Warehouse District

In the buzzy New Orleans hotel scene, no one does it like Maison de la Luz: Staying here feels like being let in on a good secret. Visitors will note elements of mystery and allegory, like snake motifs and a hidden window where you can order a drink. And while the common rooms hum with the energy of the city, the guest rooms are serene, with soaring ceilings and sumptuous velvet headboards. There’s no full-service restaurant here, but there’s a solid breakfast, and the bar, Bar Marilou, is known to be one of the coolest in town. (For more privacy, hotel guests can step through a revolving bookcase door into an exclusive salon.)

While most of us are familiar with affogato—the Italian pick-me-up of ice cream “drowned” in hot espresso—we’ve never encountered a café solely dedicated to this one thing. The flavor combinations here are endless, though we especially love the bananas Foster, the tiramisu, and the matcha (but you can’t go wrong with the classic vanilla-and-espresso combination). Ice cream aside, the coffee holds its own. Skip dessert at whatever restaurant you’re eating dinner at and come here.

While the décor here definitely feels like an Ace, you’ll find none of the urban grunge of the New York location or the woods-y, hipster feel of the Portland and Seattle spots. The building itself is a 1928 art deco masterpiece in the Warehouse District, occupied by a Scandinavian furniture company for most of its existence, and now topped with a pool that’s open year round in the balmy, humid Southern weather here. The moody-but-elegant interiors are decorated (by no less than goop favorites Roman & Williams) in dark gem tones, with perfectly worn leather banquettes and thoughtful art deco accents. As this is an Ace, the restaurant is shaping up to be pretty great as well. Memphis food wizards Andy Ticer and Michael Hudman, childhood best friends whose home-style Italian food is infused with a Southern kick, made it their first venture outside of Tennessee.

Even if you have little to no interest in military history, don’t miss this moving tribute set in a massive industrial space in uptown New Orleans. The interactive exhibits are unlike anything you’ve seen in traditional museums and the multimedia experiences are as engrossing as they are educational. The on-site restaurant—a retro-themed soda shop—is surprisingly good.

A climbing wall, eye exhibit (where kids can see what it would feel like to see the world through the eyes of a honeybee, rabbit, or hawk), and a mock grocery store are just a few of the exhibits here, which is a great place to let a little one run wild on a rainy afternoon. There's a lot on display that's specific to the region, too, ensuring a mini history lesson.

This adorable corner market specializes in pretty much everything you need to host a great cocktail party from caviar, charcuteries, and cheese, to olives, salts, New Orleans-specific spirits, and excellent wines. They also cater.

In addition to generating some major excitement from the food world, this months-old restaurant from husband-and-wife team, Cody and Samantha Carroll, is already a favorite with locals, which is pretty impressive for a newcomer. It’s housed in a massive old cotton mill in the Warehouse District, so diners can spread out and keep an eye on the sprawling open kitchen while enjoying the small but mighty seafood-centric menu.

The name Domenica stands for “Sunday” in Italian, which is fitting since the vibe here is as chill as it is festive. Come here for the best pizza this side of the Mississippi (the roasted carrot pie is unreal) and really great veggie dishes, like the whole head of cauliflower and fried Tuscan kale. Even more reason to love this place? It’s situated in the ultra luxe Roosevelt hotel which is worth a visit, and hosts a daily happy hour with half-price pizza and wine.

Over the course of two years, Donald Link's newest endeavor—a traditional New Orleans seafood spot in the Warehouse District—has managed to earn two James Beard awards and instant respect from locals and visitors alike. What’s really cool is that a good chunk of the dishes (grilled tuna, smothered catfish, chicken diablo) are prepped on a hearth, which, thanks to chef Ryan Prewitt's open kitchen, is clearly visible to diners. Then there’s the impressive raw bar—home of the Pêche seafood platter—and fun snacks, like fish sticks and hushpuppies.

Cochon was one of the first new restaurants to open after hurricane Katrina and therefore holds a very special place in locals’ hearts. But the food totally holds up, too. The menu—which goes well with the rustic, classic bistro-like set-up—can be described as pork-centric Southern, with dishes like fried boudin with pickled peppers and Louisiana cochon with turnips taking top billings.