sadder than an empty food tent!
Fried Soft-Shell Crab Po-Boy
I tend to shy away from soft-shell crab because it kinda freaks me out to eat the entire crab, but this bad boy is delicious! Makes for a great photo op too 😉
CONGO SQUARE
Strawberry Lemonade
OK, y’all. This Strawberry Lemonade is hands-down, my favorite cold treat of the entire festival. IT’S SO GOOD! Every day I’m at Jazz Fest, I order one. They’re HUGE which is great when you’re dying of thirst and want something cold and sweet…and you want it to last a while.
HERITAGE SQUARE
Goi Cuon (Spring Roll) and Cha Gio (Vietnamese Egg Roll)
Ordering Cajun and Creole food while in Nola is a no-brainer, but don’t forget about the Vietnamese food! New Orleans has a large Vietnamese population which has introduced me to their food & I’ve fallen head over heels! These spring & egg rolls are a great snack and easy to eat on the go.
Meaty White Beans
This dish is very unassuming, and I never would have ordered it on my own, but in 2015 I was freelancing for Camelia Beans’ social media so I had to go order these beans to take pictures and promote it. It’s actually so good and full of flavor!! Andres and I ended up fighting over them.
AROUND
Plum St. Sno-Balls
It’s not summertime in New Orleans without a sno-ball or two. There are a couple of different tents of sno-balls, but Plum St. is an easy favorite of mine. Their portions are very generous and it’ll def cool you off. I usually order an ice cream and nectar combo flavor. Get plenty of napkins!
What to Wear
- shorts or dress (short or long) with bicycle shorts underneath. I like to wear a long dress to keep from getting a sunburn.
- loose fitting tee
- Jazz Fest shirt (watermelon is my favorite!)
- some type of tennis shoe or closed-toe walking shoe like Toms. It is super dusty & dirty out there. Rain boots if raining!
- Hat with good coverage
- Backpack
- Fanny pack
- Poncho if rain is expected
- Pro Tip: leave your rings behind. Swelling is 100% likely!
What to Pack
Backpack
- empty water bottle/Nalgene to fill up at water fountain inside
- sun block (non spray)
- emergency snacks
- thin blanket for sitting
- roll of toilet paper
- A damp rag with few cubes of ice in a double zip lock (you never know when things will get a little sticky or you’ll feel faint from the heat–true story–this saved me one year!)
- compact umbrella to block sun as you’re sitting or strolling (don’t use in heavy traffic)
Fanny Pack
- Jazz Fest tickets!
- cash & credit cards
- sunglasses
- phone
- phone charger
- band-aids
- ponytail holder
- koozie
If you’re heading out to Jazz Fest and want a quick reference to this guide that won’t burn up your phone battery, download my free PDF so you can always have it handy in your fanny pack!
HAPPY JAZZ FESTING!
