Best Brunches in New Orleans (2026)
22 places worth getting out of bed for, from jazz brunches and Creole classics to neighborhood cafés, a Honduran breakfast, and excellent biscuits.
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The best brunch in New Orleans isn't always the fanciest reservation, and it's definitely not always the place advertising the most mimosas. Sometimes it's a long, dressed-up meal with live jazz. Sometimes it's chilaquiles in Bywater, a fried chicken biscuit downtown, or the kind of breakfast that makes the rest of the day pleasantly unnecessary.
Our starting points: Atchafalaya for an all-around New Orleans brunch, Paladar 511 for a food-focused weekend reservation, and Commander's Palace when the meal is the occasion. Plenty of mornings call for a casual café instead, so this guide covers both, with the practical details spelled out: who serves on weekdays, who takes reservations, and which rooms suit a quiet meal versus a celebration.
Find your next brunch
Find your next brunch by neighborhood, then check the cards below for weekday hours, jazz and live music, walk-in cafés, or a celebration worth booking ahead.
Best Brunch in New Orleans at a Glance
| Restaurant | Area | Good for | How to plan |
|---|---|---|---|
| Atchafalaya | Irish Channel | Best all-around brunch | Reserve |
| Paladar 511 | Marigny | Food-focused weekend brunch | Reserve |
| Bearcat Café | Uptown / CBD | Mixed diets, creative breakfast | Walk-in |
| Alma Café | Mid-City | Honduran breakfast, served daily | Reserve or walk in |
| Compère Lapin | Warehouse District | Caribbean-influenced Sunday | Reserve |
| Brennan's | French Quarter | Grand breakfast any day | Reserve |
| Commander's Palace | Garden District | Jazz brunch occasion | Reserve well ahead |
| Arnaud's | French Quarter | Classic Sunday jazz brunch | Reserve |
| La Petite Grocery | Uptown | Polished Sunday brunch | Reserve |
| Café Degas | Faubourg St. John | Leisurely French bistro | Reserve |
| Toups' Meatery | Mid-City | Hearty Cajun brunch | Reserve |
| Casimiro | Bywater | Mexican breakfast | Reserve or walk in |
| Chapter IV | CBD | Weekday Creole brunch | Reserve |
| Safta's Table | Lakeview | Mediterranean family brunch | Walk-in |
| Molly's Rise and Shine | Lower Garden District | Casual creative breakfast | Walk-in |
| Willa Jean | CBD | Biscuits and pastries | Online waitlist |
| Elizabeth's | Bywater | Praline bacon and comfort food | Walk-in |
| Surrey's | Lower Garden District | Fresh juice and comfort breakfast | Walk-in |
| Toast | Fairgrounds / French Quarter | Crêpes and aebelskivers | Online waitlist |
| Mister Mao | Uptown | Shared plates, fun energy | Reserve |
| The Country Club | Bywater | Drag brunch celebration | Book the show (21+) |
| Katie's | Mid-City | Casual group brunch, bottomless deal | Reserve |
Where to Start: The Best All-Around Brunches in New Orleans
If you only have one brunch on the trip, start here. These five cover the most ground: a classic Creole meal, a food-first reservation, a crowd-pleaser for mixed diets, and two that take brunch somewhere different.
Atchafalaya
901 Louisiana Ave, New Orleans, LA 70115, USA
When the brief is simply "a really good New Orleans brunch," this is where we'd send you. The contemporary Creole cooking gives the meal a real sense of place without the formality of a grand dining room. Order the duck hash, and give the cocktail list the time it deserves. Go Sunday for live music, or pick a quieter weekday when conversation is the point. Details: Brunch Mon, Thu–Fri 9:30 a.m.–2 p.m.; Sat–Sun 9:30 a.m.–2:30 p.m.; closed Tue–Wed. Reserve; better for couples and small groups than a big, improvised party.
Paladar 511
511 Marigny St, New Orleans, LA 70117, USA
Book Paladar when the table cares more about what's on the plate than whether the drinks are bottomless. The menu runs from lamb sausage ragù with hummus and a poached egg to slow-roasted pork on a biscuit and pizza. The sweet order is the $17 lemon-ricotta pancakes; the rich one is the $23 jumbo lump crab Benedict on cornbread with jalapeño-lime hollandaise. Details: Brunch Sat–Sun 10 a.m.–2 p.m. Reserve for two to six; bigger groups should call ahead.
Bearcat Café (Uptown)
2521 Jena St, New Orleans, LA 70115, USA
Bearcat settles the vegan-versus-fried-chicken debate by splitting its menu into Good Cat and Bad Cat, and the plant-based side gets real attention. On the good side, the Vegan Bearcat ($16.50) pairs tofu scramble with crispy potatoes and black bean sausage. On the bad side, the Cat Daddy ($26) piles chicken, crawfish cream sauce, and a sunny egg onto a biscuit. Details: Uptown location. Tue–Sun, generally 8 a.m.–3 p.m.; closed Mondays. Walk-in only; parties up to six.
Bearcat Café (CBD)
845 Carondelet St, New Orleans, LA 70130, USA
The downtown Bearcat, with the same Good Cat / Bad Cat split: a genuinely plant-forward side of the menu next to biscuits, seafood, and fried chicken. Handy for a mixed-diet group near the CBD hotels. Details: CBD location. Tue–Sun, with earlier weekday closing than Uptown; closed Mondays. Walk-in only; parties up to eight. Menu can differ from Uptown.
Alma Café
301 N Carrollton Ave, New Orleans, LA 70119, USA
Chef Melissa Araujo, a two-time James Beard semifinalist, cooks the Honduran food she grew up with, and it gives brunch a different center of gravity. Build around the baleada sencilla: a house-made flour tortilla with eggs, refried beans, crema, queso fresco, and avocado. For something sweet, Melissa's pancakes come with crema fresca and strawberry jam. Details: Brunch daily 8 a.m.–3 p.m. Reserve or walk in. The original Bywater café has closed; this is the current location.
Compère Lapin
535 Tchoupitoulas St, New Orleans, LA 70130, USA
Caribbean flavors give Compère Lapin a fresh angle without making brunch feel unfamiliar. Open with biscuits, whipped ricotta, and berry jam, then choose between fried chicken with plantain waffle and spicy bacon honey ($18) and Gulf shrimp with coconut grits and sauce Creole ($21). Sorrel tea is a good nonalcoholic order. Details: Brunch Sunday only, 10:30 a.m.–2 p.m. Reserve.
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Jazz Brunch and the Classic New Orleans Occasions
These are the dining rooms people plan trips around: long menus, polished service, and in two cases live jazz. Book ahead and plan to stay a while.
Commander's Palace, Arnaud's and Brennan's are also in our guide to the classic Creole and Cajun restaurants in New Orleans, and on Thanksgiving Day several of these dining rooms serve a holiday menu; see restaurants open on Thanksgiving.
Brennan's
417 Royal St, New Orleans, LA 70130, USA
Brennan's is where breakfast becomes part of the trip. You're here for the room, the service, and the pleasure of ordering a meal that makes no attempt to be sensible. Eggs Hussarde ($27) brings coffee-cured bacon, hollandaise, and marchand de vin; eggs Sardou ($26) goes the artichoke-and-spinach route. Save room for bananas Foster. Details: Mon–Fri 9 a.m.–2 p.m.; Sat–Sun 8 a.m.–2 p.m. Reservations open 60 days out. Breakfast, not a jazz brunch, which makes it the best grand meal for a weekday.
Commander's Palace
1403 Washington Ave, New Orleans, LA 70130, USA
For a birthday, anniversary, or family trip, Commander's gives you the whole production: a proper dining room, live jazz, several courses, and full permission to linger. The entrée price covers starter, entrée, and dessert, with options like cochon de lait eggs Benedict ($46) and eggs Sardou ($48). Turtle soup is the classic starter; the bread pudding soufflé costs extra and is worth ordering ahead. Details: Jazz brunch Sat 11 a.m.–2 p.m., Sun 10 a.m.–2 p.m. Reserve well ahead. Dress code: collared shirt and closed-toe shoes for men, no shorts or T-shirts.
Arnaud's
813 Bienville St, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA
Arnaud's is shrimp rémoulade, eggs Sardou, and dessert with Dixieland in the background, not a plate of eggs on the way out of town. Prices cover the full brunch: eggs Arnaud ($40) lets you choose two poached-egg preparations, grillades and grits run $44, and crab cakes $49. Bananas Foster for two carries a per-person supplement. Details: Jazz brunch Sunday 10 a.m.–1:30 p.m. Book the Sunday jazz brunch specifically; the French 75 Bar and Jazz Bistro are separate.
La Petite Grocery
4238 Magazine St, New Orleans, LA 70115, USA
A lovely middle ground between the grand occasion rooms and the casual cafés. The blue crab beignets ($21) are the table opener. From there, choose between brioche pain perdu with lemon mousse and cane syrup, a blue crab and Brie melt, or blue crab Benedict on cornbread. Details: Brunch Sunday only, 10:30 a.m.–2:30 p.m. Reserve. Saturday daytime service is lunch, not brunch.
Neighborhood Brunch Spots Worth Crossing Town For
None of these are in the French Quarter, and that's part of the appeal. Each one is worth the drive for a specific kind of meal.
Café Degas
3127 Esplanade Ave, New Orleans, LA 70119, USA
Café Degas is a brunch for good food and the person across the table. The dining room is built around a tree growing up through it, and Esplanade gives the whole thing a gentler rhythm than the Quarter. Order the crawfish, spinach, and Swiss quiche, eggs Benedict, mussels and fries, French onion soup, or grillades and grits. Details: Brunch Sat–Sun 10:30 a.m.–3 p.m. Reserve for a date or a small group, and leave the afternoon open.
Toups' Meatery
845 N Carrollton Ave, New Orleans, LA 70119, USA
Toups' is built for house-made meats, rich sauces, and sharing. Get the Meatery Board ($35) for the table. For mains, the lamb neck Benedict on sweet corn cake ($38) or duck chilaquiles ($36) carries the meal; the pork belly breakfast sandwich is less elaborate, but hardly timid. Details: Brunch Sat 11 a.m.–3 p.m.; Sun 10 a.m.–3 p.m. Reserve, and bring a hungry table.
Casimiro
800 Louisa St, New Orleans, LA 70117, USA
Sisters Ana and Lydia Castro, the team behind Acamaya a block away, bring a Mexico City sensibility to breakfast here. Chilaquiles ($16), red or green, and huevos divorciados ($16) are the core orders. Split a mushroom tetela; the pork milanesa torta pushes things closer to lunch. Details: Thu–Mon 9 a.m.–3 p.m.; closed Tue–Wed. Reserve if you're crossing town, though some seats are held for walk-ins.
Chapter IV
1301 Gravier St, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA
Chef Edgar "Dook" Chase IV, grandson of Leah Chase, treats brunch as a proper Creole restaurant meal rather than a compromise. The oyster Benedict ($24) puts fried Louisiana oysters, spinach, and hollandaise on a biscuit. The barbecue shrimp omelet ($22) is another strong route, and fish and grits comes with catfish and crawfish-and-andouille maque choux. Details: Mon–Fri 9 a.m.–3 p.m.; Sat 10 a.m.–3 p.m.; Sun 9 a.m.–3 p.m. Reserve. One of the best weekday options downtown.
Safta's Table
129 Allen Toussaint Blvd Suite 103, New Orleans, LA 70124, USA
Chef Alon Shaya's casual Lakeview café, from the team behind Saba, is a welcome break from fried seafood and rich sauces. Turkish-style eggs ($12) come with garlic labneh, harissa butter, dill, and pita; breakfast hummus ($12) adds a poached egg, tomato, and zhoug. Share the spinach-and-feta boreka and try the halvah latte. A kids' menu keeps it easy for families. Details: Brunch Sat–Sun 9 a.m.–2 p.m. Patio and counter seating is walk-in, with free parking on site.
Casual Breakfast Spots in New Orleans
No dress code, mostly no reservations, and often the better call on a weekday. Expect a wait on weekend mornings.
If a sandwich sounds better than eggs, our guide to the best po'boys in New Orleans covers the lunch counters.
Molly's Rise and Shine
2368 Magazine St, New Orleans, LA 70130, USA
Molly's playful, nostalgic room suits a menu that can be filling or surprising. The Grand Slam McMuffin stacks sausage, hash brown, onion, and American cheese, while roasted-carrot yogurt is the curveball, proof that a great breakfast doesn't have to revolve around eggs. Details: Wed–Mon 8 a.m.–2 p.m.; closed Tuesday. Walk-in; better for a relaxed morning than a big group.
Willa Jean
611 O'Keefe Ave, New Orleans, LA 70113, USA
When half the table wants a full breakfast and the rest want pastries and coffee, Willa Jean handles both. The biscuits are the reason to come: the fried chicken biscuit with Tabasco honey and the bacon-egg-pimento biscuit are both $14, and the hangover bowl ($25) layers short rib debris, grits, potatoes, and egg. Details: Daily 7 a.m.–3 p.m. Join the online waitlist; the early daily opening makes it an easy weekday fallback.
Elizabeth's
601 Gallier St, New Orleans, LA 70117, USA
Order praline bacon for the table before anything else. Weekend brunch adds a duck waffle with sweet potato and duck hash, fried catfish and eggs, and fried green tomatoes with poached eggs. For something sweet beyond pancakes, get the calas, traditional New Orleans rice fritters. Details: Daily 8 a.m.–2:30 p.m.; brunch menu Sat–Sun. Weekend brunch is walk-in, and the weekday menu isn't identical.
Surrey's
1418 Magazine St, New Orleans, LA 70130, USA
Surrey's has been squeezing juice on Magazine since 2001, making it the city's oldest organic juice bar, and the juice menu is still a real draw. The bananas Foster French toast ($16) is stuffed with banana cream cheese; on the savory side there's shrimp and grits, a crabmeat omelet, migas, and a tofu breakfast bowl. Details: Thu–Mon 8 a.m.–3 p.m.; closed Tue–Wed. No reservations; first come, first served.
Toast (Fairgrounds)
1845 Gentilly Blvd, New Orleans, LA 70119, USA
Crêpes, omelets, French toast, and breakfast plates cover nearly every appetite, which makes Toast an easy family pick. The signature is aebelskivers, Danish-style puffed pancakes with a choice of sauce, from lemon curd to Nutella. Get an order for the table and pair it with a savory crêpe or eggs. Details: Fairgrounds location. Mon–Fri 6:30 a.m.–2 p.m.; Sat–Sun 8 a.m.–2 p.m. No reservations; join the location's online waitlist.
Toast (French Quarter)
1035 Decatur St, New Orleans, LA 70116, USA
The French Quarter outpost of Toast (signed as French Toast), with the same crêpes, omelets, and aebelskivers plus stuffed French toasts. A reliable breakfast a few blocks from the Quarter's busier brunch lines. Details: French Quarter location. Daily 8 a.m.–3 p.m. No reservations; join the location's online waitlist.
Drag Brunch, Bottomless Brunch, and Brunches With More Energy
For birthdays, reunions, and groups who want the brunch to be the event. Book these, and book early.
Katie's is also our Endymion-day pick for mixed groups in our Mardi Gras restaurants and bars guide.
Mister Mao
4501 Tchoupitoulas St, New Orleans, LA 70115, USA
Mister Mao's globally inspired, changing menu keeps brunch from feeling like a pared-down dinner. Past dishes have included Kashmiri chile fried chicken, pork lumpia, pani puri, and Gulf shrimp dumplings. Plates come out as they're ready, so plan on two or three per person and order for the table. Details: Brunch Sat–Sun 11 a.m.–2 p.m. Reserve. Bottomless mimosas run $35 for two hours, but the shared food is the draw.
The Country Club
634 Louisa St, New Orleans, LA 70117, USA
Book this when the show is part of the point: birthdays, reunions, and groups who want entertainment with the meal. The menu runs to boudin boulettes, fried green tomatoes, and crab cakes with eggs. It's an experience-first brunch rather than a quiet, food-led one, and that's exactly why people go. Details: Drag brunch Sat–Sun, seatings at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m.; 21+. Book a specific seating; they can fill months ahead. Pool access is a separate booking.
Katie's
3701 Iberville St, New Orleans, LA 70119, USA
Katie's has been a Mid-City neighborhood restaurant since 1984, and brunch here is generous Creole comfort food without any special-occasion formality. Get the crawfish beignets for the table. The $25 bottomless deal covers mimosas, Bloody Marys, and sangria, which makes it an easy, affordable celebration with friends. Details: Brunch Sat–Sun from 11 a.m. Reservations available; the patio is a good weekend call.
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