Travel: How to eat great food in New Orleans without going broke

My mother used to complain that I had champagne taste on a beer budget. Guilty. These days, I don’t imbibe much champagne, but I definitely appreciate the finer things in life, especially good food.  And where can you find the best food without a passport? Well, New Orleans, of course.

You can spend your life savings on one delicious meal here, or you can do what I do, and eat great without emptying your wallet.

Here are my best tips, gleaned from years of practice, along with some other ways to save money there, too.

Go to happy hour

If you want to eat at the most swishy restaurants in town, but you don’t have piles of cash, do what I do: Go to happy hour instead of dinner. Happy hour times and menus vary, so you need to look up your favorite places, but I’ve eaten my way deliciously through town. It’s easy to find lists of happy hours, but call to verify as they often change. Note that most happy hours are only weekdays.

For example: At this writing, the Hermes Bar at the legendary Antoine’s was offering $7 glasses of wine, $4 beer and discounted cocktails, too, from 4 to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday. Truffle fries and shrimp remoulade were $6 each. antoines.com/hermes-bar

At the Latin-inspired Besame NOLA, you get a 5-hour happy hour on weekdays that runs until 5 p.m. It includes Chilean wine for $6 a glass, sangria with Havana Club rum and wine for $5, crawfish queso for $8, pork tacos for $3, guacamole for $8, smoked Gulf fish dip for $6 and more. besame-nola.com

Baronesse on Baronne happy hour runs Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from 4:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. It offers truffle popcorn for $5, a charcuterie tray for $9,  a cheeseburger for $11, skillet jambalaya for $12 and more. Drinks are $5 for the daily special cocktail, $3 beer, $4 house champagne, $5 house wine and more. Now that’s a deal! baronessnola.com

St. Roch Market. $5 Bloody Mary and mimosas at brunch at the St. Roch Market, 10-3 on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. You might have to roll me out of there … and they have an oyster happy hour 3-5 p.m. daily at the Salted Pearl. Raw oysters for $8 a half dozen, $14 a dozen. Also at the St. Roch Market, at this writing. strochmarket.com/event-hub

Eat the specially priced meals

Commander’s Palace

Want to eat at the restaurant many consider the best in the United States? Yes, you can spend hundreds at the renowned Commanders Palace. But they always seem to have one meal on their menu that’s deliberately affordable — even for poorly paid journalists like me. At this writing, it was $45 for a starter, entree and dessert. Now, for any table there, you must reserve as far in advance as possible. (If you can’t find a reservation online, call and ask). There are always cancellations,  so it never hurts to try. Once, we just showed up and got a table. We felt like we’d won the lottery. (Also, note that they have a dress code. So don’t show up in a tank top and sweatpants.) We had a two-martini lunch there once and staggered out trying to focus our eyes. commanderspalace.com

Affordable lunch at Antoine’s.

Want to eat  lunch at one of the most venerable restaurants in New Orleans, that opened in 1840? The dish Oysters Rockefeller was invented here. At this writing, Antoine’s  is offering a $24 luncheon with two courses, available Monday through Friday. Choices include swordfish and butternut squash soup or roasted beet salad. (That’s a steal. You can spend that much at El Torito!) When we did this last year, we sat at a beautiful table with white linen tablecloth and were waited on by a charming server wearing a tuxedo. And he didn’t even treat us like cheapskates. Their website is also offering a 3-course $42 brunch special. antoines.com

Free cocktail tour

The Sazerac cocktail was invented in New Orleans and often credited as the first cocktail in the country, consisting of rye whiskey, absinthe, sugar and bitters. Now, the Sazerac Company has a museum and free self-guided cocktail tour of New Orleans that includes samples of Sazerac along the way. (21 and older) Tours Tuesday through Saturday noon to 6 p.m. The last tour starts at 4:15 p.m.. Tours last about 90 minutes. Make a reservation online at SazeracHouse.com 101 Magazine St. New Orleans. Phone 504-910-0100.

Ride the streetcars to your restaurant … or anywhere else

If you’re doing New Orleans right, your feet inevitably start hurting from all that walking. But this is what I do: I get on one of the city’s classic streetcars and rest those tootsies, while I get a fun, cheap, self-guided tour of the city.

For example, the St. Charles Avenue line will take you through downtown hot dining spots, near the National World War II Museum, shopping on Magazine Street and more. You can see antebellum mansions, Loyola and Tulane universities and beautiful Audubon Park.

The Canal Street lines run near City Park, certain cemeteries, Harrah’s Casino, Auduon Aquarium of the Americas,  the Algiers ferry and more.

The RIverfront Line follows the Mississippi River and goes near Jackson Square, the French Market and the Old U.S. Mint.

Not bad, right? Streetcars are also a great alternative when you’re looking for some air-conditioning — although some have it and some don’t.

One ride costs $1.25 for adults, 50 cents for kids — or I always get the all-day “Jazzy” pass for three dollars, which includes unlimited rides on streetcars, buses and ferries.  Note that the senior single-day pass costs only 80 cents at this writing, for those 65 and older or military veterans.

And, yes, there really is a streetcar named Desire.

And note that you can use the smartphone app called Le Pass to track buses, streetcars and ferries in real time, as well as buy your passes online.

Don’t rent a car

You don’t need a car in the historic districts you want to visit, and it will be a hassle that’s expensive to park. There are plenty of taxis and Ubers,  and you can take a tour or rent a car just for the day if you want to go out of town.

Take the Airport Express bus

If you’re heading into central New Orleans from the Louis Armstrong airport, you can spend $30-$40 or more to take a taxi — or you can ride the RTA Route 202 airport bus, which costs $1.50. Seriously, this is a deal. Buses run every half hour to hour and drop off two locations in town. You might have to Uber from there,  but it will still save you money. Note that the bus runs nine times daily, but some hours there are none. Learn more on the website. flymsy.com/public-transportation

Visit the St. Louis Cathedral

This is the oldest continuously operating Catholic cathedral in the United States, and it’s right across the street from the picturesque Jackson Square. There’s no charge to visit, and it’s worth taking a look. It dates back to 1727. If you’re lucky, you can get a tour from a volunteer docent. There are also daily masses that visitors are welcome to attend. stlouiscathedral.org

Free history of jazz

Did you know that jazz music was invented in New Orleans, and it’s considered the only original American art form? If you’re interested in jazz, American history or both, note that the free New Orleans Jazz National Historical Park is right in the French Quarter,  and offers live performances, ranger talks and more. It’s open Tuesday through Saturday. It’s free to visit, but closed on federal holidays. nps.gov/jazz

I hope I’ve convinced you that you can come to this pricey town, eat well and still not blow the budget.

Check out more happy hours here. neworleans.com/blog/post/best-happy-hours-in-new-orleans