Cheap Eats in New Orleans: Six Budget Food Stops

A filling sandwich and a plate of beignets answer different appetites in New Orleans. Choose a food stop near the neighbourhood you are already exploring, rather than spending the saving on a cross-city ride. Café du Monde suits a sweet break, Central Grocery suits a shared lunch, and the other choices give you a substantial order beyond the French Quarter.

Budget meals at a glance

Stop	Area	Order	Typical food spend per person	Weekly closures
Café du Monde	French Quarter	Beignets, coffee extra	US$4–6, one order	None
Central Grocery	French Quarter	Muffuletta, half shared by two	US$12–18, shared portion	None
Lil’ Dizzy’s Cafe	Tremé	Red beans and rice	US$12–18, sausage optional	Sunday, except one per month
Parkway Bakery & Tavern	Mid-City	Small roast-beef po’boy	US$13–15, sandwich only	Monday and Tuesday
1000 Figs	Bayou St John	Falafel sandwich	US$10–15, sandwich only	Sunday
Pizza Delicious	Bywater	Cheese pizza slices	US$7–10, two or three slices	Monday

These choices keep the suggested food order within US$20 per person. Sales tax, drinks and any applicable tip are extra, so leave room beyond the food allowance. Beignets with coffee are a snack, not a substitute for a filling lunch.

A po’boy is a filled French-bread sandwich. A muffuletta is a round sandwich with cured meats, cheese and olive salad. The shared portion above assumes you split the sandwich rather than each ordering your own.

Expect walk-in eating and counter ordering at many of these stops. Allow extra time at busy lunches, and settle the order before reaching the counter. Pick the area that fits your day’s plans, not a route through all six.

Café du Monde

Café du Monde was established in 1862, making its beignets a longstanding French Market tradition. Choose it for a sweet pause while spending time around the market. Beignets are pieces of fried dough covered in powdered sugar, and an order contains three.

The coffee blends coffee beans with chicory. Choose black coffee and chicory for the unmilked version, or café au lait, coffee and chicory served with hot milk, for a milkier drink. Coffee adds to the table’s food-only estimate, so count it separately when deciding how much to spend.

The café’s service window makes this a flexible break before or after sightseeing. You can stop for a sweet finish after a savoury meal, or pair the beignets with coffee during a pause around the French Market.

Central Grocery

Central Grocery’s muffuletta makes sense when you want a shared sandwich lunch in an Italian grocery setting. The cured meats and cheese give it substance, while the olive salad brings a salty, tangy contrast. You can browse the grocery as well as buy from the deli, rather than treating the stop as a sit-down restaurant meal.

Sandwiches come in half or whole formats. Divide the table’s suggested shared order between your party before deciding whether it will satisfy everyone. If you want a larger lunch, increase the portion rather than assuming the sharing estimate covers separate sandwiches.

Agree on the amount before ordering, especially if your group has different appetites. This is a meat-and-cheese sandwich, so it is a better choice for that craving than for someone seeking a vegetable-focused lunch.

Lil’ Dizzy’s Cafe

Lil’ Dizzy’s Cafe is the choice for a Creole lunch built around red beans and rice. The beans are typically cooked until creamy and served over rice, making a substantial plate rather than a snack. Smoked or hot sausage is an optional accompaniment here, not a reason to build a multi-dish order.

For dine-in, join the line, order and pay at the counter, then take your assigned table. Staff bring the food to you. Let the seating arrangement guide you rather than claiming a table before ordering, and allow some spare time around the lunch rush.

Takeout has a separate line on the other side of the building, so use that queue if you are carrying lunch away. The café fits time spent around Esplanade Avenue and Tremé when you want to sit down for a substantial Creole lunch.

Parkway Bakery & Tavern

Parkway Bakery & Tavern’s signature order is house-made roast beef with gravy. The gravy is part of the filling’s appeal, soaking into the French bread and making this a sandwich best eaten with napkins close at hand. Choose it when you want a savoury, substantial meal during time in Mid-City.

The roast-beef po’boy comes in small and large sizes. The smaller sandwich is the food order priced in the table, without fries or a drink. Decide whether you need accompaniments before adding them, rather than treating a side as part of the sandwich allowance.

The casual bakery-and-tavern setting has counter service, with indoor dining and outdoor seating. You can stay for the meal instead of buying something to carry while walking, which is particularly useful for a gravy-filled sandwich.

1000 Figs

1000 Figs’ falafel sandwich gives you a vegetable-focused order while spending time around Bayou St John. Falafel are fried chickpea or broad-bean patties, and this sandwich packs four into a pita with cucumber and pickled vegetables. The filling combines the patties’ substance with the vegetables’ crunch and acidity.

Tahini, a sesame paste, accompanies zhoug, a spicy herb sauce, and toum, a garlic sauce. Choose the sandwich rather than a larger platter for the modest meal priced in the table. The sauces make it more than a plain pita filled with falafel, without needing a series of side dishes.

The restaurant’s broader Mediterranean menu can tempt you towards a bigger order. Keep the sandwich as your starting point if the purpose is an inexpensive meal, and use dine-in or takeout to suit the time you are already spending in the neighbourhood.

Pizza Delicious

Pizza Delicious sells cheese pizza by the slice, making it an easy choice when you are in Bywater and do not want to commit to a whole pizza. Buy slices to match your appetite, rather than treating a whole pie as the default order.

The table’s modest-meal estimate allows for a smaller or larger slice order. A single slice suits a lighter stop, while an additional slice moves it towards lunch or dinner. Cheese keeps the order straightforward, without the extra spending that can come with more elaborate toppings.

Dine-in and pickup both let you fit the meal into time around Piety Street. Choose whichever suits your plans, rather than making a separate trip across the city for pizza.

Sources & fact-checking

Checks against the sources below cover: closures, key figures, and opening hours.

• Parkway Bakery & Tavern — closures
• Parkway Bakery and Tavern — key figures
• Our Menu
• Lil’ Dizzys Cafe – Food Menu
• Café du Monde — opening hours
• Cafe Du Monde — key figures
• Central Grocery and Deli — closures
• Pizza Delicious — opening hours
• 1000 Figs — closures
• 1000 Figs — key figures