If you ever find yourself in New Orleans hungry at just about any hour, there is a spot on Elysian Fields Avenue that the locals swear by — Melba’s Po’boys. FreddyO pulled up to the neighborhood favorite, and from the moment you walk in, you can smell exactly why the orders stay flying out of the kitchen and the tables stay full in the Crescent City.
This is real New Orleans soul food, the kind that sticks to your ribs. We are talking Po’boys piled high on that good French bread — fried shrimp, catfish, roast beef with gravy — all dressed the way a Po’boy is supposed to be dressed. Then there is the gumbo, the red beans and rice, fried chicken, mac and cheese, bread pudding and all the Southern sides that make you want to order one of everything and worry about it later. Nothing fancy, nothing watered down, just big flavor the Louisiana way.
What makes Melba’s special is that it feels like home. It is a true neighborhood spot where everybody comes through — families after church, workers on break, second-line crowds, and visitors who heard about it and had to see for themselves. The place serves the community around the clock, and on a summer weekend in New Orleans, with the city still buzzing from festival season, there is no wrong time to slide through for a plate and a cold daiquiri to wash it down.
Press play and come hungry, because FreddyO is taking you inside one of the best soul food stops in the Big Easy. New Orleans, we want to hear from you — what is the one plate at Melba’s that everybody has to try on their first visit? Drop it in the comments and put us on game.
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