Watch: mixed picture🇺🇸 New Orleans, United States
New Orleans for Black travellers
New Orleans is the birthplace of jazz and has one of America's oldest Black communities, with living traditions such as second lines, Mardi Gras Indians and brass bands. It is an easy city to feel at home in, though like any large city it needs sensible night-time precautions.
Where to stay & explore
- Tremé — Described as the oldest African American neighbourhood in the US, home to Congo Square, St Augustine Church and the Backstreet Cultural Museum.
- Bayou Road — Listed among the city's historically Black areas, with heritage and cultural landmarks.
- French Quarter — Almost always safe by day with visible police; Bourbon Street gets rowdy at night.
Stay safe in New Orleans
- Bourbon Street brings heavy crowds, heavy drinking and petty crime; Frenchmen Street and the Marigny are easy to get lost in when drinking.
- Central City has a high crime rate and no tourist attractions; use taxis or rideshare after dark rather than walking.
- Watch for the 'Beads and Monks' and 'shoe' scams, and for pickpockets near live music venues.
- Summer heat is a bigger risk than crime, and hurricane season runs June to November, peaking in September.
Black heritage & culture
- Congo Square — In Armstrong Park, where enslaved Africans gathered on Sundays to trade, dance and play music, a key site in the story of jazz.
- Backstreet Cultural Museum — At 1531 St Philip Street: Mardi Gras Indian suits, jazz funerals and second-line history.
- New Orleans African American Museum — Tremé museum on Governor Nicholls Street; check opening times before visiting.
- Whitney Plantation — Described as the only Louisiana plantation focused on slavery.
Getting around
From the airport, the RTA 202 Airport Express bus costs $1.25 to Poydras Street; taxis are $36 flat for one or two people, and Uber, Lyft and KreweCar use a level 1 pickup area.
Festivals & events
- Essence Festival of Culture — Fourth of July weekend
- New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival — Spring (late April)
- Satchmo SummerFest — Late July or August
Black-owned in New Orleans
- Dew Drop Inn Hotel & Lounge · New Orleans
Restored 1939 Chitlin' Circuit and Green Book landmark in Central City — 17 rooms, live music venue, bar, restaurant and pool club.
Black-owned · Curtis Doucette Jr. · Source · Website - Dooky Chase's Restaurant · New Orleans
Tremé Creole restaurant where Leah Chase hosted civil rights leaders in the 1960s — gumbo, fried chicken, red beans and rice. Michelin Bib Gourmand; book ahead.
Black-owned · Chase family · Source · Website - Chubbies · New Orleans (Algiers)
Long-running Algiers counter-service restaurant on General Meyer Avenue serving fried chicken, seafood and po' boys, bought in 2022 by Algiers native Ursula Newell-Davis.
Black-owned · Ursula Newell-Davis · Source · Website - Li'l Dizzy's Cafe · New Orleans (Tremé)
Family-run Creole soul food cafe on Esplanade Avenue in Tremé, open for breakfast and lunch, known for gumbo, fried chicken, shrimp and grits and its salad bar.
Black-owned · Wayne Baquet Jr. and Arkesha Baquet · Source · Website - Buttermilk Drop · New Orleans (Tremé)
Tremé bakery and café from Dwight Henry, known for its buttermilk drop doughnuts plus Southern breakfast plates. Go early — the drops sell out.
Black-owned · Dwight Henry · Source · Website - Morrow's · New Orleans (Marigny)
Marigny restaurant from Larry Morrow and chef Lenora Chong serving Creole dishes with Korean touches — a lively spot for dinner and weekend brunch. Booking advised.
Black-owned · Chef Lenora Chong and Larry Morrow · Source · Website - Compere Lapin · New Orleans (Warehouse District)
Creole restaurant at 535 Tchoupitoulas Street inside the Old No. 77 Hotel in New Orleans, serving Caribbean and European-influenced dishes and cocktails.
Black-owned · Chef Nina Compton · Source · Website - Up&Adam Eatz · New Orleans (Mid-City)
Restaurant at 3903 Canal Street in Mid-City, New Orleans, serving Southern and Creole dishes including catfish, with around 850 Google reviews.
Black-owned · Christopher Ford and Adam Ford · Source · Website - Jamaican Jerk House · New Orleans (Bywater)
Jamaican restaurant on St Claude Avenue in Bywater, New Orleans, serving jerk chicken, oxtails and Caribbean macaroni cheese in generous portions. Run by jerk master Richard Rose.
Black-owned · Richard Rose and Jackie Diaz · Source · Website - Dakar NOLA · New Orleans (Uptown)
Modern Senegalese restaurant on Leonidas Street, Uptown New Orleans, offering a seven-course tasting menu inspired by West African cooking. Reservations are required and open from 5 pm.
Black-owned · Serigne Mbaye · Source · Website - Addis NOLA · New Orleans (Tremé)
An Ethiopian restaurant on Bayou Road serving stir-fried tibs with sautéed onion, tomato and spices. A relaxed way to eat beyond Creole classics while exploring Tremé.
Black-owned · Jaime Lobo, Dr Biruk Alemayehu and Prince Lobo · Source · Website
Sources: neworleans.com · neworleans.com · en.wikipedia.org · freetoursbyfoot.com · neworleans.com · neworleans.com · essence.com. Editorial city guide compiled October 2026 — not official travel advice. Opening times and conditions change; check official advice (GOV.UK, travel.state.gov) before you go.