Best Poboys in Metairie & New Orleans
Louisiana's Sandwich
The poboy is more than food in Louisiana. It is cultural identity. The sandwich fed striking streetcar workers in 1929. Dockworkers carried it in wax paper. And every neighborhood argues about who makes the best one. There is no correct answer, only strong opinions. Every family has a favorite spot, every corner of the city has a contender, and the debate never ends because the truth is that Louisiana has dozens of places making poboys that are genuinely, undeniably great. That is not a weakness. It is the whole point. The poboy tradition is alive because so many people care about getting it right.
Where to Get Great Poboys
Parkway Bakery & Tavern. If any single spot can be called the gold standard, it is Parkway. A Mid-City institution that was rebuilt after Hurricane Katrina and came back stronger than ever. The roast beef poboy is the one to order: slow-cooked until it is falling-apart tender, swimming in debris gravy, piled onto French bread that somehow holds it all together. The fried shrimp is world-class too, crispy and perfectly seasoned. There is usually a line, and it is always worth the wait. Parkway is the benchmark against which every other poboy in the city gets measured.
Domilise's Po-Boy & Bar. Uptown, tucked into a residential block, unchanged for decades. Domilise's is the hole-in-the-wall that every local food writer eventually writes about and every serious eater eventually finds. The fried shrimp poboy and the fried oyster poboy are the ones to get: golden, crunchy, all dressed on bread that has just the right ratio of crisp crust to soft interior. Cash only, limited hours, and absolutely no frills. If you know, you know.
Guy's Po-Boys. Near the French Quarter, serving poboys since 1968. Guy's does the fundamentals with precision: bread that is always fresh and crispy, fillings that are all dressed and extra crunchy, portions that are generous without being sloppy. The French bread here is consistently perfect: that light, shattering crust that makes a poboy a poboy and not just a sandwich on a roll. A reliable classic that has earned its decades-long reputation one lunch at a time.
R&O's Restaurant. In Bucktown on the Metairie side, R&O's is primarily known as an Italian-Cajun family restaurant, but the poboy game here is quietly excellent. The fried catfish poboy is a sleeper hit: lightly battered, flaky, and seasoned just right. The shrimp poboy and the roast beef are both strong contenders too. R&O's is the kind of place that does not get the national press of a Parkway but absolutely belongs in the same conversation for quality and consistency.
Short Stop Poboys. Metairie proper, on Veterans Boulevard. This is an old-school poboy shop: fast, consistent, and no-nonsense. You walk in, you order, you get a solid poboy at an honest price. The roast beef and the fried shrimp are the regulars' picks. It is a great lunch spot when you want something quick that you know will be done right, every time, without any surprises.
Bearcat Cafe. A newer addition to the scene with a creative approach to the classic form. Bearcat takes the poboy and plays with it: unexpected fillings, inventive sauces, combinations that push the boundaries of what a poboy can be while still respecting the bread and the tradition. Not every experiment lands for every palate, but the ones that do are memorable. Worth a visit if you appreciate the poboy enough to enjoy seeing someone riff on it.
Yami's Hibachi Poboy
If you have made it through this list and want something completely different, try a hibachi poboy. This is Yami's unique contribution to the conversation, not a replacement for the classics, but something entirely new alongside them. Proteins like chicken, steak, shrimp, or crawfish are cooked on a teppanyaki-style flat-top grill until they have that smoky, high-heat char, then loaded onto traditional French bread with grilled onions and yum yum sauce. It is Japanese grilling technique meeting Louisiana sandwich tradition, and it is a combination you will not find at any other poboy shop in the area. If you want the full story on what makes it work, read our guide on the hibachi poboy, or learn more about the history of the poboy itself. And if you are exploring the Metairie food scene more broadly, our guide to the best food in Metairie covers the full landscape beyond sandwiches.