The 5 Best Dining Experiences in New Orleans

1.New Orleans Steamboat Natchez Jazz Cruise with Dinner Option

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 7,533 reviews · 3 hours (approx.) · from $58Our pick

Board at Toulouse Street in the French Quarter for an evening on a traditional paddlewheel riverboat. Explore the ship, hear its calliope, and cruise the Mississippi with live jazz from the Dukes of Dixieland or another scheduled New Orleans jazz act. Add a Southern-style buffet dinner, with Creole dishes and vegetarian choices available.

“The dinner cruise was wonderful from several standpoints. The food and service were great. I am an engineer and the ship itself was fascinating to me. We cruised on a very cold night so we had to stay inside to avoid the weather. I want to do the cruise again in warm weather to enjoy the night views along the river. Highly recommend”

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2.Evening Steamboat Jazz Cruise + Optional Dinner

★★★★★★★★★★4.3 · 4,548 reviews · 2 hours · from $58

Board in the French Quarter for a two-hour evening cruise on the Mississippi. Expect live New Orleans jazz, captain’s narration, indoor and outdoor decks, and bars serving drinks for purchase. A Creole buffet is available with the dinner option. The boat may be the Riverboat CITY of NEW ORLEANS or Steamboat NATCHEZ, depending on the date.

“Great tour, beautiful scenery, great jazz music. My only regret is that i didn’t purchase the diner on the boat; i didn’t have time to dine in town prior. Otherwise great little adventure.”

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3.Paddlewheeler Creole Queen Jazz Dinner Cruise in New Orleans

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 1,469 reviews · 2 hours 30 minutes (approx.) · from $107

Board the Creole Queen at 1 Poydras St for a two-hour evening cruise on the Mississippi. Live jazz plays as you pass the New Orleans waterfront, with an optional Creole buffet served in a Victorian-style dining room. Bring your confirmation for ticket redemption, arrive early, and pack a layer for the promenade deck.

“It was a chilly evening in New Orleans when we took this river cruise, but there was plenty of space inside where it was warm, the live music was great & the food exceeded our expectations! It would have been nice to sit up top & enjoy the lights more, but that is obviously outside the control of the riverboat folks. Given how windy & cold it was, I think every one of us enjoyed our time more than we were expecting as we were thinking about this excursion during the day. Great job, would recommend & would do it again.”

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4.Evening Jazz Boat Cruise with Optional Dinner

★★★★★★★★★★4.4 · 1,024 reviews · 2 hours · from $60

Cruise the Mississippi aboard the Creole Queen, a sternwheeler paddleboat, for two hours of New Orleans skyline views and live jazz from Sullivan Dabney Jr. and the Muzik Jazz Band. Choose the optional Creole dinner, then enjoy the music and river air from the deck. Drinks are sold onboard.

“Enjoyable. Liked the idea of keeping assigned table all night with the ability to come and go as desired. Food and music were nice. Would do it again”

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5.VIP Jazz Dinner Cruise with Private Tour and Open Bar Option

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 838 reviews · 3 hours (approx.) · from $190

Board at Toulouse Street for Champagne, a reserved seat near the Dukes of Dixieland, and a guided tour of the riverboat with its captain. Then cruise the Mississippi for two hours with jazz, a Louisiana-style buffet, and an optional open bar. VIP hosts have included Marlon, Alex, and Brittany, though assignments can vary.

“VIP well worth the extra money. Marlon was the best guide we have ever had and we were extremely well taken care. The private boat tour was amazing. Simply an awesome experience!”

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