In New Orleans, world-class food is common, as are world-class restaurants. If you find yourself in New Orleans over a holiday like Thanksgiving, Christmas, or Easter, there are some wonderful restaurants to experience that will make you glad you came.
Commander's Palace
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The Grand Dame of Uptown Restaurants, Commander's Palace is a great place for a Sunday Jazz Brunch. It's open for Thanksgiving, but not for Christmas. This is the Garden District restaurant. The food is consistently good, as is the ambiance. But, what makes Commander's Palace stand out is the service. That's excellent.
Rib Room
In the Omni Hotel, the Rib Room is a local holiday favorite. The rib room has large windows that look out onto Royal Street, and the people watching alone is worth your time spent here. While the Rib Room specializes in Prime Rib, it also has some great seafood dishes.
Muriel's on Jackson Square
A French Quarter gem usually opens only for dinner has daytime holiday meals. Muriel's in right on Jackson Square in the heart of the French Quarter in a wonderful old, historic building that is reputedly haunted. The food here is consistently good and the atmosphere is festive. It's great for a holiday meal.
Arnaud's
Arnaud's, one of the premier restaurants in the French Quarter of New Orleans serves a Table D'Hote fixed menu usually for about $45 to $50 per person. This is a legendary New Orleans restaurant in an old mansion with many rooms, each decorated differently. It's elegant and very 19th century in atmosphere, featuring exquisite food.
Brennan's
Breakfast at Brennan's is a must for any New Orleans visitor. On holidays, the wonderful brunches are even better. This is a standard for Tourists in New Orleans. It has a beautiful hidden courtyard that is exactly what you would picture in a fine dining restaurant in the French Quarter.
Broussard's
Broussard's has one of the best courtyards in the French Quarter, and the ambiance pairs wonderfully with the Creole food. Broussard's offers special prix fixe menus throughout the holiday season that run about $45 a person. This iconic French Quarter restaurant will be celebrating its 100th anniversary in 2020.
Bayona
Bayona is set in a 200-year-old Creole cottage in the French Quarter. But the food is decidedly international. The best holiday meal at Bayona is their special New Year's Eve dinner. It's Closed Christmas day, but open Christmas Eve. Susan Spicer, one of New Orleans' premier chefs presides over Bayona and her creative genius with food will impress.
Luke
Luke is a Creole-inspired Brasserie located in the heart of New Orleans’ Central Business District on world-famous St. Charles Avenue, steps from the French Quarter neighborhood. A lively atmosphere surrounds the raw bar offering the freshest seafood and oysters procured daily from the Gulf of Mexico. Chef Erick Loos is at the helm of the kitchen featuring dishes that highlight local purveyors and farmers’ market ingredients. Behind the bar, a selection of bartender-created specialty cocktails is offered among a carefully-curated list of wines from throughout the world and locally crafted brews.
Ralph's On The Park
A romantic Brennan's restaurant in mid-city across from City Park. The setting here is what sets Ralph's apart. It's off the beaten path and more contemporary than the French Quarter restaurants. But the food is great and the view of the large stand of live oak trees dripping with moss is beautiful.
Galatoire's
Galatoire's on Bourbon Street is as "New Orleans Creole" as you can get. All of New Orleans celebrates birthdays, anniversaries, divorces, weddings, whatever at Galatoire's. Business deals are done, politics is discussed, and Creole traditions are kept sacred. If you want to experience the most traditional Creole restaurant in New Orleans, Galatoire's is for you.
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