Seafood Nachos, Po’boys, and Gumbo Are Football Fan Favorites in New Orleans

Here's where to eat before or after a New Orleans Saints game around the Dome, aka the Caesars Superdome.

With its central location in one of the world’s top party towns, just 20 minutes by foot from the intersection of Canal and Bourbon Streets, the Caesars Superdome is an absolute scene on game days. Chants of “Who dat? Who dat? Who dat say dey gonna beat dem Saints?” ring out as New Orleans Saints fans bedecked in black and gold parade through the streets and tailgate officially at Champions Square and unofficially under overpasses around the stadium, which will host Super Bowl LIX on February 9, 2025.

The options for where to eat and drink before, after, or during an NFL game here are practically endless and easy to love, so here are a few strong ways to get started.

Caesars Superdome

Some stadiums phone it all the way in for their captive audiences, but the Dome makes a legitimate effort. “Since New Orleans is such an iconic culinary city, we make sure to offer dishes that reflect the local cuisine, and those items tend to be some of our most popular,” says Lenny Martinsen, regional executive chef of Sodexo Live!, which handles food and beverage operations at the Superdome as well as the adjacent Smoothie King Center, home of the New Orleans Pelicans basketball team, and the nearby National WWII Museum.

The shrimp basket and jambalaya from Bayou Market stalls are the stadium’s most popular dishes, while seafood nachos, po’boys, and gumbo have become fan favorites in recent years. Want to nosh on alligator sausage? No problem here. How about jumbo baked potatoes stuffed with Louisiana crawfish or turducken? Those are the latest crowd pleasers to hit the menu.

Martinsen has been with the Saints for 18 seasons and one Super Bowl already. He and his team go through a staggering quantity of food and drink throughout each home game, including around 500 gallons of local beer from the likes of Abita Brewing Company; 1,000 pounds of Gulf shrimp; and 200 gallons of daiquiris among 2,400 gallons of cocktails. Given the competition in the area, Martinsen says it’s all about trying to learn from fan feedback and complement the game-day experience to create memorable moments. “There’s something about eating a hearty gumbo while watching the Saints play [live] that you just can’t get outside the Superdome.”

Where to eat in New Orleans

From legendary Creole spots like Dooky Chase Restaurant in the Tremé to hot newcomers such as Mexican seafood stunner Acamaya, from 2022 F&W Best New Chef Ana Castro, in the Bywater, almost everything you might crave around game time is either a quick walk or short bike ride away, as pedicabs swarm the streets ready to give fans a lift on big days. Venturing farther from the scrum around the Dome also makes it more likely you’ll find a seat at small or trendy establishments.

“There are a bunch of places that are cool if you go down around St Joseph's Street, near Tchoupitoulas Street,” to the Warehouse District, says Marty Peters, a saxophonist and singer who leads or co-leads Marty Peters and the Party Meters, The Jump Hounds, and Wurst Case Scenario. Check out Cochon or sandwich sibling Cochon Butcher for acclaimed Cajun eats, Gus’s for fried chicken, the music venue Republic, and The Den, a good little locals’ bar connected to The Howlin’ Wolf Music Club.

Restaurants without TVs like Acamaya and award-winning Pêche Seafood Grill in the Warehouse District aren’t that busy during a Saints game, but they may get busy depending on how the game goes. “If we win, people order food, food, drinks, food — they’re celebrating. If we lose, people go home,” Castro says, joking: “I think we need to fire this coach because we’re losing money right now.” Castro and 2024 F&W Best New Chef Nicole Cabrera Mills, of Pêche, recommend getting fried chicken from the famous McHardy’s Chicken & Fixin’ in the Seventh Ward the night before a game and eating leftovers on the walk to the stadium the next day. The texture’s so good “it’ll last all day,” says Mills.

The French Quarter is also close to the Dome, whether you want to ride the wave at a beach-themed Tiki bar like Beachbum Berry’s Longitude 29, take in some killer live music and locally made absinthe after the game at Mahogany Jazz Hall, or watch the game from a dive bar like Chart Room. If you wander down any street in any other neighborhood, you’ll stumble upon a lowkey bar there too, thrumming with locals and bonhomie whether or not it’s on anyone else’s radar.

“The real magic of New Orleans is that everybody keeps an eye on the Saints and gets together for the games at their neighborhood spot — it’s part of living here,” Peters says. Some fans bring noisemakers like bells and drums to their local; others bring potluck-style trays of food like sausages, cornbread, desserts, even red beans if the game is on Monday, often for free — a gift you might call lagniappe. The atmosphere is welcoming and relaxed.

“You buy drinks, share a whole big spread, and hang out with Saints fans,” Peters says. “Those are the places I like to go to.”