-
$ | |
No visit to New Orleans is complete without a chicory-laced café au lait paired with the addictive, sugar-dusted beignets at this venerable institution. The tables under the green-and-white-stripe awning are jammed with locals and tourists at almost every hour, for very good reason. If there's a wait, head around back to the takeout window, get your coffee and beignets to go, and enjoy them overlooking the river right next door or in Jackson Square. The most magical time to go is just before dawn, before the bustle begins and can hear the birds in the crepe myrtles across the way. The metro-area satellite stores (there's even one at the airport now) typically lack the character of the original, although the newest addition in City Park is quite charming.
800 Decatur St., New Orleans, Louisiana, 70116, USA
Known For
- World's most famous beignets
- Local landmark status
- Long waits and 24-hour service
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Reservations not accepted
-
$ | Bywater |
"Real food, done real good" is the motto at hipster-haven Elizabeth's, where the vinyl-print tablecloths look just like grandma's and breakfast really is the most important meal of the day. The menu offers everything from po'boys to a stellar seared duck, but the highlight is the buzzy weekend brunch served from 8 am to 2:30 pm that includes "lost bread" (also known as French toast), "redneck eggs" (fried green tomatoes with poached eggs and hollandaise), and a traditional country breakfast with a smoked pork chop (there's also bottomless mimosas, if you want to start the party early). The fried-oyster po'boy is huge and irresistible. The staff is spunky, and so is the Bywater neighborhood clientele. The praline bacon is a must. Breakfast is served every weekday as well, also from 8 to 2:30, and has almost the same options. Reservations are accepted only for dinner.
601 Gallier St., New Orleans, Louisiana, 70117, USA
Known For
- One of the city's best brunch experiences
- Famous praline bacon
- No breakfast or brunch reservations accepted so expect a wait
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No dinner weekends, Credit cards accepted
-
$$$$ | Central Business District |
With its elegant table settings and canvases depicting the lives of British nobility, the Grill Room on the second floor of the Windsor Court has always been a beacon of class and an elegant setting for special occasions (keep your eyes peeled: celebrities in town for local film shoots often snag tables here). The creative Cajun- and Creole-influenced dinner menu allows guests to customize a three- or five-course tasting dinner, with insightful and unusual wine selections by sommelier John Mitchell, who draws from a deep cellar with an extensive Bordeaux collection. There's also a $23 plate special offered at lunchtime weekdays, and jazz brunch on Saturdays and Sundays. If you're looking for a splurge meal in town, this is it.
300 Gravier St., New Orleans, Louisiana, 70130, USA
Known For
- Elegant dining room
- Splurge-worthy tasting dinners
- Extensive wine list
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Reservations essential, Credit cards accepted
-
$$$ | French Quarter |
On one of the French Quarter's busiest corners is Dickie Brennan's biggest and flashiest restaurant yet (he also owns Palace Café and Dickie Brennan's Steakhouse), and it's a solid hit with seafood aficionados and—you guessed it—bourbon lovers (there are five flights to choose from and a vast selection of 90 American whiskeys to boot). The raw bar is prime real estate, with its sterling oysters on the half shell, chilled seafood platters, and antique, decorative oyster plates, but the elegant main dining room is more appropriate for digging into the Creole catalog—charbroiled oysters, boiled shrimp, and Gulf fish "on the half shell" with lump crab meat. Take your frozen bourbon-milk punch in a go cup.
144 Bourbon St., New Orleans, Louisiana, 70130, USA
Known For
- Bourbon-milk punch
- Classy raw bar
- Diverse bourbon flights
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Credit cards accepted
-
$$$$ | French Quarter |
This luxuriously appointed restaurant, located in a gorgeous, salmon-pink, circa-1795 building, serves lavish breakfasts, served by pink-bow-tied waiters, that include "eye openers" like Caribbean milk punch to start the day, alongside hearty but elegantly prepared dishes such as eggs sardou with crispy artichokes and accoutrements such as coffee-cured bacon and house-made English muffins. Don't miss sumptuous desserts, like the flaming bananas Foster, which was reportedly created here.
417 Royal St., New Orleans, Louisiana, 70130, USA
Known For
- Tourist-heavy atmosphere
- Creole brunch
- Legendary bananas Foster
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Credit cards accepted
-
Recommended Fodor’s Video
-
-
$ | Central Business District |
Good things really do come in small packages, like the outstanding falafel you can order at the back of this unpretentious, pocket-size Middle Eastern convenience store outfitted with a handful of tables and chairs. Grab a drink from one of the glass cases, then order from a menu of mouthwatering options, like lamb kebabs and beef gyros. The vegetarian sampler plate, with creamy hummus, smoky baba ghanoush, and fresh tabouleh is the must-order dish, though. Look for international grocery items, like pistachio cotton candy from Turkey. The kitchen is open 24/7, making it an ideal spot to grab a pita after partying.
940 Canal St., New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
Known For
- 24-hour kitchen
- Late-night falafel and tabouleh
- International grocery items
-
$ | French Quarter |
In a quiet corner of the French Quarter, you'll have to look for the quaint Croissant d'Or Patisserie. Once you've found it, you'll understand why locals and visitors return to this colorful pastry shop for excellent and authentic French croissants, pies, tarts, and custards, as well as an imaginative selection of soups, salads, and sandwiches (don't miss the hot croissant sandwiches with creamy béchamel sauce). You can get your goodies to go, but try to get a table during the busy breakfast hours for great people-watching. During Carnival season they bake a traditional French-style king cake filled with almond paste. The café is open from 6 am to 3 pm.
617 Ursulines St., New Orleans, Louisiana, 70116, USA
Known For
- Croissaint sandwiches
- Authentic French pastries
- King cake during Mardi Gras
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Tues. No dinner, Reservations not accepted, Credit cards accepted
-
$ | French Quarter |
Strangely enough, good po'boys are hard to find in the French Quarter, but Johnny's, established in 1950, compensates for that scarcity with a cornucopia of overstuffed options, even though quality can be inconsistent and the prices somewhat inflated for tourists. Inside the soft-crust French bread come the classic fillings, including lean boiled ham, well-done roast beef in garlicky gravy, and crisply fried oysters or shrimp. The chili may not cut it in San Antonio, but the red beans and rice are the real deal. Johnny's closes at 4:30 pm.
511 St. Louis St., New Orleans, Louisiana, 70130, USA
Known For
- Classic po'boys
- Lots of tourists
- Early closing at 4:30 pm
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No dinner, No credit cards, Reservations not accepted
-
$ | Garden District |
In this second restaurant from Turkey and the Wolf chef Mason Hereford, attention is turned to the classics of breakfast food. Decorated with '80s and '90s pop culture memorabilia, Molly's Rise and Shine feels like a trip down memory lane, and so do its riffs on McMuffins and bagel bites. Though there is ample seating, be prepared to wait in line. Come early since the restaurant does sell out of its most popular dishes.
2368 Magazine St., New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
Known For
- Nostalgic charm
- Greasy breakfast classics
- Running out of the most popular dishes, so coming early is smart
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Tues. No dinner
-
$ | Central Business District |
Tourists and locals line up for solid, if unspectacular, down-home eats at this island of blue-collar sincerity amid downtown's sea of glittery hotels. Mother's dispenses baked ham and roast beef po'boys (ask for "debris" on the beef sandwich and the bread will be slathered with meat juices and shreds of meat), home-style biscuits and jambalaya, and chicken and sausage gumbo in a couple of bare-bones yet charming dining rooms. Breakfast service is a bit slow, but that doesn't seem to repel the hordes fighting for seats at peak mealtimes. Service is cafeteria-style, with a counter or two augmenting the tables.
401 Poydras St., New Orleans, Louisiana, 70130, USA
Known For
- Greasy spoon, cafeteria-style vibe
- Big crowds
- Roast beef debris po'boys
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Reservations not accepted, Credit cards accepted
-
-
$ | Carrollton-Riverbend |
This modern café serves fresh salads and sandwiches. At brunch, try the hand-whisked grits.
8124 Hampson St., New Orleans, Louisiana, 70115, USA
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No dinner
-
$$ | Faubourg Marigny |
This revamped food hall offers visitors a (slightly overpriced) chance to sample from a wide array of flavors. Vendors offer casual local favorites as well as global cuisine, from Haiti to Burma; there's also a chic little oyster bar, bottles of wine and specialty foodstuffs to take home, and a full bar with a generous happy hour.
2381 St. Claude Ave., New Orleans, Louisiana, 70117, USA
Known For
- Unique global fare
- Something for everyone
- Local oysters
-
$ | French Quarter |
Chefs across America are ditching the white tablecloths and applying fine-dining flair to burgers, bar food, and comfort fare, and here chef Scott Boswell attempts this with the food of Louisiana. Though some grumble about paying a premium for what is, at heart, New Orleans neighborhood fare, this crisply decorated café sits on a coveted corner of Jackson Square—and that view is priceless. At breakfast, pancakes are covered in earthy Louisiana cane syrup and eggs Benedict are topped with homemade Cajun boudin. At lunch and dinner, oyster po'boys get an extra zing from rémoulade dressing with a touch of heat, and the Club Stanley is topped with spicy pesto Caesar dressing.
547 St. Ann St., New Orleans, Louisiana, 70116, USA
Known For
- Eggs Benedict with a Cajun twist
- Prime real estate
- Spicy oyster po'boys
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Reservations not accepted
