New Orleans restaurant choices during Sugar Bowl weekend
 

Looking for recommendations for dining for seven adults on Saturday for lunch and dinner and Sunday brunch before the Sugar Bowl. Need to be able to go in jeans if possible. If all the good choices require no jeans we can pack accordingly. Looks like we need to make reservations ASAP! I did a search and got results for restaurants with courtyard and restaurants with children - not exactly what I was looking for. Would really like suggestions for how you'd spend your day if you only have Saturday and Sunday.

Still looking for some input here. Don't want to head to New Orleans without some good info on where to go that would suit our group. Please help!

Hey Paige,

I'd recommend Mr. B's Bistro, Bayona, Dickie Brennan's Steakhouse, Palace Cafe, and maybe Rene' Bistrot. All are "upscale casual" where jeans are permitted although khakis probably preferred.

Try the House of Blues gospel brunch on Sunday. Very fun.

Book ASAP, of course, as Sugar Bowl weekend will be crowded.

Paige, try Masparros on Decatur (cash only, but casual) or The Gumbo pot for lunch. gumbo pot is behind the Cathedral.

We went to Bon Ton Cafe this past weekend. It was wonderful. People dressed up and in blue jeans. The food was fabulous. Great local cuisine. The bread pudding with whiskey sauce was to die for!!!!!!

Okay, the person in charge of restaurants for our trip has made reservations for Friday night at Commanders Palace and for Sunday Brunch at Court of Two Sisters. Neither of these were mentioned above. I thought Commanders Palace was coat and tie but she says the guys can wear khakis. I thought I had read negative comments about both these places - food not too good at Court of Two Sisters and Commanders being over-priced tourist trap. Well, we are tourists, so how's the food? We still have our Saturday night option available.

We had our annyversary celebration last semptember at Bayona and the food was DELICIOUS!!! We loved it!

Commander's Palace is a good choice for high regional cuisine. There will be very dressy people there, but I imagine there will also be khaki-clad male guests, especially that weekend. It is our favorite New Orleans place.

Website below. Encourage you to look at the menu and prices to see if it is for you.

http://www.commanderspalace.com/new_orleans/

Coats and ties are required for men at night at Commander's Palace, but not for brunch. The food and service is top-notch. Court of Two Sisters is another story. It IS a tourist trap and the food is mediocre at best. I'd advise you to enjoy a cocktail there in their pretty courtyard but go someplace else to eat.

I just got back from NOLA. Acme Oyster House for casual, quick food, reasonably priced. Great oysters on the half shell, gumbo, po-boys, crayfish, soft shell crab. Don't let the line outside worry you. Both times we ate there, there were about 20 people ahead of us, and we got in within 15 minutes. I skipped Court of the two Sisters because of the bad review. We tried Muriels, and it was good, but the soup was too salty. Also did Palace Cafe. Spectacular...but much dressier than Acme Oyster!

Just returned from N O. Ate at Commander's Palace. Without a doubt one of the worst experiences ever. The service was quite poor, some of the food was good but by no means all of it. My husband's souffle arrived practically cold and had collapsed. It had clearly been sitting out for some time. After giving us the wine list the waiter never returned for our order. This is only part of what went wrong. A restaurant with this kind of reputation does not have "off" days. By the way you cannot go there in jeans for dinner. They make this clear when accepting reservations. Bayona was good. Acme informal and very good but terribly crowded. We enjoyed the Gumbo House on St. Peter Street a whole lot. No pretensions, good food,friendly wait persons and inexpensive.