Going to NOLA for the first time in May with my wife for 3 days. I have never been and need advice! We are staying at the JW Marriott in the French Quarter. We are younger (30/28) and want to hit the classic restaurants, bars and jazz clubs.

For dinner, I am thinking about the Acme Oyster House (which most people on this forum seem to enjoy) and the Bombay Club for a nice dinner. Any reviews on the Bombay Club? How does it rate versus Brennan’s, Galatorie’s and Commander’s Palace? Also - where can I get the best martini in town?

I am also trying to decide where to go for brunch, suggestions? (We will be there on Mother's day - so Sunday Bruch is out. Do most places serve brunch on Monday?)

What about attire? What is the "normal" wear for restaurants and bars? Will it be okay to wear shorts during the day? Can I get into jazz bars wearing shorts?

Any suggestions for other sites to see (besides the cathedral) such as cemeteries?

I appreciate any suggestions! Thanks.

The JW Marriott is on Canal St., isn't it? That's not exactly in the French Quarter, although it's FQ-adjacent. Canal is a large busy thoroughfare on the edge of the FQ.

"Brunch" is usually a weekend-only thing, so you probably won't find it on Monday, although you will be able to find breakfast. I'm not sure why you are saying that Sunday brunch is "out" if you are going to be there on Sunday. Are you concerned you won't be able to get in anywhere because of Mother's Day? You can make reservations ahead of time.

Shorts will be acceptable most places during the day, but there are nice restaurants with dress codes, so you will have to be more specific about where you want to get in wearing shorts. In bars, it probably won't be an issue.

Check this thread for some good information:

http://www.fodors.com/community/unit...what-to-do.cfm

You would need to make reservations for brunch at most places on any day. So being Mother's Day means you should make them now not later or not at all.

Cheryl is correct that your hotel will be just outside the parameters of the French Quarter, but you will still be centrally located and able to walk anywhere you need to go downtown.

As for restaurants, Acme is not a bad choice for decent seafood in a casual setting. The chargrilled oysters are my favorite thing there. However, it would not be my pick for a classic New Orleans restaurant.

The true grande dames of New Orleans dining are Galatoire's, Commander's Palace, Antoine's, Brennan's, and to a lesser extent, Arnaud's. All serve traditional creole fare. Any of these would be a great dining experience, but I'd rate the food at Commander's a notch above the rest. However, Commander's is not located in the French Quarter. You would have to drive or take a taxi to the Garden District. A coat is generally required at all of these restaurants.

If you're looking for great food more than tradition, Stella! and Restaurant August are two of the best fine dining restaurants in NOLA. If you would like to try cajun (as opposed to creole) food, your best bets are K-Paul's in the French Quarter or Cochon in the Warehouse District.

For more casual dining in the French Quarter, I'd suggest a muffaletta at Central Grocery, a poboy from Johnny's, beignets from Cafe du Monde, a burger from Port o' Call or Clover Grill, and gumbo from the Gumbo Shop. Outside of the Quarter, you could try oysters from Casamento's, a roast beef po-boy from Parkway Bakery, ice cream from Creole Creamery, or great sandwiches at Cochon Butcher.

Jacques-Imo's is another place outside of the Quarter that serves good food in a funky setting. You could also catch a brass band next door at The Maple Leaf. For jazz, check out Frenchman Street on the far side (of your hotel) of the French Quarter.

As for brunch, you won't find a big jazz brunch on a Monday morning. You will either have to brave the Sunday crowds, or settle for more of a breakfast. If you're sticking to Monday, I'd recommend Stanley in the French Quarter (great location right off of Jackson Square), Muriel's (across from Stanley), or Cafe Adelaide (CBD). I think Court of Two Sisters does a daily jazz brunch in the Quarter. It might suit your needs, but you'd get mixed reviews from locals regarding the food.

And finally: drinks. New Orleans is not a martini city, but you could probably get a good one at Bombay Club. For signature New Orleans cocktails, go to Napoleon House for a Pimm's Cup, The Roosevelt's Sazerac Bar for a sazerac and Ramos gin fizz, or Pat O'Brien's for a hurricane, Other nice places to drink are Swizzle Stick Bar in the Lowe's hotel, Polo Lounge in the Windsor Court hotel, Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop, Old Absinthe House, and the Carousel Bar at The Monteleone. If you want to try local beers, look for NOLA or Abita.

I think the restaurants are well covered. What are your interests and we can recommend what attractions may suit you (plantations, swamp tours, museums, etc...)?

Thanks for the great comments! We want to visit St. Louis Cathedral and take a cemetery tour. I would also like to visit some of the old mansions and take in some architecture. Any suggestions?

By "old mansions" do you mean houses in the city, or the plantations out in the country? You can do either.

Definitely take the streetcar ride up St. Charles and do a walking tour around the Garden District. That's where most of the "old mansions" in the city are, although I'm not sure how many allow tours of the interior. You can do a guided tour or a DIY version using a guidebook.

www.tourneworleans.com offers Garden District tours, cemetery tours, haunted tours, swamp tours . . . etc.

The World War II Museum is fabulous and has a great restaurant for lunch. John Besh, chef and owner of Restaurant August runs it. It is new and delicious. Need to take a taxi to the WWII museum complex.
We stayed at JW Marriott and had a great breakfast there.

Be sure to make reservations at the famous restaurants like Commander's and Antoines for dinner.

Another suggestion - take the streetcar down St. Charles Avenue and stop for a drink at The Columns hotel. The Columns is a beautiful mansion right on St. Charles, and a great place to sip a cocktail on the front porch.

The only classic NOLA restaurant that apparently requires men to wear jackets anymore is Galatoire's, and then only on Sundays or after 5 pm every day otherwise; they will loan one to men who show up without. Broussard's does not allow jeans or shorts for men or women, while Commander's Palace does not allow shorts for men or women. All these, plus Antoine's, Arnaud's, Mr. B's, Brennan's, NOLA, and K-Paul's, prefer business casual dress but won't turn you away if you aren't dressed this way. That being said, people do tend to dress fairly nicely at these restaurants.

One can take the St. Charles streetcar from Canal Street to a Garden District stop about two blocks away from this main street. And the same streetcar stops a couple blocks away from the WWII Museum earlier along its route. No need for a cab here unless it's later in the evening.

And a word about tours. Most all have minimums before they'll go out, and the norm is for the tour company not to commit to go until the last minute. If you want to visit the plantations out of town, you're better off renting a car unless you're limiting yourself to Laura and/or Oak Alley. That being said, seeing cemeteries on a tour is a must for safety's sake, especially for St. Louis #1 or Lafayette #1, and possibly for St. Louis #3 as well (don't even consider St. Louis #2, which is very unsafe and nearly impossible to find a tour for).

For ice cream, I can't vouch for Creole Creamery as I haven't been there, but can very much vouch for Angelo Brocato's, which does terrific gelato and old time Italian ice cream specialties.

The National WWII Museum is an easy reach from the St Charles streetcar. Just get off at Lee's Circle and walk south on Andrew Higgins a couple of blocks.