If there’s one thing I love doing on the weekend, it is enjoying a nice brunch. Breakfast food is the best, and the phenomenon of brunch has been rising in popularity, and I am right there with it. There’s something about enjoying a nice mimosa or frosé to start off your morning. Moving to New Orleans, I knew I wanted to keep my brunch game strong, so I decided to round up a few of my favorite brunch places in the city.
Cafe Du Monde
A visit to New Orleans is not complete without a stop to Cafe Du Monde for the world famous beignets. A beignet is a fried donut that has mounds of powdered sugar on it. It is basically a little pillow of heaven. They are served hot, and they are just so yummy. Cafe Du Monde has been open since 1862 serving these warm pillows of goodness. It is located right in the middle of the French Quarter, right next to the French Market and Jackson Square. You can’t miss it with its green and white striped awnings.
Mitch and I are regulars at Cafe Du Monde, visiting almost weekly. If you are a coffee lover you need to try the Cafe Au Lait, which is half coffee, half milk. I am not a coffee drinker, but even this stuff is good. I usually opt for the hot chocolate. Mitch and I love beignets so much there are rumors that they may even be served at our wedding next year. Cafe Du Monde is the number one brunch spot in New Orleans which is an absolute must-see.
Willa Jean
Now Willa Jean is a favorite brunch, lunch, and dinner place. It is first off it is so cutely decorated and is simply adorable. Secondly, the food is so good. Mitch and I both have sworn it is some of the best shrimp we have ever tasted. My go to at Willa Jean is the BBQ Shrimp Toast. It is toasted sourdough bread with burrata cheese, huge shrimp, and New Orleans style barbecue sauce. I am practically drooling while I type this thinking about it. New Orleans barbecue sauce is different than the barbecue sauce you will get on your ribs or pulled pork. New Orleans barbecue sauce is prepared in a rich butter sauce flavored with Worcestershire and white wine. It is quite yummy and paired with the burrata cheese and sourdough is like a trio made in heaven.
Mitch and I aren’t ones to usually order dessert at a restaurant because of his weight restrictions or simply because we always eat too much of the main meal. However, we always save room for dessert at Willa Jean: fresh, warm homemade chocolate chip cookies and milk. It is the best thing ever. The cookies come out all warm and gooey, and the vanilla milk is sweet and the perfect touch because who doesn’t love milk and cookies? To make it even cuter they add a beater with some chocolate chip cookie dough. It is the perfect treat. Willa Jean doubles as a bakery with lots of goodies. I have heard the homemade Pop-tarts are to die for so I might have to try those next time I visit.
District Donuts and Brews
If anyone knows me, they know I have a huge soft spot for donuts. I love donuts. There’s never a bad time to have a donut. So while I have been in the search for the best donuts in New Orleans, this donut stop made my list of favorite brunch places. There are multiple locations in the city, and this place has way more than just donuts and coffee– however 10/10 times I am there, I will be getting a donut.
I like to call myself a donut connoisseur, and I think District Donuts is in the top 5 best donuts I’ve ever had in my life. When Mitch and I first went I went with the black and gold donut. This massive donut consisted of a glazed donut completely dipped in peanut butter topped with chocolate cookie crumble, caramelized bananas, and chocolate sauce. This had my name all over it. Besides it being the size of my head, it was just simply delicious. I am also a peanut butter fanatic, so adding the two things together made me a happy girl. Mitch had a creme brûlée cinnamon roll that he said was one of the best cinnamon rolls he’s ever had, and he does not mess around with his cinnamon rolls. Like I mentioned before, District Donuts is not just donuts, they have signature breakfast items as well as healthy breakfast bowls for the more healthier folk. For Mitch and I District Donuts will be a nice treat that we enjoy every once in a while or when we have a super big craving for sugar. We were on a sugar high the rest of the day.
Toast
Toast was one of the first breakfast places Mitch and I visited in New Orleans. It is this adorable little neighborhood breakfast place a block away from the racetrack. I had my eye on it simply because the outside was cute (great reason to go to a restaurant I know), however the inside was just as cute and the food was great. Mitch and I shared a couple mimosas and mingled with a ton of people who work at the track. It almost seemed like we were at a little family breakfast.
I went with a classic breakfast item when we first visited: waffles. I was honestly debating between the avocado toast, pancakes, or waffles, they all seriously looked so good. I at the last minute decided on the fresh blueberry waffles, and I was glad I got them. The waffles were fluffy and the blueberries were fresh and were a perfect compliment to the warm maple syrup. However, Mitchell got the pancakes so I was able to steal a few bites of his and they were equally as yummy. Don’t be surprised if there are people waiting outside to eat at this fine establishment on the weekends. Mitch and I went on a Monday and got a table without waiting a minute. However, if you are going on the weekends, I would recommend going earlier than later to beat the rush. Also if you are going during Mardi Gras season be sure to pick up a piece of their King Cake, it was very yummy!
Superior Seafood
Superior Seafood is an upscale neighborhood joint focused on seafood and traditional southern brunch dishes. But first I want to talk about their drinks. They have frozen mimosas, and let me tell you they hit the spot. Also the always popular frosé was the perfect refreshing drink to go with my meal. Superior Seafood has the perfect patio, which I am so excited to come back when it is all open in a few weeks. We still sat in the patio section, and all of the natural light was the best way to eat breakfast. All of the hanging greenery was so aesthetically pleasing, I had to snap a few pictures. I give this patio a 10/10 for decor. Superior Seafood doubles as a more upscale white tablecloth restaurant for dinner, so I would request to sit on the patio to get a more casual feel for brunch.
When it came to my meal here, I went with the most southern thing I could think of: chicken and biscuits. The chicken was fried to perfection, and the biscuits were so fluffy and buttery. I don’t mess around with my biscuits and these definitely passed the test. Now I will say that this dish comes smothered in white gravy, and I had mine on the side because I like to add a little at a time.
I know there are so many brunch places to go to in New Orleans, and I plan to visit as many as possible. My goal is one a week. I am sure I will have plenty more favorites as time passes, but for now these are my top picks. Let me know if you have any favorite brunch places in New Orleans that aren’t on this list that I must try!
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