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A plate of eggs Hussarde is carried by a waiter during breakfast t Brennan’s in 2016
Eggs Hussarde from Brennan’s.
Josh Brasted/Eater NOLA

New Orleans’s Essential Breakfast Restaurants

21 greasy spoons, neighborhood cafes, and fine-dining icons serving up the most important meal of the day

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Eggs Hussarde from Brennan’s.
| Josh Brasted/Eater NOLA

Going out for breakfast is a special treat, whether it means sitting alone with a coffee and pastry at a favorite outdoor cafe, grabbing a well-wrapped breakfast burrito before a road trip or day at work, or gathering with friends for a lingering meal accompanied by a breakfast cocktail or two. Thankfully, New Orleans has a lot of breakfast spots to coax one out of the house, from neighborhood favorites known for New Orleans specialties to diners serving American classics, and iconic destinations that will turn any morning into a celebration.

For the purposes of this map, we’re distinguishing breakfast restaurants from coffee shops; here is a guide to New Orleans’s favorite coffee shops. Here are our top picks for where to enjoy the most important meal of the day in New Orleans.

Don't see your favorite New Orleans breakfast spot? Leave a comment or send an email.

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Russell's Marina Grill

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Lakeview’s diner institution, Russell’s, has been legendary for breakfast and bloody Mary’s for most of its 25-year run. The breakfast options are completely satisfying, from fried chicken and waffles to a slew of egg specialties. Try the restaurant’s staple, the Egg Saints #33 with a grilled biscuit, alligator sausage, grilled tomatoes, poached eggs, and homemade country gravy, and save room for the housemade pies.

The Egg Saints #33 Benedict from Russell’s Marina Grill.
Russell’s Marina Grill

Buttermilk Drop Bakery

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Buttermilk Drop Bakery isn’t just a bakery. It’s been a Treme favorite for around 15 years now, and while it’s known for its buttermilk drop — a fried and crispy sweet treat akin to a donut hole but different — it also serves a succinct menu of affordable breakfast items to a non-stop line of regulars. Expect the straightforward classics: grits, hash browns, omelets, meats, and pancakes.

Pagoda Café

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Arguably the top breakfast taco destination in town, this beloved 7th Ward stand makes theirs with potatoes, egg, and cheese on a Mawi tortilla — with either house-refried beans, bacon, turkey bacon, or tofu — and served with green hot sauce. 

 Pagoda Cafe
Pagoda Cafe
Josh Brasted/Eater NOLA

Wakin' Bakin'

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Cozy Mid City charmer Wakin’ Bakin’ cranks out incredible breakfast options everyday from biscuits and gravy to numerous morning sandwiches and a queso burrito (get it with gravy) starting at 7 a.m. Options in Uptown and the most recent, in the French Quarter, are welcome expansions.

Wakin’ Bakin’ Mid City.
Josh Brasted/Eater NOLA

Biscuits & Buns on Banks

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A huge menu of breakfast options at this Mid City spot includes classics and specials, from hearty servings of fruit-covered French toast to house-made fried andouille hash cakes. The biscuits at Biscuits & Buns really are outstanding. Oh, and that wafflewich is a mighty fine riff on a breakfast sandwich.

Outside Biscuits & Buns on Banks.
Josh Brasted/Eater NOLA

Who Dat Cafe

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Who Dat Cafe is a quaint locals’ joint on a pretty Marigny corner that serves the wonderful meal of breakfast Friday through Tuesday from 7 a.m. until 3 p.m. Here find perfectly cooked eggs, friendly service, and excellent coffee alongside omelets named Da Mandeville and Da Cajun, soft shell crab eggs Benedict, and specials like blueberry croissant French Toast and crab pie. It’s all pretty much as good as breakfast gets, and the setting is as pleasant as it comes.

Nonno’s Cajun Cuisine and Pastries

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Chef Shermond Esteen Jr.’s delightful homestyle restaurant is in a new Marigny home, the former location of longtime breakfast haunt Horn’s. It’s better than ever with new digs, serving fluffy French toast, fragrant with cinnamon, steak and eggs, shrimp and grits, breakfast burritos and more. Also, that’s turkey or beef sausage on the plate; no pork is served at this friendly spot. Bottomless mimosas on Sundays.

Alma Cafe

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Melissa Araujo’s Honduran heritage informs every aspect of Alma Cafe in Bywater, from the photos on the walls to the coffee beans, sweets, and savory offerings on the menu. Traditional treats might include buñuelo macheteadas, a deep fried pancake topped with syrup, and cookie-like rosquillas. For breakfast, starting at 8 a.m., the Alma includes eggs, refried beans, plantains, avocado, homemade crema, and queso fresco. Avocado toast, biscuits, and omelets are also served.

Campechano breakfast from Alma
Alma Cafe

Elizabeth's

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Home of praline bacon and some of the best bloody Marys in town, this Bywater breakfast icon does morning comfort food right — from fried chicken livers and eggs to breakfast po-boys. It also serves breakfast calas, a New Orleans specialty of deep fried rice balls. Elizabeth’s is open Thursday through Monday and there’s generally a wait on the weekends.

Elizabeth’s.
Elizabeth’s Restaurant.

Clover Grill

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Depending on who you ask, this French Quarter locals spot is best for a burger, late-night snack, or even later-night breakfast, all served 24/7. Sit at the counter for a view of Bourbon Street shenanigans and order breakfast anytime at this old-school divey diner.

Stanley Restaurant

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Breakfast is served from 8 a.m. through the afternoon Thursday through Monday at this creative French Quarter gem off Jackson Square. Chef and owner Scott Boswell makes an eggs Benedict with fried oysters or house-made boudin, pancakes served with Louisiana cane syrup, and omelets sandwiched into a po’boy. Ask for a side of bacon and cheese grits no matter what the order.

Brennan's

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Good lucking finding another French Quarter white tablecloth restaurant open at 9 a.m. for breakfast. Brennan’s has been doing it up for more than 70 years, and its Creole menu includes eggs Hussarde, eggs Sardou, ricotta pancakes, and so much more. Please don’t forget to order a brandy milk punch. Serving Thursday through Sunday, with courtyard tables available.

A plate of eggs Hussarde is carried by a waiter during breakfast t Brennan’s in 2016
Eggs Hussarde from Brennan’s.
Josh Brasted/Eater NOLA

Commerce Restaurant

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There’s one solid bet for a local breakfast in the heart of the Central Business District, and that’s Commerce, a classic daytime diner that’s been in the same Sicilian immigrant family for more than 50 years. It’s a true mom-and-pop spot, serving Southern morning-time specialties with a Cajun influence that are served all day. While not much has changed here over the years, since the pandemic Commerce has added weekend hours, bloody marys, mimosas, and alternative milks.

Majoria’s Commerce Restaurant

The Camellia Grill

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This iconic Uptown greasy spoon, which opened in 1946, is known for waits out the door and a slew of diner-fare. That includes a huge breakfast menu with a focus on omelets, as well as grilled pecan pie, the orange Julius, and cheeseburgers. The inside of this legendary Carrollton Avenue diner has a counter with seating that winds through the restaurant.

Brasted/Eater NOLA

Two Chicks Cafe

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Stay or work by the Convention Center? Even if you don’t, Two Chicks is worth going out of the way for, and if you do, it should be a regular destination for breakfast or lunch. It’s a sunny, spacious spot serving up a simple but high quality menu of sweet and savory crepes, omelets and egg Benedict dishes, pancakes and parfaits, healthy juices and necessary bloody Marys. The restaurant recently expanded with a second location in the CBD.

Cafe Porche & Snowbar

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A cozy cafe known for its French toast, Cafe Porche combines two New Orleans pastimes: breakfast and sno-balls. It’s only open on weekends, making it a hot ticket, but a visit to this spot is a memorable one — speak to anyone who’s been for breakfast or brunch and they’ll gush about the restaurant’s warmth, friendliness, and overall quality. Choose from a few breakfast classics with the choice of bacon or smoked sausage, and keep an eye out for specials. Beyond the service, the super-thick, fluffy French toast topped with strawberries, bananas, and blueberries keeps people coming back weekend after weekend.

Please-U Restaurant

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This well-worn breakfast joint lives up to its name, earning a loyal following for straightforward platters of rib-sticking fare. Expect reliably good breakfasts that don’t break the bank, served all day. Open most days at 7 a.m.; closed Sundays.

Outside Please-U on St. Charles Avenue.
William A. Morgan/Shutterstock

Surrey's Café & Juice Bar

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A favorite for breakfast and brunch, this funky little gem was serving specialty juices before it became popular. Surrey’s Cafe makes a mean migas and Costa Rican breakfast, though lots of New Orleans flavor can be found on the menu. Open Thursday through Monday 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.; expect a small line on weekends.

Surrey’s on Magazine St.
Brasted/Eater NOLA

Bearcat Cafe

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This friendly neighborhood cafe first opened Uptown in 2017, offering what was at the time a rare vegan-friendly menu for breakfast and lunch. It’s since expanded with another location downtown, and both are a local favorite for vegan and non-vegan dining — the latter is satisfied by dishes like the Couyon Daddy with fried chicken, crab dip, and sunny egg on a biscuit, and everything from vegan breakfast potatoes and vegan huevos rancheros to paleo pancakes make up the vast menu.

Vegan breakfast potatoes from Bearcat.
Bearcat Cafe

Molly's Rise and Shine

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Turns out the follow-up to nationally buzzed-about Turkey and the Wolf is not to be missed, also — it offers a similarly unexpected approach but this time for breakfast. Dishes range from an on-brand Grand Slam McMuffin (pork patties, hashbrown, onions, American cheese), to less expected options, like the carrot yogurt, a light and delicious bowl of yogurt, granola, fruit, carrot marmalade, herbs, and lemon zest. Both are customer favorites that have stayed on the menu, but expect swaps and specials here.

Carrot yogurt from Molly’s Rise and Shine.
Molly’s Rise and Shine

Slim Goodies Diner

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Magazine Street’s quirky, always-slammed diner is known for their Slammer options, a hangover-helper made with hashbrowns and scrambles of various sort (eggs, chili, tofu, etc.). Slim Goodie’s also offers “slammers” for the starving, huge portions of breakfast goodness.

Slim Goodies
Josh Brasted/Eater NOLA

Russell's Marina Grill

Lakeview’s diner institution, Russell’s, has been legendary for breakfast and bloody Mary’s for most of its 25-year run. The breakfast options are completely satisfying, from fried chicken and waffles to a slew of egg specialties. Try the restaurant’s staple, the Egg Saints #33 with a grilled biscuit, alligator sausage, grilled tomatoes, poached eggs, and homemade country gravy, and save room for the housemade pies.

The Egg Saints #33 Benedict from Russell’s Marina Grill.
Russell’s Marina Grill

Buttermilk Drop Bakery

Buttermilk Drop Bakery isn’t just a bakery. It’s been a Treme favorite for around 15 years now, and while it’s known for its buttermilk drop — a fried and crispy sweet treat akin to a donut hole but different — it also serves a succinct menu of affordable breakfast items to a non-stop line of regulars. Expect the straightforward classics: grits, hash browns, omelets, meats, and pancakes.

Pagoda Café

Arguably the top breakfast taco destination in town, this beloved 7th Ward stand makes theirs with potatoes, egg, and cheese on a Mawi tortilla — with either house-refried beans, bacon, turkey bacon, or tofu — and served with green hot sauce. 

 Pagoda Cafe
Pagoda Cafe
Josh Brasted/Eater NOLA

Wakin' Bakin'

Cozy Mid City charmer Wakin’ Bakin’ cranks out incredible breakfast options everyday from biscuits and gravy to numerous morning sandwiches and a queso burrito (get it with gravy) starting at 7 a.m. Options in Uptown and the most recent, in the French Quarter, are welcome expansions.

Wakin’ Bakin’ Mid City.
Josh Brasted/Eater NOLA

Biscuits & Buns on Banks

A huge menu of breakfast options at this Mid City spot includes classics and specials, from hearty servings of fruit-covered French toast to house-made fried andouille hash cakes. The biscuits at Biscuits & Buns really are outstanding. Oh, and that wafflewich is a mighty fine riff on a breakfast sandwich.

Outside Biscuits & Buns on Banks.
Josh Brasted/Eater NOLA

Who Dat Cafe

Who Dat Cafe is a quaint locals’ joint on a pretty Marigny corner that serves the wonderful meal of breakfast Friday through Tuesday from 7 a.m. until 3 p.m. Here find perfectly cooked eggs, friendly service, and excellent coffee alongside omelets named Da Mandeville and Da Cajun, soft shell crab eggs Benedict, and specials like blueberry croissant French Toast and crab pie. It’s all pretty much as good as breakfast gets, and the setting is as pleasant as it comes.

Nonno’s Cajun Cuisine and Pastries

Chef Shermond Esteen Jr.’s delightful homestyle restaurant is in a new Marigny home, the former location of longtime breakfast haunt Horn’s. It’s better than ever with new digs, serving fluffy French toast, fragrant with cinnamon, steak and eggs, shrimp and grits, breakfast burritos and more. Also, that’s turkey or beef sausage on the plate; no pork is served at this friendly spot. Bottomless mimosas on Sundays.

Alma Cafe

Melissa Araujo’s Honduran heritage informs every aspect of Alma Cafe in Bywater, from the photos on the walls to the coffee beans, sweets, and savory offerings on the menu. Traditional treats might include buñuelo macheteadas, a deep fried pancake topped with syrup, and cookie-like rosquillas. For breakfast, starting at 8 a.m., the Alma includes eggs, refried beans, plantains, avocado, homemade crema, and queso fresco. Avocado toast, biscuits, and omelets are also served.

Campechano breakfast from Alma
Alma Cafe

Elizabeth's

Home of praline bacon and some of the best bloody Marys in town, this Bywater breakfast icon does morning comfort food right — from fried chicken livers and eggs to breakfast po-boys. It also serves breakfast calas, a New Orleans specialty of deep fried rice balls. Elizabeth’s is open Thursday through Monday and there’s generally a wait on the weekends.

Elizabeth’s.
Elizabeth’s Restaurant.

Clover Grill

Depending on who you ask, this French Quarter locals spot is best for a burger, late-night snack, or even later-night breakfast, all served 24/7. Sit at the counter for a view of Bourbon Street shenanigans and order breakfast anytime at this old-school divey diner.

Stanley Restaurant

Breakfast is served from 8 a.m. through the afternoon Thursday through Monday at this creative French Quarter gem off Jackson Square. Chef and owner Scott Boswell makes an eggs Benedict with fried oysters or house-made boudin, pancakes served with Louisiana cane syrup, and omelets sandwiched into a po’boy. Ask for a side of bacon and cheese grits no matter what the order.

Brennan's

Good lucking finding another French Quarter white tablecloth restaurant open at 9 a.m. for breakfast. Brennan’s has been doing it up for more than 70 years, and its Creole menu includes eggs Hussarde, eggs Sardou, ricotta pancakes, and so much more. Please don’t forget to order a brandy milk punch. Serving Thursday through Sunday, with courtyard tables available.

A plate of eggs Hussarde is carried by a waiter during breakfast t Brennan’s in 2016
Eggs Hussarde from Brennan’s.
Josh Brasted/Eater NOLA

Commerce Restaurant

There’s one solid bet for a local breakfast in the heart of the Central Business District, and that’s Commerce, a classic daytime diner that’s been in the same Sicilian immigrant family for more than 50 years. It’s a true mom-and-pop spot, serving Southern morning-time specialties with a Cajun influence that are served all day. While not much has changed here over the years, since the pandemic Commerce has added weekend hours, bloody marys, mimosas, and alternative milks.

Majoria’s Commerce Restaurant

The Camellia Grill

This iconic Uptown greasy spoon, which opened in 1946, is known for waits out the door and a slew of diner-fare. That includes a huge breakfast menu with a focus on omelets, as well as grilled pecan pie, the orange Julius, and cheeseburgers. The inside of this legendary Carrollton Avenue diner has a counter with seating that winds through the restaurant.

Brasted/Eater NOLA

Two Chicks Cafe

Stay or work by the Convention Center? Even if you don’t, Two Chicks is worth going out of the way for, and if you do, it should be a regular destination for breakfast or lunch. It’s a sunny, spacious spot serving up a simple but high quality menu of sweet and savory crepes, omelets and egg Benedict dishes, pancakes and parfaits, healthy juices and necessary bloody Marys. The restaurant recently expanded with a second location in the CBD.

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Cafe Porche & Snowbar

A cozy cafe known for its French toast, Cafe Porche combines two New Orleans pastimes: breakfast and sno-balls. It’s only open on weekends, making it a hot ticket, but a visit to this spot is a memorable one — speak to anyone who’s been for breakfast or brunch and they’ll gush about the restaurant’s warmth, friendliness, and overall quality. Choose from a few breakfast classics with the choice of bacon or smoked sausage, and keep an eye out for specials. Beyond the service, the super-thick, fluffy French toast topped with strawberries, bananas, and blueberries keeps people coming back weekend after weekend.

Please-U Restaurant

This well-worn breakfast joint lives up to its name, earning a loyal following for straightforward platters of rib-sticking fare. Expect reliably good breakfasts that don’t break the bank, served all day. Open most days at 7 a.m.; closed Sundays.

Outside Please-U on St. Charles Avenue.
William A. Morgan/Shutterstock

Surrey's Café & Juice Bar

A favorite for breakfast and brunch, this funky little gem was serving specialty juices before it became popular. Surrey’s Cafe makes a mean migas and Costa Rican breakfast, though lots of New Orleans flavor can be found on the menu. Open Thursday through Monday 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.; expect a small line on weekends.

Surrey’s on Magazine St.
Brasted/Eater NOLA

Bearcat Cafe

This friendly neighborhood cafe first opened Uptown in 2017, offering what was at the time a rare vegan-friendly menu for breakfast and lunch. It’s since expanded with another location downtown, and both are a local favorite for vegan and non-vegan dining — the latter is satisfied by dishes like the Couyon Daddy with fried chicken, crab dip, and sunny egg on a biscuit, and everything from vegan breakfast potatoes and vegan huevos rancheros to paleo pancakes make up the vast menu.

Vegan breakfast potatoes from Bearcat.
Bearcat Cafe

Molly's Rise and Shine

Turns out the follow-up to nationally buzzed-about Turkey and the Wolf is not to be missed, also — it offers a similarly unexpected approach but this time for breakfast. Dishes range from an on-brand Grand Slam McMuffin (pork patties, hashbrown, onions, American cheese), to less expected options, like the carrot yogurt, a light and delicious bowl of yogurt, granola, fruit, carrot marmalade, herbs, and lemon zest. Both are customer favorites that have stayed on the menu, but expect swaps and specials here.

Carrot yogurt from Molly’s Rise and Shine.
Molly’s Rise and Shine

Slim Goodies Diner

Magazine Street’s quirky, always-slammed diner is known for their Slammer options, a hangover-helper made with hashbrowns and scrambles of various sort (eggs, chili, tofu, etc.). Slim Goodie’s also offers “slammers” for the starving, huge portions of breakfast goodness.

Slim Goodies
Josh Brasted/Eater NOLA

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