The institution against which every fine-dining restaurant in New Orleans is measured, operating since 1893 in a turquoise-and-white Victorian at the corner of Washington and Coliseum in the Garden District. Commander's Palace is where Ella Brennan built a family restaurant empire, where Paul Prudhomme and Emeril Lagasse learned to cook before they became famous, and where the kitchen still turns out turtle soup and bread pudding souffle with the kind of authority that only a century of practice produces. The dining rooms are elegant without being stiff, the courtyard is draped in wisteria, and the service operates at a level where your waiter knows what you need before you do.
Location
Garden District, New Orleans
Insider Intel
Turtle Soup au Sherry to start — it arrives tableside with the sherry in a cruet for you to add, which is both a flavour decision and a small ceremony. The 25-cent martinis at lunch are real and limited to three per person, which is exactly enough to understand why they are famous. Finish with the Bread Pudding Souffle, which is the dessert the restaurant is most protective of. Between those bookends, trust your waiter — the seasonal Creole menu rotates and the kitchen knows what is working best.
Friday lunch is the New Orleans appointment that locals build their week around — the dining room fills with people who have taken the afternoon off, dressed up, and committed to a three-martini, multi-course experience that will end when it ends. Weekend jazz brunch in the courtyard is the other essential timing, particularly for first visits. Dinner is excellent but lunch is the event.
Jacket required at dinner — no exceptions, and they mean it. Reservations are essential and should be made well in advance for Friday lunch and weekend brunch. The 25-cent martinis are a lunch-only tradition and they are genuinely 25 cents. The restaurant sits across from Lafayette Cemetery No. 1, making a pre-lunch cemetery walk a natural pairing. Commander's has survived fires, floods, and ownership transitions by being exactly what New Orleans needs it to be. Expect to spend $75-150 per person depending on how deep you go.