Boozy Friday lunches are a New Orleans tradition, but how does your Wednesday look? For longer than we can remember, diners could get a noontime buzz for all of .75 cents with the .25 cent, three-martini lunch at Commander’s Palace on Thursdays and, of course, Fridays. (Co-proprietors and cousins Ti and Lally Brennan recently shared the history of the .25 cent martinis on the Commander’s Instagram page. Hint: It goes back to their Aunt Dottie.) Starting in July, the iconic Garden District restaurant added the outrageous deal to Wednesdays. Cheers to that! You just can’t beat the two-course prix fixe menu plus those delicious martinis. Meanwhile, Arnaud’s announced in August the return of its Friday lunch service. After a 20-year hiatus, the historic French Quarter restaurant founded in 1905 launched its lunch with curated à la carte, cocktail and wine menus, as well as the promise of fun, rotating themes and lots of surprising twists. commanderspalace.com, arnaudsrestaurant.com
Dog Daze
Have you been dreaming of an indoor hotspot where you can not only take your doggo for breakfast, lunch or a treat, but it’s actually sort of really a place for your dog? What if, like us, you don’t have a canine, but you love them and just want to be around the fuzzy, friendly furballs? Enter Fur Bébé at 4826 Magazine St., which opened earlier this summer and caters to dogs and their people. Coffee beverages, breakfast fare, salads and sandos, as well as dog treats, toys and supplies are all on offer in the vibrant, dog-themed cafe. furbebenola.com
Uptown Joe
Sometimes something new slips into a space once occupied by something old (and missed), filling a void while at the same time making it seem like the new thing has been there all along. This is how we felt when we bopped into the new Uptown Congregation Coffee location on the corner of Magazine Street and Jefferson Avenue. The cafe, which took over a former CC’s Coffee, was bustling with the remote work and post-workout crowd, coffee klatches and college kids, creating the hometown vibe we all crave. Homey touches, like the expansive warm hardwood floors and geometric tiles, honor the building’s Victorian architecture, and a robust coffee menu coupled with pastries and other goodies from the Ralph Brennan Bakery will get you fueled. congregationcoffee.com
Nosh Noir
As part of its NOLA After Dark series, The Roosevelt, A Waldorf Astoria Hotel has various offerings to help you liven up your evenings. In addition to a jazz history crawl and live music in the Blue Room, the Fountain Lounge chefs are cooking up a host of delectable dinner options dubbed “NOLA Cuisine by Night: Southern Fare, French Influence.” Start with the Salade à la Chèvre et Figue with braised local figs, goat cheese and grapefruit rose champagne vinaigrette. Share small plates featuring crowd pleasers like mussels with pomme frittes, cheese or charcuterie plates or the impressive Fruits de Mer seafood tower. Entrees include hanger steaks and New York strips, as well as salade niçoise or a burger. Various sides are also available, and you can wrap things up with the Roosevelt’s popular beignets for dessert. therooseveltneworleans.com
Decadent Philanthropy
On Sept. 24, eat for a good cause at Compere Lapin. Houston-based “Top Chef” season 22 winner Chef Tristen Epps along with Chef Camair Mick of New York-based The Musket Room and Raf’s — a 2025 James Beard Award “Outstanding Pastry Chef” semifinalist — are teaming up with Compton for a four-course collaborative dinner. The dinner benefits the Sir John Compton Memorial Foundation, which works to educate young St. Lucians and was established in honor of Chef Nina Compton’s late father Sir John Compton. comperelapin.com
