Dryades, A Charming Local New Orleans Food Market

With the revitalization of Central City underway, new restaurants, shops, and businesses are opening up, seemingly, daily. From the New Orleans Jazz Market performance hall and the Southern Food & Beverage Museum, which has its own restaurant and bar, to the brand new Toups South, Central City is now home to some of the best restaurants and establishments in the city. Developments are blooming, including Dryades Pulblic Market, a unique, affordable fresh food market and neighborhood gathering space.

Charming Local Market

The market, located in a historic school building at 1307 O.C. Haley Blvd., is a food emporium that’s bringing a different approach to fresh foods. Home to a coffee bar, sandwich shop, cocktail bar, homemade pasta and sauces, fresh groceries and seafood, and a wine shop, Dryades Public Market strives to steer consumers away from mass production and reliance on big-box stores and toward locally sourced, food-hub-centric markets.

Dryades Public Markets stocks dozens of local vendors. The local coffee shop is operated by French Truck Coffee, which specializes in small-batch roasts and is known for treating its coffee as a culinary specialty. Kimberly Patton-Bragg, who directs the bar at the Three Muses, has created a cocktail menu for Bar 38, placed in the center of the market. Bar 38 does happy hour every Monday-Saturday from 4 to 6 p.m. with specially priced cocktails, small plates, and even charcuterie and cheese. 

The giant schoolhouse sat empty for years, and has since been transformed into a beautiful, chic neighborhood staple. It's a grand space, with plenty of natural light, and even three gorgeous crystal chandeliers.

With the a big bar, friendly staff, and the freshest food around, it is great for the solo traveler looking to get a taste of local vendors in a new and welcoming space. 

Dryades Public Market is the spot to pick up delicious local ingredients, or spend a lazy afternoon drinking cocktails at the bar. Stop by for lunch from the hot bar, or pick up your week's groceries. And there's more to come, including an expanded spirits section, live music and cooking demonstrations upstairs. Stop by and check out New Orleans' newest and freshest new market.

Local vendors include: Baker Farms (Baker, LA), Bunny Bread (New Orleans, LA) Capstone Honey, (New Orleans, LA), Feliciana’s Best Creamery (Slaughter, LA), Fletcher Family Farm (Ponchatoula, LA), Hola Nola (Gonzalez, LA) and more.

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