3. Sparkle's Hamburger Spot
1515 Dowling St.
Served out of a turquoise shack with only a couple picnic tables for seating, Sparkle's burgers are excellent and under $4. The patties are thick, juicy, hand-formed and made to order (it takes about 20 minutes, but you can call ahead). We suggest a visit before a traveling food show makes the lines too long to bear.
2. Original Ninfa's on Navigation 2704 Navigation Blvd. Just to reiterate, this is the one, the only real Ninfa's, where Mama Ninfa served her tacos al carbon and changed the face of Tex-Mex forever. The staff have mostly been here forever, which means both food and service are reliably good.
1. Calliope's Po-Boy 2130 Jefferson St. The proprietors of this New Orleans-style po-boy joint are post-Katrina transplants. The soft shell crab and the surf and turf (roast beef and fried shrimp) are eat-every-last-crumb delicious, served with plenty of meaty sauce on traditional French bread with thick, honey-glazed sweet potato fries.If you enjoyed this Top 10 list, check out our other restaurant roundups:
