Don't know where you and your team will be staying but one thing to keep in mind is that New Orleans is more than just the French Quarter. By all means go explore and enjoy the FQ; it's beautiful and there's so much life and character. But it's worthwhile to explore outside of it too! So my recs are all over the place. There are a million "what to do in New Orleans" lists out there that are probably worth checking out (especially from Eater), but here's some stuff I like to do:
Food There are many excellent happy hours and great deals throughout the city, so bear that in mind!
- Coop's Place: FQ Honestly the only place in the quarter I actively go to eat at. Quarter restaurants come off as real touristy with tourist prices, but this one is legit (despite the line of people, mostly tourists, often found going out the door, haha). Grungy, cash only, very tight space, almost guaranteed to have to wait in line (especially if in a bigger group), and the waitstaff has no patience for anyone's shit. But they make up for it eventually, and the food is absolutely phenomenal local fare. It's a great meal as well as an experience.
- Ruby Slipper: several spots around town. Awesome breakfast/brunch/lunch!
- Elizabeth's: Bywater Excellent southern food in a very colorful, artistic neighborhood. Great area to walk around and enjoy the sights, although I do recommend doing so in daylight hours.
- The Joint: Bywater If any of you are BBQ fans this is a fantastic spot.
- Shaya: Uptown Awesome Israeli food. There's also Saba further uptown, which is another Israeli spot the original Shaya owner opened, but I haven't tried that one yet.
- Lilly's Cafe: lower garden district There's a huge Vietnamese population in town and many great places to eat but I cannot overstate how delicious Lilly's is. The absolute best. The argument is that the REAL best Vietnamese can be found in New Orleans East, but you don't need to go out there. If you make it to Lilly's you can browse Magazine St while you're there.
- Deanie's: several locations Local seafood. You can find Creole seafood pretty much anywhere but these guys are well known for it. If you guys are more into old timey classic New Orleans dining that's expensive but tastes good, try: Commander's Palace or Brennan's. For not old timey but still pricey and tasty, try Cochon.
- For Poboys, my favorite place is Parasol's (cash only), but you find these things literally anywhere. From tourist hot spots to lesser known good places to gas stations, Poboys are truly the baseline standard. My all time favorite sandwich is the BBQ Shrimp Poboy from a good pizza place called Slice.
- Want to try gator on a stick? Go to the French Market
- DO NOT eat at Oceana!!
Bars
- Bayou Beer Garden: Mid City Great place to chill drink a lotta beer. Also connected to a wine garden if anyone prefers that fare. The area around this beer garden has been growing in recent years, and there's some good grub to explore if you don't want the pub fare (have not been to Neyow's restaurant but I hear it's excellent Creole). Also right next to Bayou St John, a stretch of water in a neighborhood that makes for a pretty walk.
- Bacchanals: Bywater Speaking of wine gardens, this is a wonderful spot. Fancy but chill with an outdoor section that usually has live music.
- Vaughn's Lounge: Bywater Around the corner from Bacchanals. Cash only. Colorful dive bar, great place to hang. I think they have live music on Thursdays, but would have to fact check. Basically next door to J&J's, another good dive. - Molly's On The Market: FQ Try the frozen Irish coffee! Makes a great dessert :)
- Lost Love Lounge & Mimi's: Marigny Chill, fun bars a block away from each other. Blocks away from....
- Frenchmen St: Marigny Yeah, go ahead and walk down Bourbon. You should do it at least once just to say you did and witness the smelly chaos that it is. (Swing by Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop and have a drink at the country's longest continuously running bar.) Frenchmen St is just across Esplanade (the Eastern border of the FQ) and is similar to Bourbon but honestly better. A little more chill but still with plenty of bars and music venues to bounce in and out of. Blue Nile & Apple Barrel are fun. Plus places to eat, including late night, and a nighttime art market with cool stuff to see and buy (although I can't remember which nights it's open).
- Avenue Pub: lower garden district Great standby. Open 24 hrs, awesome pub grub, all kinds of things to drink, and balcony space overlooking the St Charles neutral ground & streetcar line. (So very easy to reach via streetcar.)
- There are so many breweries in town these days. I love NOLA brewery but any of them could be fun to hang at and perhaps offer specials, so take a look if that strikes your fancy. - The Saint: lower garden district You wanna go somewhere strange and otherworldly at 3am? Find The Saint.
- The Dungeon: FQ Dark and kinky themed if that's your jam. Love the atmosphere even if it's full of tourists cause they have the best jukebox. Don't take pictures or they'll toss you out!
Entertainment
- One Eyed Jack's: FQ A fun bar done up like a bordello, but also a rad little venue. All kinds of bands play here, plus they specialize in Burlesque shows. See what's playing!
- The AllWays Lounge: Marigny Love this place. Small bar/venue with a wide range of performances, mostly local, including live bands, plays, burlesque, drag, comedy, etc etc. Lots of fun. Where it's at has more to offer: Kajuns for karaoke, Hi-Ho Lounge for grungy drinks and whatever they might have playing live, and going a few blocks up Elysian Fields you'll find Melba's, an excellent eatery for cheap, standard New Orleans grub. Great place to go if you're already a few drinks in.
- If you guys like ghost stories I recommend a nighttime ghost tour. Yes, they are super touristy, but honestly a lot of fun. I love bringing visitors on these, especially if you get a good host. I think the company I've gone with most is simply New Orleans Ghost Tours, and they always stop at Lafitte's halfway through.
- There are always fortune tellers in Jackson Square, especially after dark, if you guys want your destinies revealed ;)
Just as a heads up, buy beads if you desire from any gift shop in the FQ, but nothing screams tourist like wearing beads out of Mardi Gras season. To be honest, I can't think of anything else in terms of team building entertainment & activities. In New Orleans my team building type outings have always consisted of hanging out and drinking, so I'm not sure what else there is to do! There are beautiful parks and great museums and venues EVERYWHERE, so there isn't a shortage of things to do. In my experience they just tend to involve alcohol, ha. But if I think of anything else I'll let you know.