Metairie

Metairie is the largest suburb of New Orleans, Louisiana, in Jefferson Parish. While much of the city experienced moderate flooding in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, Metairie has rebounded quickly.

Get in

• Louis Armstrong International Airport, the main airport of the Greater New Orleans area, is in suburban Kenner, which borders Metaire just to the west.
• I-10 Interstate Highway 10 is the main auto route in the area.

Get around

By car; while there are some bus routes public transit is poor in Metairie.

Wide Veterans Highway is the main commercial avenue, running east to west. Narrow winding Metaire Road runs through the older part of town, flanked by more upscale small businesses. Causeway Boulevard runs south to north, connecting with the causeway across Lake Pontchartrain leading to the North Shore.

"Sno-ball" shop on Metairie Road; a cool treat on hot days.

Understand

At the start of the 20th century, most of what is now Metaire was a mixture of farmland and swamp. In the 1910s and 1920s, suburban development from neighboring New Orleans spread along Metaire Ridge, natural high ground along winding Metaire Road. Most development, however, occurred in the boom following World War II. While lacking the history and architecture of New Orleans, Metaire is an economic center in Greater New Orleans.

See

Lake Pontchartrain Causeway, carrying Causeway Blvd over lake Pontchartrain, is the longest bridge over water in the world.

Do

• New Orleans Baby Cakes, 6000 Airline Dr, ☎ [phone]. Named for New Orleans, but located in Metairie, the local Triple-A Pacific Coast League minor league baseball team plays at 🌍 Shrine on Airline. The 2019 season is the team's last in Greater New Orleans; it will move to Wichita, Kansas in 2020. From $5 to $25.  

Buy

• Clearview Mall, 4436 Veterans Blvd (at Clearview Parkway). Shopping mall. 
• Dorignac's Food Center, 710 Veterans Blvd. Locally owned supermarket not only stocks groceries; their wine and liquor aisles offer one of the best selections in the metro area. 
• Lakeside Mall, 3301 Veterans Blvd (stretching from Causeway Blvd to Severn Avenue). Shopping mall 

Eat

Budget

• Cafe Equator, 2920 Severn Ave. Thai food. 
• City Diner. 3116 S. I-10 Service Road (at Causeway Boulevard just south of I-10) Tel. [phone]. Good diner food with New Orleans accents. 24 hours. 
• Eggroll House, 3507 Veterans. Good fast reasonably priced Chinese.
• Frosty's Cafe, 3400 Cleary Ave. Small restaurant serves Vietnamese food and po-boys; their tasty bubble-teas and fresh fruit drinks are popular for take out as well. 
• Kosher Cajun, 3519 Severn Avenue. Kosher New York-style deli, with some kosher Louisiana items on the menu. Also has a kosher grocery. Tel. [phone] 
• Lee's Hamburgers 3 locations, 904 Veterans Blvd; 3516 Veterans; 1507 Metairie Road. Small local chain of burger joints.
• Royal China, 600 Veterans Blvd. Dim-sum and other southern Chinese. 
• Semolina, 4436 Veterans Blvd. Suite 37 (in the Clearview Mall) Variety of pasta based dishes. (updated May 2017)

Cafes and snacks

• Gaspare's, 4421 Clearview Pkwy. Italian style gelato. Tel. [phone] 

Mid-range

• Café B, 2700 Metairie Road. Tel. [phone] New addition to the well regarded New Orleans area "Brennan's" family of restaurants. 
• Drago's, 3232 N Arnoult Rd (6 blocks back from Veterans across from Lakeside Mall). Tel [phone]. Seafood & Creole; a Metaire institution since 1969. 
• Sun Ray Grill, 619 Pink Street (a block off Metairie Road at Focis Street). Tel [phone]. Gulf Coast & Mediterranean. 
• Vincent's 4411 Chastant (Just back from West Esplanade Avenue; 1 block up from Transcontinental Dr.) . Creole-Italian; also has branch in the Carrollton section of New Orleans.
• Zea, 4450 Veterans Blvd (in the Clearview Mall), ☎ [phone]. Su–Th 11AM–10PM, F Sa 11AM–11PM. Metaire branch of this popular small local chain. Rotisserie & grill and good microbrewed beer. (updated May 2017)

Drink

Lager's 3501 Veterans Blvd. , Bar and grill, 75 beers on tap.

Sleep

• Days Hotel, 3400 I-10 Service Road (near Causeway Blvd). Free parking and a location in the heart of Metairie's Central Business District, minutes away from the New Orleans International Airport, downtown New Orleans, the Historic French Quarter, Convention Center and the city's world renowned restaurants. Tel [phone] 
• Four Points By Sheraton. 6401 Veterans Situated in suburban Metairie, Four Points by Sheraton New Orleans Airport. Smoke-free hotel. After a $4 million renovation, every room is equipped with new, inviting furniture and amenities. 
• 🌍 Ramada Metairie New Orleans Airport, 3400 South I-10 Service Road W (I-10 at Exit 228), ☎ [phone]. (updated May 2017)
• TownePlace Suites New Orleans Metairie, 5424 Citrus Boulevard, ☎ [phone]. Check-in: 3PM, check-out: 12PM. This hotel offers amenities including an outdoor swimming pool, fitness center, continental breakfast, and free wireless Internet. 
• Wyndham Metairie New Orleans Hotel, 4 Galleria Blvd, fax: [phone]. Tel: [phone]. Only minutes from New Orleans history and nightlife and close to the businesses and attractions of Metairie and Lake Pontchartrain's southern shore. 
• New Orleans Marriott Metairie at Lakeway, 3838 North Causeway Boulevard, ☎ [phone]. Located along the scenic shores of Lake Pontchartrain in Metairie, LA. 

Go next

• The attractions of central New Orleans are about a half hour drive east (though it can take longer during rush hour).
• Baton Rouge is about a 75 minute drive west on Interstate 10.
• Covington and the Lake Pontchartrain North Shore are within an hour's drive north over the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway.

Routes through Metairie

Baton Rouge ← Kenner ←	W  E	→ New Orleans → Mobile
Baton Rouge ← Kenner ←	N  S	→ New Orleans → END

Connect

Telephone area code is 504, same as New Orleans.