Best Restaurants Open on Sunday in New Orleans 2026

Why a Sunday list matters in New Orleans

New Orleans runs against the national grain. In most cities the serious kitchens close Sunday and Monday; here the historic Creole rooms build their week around a Sunday jazz brunch and treat it as the headline service. The format was born in the French Quarter and the Garden District, and it still works the way it always has: Creole classics, free-flowing fizz, and a small jazz band moving from table to table. A diner who flies in for a weekend will find more grand rooms open on a New Orleans Sunday than on a Tuesday.

The order below leads with the institutions that define the city, Commander's Palace and the French Quarter grandes dames, then closes with a contemporary room for a change of register. New Orleans is not a Michelin city, so the credentials here are James Beard recognition; Commander's Palace is the most decorated James Beard restaurant in the country and launched both Emeril Lagasse and Paul Prudhomme. A timing note: Sunday is a brunch-led day, so the prime slots run late morning to early afternoon. Hours were checked against each restaurant's published schedule in June 2026. For the rest of the week, start with the New Orleans dining guide.

The Sunday list

Commander's Palace

Haute Creole · Garden District, New Orleans · $70–110 per head

Sunday hours: Brunch 10:00–13:30, dinner 18:00–21:30

The turquoise Victorian at 1403 Washington Avenue is the benchmark for the entire city, the kitchen that gave the country Emeril Lagasse and Paul Prudhomme and the most decorated James Beard restaurant in America. The turtle soup au sherry and the bread pudding souffle are the order, and a meal runs between $70 and $110 a head. Sunday is its showcase: the jazz brunch from ten, a roving trio between the tables, then dinner from six. Book around 60 days out, because the Sunday brunch fills almost the moment the books open.

Brennan's

Creole / French Quarter grande dame · French Quarter, New Orleans · $70–120 per head

Sunday hours: Breakfast & brunch 08:00–14:00, dinner 18:00–22:00

Brennan's has anchored Royal Street since 1946, and it is the room that invented Bananas Foster, still flamed at the table. The pink Quarter mansion runs a long Sunday: breakfast and brunch from eight, then dinner from six. Expect $70 to $120 a head across eggs Hussarde, Gulf fish and the dessert that made it famous. The courtyard is the seat to ask for in spring, and the breakfast cocktails are part of the tradition here. Reserve ahead, as the Sunday late-morning slots are the first to go.

Galatoire's

French-Creole · French Quarter, New Orleans · $60–100 per head

Sunday hours: Sunday, 12:00–21:00 (closed Monday)

Galatoire's has cooked French-Creole on Bourbon Street since 1905, and the mirrored downstairs room is a piece of living New Orleans theatre, all white tablecloths and regulars who book the same waiter for decades. The shrimp remoulade and the Crabmeat Yvonne are the classics, with a meal landing between $60 and $100 a head. It opens Sunday from noon to nine, the one grande dame that runs a full Sunday lunch and dinner rather than a brunch, and it closes Monday instead. The main floor is famously walk-in, so a Sunday early seating is the easiest way into the room.

Arnaud's

French-Creole · French Quarter, New Orleans · $55–95 per head

Sunday hours: Jazz brunch 10:00–14:00

Arnaud's spreads across a block of Bienville Street, a 1918 Quarter institution of tiled floors and cut-glass chandeliers. The Shrimp Arnaud, a cold remoulade that has not changed in a century, is the dish to start with. Sunday is its jazz brunch, ten to two, with a live band and a Creole menu that runs to eggs Sardou and grillades. A full brunch lands around $55 to $95 a head. The French 75 bar next door is the place to wait, and the dress code leans formal, so dress for it.

Antoine's

French-Creole · French Quarter, New Orleans · $50–90 per head

Sunday hours: Jazz brunch only, 10:30–14:00 (no dinner)

Antoine's opened in 1840, which makes it the oldest family-run restaurant in the United States, fifteen dining rooms deep behind a plain St. Louis Street door. Oysters Rockefeller was created here, and it remains the order, ahead of pommes de terre souffle. On Sunday the kitchen runs a jazz brunch only, half-ten to two, with no dinner service, so this is a midday booking. A meal runs $50 to $90 a head. Ask for a table in one of the historic side rooms rather than the main hall for the full sense of the place.

Compere Lapin

Caribbean-Creole · Warehouse District, New Orleans · $55–90 per head

Sunday hours: Brunch 10:30–14:00, dinner 17:30–21:00

Nina Compton, a James Beard Best Chef: South winner, cooks her St. Lucia upbringing through a Louisiana lens at 535 Tchoupitoulas Street in the Warehouse District. The curried goat with sweet potato gnocchi is the signature, a dish that put the room on the national map. Sunday brings brunch from half-ten and dinner from half-five, with most meals between $55 and $90 a head. It is the contemporary counterweight to the Quarter grandes dames, a relaxed room for a Sunday that does not want jackets and jazz. Book the dinner slot for the quieter service.

How to book a Sunday table in New Orleans

New Orleans is a reserve-ahead city for its grand Sunday rooms. Commander's Palace and Brennan's open their books around 60 days out, and the Sunday brunch is the single hardest slot in the city, so set a reminder and book the day the window opens. Galatoire's runs its main downstairs floor as walk-in only, which makes a Sunday opening-time seat the simplest way in; the reservable upstairs rooms are a separate booking. Arnaud's and Antoine's both take Sunday brunch reservations, and both enforce a dress code, so plan collared shirts and no shorts. For a relaxed solo Sunday, the bar at Compere Lapin is the easiest seat and a fine solo-dining move. Entertaining out-of-town colleagues? A long Commander's brunch sets up a New Orleans weekend better than any dinner.

Frequently asked questions

Which upscale restaurants are open on Sunday in New Orleans?

Sunday is one of the best dining days in New Orleans, not a dead one. The grand Creole rooms lean into it with live jazz brunch: Commander's Palace in the Garden District, Brennan's, Arnaud's and Antoine's in the French Quarter all run a Sunday brunch, and Galatoire's serves Sunday lunch and dinner. Nina Compton's Compere Lapin in the Warehouse District adds a contemporary Caribbean-Creole option. New Orleans sits outside the Michelin guide, so these are judged on James Beard honours instead.

Is Commander's Palace open on Sunday?

Yes. Commander's Palace runs its famous Sunday Jazz Brunch from 10am to 1:30pm and dinner from 6pm to 9:30pm at 1403 Washington Avenue in the Garden District. The turtle soup au sherry and the bread pudding souffle are the order, with most meals landing between $70 and $110 a head. The brunch is the marquee booking and a roving jazz trio works the tables, so reserve well ahead; the room opens its books around 60 days out and Sunday fills first.

Where can I get Sunday jazz brunch in New Orleans?

The Sunday jazz brunch is a New Orleans invention and four institutions do it well. Commander's Palace in the Garden District is the benchmark, with Brennan's, Arnaud's and Antoine's all running a Sunday brunch in the French Quarter. Each pairs Creole classics with a live jazz combo moving between tables. Antoine's serves brunch only on Sunday with no dinner, so confirm the service you want when you book.

Are most fine-dining restaurants in New Orleans closed on Sunday?

No. Unlike many American cities, New Orleans treats the weekend as prime trade, and its grand Creole rooms keep a full Sunday service built around brunch. The contemporary chef-driven rooms are the exception: Herbsaint and Restaurant August close Sunday to rest their teams. The reliable Sunday options are the historic French Quarter and Garden District institutions, which is why a confirmed list is worth keeping.

What is the dress code for a New Orleans Sunday brunch?

The grande dames enforce one. Galatoire's, Arnaud's, Commander's Palace and Antoine's all expect collared shirts and discourage shorts, flip-flops and athletic wear, and Galatoire's asks for jackets in its upstairs rooms after a certain hour. Sunday brunch is a dress-up occasion in New Orleans, so plan for smart attire. The newer rooms like Compere Lapin are relaxed by comparison.

Hours verified against each restaurant's published schedule in June 2026; confirm directly before travelling. Restaurants for Kings is editorial, not sponsored. Some reservation links may earn an affiliate commission, which never affects a ranking or a score.