It’s a rare and festive calendar mashup: Valentine’s Day and Mardi Gras landing on the same weekend. With parade routes cutting through dining districts and crowds filling the streets, many couples wonder: can you still plan a romantic meal?
According to New Orleans food critic Ian McNulty...absolutely.
“Don’t fret,” McNulty says. “There are plenty of places to still get a spectacular meal, and some of them may surprise you.”
His first piece of advice is simple: study the parade route map.
“Look at the geography of Mardi Gras,” he said. “Crowds shift. On certain big parade days, some uptown restaurants actually have availability because people move toward Mid-City.”
He says that movement can open unexpected doors for diners who plan ahead and think strategically about location.
And don’t forget about options beyond Orleans Parish.
“On the North Shore, as parades wind down, seats start opening up at restaurants there too,” McNulty noted.
Still, he says, couples shouldn’t feel locked into celebrating on the exact date if logistics get tricky.
“With the right intention, you can say, we’re still going to have Valentine’s, just next weekend, after Mardi Gras,” he said.
And if reservations fall through altogether, McNulty suggests embracing the moment instead of fighting it.
“Maybe it doesn’t have to be so glamorous this year,” he said. “Imagine being on St. Charles Avenue waiting for a parade and you whip out a couple pounds of crawfish and some king cake.”
That may or may not be the traditional road to romance, but McNulty says the real key is being thoughtful and prepared.
“It’s about choosing what works,” he said, “and having that ready to go.”
