Lucky Dog Cart on Bourbon Street, New Orleans
Anyone who has strolled down Bourbon Street knows that if you’re hungry, or need a little food in your belly before heading out for a serious night of indulgence, you want to head for the nearest Lucky Dog cart.
Lucky Dogs, with their ubiquitous hot dog-shaped cart, have been entwined in the French Quarter experience for the last fifty years. Ignatius Reilly, the hero of A Confederacy of Dunces, famously worked as a Lucky Dog vendor.
The carts and vendors are iconic, and during peak partying times on Bourbon Street, you are likely to find one on every corner. The menu is simple: hot dogs. To be fair, they also sell a spicy smoked sausage, but it is the hot dog that most people order.
Your choice of condiments is limited, but ordering a Lucky Dog is really more about the experience and less about the food. A Lucky Dog is no Nathan’s Coney, but it will fill you up and do the job of providing the ballast you will need to counteract the Hand Grenades from Tropical Isle.
The vendors seem surly, but most of them will give you some helpful advice regarding places to go — and places to avoid! — as well as provide you with a colorful anecdote you can tell at your weekly poker game back home.
New Orleans is filled with countless fine dining establishments, famous chefs and gourmet restaurants but trust me, if you leave Bourbon Street without having sampled a Lucky Dog, you have not experienced real New Orleans dining!
