Now that football season is upon us, many local spots are offering a bounty of tasty fare to fuel your fandom. On home-game Sunday, Saints ticket holders should make a beeline for the Commons Club inside Virgin Hotels New Orleans, before heading to the Dome. There, guests can enjoy a brunch buffet featuring breakfast favorites and bottomless mimosas or pitchers of beer. Local brass band Jeremy Phipps and Friends adds a funky New Orleans sound to the morning. 550 Baronne St., 833-791-7700, virginhotels.com/new-orleans.
Another downtown spot, Charles & Julia at Hotel Perle, offers a swanky rooftop game-watching experience. When the weather is nice, head to the open-air rooftop terrace to catch the game on the big screen. Their cocktail menu includes creative concoctions like the “Peachy Keen, Jelly Bean” featuring Larceny bourbon, peach, pistachio, lemon and thyme and “Sage Advice” with London dry gin, sugar snap pea, sage, lime, Boomsma Cloosterbitter and velvet falernum. A curated wine list and local beers are also on tap. Daily happy hour, 4 to 6 p.m., makes it an easy option for a pregame drink or a post-game wind-down. 757 St. Charles Ave., 504-577-0716, charlesandjulia.com.
Award of Excellence
Uptown gem Gautreau’s has received the 2026 Wine Spectator “Best of Award of Excellence,” a step up from the “Award of Excellence” it previously held. Their collection, exceeding 1,000 bottles and 365 labels, is stored in a dedicated Vinotheque wine room. Co-proprietor William Kearney IV is himself a serious collector. He and Wine Director Ross Barrilleaux describe their wine list as “French in soul and eccentric in character,” with more than 100 white Burgundies, verticals from Domaine Comte Georges de Vogüé and Domaine des Comtes Lafon, and both the 2005 and 2007 vintages of Château de Beaucastel ‘Hommage à Jacques Perrin’ Châteauneuf-du-Pape. R. López de Heredia anchors the Spanish program. The list also includes Emile Beyer in Alsace, which they carry exclusively in New Orleans and they are the first New Orleans restaurant to carry William Hines Wine. A special dinner featuring Château Grangey will be held Oct. 21. 1728 Soniat St., (504) 899-7397, gautreausrestaurant.com.
Pop Some Bubbly
The Champagne aficionados at Brennan’s are celebrating International Champagne Day, Friday, Oct. 23, in sparkling style. Brennan’s “Master of Sabrage” is offering two lessons (9 a.m. and 12 p.m.) on the art of sabering, the tradition of removing the cork from the bottle with a deft saber blow. Attendees are encouraged to master this new party trick and earn admiration with each artfully removed cork. Following the sabering lessons, guests are welcome to stay and dine on a limited menu available following both classes. 417 Royal St., 504-525-9711, brennansneworleans.com.
Oktoberfest on the Bayou
This month, Deutsches Haus hosts its annual Oktoberfest along Bayou St. John. The “Bavaria on the Bayou” features authentic German foods, live music and dancing. Visitors willing to test their strength can join the Bavarian sport of Masskrugstemmen, which translates loosely into “lifting a mug of beer.” Each competitor holds the “Masskrug” stein (about 5 lb.) with one arm stretched out and parallel to the floor for as long as possible. Less athletic attendees can (literally) shake their tailfeathers with the ever-popular “Chicken Dance.” Last year more than 30,000 festivalgoers consumed 800 kegs of beer (a number second only to that quaffed at Jazz Fest and French Quarter Fest, ) 600 bottles of wine, and 5,000 shots of Schnapps, which helped to wash down two tons of German sausage and over 10,000 pretzels topped with 35 gallons of mustard. This year, visitors can sample 22 different German beers. Oct. 9-10, 16-17, 23-24. 1700 Moss St., 504-522-8014, deutscheshaus.org.
Fall Flavor
Locals who want a Southern-flavored Oktoberfest can head to Skeeta Hawk Brewery, where a lager-centric portfolio of beers are perfect for an autumnal festival held when our temperatures remain those of summer. Their signature large mugs not only enhance the beer’s flavor but also allow imbibers to get an Oktoberfest “stein fix.” The brewery has several German inspired brews on tap, including their seasonal Kottbuser, a complex multi grain brew with honey and molasses. Their Shank Bier translates as a “tap beer,” and is a low ABV perfect for sipping for all four quarters of the football games throughout the weekend. Enjoy Saints game watching, Thursday trivia nights and Friday Singer Songwriter showcase. 455 N. Dorgenois St., skeetahawkbrewing.com.
