Breads on Oak raises the bar on bread, pastry and breakfast sammies for Uptowners on historic Oak Street. Open Wednesday through Sunday and serving breakfast and lunch, this artisinal bakery specializes in Old World style breads studded with fruits and nuts, seeds and multi grains. Extremely vegan and vegetarian friendly, you can order a mean locally sprouted tofu scramble on pumpkin cheddar biscuit and all kinds of veggies between two hearty pieces of the break of your choice. Frittatas are offered most weekends along with all kinds of gooey pastry. There is outdoor seating, great for Fido and the kids are welcome here.
Recommended for Uptown New Orleans' Best Brunch because: Breads on Oak rises to the top of the bakery heap.
Beth's expert tip: One of the best spots for chocolate pastries in town.
Delachaise lets you sleep in on the weekends, opening "early" - for them - on Saturday and Sundays at 3 pm. Day drinking and croque monsieur-munching is the perfect way to start the weekend at this under the radar spot along St. Charles Avenue. Dine on the outdoor patio, always buzzing with a lively crowd. This spirited wine bar uptown is easy to love for its long convivial bar, lack of pretense, impressive wine list and most notably the smoked salmon Johnny Cakes with vodka créme fraiche and caviar. Really everything at this atmospheric French-ish bistro is good, say yes to housemade pate and double yes to the devilish chocolate souffle.
Recommended for Uptown New Orleans' Best Brunch because: Late brunch with a French accent - say oui oui!
Beth's expert tip: Brunch and day drinking start early on the weekends here - that's 3 pm, perfect for the late sleepers.
Just off the St. Charles streetcar, (get off on Carrollton and head down Hampson), Refuel serves breakfast and lunch, as well as a delicious Sunday brunch from 8:30 am til 2 pm. The offerings are light, contemporary and affordable. Brunch is the highlight meal, as people from all over the neighborhood flock here for the Huevos Rancheros and the Migas. Grits come with a choice of toppings if Hearty breakfast sandwiches color outside the lines with ingredients like pulled pork and avocado. There are choices sweet and savory, along with a bottomless cup of the mighty fine French Truck Coffee.
Recommended for Uptown New Orleans' Best Brunch because: Hearty portions, great prices and a friendly staff make Refuel a great choice for breakfast, brunch and lunch.
Beth's expert tip: Try the Huevos Rancheros, or if you're cavernously empty, the Big Breakfast.
A favorite with the locals, this eatery's the perfect spot to spend a leisurely morning. Beverage selections are of the non-alcoholic variety, including fruit and vegetable juices, Abita root beer and organic coffee. Menu favorites include the muffuletta, filled with ham, cheese, salami, and olive salad, and huevos rancheros, comprised of chilies, black beans, egg and tortillas in a deeply flavored mole sauce. Lush plants, whimsical art work and regional music playing in the background add to this restaurant's vitality. Surrey's has two locations on Magazine Street, one in the lower Garden shopping district and this one uptown close to Napoleon Avenue. Both serve breakfast all day, at least until 3 when it's closing time.
Recommended for Uptown New Orleans' Best Brunch because: Great place for breakfast any time of the morning or afternoon til 3.
Beth's expert tip: The fab pain perdu can be ordered vegan with soy milk if you so desire.
Cafe Atchafalaya features authentic Creole food, comforting service and locally seasoned live music. Touted as New Orleans' only "five A" restaurant, this funky neighborhood bistro emanates a distinct New Orleans vibe that attracts locals and tourists alike. The sauces, soups and shrimp and grits are offerings that attract weekly repeat customers. The Jazz Brunch offered here is less "prim and proper", and more wild to put it simply. The Jazz trio pumps out some great tunes while interacting with the enthusiastic crowds. The building has served as a restaurant since the 20's and is located in the famed Irish Channel.
Recommended for Uptown New Orleans' Best Brunch because: Bottomless cocktails and a creative menu add up to one delicious brunch experience.
Beth's expert tip: You come here if you like your Jazz Brunch tuned up, riotous and alcohol-infused.
Built in 1883, the Columns offers a gorgeous Victorian setting, a stellar bar (order a Ramos gin fizz) and a reputation among locals for serving a most genteel Sunday brunch. Friday, Saturday and Sunday The Columns opens up the lovely Victorian dining room at 11 am. Within minutes, it is filled with "in the know" locals, coming to feast on shrimp & grits, eggs Benedict or jumbo lump crab cake. The menu is both ala carte and a three course prix fixe, with four entrees priced between $30 and $42. flat $40, which includes a glass of bubbly or a mimosa. Getting to The Columns is as easy as hopping on the St. Charles Avenue streetcar.
Recommended for Uptown New Orleans' Best Brunch because: The Columns is classy and elegant with a brunch both scrumptious and filling.
Kristopher's expert tip: Pick a nice day and do brunch on the porch facing St. Charles Avenue.
Green is beautiful at Satsuma, a fetching dining spot with locations on Maple Street Uptown and on Dauphine Street in the Bywater. Yard eggs scrambled with basil pesto and shaved Nueske's ham, free trade coffee and freshly made juices concocted in their industrial juicer behind the bar are just a few of the daily specials. Vegans are in heaven here, thanks to dishes like the tofu scramble and black bean burger with avocado mash. Eat indoors or out, and definitely plan on trying some of the green juice blends. Satsuma uptown is in walking distance to the universities and Audubon Park.
Recommended for Uptown New Orleans' Best Brunch because: Satsuma Cafe has some excellent gluten-free desserts including brownies and almond honey Cake.
Beth's expert tip: Amp up the fresh made juice blends with a shot of wheat grass for extra energy.
Step a few hundred feet inside the oak tree lining of Audubon Park and you will stumble upon the Audubon Clubhouse Cafe. The cafe is not just for golfers, as it is open to the public six days a week. They serve breakfast, lunch and drinks those days, and include a brunch buffet on Sundays. Choose to eat indoors in the Acadian-style home, or outdoors to immerse yourself in one of the city's most beautiful green spaces. The Clubhouse Cafe is accessible by foot by following the park's walking path, or by car through the Magazine Street entrance (right across from the zoo).
Recommended for Uptown New Orleans' Best Brunch because: Audubon Clubhouse Cafe offers one of the only true brunch buffets Uptown.
Beth's expert tip: Don't be worried that you need to golf to eat here. Plenty of non-golfers will be in here sizing up the brunch buffet.
DTB, which stands for Down the Bayou, is a smartly conceived salute to coastal Cajun cuisine, presented with a healthy dash of creative interpretation. Chef/owner Carl Schaubhut and chef de cuisine Jacob Hammel riff off of the region's traditional dishes, refining them with lighter ingredients and plenty of attention to detail. The rustic-meets-modern restaurant is lovely, hung with faux Spanish moss and warmed by burnished light wood and textured art. Expect wonderful Gulf seafood and fresh seasonal produce along with a fab cocktail program from award-winning cocktail maven Lu Brow. Try the earthy swine-free mushroom "boudin" balls, fried cornbread bites with bacon marmalade and the succulent 48-hour short rib served with butter braised turnips, baked grits, fermented pepper jelly jus. Brunch is a great option, thanks to savories like brisket debris Benedict and cornmeal waffles. Booze it up with bottomless mimosas for $15 and half-off local draft, wine and champagne.
Recommended for Uptown New Orleans' Best Brunch because: DTB is one of the tastiest spots on Oak Street.
Beth's expert tip: Happy hour is a great deal for wine drinkers here - the already reasonable by the glass list is slashed in half, as in $2.50 for a top notch Provencal rose.