The Royal Sonesta New Orleans

There are a million ways to experience New Orleans, and for many, those experiences start on Bourbon Street. The beating heart of the French Quarter, it’s where music spills out of nearly every open doorway at all hours of the day and night and you’ll find a bar on just about every block, many of which are doling out tall frozen hand grenade cocktails or expertly mixed Sazeracs. 

Right in the center of the action sits The Royal Sonesta New Orleans, which takes up half of a city block with more than 480 guest rooms, a historical lobby, conference rooms, and multiple restaurants, bars, and lounges. Centered around a brick and palm-accented courtyard, the hotel provides an elevated respite from the street-level action while also putting you right in the center when you feel like shimmying out into the fun. You’ll find an oasis of a pool deck channeling the Mediterranean hidden on the second floor rooftop, and at night, music fills the lobby thanks to the performers who show up at The Jazz Playhouse. Meanwhile, the rooms are comfortably stylish with nods to the city’s history displayed in the artwork and decor. 

No matter what you need in terms of fuel or refreshment, the restaurants here have you covered. There are grab-and-go coffee and pastry items at PJ’s Coffee Cafe in the lobby, right across from The Jazz Playhouse, which is open for cocktails and live music starting in the afternoon every day but Monday. Just outside the main entrance, Le Booze is a classic Bourbon Street slip of a bar where you’ll find plenty of frozen cocktails to take with you as you boogie on down. There’s also Desire Oyster Bar, a corner spot that beckons with a Broadway-bright neon sign out front and pressed tin ceilings, globe chandeliers, and a lively raw bar inside. It really is all about the oysters here and you can get them raw, fried, chargrilled, or stuffed into a po’boy or you can take in all other forms of seafood such as their seafood gumbo, Cajun fried alligator, and jambalaya. 

The gem of the Royal Sonesta property has to be Restaurant R’evolution from chef John Folse. A rare fine-dining retreat on Bourbon Street, the space is one to be savored. The deep mahogany bar showcases various bottles of hard-to-find spirits on the wall and the hand-painted mural in the dining room depicts the many nations that contributed to the history of New Orleans. One room emulates a historic French hotel, complete with an open kitchen and charcuterie station, while another provides a private dining space where verticals of vintage wine are on display behind a glass wall. Born from Folse’s appreciation for classic New Orleans institutions, the restaurant itself is iconic. 

What arrives on the plate are elevated, showstopping presentations of traditional New Orleans favorites, like puffy, deep-fried blue crab beignets, bite-sized crab claws bathed in a spicy, buttery sauce, and Gulf shrimp over blue grits. Death by Gumbo is a crowd favorite; it features a stuffed roasted quail, andouille, and oysters in a savory soup poured tableside. Oysters served three ways are enlivened over a bed of dry ice while fresh seafood, like redfish, arrives with an artful flair. Don’t miss the deep cuts from the wine list (which includes multiple vintages of Chateau d’Yquem Sauternes, among other gems)—or better yet, book the private dining room tucked behind the kitchen where Folse’s personal photos, awards, and books decorate the walls. Dinner here is an experience, especially thanks to the knowledgeable and entertaining staff. It’s sure to cap off a visit to New Orleans that you can only find when you’re staying in the center of it all.