Best Breakfast and Brunch Places in Jefferson

"Commander's Palace has been around since the late 1800s, but under Ella Brennan’s leadership starting in the 1970s, the restaurant essentially redefined New Orleans cuisine and catapulted into stardom with the help of celeb chefs Paul Prudhomme and Emeril Lagasse. Today, the menu and service are top notch with James Beard Award-winning chef Tory McPhail leading the kitchen and Ti Martin and Lally Brennan running the show. Go for lunch and make sure to end the meal with the bread pudding soufflé and whiskey sauce."

"Commander’s Palace is a dapper host who wows with white-linen dining rooms, decadent dishes and attentive Southern hospitality. The nouveau Creole menu shifts, running from crispy oysters with brie-cauliflower... Louisianan in Mid-City, Bayou St John & City Park"

"A favorite for visitors and locals alike, Commander's Palace is a New Orleans landmark known for its award-winning Creole fare and elegant jazz brunch. MoreCallReserveStart Your ReservationWebsite"

"Start your day at Willa Jean, a sleek and bright bakery cafe in the heart of some of the city’s latest developments. While you’re there you will appreciate the new construction that is transforming this district of New Orleans. A Morris Adjmi luxury apartment building is coming up down the street and the restaurant itself sits on the bottom floor of a new residential project."

"Central Business District's Willa Jean, located at 611 O'Keefe Ave., is another top choice, with Yelpers giving the bakery, breakfast and brunch and Southern spot 4.5 stars out of 1,353 reviews."

"Starting out in Mid-City in 2008, The Ruby Slipper Café has grown to five locations in the city. But the expansion has not diluted the genius menu that puts a New Orleans twist on breakfast and brunch faves. The bloody Mary is one of the best in the city (yes, there's bacon), and the innovative menu features 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 offerings (a "skinny" version of their signature migas)."

"What you're getting: Chicken St. Charles Though the Ruby Slipper has multiple locations around town, it’s best to hit up the Mid City original for a morning meal of fried chicken. Served over a biscuit and topped with poached eggs, the Chicken St. Charles is brought together by a creamy pork tasso sauce. And if that alone doesn’t do it for you, pair it with one of the six other eggs Benedict variations on the menu for just $15."

"Firstly, the Brunch that was born in New Orleans – The Ruby Slipper Cafe. The first Ruby Slipper location opened in mid-city New Orleans in 2008. The Ruby Slipper started as a cozy and familial place where you could get a hot and tasty New Orleans Breakfast."

"You know an Ace Hotel isn’t going to mess around when it comes to dining, and that’s surely the case with Josephine Estelle’s entry into the NOLA dining scene. The pasta list alone is something of a marvel, with entries ranging from a killer bucatini amatriciana and short rib fusilli with mushroom and taleggio cheese, to gemelli with duck confit. The simple canestri cacio e pepe will make you weep for your gluten-free friends."

"Ace Hotel stands in the Warehouse District, where you can check out Alto, the hotel’s rooftop garden. Get a mix of seasonal cocktails, wines, craft beers, frozen drinks and rotating on-tap specials at Alto’s bar. Poolside dining includes a selection of Italian-inspired small plates for any growing appetites."

"Pastry chef Breanne Kostyk, formerly of Northshore eatery Oxlot 9, turns out incredible seasonal desserts from fruity tarts to crostatas, with a slew of inspired cheese platings and an affogato to boot at this chic Warehouse District osteria."

"Open since 1984, this Mid-City neighborhood fixture was nearly wiped out by Hurricane Katrina, when 7 feet of water wiped out most of the inside. Hard work and dedication got the restaurant back and better than ever, and it reopened in 2010 with a marker out front showing the high-water mark. Inside, Creole-Italian dishes like a gooey three-cheese crawfish beignet keep the locals returning."

"A well-known Sunday brunch spot, Katie’s is a corner restaurant that opened in 1984 in the Mid City neighbourhood of New Orleans. Favourite brunch menu items include lemon ricotta pancakes and veal grillades and grits, and diners can sip on bottomless sangria, mimosas, or bloody Marys. Katie’s closed briefly following Hurricane Katrina, but reopened in 2010 and is now better than ever."

"Katie’s first opened its doors in 1984 as a family-owned and operated corner lunch hot spot founded by former oil man Leo Leininger, who named the restaurant after his mother. It changed hands in 1993 when the Craig family – mother Mary and sons Scot and David – purchased it. The restaurant was a neighborhood icon until it was devastated by Hurricane Katrina."

"Like its sister Bearcat uptown, Bearcat CBD offers a menu of wholesome goodness for “Good Cat” (e.g., the savory Ranchero with vegan black beans, cashew crema, ranchero sauce, pico and avocado) and “Bad Cat” (country fried steak on Texas toast) cravings. There is more on offer downtown, however, including a contemporary rear patio fit for the pages of Dwell magazine. According to general manager Michael Matthews, Bearcat’s outdoor space has been a work in progress since the restaurant opened in December 2019."

"The team at Warehouse District food hall Auction House has an on-trend new cocktail menu for summer, offering a Kalimotxo that marries the traditional Basque punch and a Whiskey Sour; a Barcelona style G&T with gin, El Guapo tonic, thyme, clove, house tincture, and grapefruit; and the cloudy Pau Hana, made with rum, manzanilla sherry, lime, banana and pimento dram. The bright, plant-filled space makes for a nice setting to sip drinks, and there’s are new happy hour specials weekdays from 4 to 7 p.m."

"I've enjoyed everything from the Yum Woon Sen Noodles at Long Chim Thai Street Food to a Bibimbap Salad at Happy Jaxx to empanadas from Empanola Empanadas at Auction House Market ... all super delicious!"

"Almost across the street from Willa Jean is The Daily Beet, and we also stopped in here twice for a quick breakfast. Not Creole or Cajun, but if you’re in this area and looking for a healthy cafe serving salads, grain bowls, cold-pressed juices, and smoothies check this place out."

"1000 Girod St., (504) 605-4413; St. Roch Market, 2381 St. Claude Ave.; www.thedailybeetnola.com. An Acai breakfast bowl includes acai, fruit, almond milk, granola, coconut flakes, goji berries and honey."

"They make fresh, cold-pressed juices and smoothies daily as well as grain bowls and toasts with creative toppings. Try the Beet Benedict toast which features avocado, miso-beet hollandaise and spinach."

"New Orleans (well, old Metairie), now has an outpost of the Houston-based Shipley’s Do-nuts, best known for its yeast doughnuts, cake doughnuts, filled doughnuts, and kolaches (like the “Big Earl,” Earl Campbell sausage, cheese and jalapeño). Its doughnuts are mostly straightforward and toping-less, and classically good."

"Clearview Parkway, Suite D, Jefferson, (504) 605-7944; 2209 Magazine St., (504) 570-6945; 5637 Magazine St., (504) 313-1316; www.districtdonuts.com. Creative doughnut flavors include hibiscus, lemon icebox, red velvet, white chocolate-strawberry-Champagne, strawberry cheesecake, Chocolate milk and cookie dough."

"Funfetti, strawberry cheesecake, piña colada, coconut cream, or dark chocolate orange donuts the size of your face. District Donuts is the best, enough said."

"Opened in 2011 by three NOPD officers, this bright blue building on Canal Street sells out more days than not, thanks in no small part to its signature maple bacon long john doughnut. The cops are gone now — they sold to a baker in 2017, but all doughnuts are still made by hand at Blue Dot Donuts, a point of pride for this busy shop. Get there early, and on the weekends, expect a line."

"Over in Mid-City, Blue Dot Donuts features a wide assortment of freshly made glazed, filled, cake, buttermilk and specialty doughnuts. The shop at 4301 Canal St. has earned four stars out of 181 reviews on Yelp. Look for raspberry doughnuts topped with powdered sugar, chocolate iced with coconut, Bavarian cream and an assortment of doughnut holes."

"611 O’Keefe Ave., (504) 323-4259; 5001 Freret St., (504) 603-3085; www.blazepizza.com. The build-your-own-pie format allows diners to choose sauces (tomato, spicy tomato, garlic-pesto or cream sauce), cheeses (mozzarella, feta or Gorgonzola), meats, vegetables and more."

"For your pizza pleasure, we recommend the Veg Out, topped with zucchini, mushrooms, red onion, and red sauce dollops. And you can get vegan cheese at no extra cost!"

"1009 Poydras St., (504) 309-6530; Clearview Mall, 4436 Veterans Memorial Blvd., Metairie, (504) 273-1233; 69796 Stirling Blvd., Covington, (985) 900-2234; www.walk-ons.com. Bayou pasta features fried shrimp over linguine with crawfish cream sauce, green onions and garlic bread."