Stein's Deli
A Magazine Street deli that proves New Orleans also knows what to do with a sandwich that is not a po-boy.
Lower Garden District
Stein's is chaotic in the productive way: shelves, beer, bagels, cured meats, a line that moves on its own logic, and sandwiches that make no apology for coming from somewhere north of here.
The muffuletta variation is a useful bridge, but the better move is to treat it like a real deli. Pastrami, corned beef, bagels, smoked fish when available, chips, something from the cooler. Eat outside if the weather gives you permission.
This is lunch, not ceremony. It belongs on the guide because New Orleans is better when the list has room for stubborn individual businesses with a point of view.
Links