Can any New Orleans people help me out? Looking for a restaurant near the Mahalia Jackson theatre ....just a nice but not too expensive before show... most concerned about parking.
Not sure how far you're willing to walk, or willing to make two stops, but try this link...it allows you to search by neighborhood. I'd start with the French Quarter or MidCity neighborhoods & work from there.
Mandina's might be a good choice, but that would require two stops.
I wouldn't recommend walking around at night in that neighborhood and I don't believe there are any restaurants "right next door" - just a couple of scummy looking dive bars.
However, you will be very close to the French Quarter. Our favorite mid-priced restaurants in the Quarter are Deanie's and Acme Oyster House. Of course, you will have the parking problem in the Quarter.
One solution might be to eat at Mulate's over by the convention center - it's also very close. There is plenty of parking right across the street from Mulate's in the big cruise terminal/Riverwalk lot. Mulate's is definitely a "tourist spot", but they have delicious food and a live Cajun band in the evenings. They are also in the mid-price range.
We go to the M.J. theater several times a year and always have a wonderful time. Have fun!
I'd park closer to the River, eat somewhere in the Quarter, discrazee gave you some good ones, and then take a cab both to and from the theater. Why they built that theater in right next to a drug infested ghetto, I'll never understand.