Best Breakfast and Brunch Places in Bywater

"GQ's Golden Dish Award for Eggs Sardou, Commander’s Palace’s legacy speaks for itself. Located in the Garden District, Commander’s Palace is thought to be the original spot for a jazz brunch and patio dining. For contemporary Louisiana food and alfresco dining, look no further than Commander’s Palace."

"Since 1880, Commander’s Palace has been a hot spot in the Garden District winning numerous awards. Customers come back again and again for the award winning food and welcoming atmosphere of this place filled with history. This venue is more than a restaurant, it is a landmark."

"Managed by the renowned Besh Restaurant Group and helmed by James Beard-nominated pastry chef Kelly Fields, Willa Jean is a modern bakery and kitchen crafting Southern comfort food in an urban-chic environment. The stylish restaurant serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner along with freshly baked pastries and sweet treats, which are perfectly paired with signature Willa Jean blend Intelligentsia Coffee and specialty coffee drinks. Tuck into creative breakfast and brunch dishes of crawfish and grits with poached eggs and cheddar biscuits, biscuits with gravy, fried eggs, and pimiento cheese, and griddled banana bread."

"If you’re in the South Market District then look no further than Willa Jean for your holiday grab and go’s. Assorted pastries and holiday pies like chocolate bourbon pecan plus a menu of savory items round out this year’s offerings. Take the baking stress away and order online today."

"A post shared by The Ruby Slipper Cafe (@rubyslippercafe) on Jan 5, 2018 at 11:51am PST. A breakfast hot spot, The Ruby Slipper Café provides a cheery atmosphere with fluffy omelettes and tasty Southern brunch fare. The kid’s menu is small but hearty, offering enticing choices such as French toast sticks tossed in sweet cinnamon sugar, buttermilk or cinnamon swirl pancakes, and even watermelon-flavoured pancakes that’ll blow kids minds!"

"Click your heels three times, and you’ll end up at the Ruby Slipper Cafe on the edge of the Garden District. Wake up, and rally at this boozy brunch spot, with a little vodka in your iced coffee or a little OJ in your mimosa. Go ahead, and order another round while you snack on pig candy bacon bites – your bananas foster pain perdu and crawfish & grits benedict will help you sober up."

"This place is popular, so much so that there is a wait as soon as it opens - I think it opens at 7 AM."

"Opened in 2016 in the grand, Art Deco auspices of the Ace Hotel in the trendy Warehouse District, Josephine Estelle might be the epitome of New Italian in New Orleans. The osteria from James Beard Award-nominated chefs Andy Ticer and Michael Hudman mingles the Southern upbringing of the chefs with their Italian backgrounds. The result consists of modern interpretations of classic recipes featuring seasonal, local ingredients, and homemade pastas, including a ravioli with crab meat, green garlic, basil, and ricotta or a pork porterhouse with pistachio, brown butter, coriander and vignole."

"The brainchild of Andy Ticer and Michael Hudman, Josephine Estelle fuses some of the best nuances of Italian cuisine with the distinct flavors of the cuisine of the American South..."

"Ace Hotel, 600 Carondelet St., (504) 930-3070; www.josephineestelle.com. Fried Brussels sprouts salad includes lima beans, golden raisins and yogurt. Reservations accepted."

"A photo posted by Scott Chung (@schunghj) on Mar 16, 2015 at 4:58am PDT. Claim to fame: Barge sandwich, cajun pork pizza. If the thought of a sandwich stacked with mounds of freshly caught seafood, and cajun pork pizza aren’t making your mouth water, I don’t know what will."

"There’s a time when you have to let the menu sing for itself. That’s the case with Katie’s. The lemon ricotta pancakes feature three large buttermilk pancakes that are packed with ricotta cheese and lemon zest."

"A favorite with the locals, this eatery is the perfect spot to spend a leisurely morning. Beverage selections include a variety of fruit and vegetable juices to Abita root beer to organic coffee. Menu favorites include the muffuletta, filled with ham, cheese, salami, and olive salad, and the huevos rancheros, comprised of chilies, black beans, egg and tortillas in mole sauce."

"Savory eats fill the menu at this cafe with two Magazine Street locations spanning Uptown and the Lower Garden District. Surrey’s boasts favorites such as Shrimp and Grits and Bananas Foster French Toast. For health-conscious diners, the spot offers fresh squeezed organic juices, gluten-free selections and vegan options."

"With a loyal following for its fresh-squeezed juices, this popular breakfast spot also packs ’em in with Latin-flavored egg dishes and Crescent City classics (shrimp and grits, pain perdu). Guy got hands-on with the lox and bagels, which like the biscuits and buns, are made from scratch."

"Set in a quaint corner bungalow on Dauphine Street, Horn's Eatery and Catering is a friendly neighborhood café with lovely sidewalk seating, and they serve hearty Southern fare in a warm and welcoming atmosphere. Packed with regulars and newcomers alike, the restaurant is a bustling breakfast spot with a menu of classic and traditional food such as fluffy three-egg omelets with different fillings, egg scrambles, grits and étouffée, carrot waffles, and waffle couchons. Signature dishes include the Jewish Coonass with two potato latkes, two eggs, and freshly grilled spinach topped with crawfish étouffée and a homemade biscuit, and the Havana Omelet with seasoned black beans, salsa, and cheddar cheese."

"Greasy spoon meets wood panelling at the Marigny's 24 hour breakfast and fried foods mecca founded in 1981 and seemingly (perfectly) never updated, except for new table cloths. Not the cheapest on the list, but affordable still. The biscuits and gravy will only set you back $3.95, but most dishes you're aiming toward $10, give or take."

"A solid spot for Cajun and southern dishes, Eat serves chef Jarred Zeringue’s take on hogs head cheese with andouille chips, crawfish pie, gumbo, blackened catfish, deviled eggs, and barbecue shrimp. Open for lunch and dinner most weekdays, with brunch served on Saturdays and Sundays."

"Smoked chicken salad is made with spring greens, boiled egg, avocado, Wayne Jacob’s Smokehouse bacon, blue cheese and blue cheese dressing. Reservations recommended. Dinner Tue.-Sat., brunch Fri-Sun."

"If your picnic plans bring you to fabulous City Park, this local cafe is an excellent place to grab some takeout. It’s only a hop, skip, and a jump away and offers various delicious sandwiches, paninis, po-boys, salads, and more. Plus, if you plan to bring your pup along with you to the park, there’s a pet-friendly patio where you can sit while you wait for your order."

"A back house on a quiet Central City block just steps from both tourist-friendly St. Charles Avenue and the up-and-coming Oretha Castle Haley strip is where you’ll find one of the best breakfasts in the city too few people are talking about—the smothered liver with onions and grits special here will put you under the table, and you won’t mind in the slightest. The omelets are also standout and fried grits cakes with a light creamy shrimp sauce may be your new favorite thing."

"Named for the beloved New Orleanean gospel singer, the jewel of Armstrong Park was decimated in Katrina and subsequently refurbished into a state-of-the-art facility. The inaugural performance of Giuseppe Verdi's Messa di Requiem established a roster a of stellar lineups, ranging from Broadway shows and the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra to the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra and the New Orleans Ballet Association. Catch programmes such as Shostakovich, La Bohème and comedian Aziz Ansari this spring."

"The Mahalia Jackson Theater of the Performing Arts is a theater located in Louis Armstrong Park and named after gospel singer Mahalia Jackson, who was born in New Orleans. It originally opened in 1973 as the New Orleans Theater of the Performing Arts and then was renamed after Jackson in 1993. The theater was badly damaged during Hurricane Katrina but reopened in January 2009."

"The theatre was originally built in 1906 and completely renovated in 2011. The venue is now used for concerts, plays, films, corporate events, and private parties."

"Established in the French Quarter as an “atmospheric” movie theatre in 1927, the Saenger Theatre fell on hard times by the 1960s and was renovated as a performing arts venue in the late-1970s. Katrina hit the Saenger Theatre hard, but fortunately the building was in the middle of restoration so many of its fittings had been removed as the waterline was above stage level. This brought on another phase of restoration that continued right up until Jerry Seinfeld took the stage for three nights in September 2013."

"With decorative moldings and ornate archways, the interior of the Saenger Theatre replicates that of a grand Italian courtyard, complete with a starry sky ceiling. Having been devastated by Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the theatre underwent a huge restoration project and reopened in 2013 to offer a bustling schedule of live music, lectures, comedy, and more."

"The historic Saenger Theatre in New Orleans is one of the Gulf Coast’s premier live entertainment venues. Heavily damaged by Hurricane Katrina, the ‘Grand Dame of the South’ reopened its doors in September 2013 after an extensive restoration. The 1927 design lives on in this iconic live performance venue."

"A falafel plate includes Spanish garlic and tahini sauce, couscous salad, greens, pickled cucumbers, cabbage, red onions, hummus and house-baked bread."

"Lilette is a decadent French restaurant situated on Magazine Street. Stellar cuisine from chef John Harris and a hip cocktail bar make this a sexy destination for foodies of all ages. Tempting bites like truffle Parmigiano t with wild mushrooms and marrow and grilled herbed squab with chanterelles line the menu."

"(Uptown, French, $$$) Hanger steak was on point, Manhattan and Old Fashioned were perfect, and our waitress/bartender was friendly and genuinely answered our questions."

"It’s a stretch of road spanning three blocks located in the famous Faubourg Marigny in New Orleans. It has a reputation for being a must-do for music lovers thanks to its unofficial status as the greatest location in the city for live music. As you stroll through the street, you’ll be treated to the sight of delightfully cultural shops, charming old-fashioned cottages of a Creole style, and all the fun of a standard tourist location without the crowded state of Bourbon Street."

"Experience Live Jazz on Frenchmen Street End your night on Frenchmen Street, one of the best spots to hang out in New Orleans. Almost every local we talked to told us to head over to Frenchmen for tons of options for live jazz music every night. We were even told by a local that Frenchmen was what Bourbon Street used to be like before it became the big neon party destination it is now for tourists."

"Take your pick for nightlife: Bourbon Street or Frenchmen Street. New Orleans is famous for its nightlife, and no New Orleans itinerary would be complete without including it: this isn’t a place to call it quits and head back to the hotel after dinner."

"The French Market is a six-block-long bustling, open-air shopping center that can hold as many as 220 vendors on a busy day. You can shop for local art, t-shirts and hats and all things Mardi Gras while enjoying New Orleans street music and the aroma of fresh gumbo and jambalaya from the food stalls. The market has a ton of history, having existed on the same piece of land for more than 200 years."

"Wandering through the stalls and shops of the French Market is easily one of the best things to do in New Orleans if those beignets haven’t filled you up. It’s filled with foodie joints and little stalls. Running parallel to the Mississippi River, the French Market is awash with plenty of treats and trinkets to try."

"Address: 700-1010 Decatur StreetNew Orleans, LA 70130Phone: (504) 636-6400Website. French Market is a popular open-air market and food hall in New Orleans. The space has permanent food stalls serving local étouffée, char-broiled oysters, crawfish, and more."