A Bike Tour Guide’s Devotion to Frady’s One Stop Food Store in the Bywater: Why Their Po-Boys Bring Joy Before the First Shrimp Hits Your Mouth

🚲 Tour Guide Quick Facts: Frady's One Stop Food Store is the 55 year old store located at 3231 Dauphine St in the New Orleans Bywater neighborhood. Known for authentic local po-boys (including fried shrimp and my favorite hot sausage in the city), it is a featured culinary destination on our daily New Orleans Culinary Bike Tours. The Map of My Last Meal on Earth

There is a lot of joy in my job. If you asked any New Orleanian what they would like to spend an afternoon doing, you would get a huge variety of answers... eating, drinking, socializing, costuming, playing music, second lining, fishing off the canal... our lives are good here... but I'd guess the top answer would be "telling captive strangers where we love to eat."

I live the dream. At every stop on our culinary tour, I repeat, "This is one of my favorite things." The crawfish pies from Cajun Seafood, the crab mac and cheese from The Salted Pearl at St. Roch Market, the fried chicken beignets from Loretta's... all are my favorites and all dishes I eat with my family, and would happily be a part of any last meal of mine on this earth.

Visualizing the Perfect 55-Year-Old New Orleans Po-Boy Shop

But Frady's stands out because Frady's is a favorite meal before it is even served to you. Even approaching the building, I often tell my customers to visualize what they think a 55-year-old New Orleans neighborhood po-boy shop will look like.

When we arrive, it is usually even more classic than they imagined: the timeless, welcoming yellow and the art that would be called folk art if we bothered to call it anything.

The Ultimate New Orleans Culture Code

But it’s the Fradys themselves, and the wonderful cast they have assembled through the years. Kirk and Kerry are, to me, a reminder of what made me fall in love with New Orleans 30 years ago, and what I hope will remain through the many changes we go through. Everyone is welcomed. Everyone is greeted with a smile. Everyone feels special, like they are the most important customer that ever walked in—because to everyone who works at Frady's, all the customers are.

They just sell po-boys and meat plates, but their T-shirts are adorned by everyone throughout the city as a code. People wear band shirts, golf brand shirts, or football team shirts to let everyone know what subculture they identify with and want to be known for. When I see a Frady’s shirt on someone I don’t know, I immediately know what they are saying, and it's not about the food... they are saying they love that some of what makes New Orleans special is still here. Maybe Mr. Okra is gone, but Frady's is holding the light strong still.

Oh Yeah, The Food is Lagniappe

Oh, yeah, before I get misty-eyed, their po-boys are some of the best in the city (no po-boy is singularly the best; anyone who declares that is either a liar or simpleminded).

The fried shrimp is perfectly fried without the shrimp being overcooked, the hot sausage would be my favorite anywhere, and the roast beef is a masterpiece you can only take out if you take out three handfuls of napkins... but the food is lagniappe. Go for the Fradys. If you want to experience the authentic culinary soul of the Bywater, Treme, and Marigny, hop on two wheels. Book your spot on our daily New Orleans Culinary Bike Tour today, and let us show you why spots like Frady's are the true heart of our city. If you'd rather go it alone, it's an easy city, start at Washington Square Park and every direction will lead to something fun and/or delicious!