A Philly guide to eating through New Orleans

Philadelphia and New Orleans are two cities that have much in common — namely, deep affection for sandwiches and regularly pole-greasing to half-heartedly prevent people from climbing them. As the Eagles descend upon Louisiana for this year’s Super Bowl LIX, Philadelphians traveling south to watch the game might wonder where they should go. Here, a Philadelphian’s guide to eating through New Orleans.

If you like Picnic, try Bacchanal.

A big, raucous outdoor space with live music and a rotating Mediterranean-inspired menu, Bacchanal was purportedly the inspiration for Fishtown’s new hot spot Picnic. The model is pretty similar: At Bacchanal, you drop into the wine shop at the front, grab a bottle (or two, or three) and some glasses, and nab a table to relax with your friends. The food changes, but the build-your-own cheese plate is always an option.

Is Ray’s Happy Birthday Bar the first or last place you go on your birthday? Head over to New Orleans’ Erin Rose.

The Erin Rose, right off Bourbon Street, is an excellent dive bar that serves up the standard fare of shots and beers right alongside a pretty decent Bloody Mary and a very good frozen Irish coffee. In the back of the bar there’s a Killer Poboys, which provides a more chef-inspired take on the city’s beloved sandwich, with ingredients like pork belly and seared, not fried, shrimp. (Traditional po’boys are thick on the ground if that doesn’t sound like your thing — try Parkway Bakery or Verti Marte.) If you happen to be on the other side of the French Quarter, near the French Market, you can also get a great frozen Irish coffee at Molly’s at the marketplace.

Love Middle Child? Try Molly’s Rise and Shine or Turkey and the Wolf.

For that stoner sandwich supremacy evoked at both the original Middle Child and Middle Child Clubhouse, head to one of Chef Mason Hereford’s excellent restaurants. Molly’s Rise and Shine slings breakfast, featuring biscuit sandwiches and transformative collards and grits. Turkey and the Wolf has more of a standard sandwich vibe, including a fried bologna sandwich that’s a notable hangover cure, and the best wedge salad in town. Alternatively, if you’re looking for a way to start your day that makes you feel like you’re standing at the cheesesteak Vegas intersection between Pat’s and Geno’s, yes, of course, go get yourself a beignet from Cafe du Monde. (Hot tip: It’s open 7:15 a.m. to 11 p.m., so you can avoid the line by going early or late.)

If you’re used to standing in line waiting to get into Franklin Mortgage, slip into Jewel of the South.

Jewel of the South is one of those cocktail bars that is so entirely transportive you might imagine you’re in some nebulous, charmed past. This is where you need to get a French 75 or their Jewel Martini (you’ll feel like James Bond upon first sip). The bar is dripping with accolades, appearing on lists compiled by the James Beard Foundation and the World’s 50 Best. It’s also where you’ll want to go if the Eagles win and you need to celebrate with caviar.

Got a hankering for a hoagie? Get yourself a muffuletta at Mother’s Restaurant.

Do all the tourists go to Mother’s? Yes. Does that make its cafeteria-style line any less charming? Mother’s muffulettas may be diminutive compared to your average Philadelphia hoagie, but they are comforting and filling, especially with sides of collard greens, cheesy grits, and that fried oyster po’boy, which you should also order.

Always searching for the vibes at Mish Mish? Sylvain is the New Orleans answer.

Inventive small plates, good cocktails, and great vibes are things that both Sylvain and Mish Mish serve up with aplomb. Plus, Sylvain has an entire section of the menu dedicated to champagne and french fry pairings.

Need a Fountain Porter burger but also a baked potato? Port of Call it is.

We know, the $6 burgers at Fountain Porter are hard to live without for a day or two, but when in NOLA, try a baked potato! The ones at Port of Call will make you rethink the root vegetable, and yes, it is as satisfying and cheap as a burger at Fountain Porter. Also yes, you can get a fine cheeseburger there that mimics the finest of backyard burgers, just like Fountain Porter’s does. Cocktails come in practically gallon-size plastic cups, which also make great novelty souvenirs.

If you love Machine Shop, Ayu Bakehouse will scratch your itch for excellent pastries. Or have a hankering for Isgro’s? Check out Le Croissant D’or.

For that shatteringly crunchy croissant, head to Ayu Bakehouse, where they make not just great standard fare but twists on the classics, like a boudin-stuffed pastry and a croissant-based king cake. (You do know that it’s Carnival season now, right? If not, get yourself a slice of king cake in the narrow window when you can.) If you’re looking for more of an old-school pastry vibe, head to the charming Croissant D’Or deep in the French Quarter, where you can get a giant cafe au lait and a pastry or two for breakfast.

If you love Dirty Frank’s, go to the Friendly Bar.

Love a queer dive bar? Who doesn’t? If you’re a Frank’s regular, try Friendly Bar in the Marigny, a similarly tchotchke- and art-stuffed spot with cheap and cheerful drinks.

If you miss DiNic’s roast beef, go to Parasol’s for a debris po’boy.

Maybe you’re looking for stick-to-your-ribs fuel, the kind that only a roast beef sandwich from DiNic’s might provide. I have good news for you, and that news is the Roast Beef Debris Po’boy, which you can obtain at Parasol’s, a divey uptown Irish bar; Tracey’s in the Irish Channel; or Parkway Bakery.

Want Oyster House? Cool. All of New Orleans is an oyster house.

But especially look for Felix’s restaurant or Fives in the French Quarter, an atmospheric new raw bar.