I don't know what it is about brunch, but it's my favorite. Maybe it's because I secretly wish I could have French toast and mimosas for every meal, but I look forward to a nice weekend brunch with my friends all week. Here are my favorite places to go in New Orleans:
1. Suis Generis
This is a pretty new place in the Bywater on Burgundy Street and across from another relatively new joint, Maurepas (pretty soon we won't have anywhere to park in our neighborhood with all these awesome new restaurants popping up). This place is cool because their menu is constantly changing to reflect what's available locally and what's seasonal. Everything from the booths to the chairs are delightfully mismatched. And they have a DJ booth.
They have also paid attention to every tiny detail such as cute cow dispensers for the cream in your coffee and when they hand you your bill they put it in a painted silver basket with little doo-dads glued onto it. It's like a hipster DIY restaurant. I recently had their breakfast burrito that was out of this world and I can't wait to go back and try their new creations.
2. Cake Cafe
Everything I've had here has been amazing and even though it's off-season for king cakes, they have my favorite, the apple-goat cheese. I like to get their breakfast sandwich and a nice big cup of coffee for brunch, with a pastry to go for later.
3. Maurepas
Maurepas has usurped the Country Club as the place that has the best grits in the whole wide world, in my humble opinion. I recently had a few friends in town who loved it although they were a little apprehensive about going because apparently we had been pronouncing the name wrong. We were saying "more-rape-us," which is not so good. It's "more-re-paw," like the lake. Oops.
4. Surrey's Cafe and Juice Bar
The best hangover cure is a shot of wheatgrass juice and a nice big serving of Surrey's migas. I like to try to get there early because there is usually a line out the door.
5. Mojitos
Mojitos is such a pleasant place to have brunch. It's nestled between the French Quarter and the Marigny on Esplanade. They have a huge patio in the back with a bar and people playing jazz music while you eat. My favorite is their chicken and waffles with jalapeno cheese grits. It's heaven.
And now that I've made myself incredibly hungry writing this post, I'd like to ask you what your favorite New Orleans brunch hot spots are. Please tell me in the comments, I'm always looking for cool places to try.
