Xavier sits off South Carrollton Avenue and Washington Avenue, and the store on campus is the bookstore on Dixon Street. For everything else, students head up Carrollton Avenue into Mid-City, where most of the shops in this guide sit within a few blocks of each other, or over to Bayou Road, the short run of Black-owned shops east of Bayou St. John.
On campus. The Xavier University of Louisiana Official Bookstore (4980 Dixon St) sells textbooks, Xavier apparel, supplies and snacks.
North Carrollton Avenue. Angelo Brocato (214 N Carrollton Ave) has made cannoli and gelato since 1905. Mid-City Market (401 N Carrollton Ave) is the practical stop, with Office Depot and a pet and garden store. Massey's Outfitters (509 N Carrollton Ave) sells outdoor gear and Home Malone (629 N Carrollton Ave) sells work by local makers.
Bayou St. John and Bayou Road. Parkway Bakery & Tavern (538 Hagan Ave) opened in 1911 as a bakery and is now known for its po-boys. Dooky Chase's Restaurant (2301 Orleans Ave) is nearby in Treme.
The official store is the Xavier University of Louisiana Official Bookstore at 4980 Dixon St. It carries new, used, digital and rental textbooks, Xavier apparel, gifts, class and office supplies, snacks and drinks. Course materials and rentals are ordered through the store's online site, and the university also offers a Gold Book Bundle program for course materials. Hours are Monday to Friday 8:30am to 4:30pm; the store is closed on weekends, so plan Saturday move-in shopping elsewhere. Phone (504) 520-7300.
Start at Mid-City Market (401 N Carrollton Ave). Office Depot covers printer ink, desk lamps and storage bins, Verizon handles phones, and Jefferson Feed Pet & Garden Center has plants and supplies for students with pets off campus. The center's grocery space, the former Winn-Dixie, has been taken over by ALDI, which is listed as opening in late 2026; until then, plan groceries elsewhere.
For rain gear, a backpack or cycling gear, Massey's Outfitters (509 N Carrollton Ave) stocks outerwear, luggage and cycling gear. Supplies and snacks are also at the campus bookstore on weekdays.
Books. Community Book Center (2523 Bayou Rd) is a longtime Black-owned bookstore in the 7th Ward with African-centered titles, African and Haitian art and author events. It is open Tuesday to Saturday 10am to 6pm.
Records. On the same stretch, Domino Sound Record Shack (2557 Bayou Rd) sells local and global music on vinyl, cassettes and 45s, and buys records too. It is open noon to 6pm most days, until 7:30pm Thursday and Friday, and closed Tuesday.
Local goods. Home Malone (629 N Carrollton Ave) sells New Orleans T-shirts, jewelry, candles and cards from more than 100 local makers.
For official Xavier gifts, the campus bookstore (4980 Dixon St) has apparel and gifts; go on a weekday, since it is closed Saturday and Sunday.
For something local, Home Malone (629 N Carrollton Ave) has New Orleans T-shirts, ornaments and stationery made in the region. A book or a piece of African or Haitian art from Community Book Center (2523 Bayou Rd) suits a graduate. A box of cannoli or biscotti from Angelo Brocato (214 N Carrollton Ave) works for parents heading home, and the shop also ships. For a keepsake with a story, Faulkner House Books in the French Quarter sells signed and rare editions.
Quick bites. Parkway Bakery & Tavern (538 Hagan Ave) opened in 1911 as a bakery and is now known for its poorboys, with roast beef and fried shrimp and catfish on the menu. It is open Wednesday to Sunday 10am to 6pm. Angelo Brocato (214 N Carrollton Ave) is the dessert stop, open Tuesday to Saturday 10am to 10pm and Sunday 10am to 9pm, closed Monday. Mid-City Market has Panera Bread, Felipe's Taqueria and Five Guys.
With parents. Dooky Chase's Restaurant (2301 Orleans Ave) opened in 1941 and served as a meeting place for the civil rights movement in New Orleans. Lunch is Tuesday to Friday 11am to 3pm and dinner Friday and Saturday 5:30pm to 9pm, so plan a Friday or Saturday dinner for graduation weekend.
Transit. The RTA's 52 Paris–Broadmoor bus ends at Washington Avenue and South Carrollton at Xavier and runs along Washington Avenue and Paris Avenue to LSU New Orleans on the Lakefront. Other routes along the campus edge include the 3 Tulane–Elmwood on South Carrollton and Tulane Avenue, the 27 Louisiana via Washington Avenue, and the 31 Leonidas–Gentilly and 32 Leonidas–Treme on Carrollton Avenue. The Canal streetcar runs up Canal Street through Mid-City toward the cemeteries. Check the RTA for current schedules.
Driving and parking. From downtown, Xavier says to take I-10 West to the South Carrollton Avenue exit (Exit 232) and follow Washington Avenue onto campus. Visitors without a decal need a $5 one-day pass, issued only by the Xavier University Police Department. Admissions visits start at Xavier South, 909 S. Jefferson Davis Pkwy, Suite 400.
Three of our districts fill the gaps. At the river end of Canal Street, Canal Street & Riverwalk has the Outlet Collection at Riverwalk (500 Port of New Orleans Pl), with Nordstrom Rack among more than 75 retailers and restaurants, a good place for move-in clothes and shoes at outlet prices.
In the French Quarter, Faulkner House Books (624 Pirate's Alley) is open daily 10am to 5pm. On Lower Magazine Street, Funky Monkey (3102 Magazine St) sells vintage clothing and costumes, which comes in handy at Mardi Gras.
