Where to Eat the Best Hot Plates in New Orleans

Black-eyed peas, stewed tomatoes and okra, collard greens, and hamburger steak au poivre from Hot Stuff. | Kat Kimball/Eater NOLA

Call it a meat and three, plate lunch, or hot plate — this lineup is designed to satisfy

The humble meat and three, hot plate, or plate lunch: depending on your location, the meal goes by different names. And while there are subtle differences, the overall genre is so ingrained in Southern culinary tradition that it’s considered a birthright. Typically served cafeteria-style and called hot plates or plate lunches in Louisiana, they revolve around one central item that often changes daily — proteins like fried chicken or fish, meatloaf, and smothered pork chops; or dishes like crawfish étouffée, shrimp Creole, and red beans and rice. Select your main and survey the steam table for your choice of sides, vegetables like green beans, collard greens, or stewed okra; or starchier fare like mac and cheese, dirty rice, black-eyed peas, mashed potatoes, and cornbread.

While many of these beacons of homestyle cooking dot back country roads throughout Louisiana, New Orleans has its fair share. Most are casual, and some takeout-only, but not all. Here is a lineup designed to satisfy.