The Iconic New Orleans Seafood Restaurant That's Been Cooking Up Creole Cuisine Since 1946

When you talk about New Orleans dining institutions, Brennan's is one of the big names that will almost certainly come up. Founded in 1946 by restaurateur (and obviously, namesake) Owen Brennan as Owen Brennan's Vieux Carré on Bourbon Street, it developed a reputation for bold Creole flavors and lively atmosphere to match its location in the party-minded French Quarter. Brennan (who had Irish heritage) reportedly opened the restaurant after a rival teased that Irish cooks couldn't do more than boiled potatoes.

In 1956, the restaurant moved to its current address on Royal Street, taking over a mansion with a distinctive pink color, built in 1795. Creole cuisine, which blends French, Spanish, African, and Caribbean influences, is at the heart of Brennan's menu. Brennan's is a relatively high-end spot, so this isn't a place to chow down on more casual NOLA staples like po' boys or the iconic muffuletta. Expect refined, seafood-focused dishes; some staples from the current menu include seafood gumbo with shrimp, crab, and andouille sausage, and turtle soup finished with aged sherry and brown butter spinach. These are dishes that require time, stockpots, and a kitchen that knows its way around Gulf Coast seafood.

Expect a classy ambiance alongside your gumbo, too: As you might expect from a former mansion, the décor leans into an elegant Southern vibe. There's also a dress code banning casual shorts, sleeveless shirts, and hats or open-toed shoes on men, and it's "preferred" for men to wear jackets at dinner. It's not the strictest in New Orleans (restaurants like Galatoire's require jackets), but you can't dress sloppily.

Interestingly for a fine dining restaurant, breakfast is a key meal at Brennan's. Local food writers and tourism guides discuss "Breakfast at Brennan's" as its own veritable institution, served from 9 a.m. daily (8 a.m. on weekends). Breakfast and lunch share the same menu, opening the door for a multicourse morning meal that includes classic Creole twists on breakfast standards. Brennan's is known for its eggs Hussarde, a variation on eggs Benedict that adds a red wine sauce alongside the hollandaise, and uses coffee-cured bacon. If you're looking for seafood, they've got you covered with eggs St. Charles, which piles up fried fish, creamed spinach, eggs, and maltaise sauce (a tangy variation on hollandaise).

Whatever meal you pick at Brennan's, it would be wise to save room for dessert, as it's where you'll find (arguably) the restaurant's most famed dish: Bananas Foster. This flambéed dessert was created there in the early 1950s for a dinner honoring then-New Orleans crime commissioner Richard Foster, with founder Owen Brennan requesting his sister Ella devise a special dessert to impress him. The request was at short notice, so she drew on the excess bananas that the kitchen had on hand to whip it up quickly. It features bananas sautéed in butter, brown sugar, and spices, then flambéed with rum and served with ice cream. For a little extra flair, the flambéing is done at your table: an iconic preparation for an iconic dish at an iconic restaurant.