Best Breakfast and Brunch Places in Westwego

"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."

"Garden District Not all classic New Orleans restaurants live in the French Quarter. Uptown in the Garden District, right across from Lafayette Cemetery No.1, is the famous Commander’s Palace. You might recognize the former head chef’s name: Emeril Lagasse, who helmed the Palace’s kitchen in the '80s, long before “Bam!"

"Run by Pastry Chef Kelly Fields of Besh Restaurant Group and Pastry Chef Lisa White, Willa Jean is a retro-chick cafe and restaurant serving Southern-contemporary fare, baked goods, freshly brewed coffee, and specialty cocktails. This brick-walled hotspot, opening its doors at 7 a.m. every day, is ideal for those looking to experience flavors that are indigenous to the Port City."

"Breakfast service done well is a cheerful, life-affirming start to the day, and Willa Jean does it with aplomb. Coffees (New Orleans is a great coffee city) are topped, even water is delivered with gusto. There's a range of decadence happening across the main food menu."

"With an elegant approach to classic Southern food, Willa Jean takes that same “elegant fusion” approach to their breakfast food, which includes a griddled banana bread, an artichok..."

"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."

"Service was great.The wait was long, as the location was very popular.My friend and I got two of their signature dishes according to the menu, the Sweet ..."

"600 Carondelet St | Warehouse District | josephineestelle.com. Italian culture has always been consistent when it comes to one thing in particular: the love that they have for their families. Think about every movie you’ve ever seen that features a big Italian family and what the common tropes you saw across each one were, and what do you see?"

"European-style attention to detail applied to full-flavored Southern-style ingredients results in an innovative culinary experience at Josephine Estelle, which serves some of the b..."

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

"Breaking out of his po’boy rut, Guy next hit this popular Mid-City spot for…another sandwich. But The Barge is more than a mere sandwich: We’re talking a three-foot loaf slathered with Tabasco mayo and loaded with fried shrimp, oysters and catfish. Still, he made room for a cochon de lait pizza."

"Known for its pasta, po'boys and pizza, Katie’s also makes a unique savory beignet that keeps people coming back for more. Katie's Taeyo's seafood beignet is a flavorful mix of shrimp, crawfish, onions, mozzarella, cheddar and jalapenos, served with a jalapeno aioli that adds even more spice."

"Lively neighborhood spot for Creole-Italian fare like pizza & po' boys, plus a busy weekend brunch. Reservations required. Open for breakfast, lunch and dinnerDress code: CasualPhone: +1 504-488-6582"

"3325 St. Claude Ave., (504) 459-4571; www.pollysbywatercafe.com. Corned beef hash is topped with two eggs and served with a biscuit."

"440 Chartres St., (504) 524-8990; www.originalpierremasperos.com. A seafood pistolette is filled with crawfish, Gulf shrimp, bell peppers and onions in creamy cheese sauce and topped with Parmesan."

"The Bearcat Cafe in Uptown lets you decide by indicating healthy or less healthy items on the menu. This modern sit-down cafe offers an array of fresh breakfast and lunch options. There are also selections of coffees from Equator Coffee Co, a wide variety of loose-leaf teas, and house-made bottled beverages."

"900 Royal St., (504) 412-8065; www.cafeamelie.com/petite-amelie. A garlic chicken sandwich is topped with warm garlic sauce, greens and rosemary mayonnaise on ciabatta."

"The humblest of places, located in an Uptown residential neighborhood where it is joyfully misplaced, in addition to chips, candy, booze and cigarettes, exceptional poor boys (try the Korean BBQ pork) and amazing Vietnamese food are on offer. Try the pork sliders on steamed buns, a killer bargain (4 for 7.99). 7446 Garfield St., 866-4741, singletonspoboys.com."

"This breakfast and lunch spot is a local favorite on Magazine Street. Slim Goodies serves classic comfort food with bold twists, all made with fresh ingredients (and lots of love). Everyone loves the slammers: hash browns slathered in something delicious – think crawfish étouffée or chili with bacon and cheddar cheese – but the sweet potato pancakes are not to be missed."

"Ten years old and going strong, Magazine Street's quirky, always-slammed early morning to lunch time diner, is known for their Slammer options, a hangover-helper made with hashbrowns and scrambles of various sort (eggs, chili, tofu, what have you). There is also a potato latke/crawfish etouffee dish called the Jewish Coonass, not PC, but a fan favorite."

"Slim Goodies Diner is a dive-y diner located in the Garden District/Irish Channel portion of Magazine Street in New Orleans. The venue has a retro feel with the old Coke signs, red leather booths and counter stools. Breakfast/brunch is the specialty here, and waits can be long if you come at peak times, say around 10 am."

"Atelier Vie is a craft distillery that produces a hefty lineup of spirits including Euphrosine Gin #9 Bottled in Bond; a standard version of Euphrosine; and a nine-month, barrel-aged version called Barrel-Finished Reserve. The Atelier Vie lineup also includes Louisiana Single Malt; Riz, a Louisiana rice whiskey; Calio Rum and Barrel Aged Calio Rum; Orphan Street Brandy and Orphan Street Brandy “El Jefe” Edition; Toulouse Green, a traditional-style absinthe distilled with Louisiana wormwood; and Toulouse Red, an American absinthe colored red with hibiscus. Atelier Vie also bottles Buck 25 Vodka and Orphan Street Bourbon."

"Founded in 2011, Atelier Vie produces vodka, gin, whiskey and even absinthe, from its South Broad Street location in Mid-City New Orleans.Atelier Vie’s two varieties of absinthe include the traditional green absinthe and a red version colored and flavored with hibiscus flowers. Try: Louisiana Single Malt Whiskey, Calio Rum, Orphan Street Brandy, and Euphrosine Gin, which took the Gold Medal at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition."

"Located in the historic Gem Theater—one of only two remaining African American movie theaters still standing in the city—Zony Mash Beer Project is both a brewery and an entertainment space. Named after the title of an album of rare B-side songs by New Orleans funk band The Meters, Zony Mash offers 21 taps in the tasting room and a robust line of brews using ingredients like coffee from local roaster, Congregation; additions include carrot and dragon fruit juices, coriander and butterfly pea. Year-round brews include Tiny Bubbles (a sparkling ale), Pillow Talk (a “fluffy” IPA) and Run for the Rosé (a wine hybrid ale)."

"Zony Mash is beautiful on the inside, a stunningly re-imagined microbrewery-take on the former Gem Theater. But its outdoor beer garden has been the center of the action lately, showcasing a rotation of popup eateries, as well as Zony Mash brews sold from the brewery’s tricked-out beer bus. As owner Adam Ritter said, “When the weather is nice, and it’s feeling right, it’s great.” Recent eats have included Zee’s Pizzeria and Doughtown’s Detroit-style pies as well as Bub’s Burgers, Southerns (of fried chicken sandwich fame) and the culinary talents of Luncheon."

"Head brewer and co-owner Alex Peyroux’s comes from a long time Cajun-French family, and his fiancee and Miel co-owner Janice Montoya descends from Spanish colonies, so the name is both a nod to that cultural blending — as well as the fact that Alex’s beekeeping parents keep them loaded up with Louisiana honey. New Orleans’ 10th brewery will use honey as a fermentation sugar as well as the featured ingredient for several beers in the future."

"Riverwalk Marketplace is the premier retail attraction in New Orleans and is home to the city's unique sights, tastes and sounds. With the best selection of nationally-known and locally-loved shops like Brookstone, Clarks, Gap, The Body Shop , ...[Learn more]"

"Visitors seeking the best malls in Greater New Orleans must only venture slightly north of the city to find Lakeside Shopping Center. This expansive retail hub is one of the area's most popular malls with more than 120 well-known stores including M.A.C., Dillard's, Lane Bryant, Gap, Old Navy and Eddie Bauer, as well as boutiques such as Ann Taylor Loft and Talbot's. Lakeside Shopping Center offers seemingly endless shopping opportunities for men and women (and enough distractions for kids)."