Frady’s is one of the best hotplate joints in New Orleans and they consistently turn out my favorite meat n 3 breakfast, but at their heart they’re just an old-school po boy shop turning out stuffed $8 sandwiches to feed the neighborhood.

Sparky The Cat In New Orleans 9th Ward

And what a neighborhood. The Bywater of New Orleans incites scandalous talk amongst locals as it is a hotbed of renewal in a city experiencing both rapid growth and soul-numbing violence. Walking to the corner bar at night is akin to stepping through a minefield as ne’er-do-wells have turned our neighborhood into a warzone. As I was drifting off to sleep last night a spirited gun battle was taking place nearby. The loud thudding booms of a heavy calibre pistol were being met with ratatats from a smaller weapon that was clearly overmatched yet still game for the fight.

The Menu Board At Frady’s In New Orleans Bywater Neighborhood

People decry the gentrification of the Upper 9th but if it in anyway mitigates the armed robberies and carjackings we’ll happily pedal around the streets on a fixie with Sonic Youth blaring through our Walkmans and a D&G scarf fluttering in the breeze.

Dried Goods And Sundries Line The Old Shelving At Frady’
s One Stop In New Orleans

Mornings at Frady’s are my favorite time to stop in. There’s a handful of old-timers that sit around chugging coffee, chain-smoking hand-rolled cigarettes and talking about the glory days of the city when Archie Manning couldn’t win a game to save his life but times were still somehow better.

Cas Walker Was An East Tennessee Giant

Frady’s has all the po boys you find in ‘normal’ restaurants in New Orleans but they are one of the few that puts out a fried baloney version. A foot-long is $8, one of the best values in New Orleans and when paired with a Mexican coke and a bag of Zapp’s chips you have a quintessential New Orleans feast.

Sliced Thin And Piled High: The Fried Baloney Po Boy At Frady’s In The Bywater

The baloney on my po boy is not my favorite style. I grew up eating brawny, thick-sliced lunch meat that was charred til black in my parents ancient cast-iron pan. The meat here has been sliced wafer thin then given a brief ride across the flat-top before being crammed into a good crusty loaf of bread. Dressed at Frady’s means Blue Plate mayo, lettuce, tomato and pickle. For old time’s sake I ask for American cheese on my sandwich, a rare luxury in my life.

Hot Plates Deluxe At Frady’s One Stop

I take my feast out of doors with the neighborhood cat Sparky as my dining companion. Frady’s is jumping as people stream into and out of the tiny concern. Folks walk in empty-handed and stroll out with foot-long butcher-paper-wrapped bundles with steam wafting up toward the Winter sky.

Frady’s Is A Wi Fi Free Zone But There Are Plenty Loafers Who Act As A Sort Of Neighborhood Google

3231 Dauphine St
New Orleans, LA
70117

Hours of Operation
call (504) 949-9688

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