Where to Celebrate Mardi Gras With New Orleans-Inspired Eats And Drinks

Mardi Gras, aka Fat Tuesday, kicks off today and we've found plenty of places for you to celebrate right here in L.A. From jambalaya to King Cake and Sazeracs to Hurricanes, here are our favorite spots to get into the NOLA spirit, including several with French Quarter jazz and dancers. Grab your beads and get ready.

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Sassafras Saloon (Photo courtesy of 1933 Group)
Sassafras Saloon

This Southern-inspired bar is celebrating in grand, Big Easy-style with a customary customary crawfish boil, new cocktails, burlesque performers and music from the Mudbug Brass Band. There will also be a tap takeover with NOLA’s beloved Abita Brewery. Revelers that arrive between 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. will receive a complimentary Mandarin Napoleon French 75. From 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., chow down on the crawfish boil ($11) and take advantage of the $8 happy hour price on the new cocktails, which includes the gin-soaked Rutte of All Evil, Country Lovin' with pepper butter-washed white whiskey, honey-corn syrup, and a whole egg, and new riffs on Bourbon Street “go-cup” slushies like Sweeten the Deal with rum, Midori, Crème de Banane, pineapple juice, and coconut cream.

Sassafras Saloon is located at 1233 Vine Street in Hollywood, (323) 467-2800

Spare Tire Kitchen & Tavern

This fun Mid-Wilshire spot will feature soul-food specials and classic French Quarter cocktails and live jazz from the Dixie Band. They'll even have Carnival-clad stilt walkers and magicians. From 4 p.m. to close, feast on catfish po’boy sliders ($12), spiced Cajun crawfish ($10 per pound), traditional jambalaya and gumbo ($13 each) and gator meatballs ($14). There will also be NOLA snacks like oysters, fried okra, red peas with rice and beignets for dessert. From 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., you can enjoy $5 deals on select beer, wine and well drinks. They'll be handing out beads, party favors and fun costume accessories all night and screening A Streetcar Named Desire in the background.

Spare Tire Kitchen & Tavern is located at 5370 Wilshire Boulevard, Mid-Wilshire, (323) 525-2618.

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Pick your poison (Photo courtesy of Preux & Proper)
Preux & Proper

This downtown New Orleans-style outpost will kick off their Fat Tuesday party at 4 p.m. at the downstairs bar. Feast on cajun dishes with a kick like po' boys, gumbo, crawfish mac n' cheese and pate a choux beignets. They'll also have NOLA frozen drink specials, including mint julep, rum runner and more.

Preux & Proper is located at 840 S Spring St, Downtown, (213) 896-0090

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Seafood Gumbo at Little Easy (Photo by acuna-hansen/Little Easy)
Little Easy

This New Orleans-themed bar with a cool French Quarter-style hidden back porch has been celebrating Fat Tuesday all day with live music, food and drink specials. Kick off the celebration with their 3-2-1 special: $3 Hurricane Shots, $2 Abita Beers and $1 wings. Then move on to more NOLA-fare with hush puppies and seafood gumbo with shrimp, crawfish, Andouille sausage and rice. You can also sip Bourbon Street favorites like a French Quarter 75 or a Sazerac. There will also be Prohibition-era jazz from Big Bill's Medicine Show and music from Dixie band headliner, Critical Brass. And if you forgot to wear your own traditional purple, green and gold clothing, they'll be tossing out beaded necklaces, doubloons, special t-shirts and other fun giveaways.

Little Easy is located at 216 West 5th Street, Downtown, (213) 628-3113.

Terrine

Head to the beautiful patio of this Melrose favorite, which will be tapping into its French roots and bringing plenty of Creole-inspired fare to the table. Their special Fat Tuesday menu will feature bayou classics like crawfish gumbo with andouille sausage, shrimp and grits, red beans and rice with Tasso ham, rabbit and rice boudin with creole mustard and crab étouffée. Finish off your feast with beignets served with a potent chicory-coffee pudding. The bar will also be serving up classic Big Easy cocktails all night like Sazeracs, Ramos Gin Fizzes, and more.

Terrine is located at 8265 Beverly Blvd., Beverly Grove, (323) 746-5130.

Royal

Celebrate Fat Tuesday appropriately with a massive crawfish boil at Royal for $15 per pound, plus you'll get all the great sides like roasted potatoes and corn. Or for $30 per person, go for the all-you-can-eat option. They'll also have $5 Hurricanes, Hand Grenades, Cyclones and Abita Purple Haze. The Beignet Truck will be parked outside for dessert, and Royal will be handing beads and masks.

Royal is located at 6541 Hollywood Blvd #102, Hollywood, (323) 960-0224.

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Po' Boys! (Photo courtesy of Little Dom's)
Little Dom's

This Los Feliz institution will be featuring a Mardi Gras-themed menu for dinner. Chow down on shareable bites like boudin balls, catfish, jambalaya, gumbo, as well as roast beef and soft shell crab po’boy. Finish it off with beignets and traditional King Cake.

Little Dom's is located at 2128 Hillhurst Avenue in Los Feliz. For reservations call (323) 661-0055.

Messhall Kitchen

All day long, Messhall has been serving up a classic Cajun crawfish and shrimp boil with andouille sausage, mushrooms, corn and potatoes. And for dessert, they'll have beignets and coffee anglaise. Two people can enjoy the boil and beignets for just $36. They'll also be serving up their rendition of a Hurricane.

Messhall Kitchen is located at 4500 Los Feliz Blvd., Los Feliz, (323) 660-6377.

The Original Farmers Market

The 27th annual Mardi Gras festivities take place from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the OG Farmer's Market, where jazz band Eddie Baytos & The Nervis Bros. will get the joint jumpin'. You'll also definitely want to hit up The Gumbo Pot for New Orleans favorites like crawfish, jambalaya, gumbo and beignets.

The Original Farmer's Market is located at 6333 W 3rd St, Los Angeles, (323) 933-9211