Brunch in New Orleans: Jazz, Eggs Sardou and Courtyards

Brunch in New Orleans is a full ritual: a long table, a jazz trio, eggs with Creole sauces and a dessert set on fire at the end. The city has a claim to having invented the modern jazz brunch, and a Garden District fine dining room is often credited with it.

Dress smart casual in traditional rooms, and book early for the best-known restaurants, which can fill well ahead.

Two famous Garden District and French Quarter dining rooms come up most, and the tradition runs from poached egg dishes to bananas Foster. Restaurants add live music, so ask for a table near the band when you book, and allow two hours for the meal.

What makes brunch in New Orleans special?

The city's brunch grew out of a Creole habit of long late-morning meals. Restaurants add live music, courtyards with fountains and menus built around eggs, seafood and rich sauces. Dress is smart casual at the traditional rooms, and a jacket or a nice dress is not out of place.

Unlike brunch in many cities, a New Orleans brunch can take two hours. The pace is slow, and servers expect you to linger over a second drink and dessert.

What is the Sunday jazz brunch tradition?

The jazz brunch grew out of the Sunday post-church crowd and a trio strolling through the dining rooms, and it has become the city's signature way to spend a Sunday.

Old-line dining rooms host a longstanding Sunday jazz brunch, and bistros often have live music too, so ask when you book. Each room has its own mood, so choose by the setting you prefer: formal, courtyard or bistro.

Where can you eat eggs Sardou?

Eggs Sardou is poached eggs on artichoke bottoms with creamed spinach and hollandaise. The dish is named for Victorien Sardou, a French dramatist who was a guest in New Orleans when it was invented. Creole brunch menus in the French Quarter list eggs Sardou and eggs benedict, along with crawfish omelets.

If you only order one dish, this is the one that sums up the style. It is rich and elegant, and it pairs well with coffee or a Bloody Mary. If you prefer something lighter, a crab or shrimp dish with a tomato sauce or a plate of grillades and grits is a good alternative.

What is Bananas Foster?

Bananas Foster is a dessert of bananas cooked in butter, brown sugar, cinnamon and rum, flambeed at the table and served over vanilla ice cream. It was created in New Orleans, and a French Quarter restaurant calls it its signature dessert.

The flames are part of the show, so ask your server whether it is prepared at the table. It is an easy dish to share.

Where can you find a courtyard brunch?

Some French Quarter courtyards serve brunch every day of the week, buffet-style. A courtyard table is the classic setting, with brick walls, ferns and a fountain.

Courtyards fill quickly on pleasant days, so book. In summer, ask about fans or an indoor table.

Do you need New Orleans brunch reservations?

For the best-known rooms, yes. The fine dining rooms ask for reservations booked well ahead, and the other classic brunch restaurants are busy on weekends. Walk-ins are possible at casual cafes, but expect a line.

Check each restaurant's policy and any dress code. For large groups, call. For a last-minute plan, try a bar seat or a weekday.

What else is on a Creole brunch menu?

Beyond eggs, look for turtle soup, gumbo, shrimp remoulade, grillades and grits, bread pudding and pecan pie. Many menus include a three-course option that bundles an appetizer, a main and a dessert, and some restaurants offer a milk punch, made with milk, bourbon and vanilla. It is a regional specialty and works well as a dessert in a glass.

If you are new to Creole cooking, ask the server to explain the sauces. Creole food is based on French technique, with tomatoes, peppers and herbs from the local tradition, and the vocabulary is part of the fun. Ask which dishes are made in house, and whether the kitchen has a daily special that is not printed on the menu.

What are the cheaper alternatives?

Not every brunch needs a tablecloth. Cafes in the Bywater, Magazine Street and the Marigny offer eggs, grits, pancakes and po-boys at a more casual pace. See the Magazine Street restaurants guide and the Bywater guide for neighborhood options.

A coffee and a beignet at a cafe is a light alternative. Order a plate to share and take the leftovers with you.

What else should you eat in the city?

Brunch is the middle of a food day in New Orleans. For raw and chargrilled shellfish, see best oysters in New Orleans, and for the historic market, the French Market guide. The US guides page lists more.

A long brunch deserves a record. In the Mosey app you can rate each dish, write down who played and what you ordered and build a New Orleans brunch list for friends, with a tag for the courtyard or the band.