The best brunch in New Orleans

Looking for something quintessentially New Orleans? This is the place. Commander’s Palace sits at the heart of the Garden District and serves up delicious brunch every day of the week, as well as jazz brunch sessions on the weekends. We can recommend the Garden Room, where you can look out over the city’s oak trees while being sweetly serenaded. The Creole cuisine here does change seasonally, but you can hope for some of its classics on the brunch menu, including a pork belly cinnamon roll (yes, really), turtle soup, gumbo and buttermilk beignets with pecans and cream cheese icing. 

'Breakfast at Brennan’s' is a New Orleans tradition, but this is no quick meal meant to simply start the day. Elegant, old-world dining and excellent service make for a memorable occasion. The Creole menu features classics like eggs Sardou and eggs Benedict, crawfish omelettes, and more. But the crown jewel of Brennan’s brunch is the Bananas Foster—innvented here, the dessert is flambéed right at your table.

Arnaud’s might be one of the oldest and largest restaurants in the city, but its elegant main dining room still feels intimate. Sunday brunch here is of the quintessential French Quarter staples, complete with a Creole menu that stays true to the classics while a jazz trio orbits around the tables and takes requests. Arnaud’s is where locals celebrate holidays and life’s milestones, eat the legendary Gulf fish Meunier (top it with crab, because that’s what’s up), and sip on a French 75. For dessert, order bananas foster for an added New Orleans experience and an indulgent end to the meal.

How about a haute Creole brunch with a side of drag? Every Sunday, Saint John hosts Sunday Drag Brunch hosted by Laveau Contraire with special guests. Brunch runs from 11am to 4pm with drag shows at noon, 1pm and 2pm (regular brunch is served every day but Tuesday). Sip bottomless mimosas and Bloody Marys while diving into brunch specials like boudin Benedict, grits and grillades, pain perdu or a breakfast po-boy featuring hot sausage patties, cheese, eggs and Crystal aioli on a French bread pistolette.

Elizabeth’s is the place to go for reliable comfort food. It doesn’t matter what you order here—it's all delicious. Word to the wise: whatever it is that you go for, make sure to include praline bacon in your order. Eat it as an appetizer, a side dish, sprinkle it on your food, bring some home, moisturize with it—whatever. It’s life-changing. Additionally, the shrimp and grits have been known to cure hangovers, but the French toast burrito, the redneck eggs with fried green tomatoes, and the chicken and waffles are worth a try, too. Elizabeth’s is in the Bywater, and the decor is just as eclectic as the neighborhood itself, with local art from Dr. Bob cluttering the walls and bright, floral plastic tablecloths covering the tables. Brunch starts at 8 am and ends at 2:30pm. It’s first-come, first-serve, so be prepared to wait or head to the bar for a bloody mary or brandy milk punch to make the time pass.

Although it’s located within the Old No. 77 Hotel, Compère Lapin isn’t just for guests—the restaurant and bar attracts folks from all over the city. It should also be mentioned that owner and chef Nina Compton was voted fan favorite on Bravo’s Top Chef and was recognized as “Best Chef: South” by the James Beard Foundation in 2018. What to expect from this bold-faced name? Compton brings Caribbean influences to the menu: you can't go wrong with the Hot Fire Chicken, buttermilk gnocchi, or French toast with rum caramel. As a bonus, each meal starts with warm biscuits and a butter du jour (which is made in-house, of course).

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Miss River in the Four Seasons hotel is truly a special occasion destination, including for brunch on Saturdays and Sundays. Enjoy live jazz while you dress-your-own drink at the Bloody Mary bar with garnishes like pickled quail eggs and okra, or wait for the tableside spritz cart to roll by with seasonal fresh juices and sparkling wine. The menu is a culinary journey from Chef Alon Shaya, with gems ranging from buttermilk-fried chicken and shrimp and grits to clay pot dirty rice and Filet Mignon tournedos. There’s even Best Stop boudin for a taste of Cajun country.

Palm & Pine on Rampart is a hit for its eclectic menu that blends flavors from the Southern U.S., Central America and the Caribbean. The Sunday brunch menu is equally intriguing. It changes often and seasonally, but may include highlights such as coconut pain perdu, hot sausage stuffed yuca fritters, turkey neck gumbo or wagyu steak and eggs. As always, the bar’s colorful cocktails add a creative complement to the meal.

Brunch at Mister Mao—served Saturday and Sunday—is just as eclectic as dinner, with a frequently changing menu that reflects the mashup of global flavors this spot is known for. Start with a wild cocktail or bottomless mimosas, then choose from an assortment of small plates like Kashmiri chile fried chicken, Fairy Bread with condensed milk and fruity pebbles, coffee-smothered chickpeas, San Francisco garlic noodles and more.

Flock to the fanciful Peacock Room at the Kimpton Hotel Fontenot for an indulgent brunch in visually stunning environs. Start with a refreshing cocktail and the fan favorite Peacock Tower (deviled eggs, lobster toast, shrimp, and pimento cheese crostini) then dive into brunch beauties like huevos rancheros with chorizo cured pork belly and mole verde, shrimp and grits with bacon and eggs or a C&A benedict with crab-avocado toast, poached egg, gochujang choron.

This Lower Garden District restaurant has one of the best balconies on Magazine Street, drawing crowds from all over for refined Southern classics. The brunch menu, available every day but Tuesday, includes delightful options like blueberry Bourbon French toast, a chicken gizzard omelet, and chicken biscuits with gravy. Don’t miss out on carafes of grapefruit mimosas, bloody marys, and rotating cocktails.

Atchafalaya Restaurant, housed inside a small Creole cottage in a residential Uptown neighborhood, is easy to overlook—but the bold menu says otherwise. The fried green tomatoes, cream cheese grits, and hickory smoked bacon are a great place to start, but the rest of the menu takes it up a notch (the duck hash with poached egg, chicken and andouille gumbo, and chicken and waffles are all great options). Feeling thirsty? A Bloody Mary Bar offers a range of variations on the classic brunch cocktail. Bonus points: brunch service stars on Thursdays, for those who want to get a head start on the weekend culinary festivities.

The Ruby Slipper Café has five locations in the city, which means you can enjoy their fabulous brunch pretty much wherever you’re staying. Their menu puts a New Orleans twist on breakfast and brunch favorites—the bloody Mary is one of the best in the city (yes, it features bacon), and brunch options include a lengthy list of Benedicts (cochon de lait, crawfish-and-grits, fried green tomato), sweet offerings (Bananas Foster pain perdu, stuffed French toast) and even lighter bites (a "skinny" version of their signature migas). Throw in an amazing morning cocktail list and you’ll want to linger here all day long.

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Brunch is served Friday through Sunday at The Eliza Jane hotel's French-inspired, Louisiana-accented brasserie. “Couvent” is Old French for “gathering,” and this elegant spot is perfect for an indulgent brunch with friends and family. From pain perdu and croque madame to shrimp and grits or pesto avocado toast, the France-meets-American South menu is a treat for all, paired with a lovely morning cocktail or spritz, of course.

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This cozy café on Jackson Avenue is much more than a great place to eat. Dragonfly Café is a social enterprise that supports Raphael Village, a community in the New Orleans area for individuals with exceptionalities. Members of The Guild at Raphael Village work in the kitchen, bakery and front-of-house at the café, and some of the fresh produce comes from The Guild’s garden. But back to the brunch: on weekends, enjoy bottomless mimosas, fresh-baked biscuits, amazing omelets, hearty breakfast burritos, indulgent french toast on bakery-made brioche and more. You’ll eat well while helping a worthy cause, and you might even find yourself wanting to come back for lunch.

Including an Israeli restaurant on a New Orleans brunch list may seem a little unexpected, but trust us. The hummus will make you swear off all other imposters. Just make sure to keep the pita bread coming—it’s prepared fresh-to-order in a wood-burning oven. But don’t stop there. Saba’s modern Mediterranean menu incorporates flavors from New Orleans in dishes like the grilled Louisiana shrimp with field pea tzatziki, zhoug, and dill. The shakshuka, the falafel, and any variation of items from the 'salatim' menu are to die for. The best seats are part of the living room tables or outside on the patio when the weather calls for it.