Since 1911, Parkway Bakery & Tavern has served New Orleans its defining po' boys. Now a Michelin Bib Gourmand, this Mid-City icon is a must for Creole deli food.
Parkway Bakery & Tavern in New Orleans – Legendary Po' Boys & Bib Gourmand
At Parkway Bakery & Tavern in New Orleans, the po' boy isn’t just a sandwich—it’s a way of life. This Mid-City institution has been feeding the city since 1911, and its dedication to quality recently earned it a Michelin Bib Gourmand, a nod to its exceptional value and cooking.
The story starts long before the awards. German baker Charles Goering, Sr. built the corner bakery in 1911, but it was under Henry Timothy, Sr. that Parkway became a neighborhood fixture. When the 1929 streetcar strike hit, Timothy added a "Poor Boy" shop, feeding union members for free and cementing the bakery's role in a pivotal chapter of New Orleans culinary history. Generations later, in 1995, Jay Nix bought the shuttered building to save it from becoming a liquor store. Encouraged by former customers, he reopened Parkway in 2005, using his own family’s roast beef recipe. The old-timers returned first, soon followed by a new generation eager for the real thing.
Today, the operation is family-run. Nix’s nephew, Justin Kennedy, serves as General Manager and Head Chef, overseeing a kitchen that slow-cooks over 1,000 pounds of beef each week. The menu is a deep dive into Creole and deli classics, anchored by the Specialty House-Made Roast Beef with Gravy, a Parkway signature. Seafood options shine with Wild Caught Gulf Shrimp and the James Brown, a sandwich layering slow-cooked BBQ beef, fried shrimp, and pepper jack cheese. For the purist, the Streetcar Poorboy recreates the 1929 original: fried potatoes and gravy on French bread. And for the truly ambitious, the three-foot long Bayou Beast feeds a small crowd.
The atmosphere matches the food: welcoming and unpretentious, with a busy bar and plenty of space for the whole family, indoors and out. Nix’s slogan, “Parkway for Poor Boys,” is a promise kept every day. Whether you're a local or a first-time visitor, this is a place where the history and hospitality are as satisfying as the food itself.
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