Joey K’s New Orleans Restaurant is a (not so) hidden gem located south of the French Quarter. It’s home to some of the best fried shrimp I’ve ever had.
We used Uber quite bit to get around The French Quarter in New Orleans, it just made good sense. Parking is difficult and maneuvering the crowded streets can be tough especially around holidays, also pedestrians tend to use sidewalks as suggestions wandering off into the streets with out warning. This is where we met Jamal, who picked us up from the French Market and drove us to Willie Mae’s Scotch House. Jamal was born and raised in New Orleans and gave us the low down on a few places to eat that we hadn’t heard of. One of those recommendations was for Joey K’s on Magazine Street. He absolutely raved about how fantastic Joey K’s is. Jamal also recommended we try Katie’s but we didn’t make it there. We’ll have to stop by on our next visit. Jamal also recommended that we come back to New Orleans for French Quarter Fest a festival full of music performed by local artists and food from an amazing line up of vendors. You have to pay for food and merchandise but the PERFORMANCES are FREE TO ATTEND!
We offered Jamal a tip to thank him for his good service but he refused it saying he just wanted us to have a good time, eat great food and enjoy our visit.
We headed over to Joey K’s after visiting Mardi Gras World and The Southern Food and Beverage Museum. I was eager to check it out but my husband and kids were dubious, feeling that Jamal may have oversold the restaurant. He told us we could all eat for about $35 (we didn’t, our bill was double that). But the FOOD! The food was delicious.
We started with a shared order of Fried Crab Claws. They were tasty, crunchy and delicious this was the best crab dish we had on our trip.
My daughter ordered the Fried Shrimp Platter (we ate a LOT of fried stuff this night!). The shrimp were so flavorful, not just the batter but the shrimp itself. You would be hard pressed to find better quality shrimp, I was really impressed with these.
My son had a fried oyster sandwich. The breading on the oysters was not too thick allowing the oyster flavor to shine through. It was crispy perfection.
My husband ordered gumbo. His mom is from Louisiana and he has loved gumbo since he was a kid. Every time he has ordered gumbo in the past (outside of Louisiana) he had been disappointed. He was not disappointed this time. The gumbo at Joey K’s had a good balance of spicy and savory flavors.
I had White Beans and Pork Chop. The beans were delicious while the pork chop was a bit over cooked but not a deal breaker.
We were thankful for Jamal’s restaurant recommendation and his other suggestions. We decided that Jamal was not a normal human but that he was and is in fact the actual Spirit or New Orleans. Thanks again Jamal.
We headed back to our hotel for a good night’s sleep. The next day we were heading out of town but not before we stopped for PO-BOYS at…<<READ MORE>>
