Rise and Shine: 5 Places to Eat Breakfast in New Orleans

I am an early riser and, for as long as I can remember, breakfast has been my favorite meal of the day. My sister, who also lives in New Orleans, and I meet at least once a week for breakfast before work. I’ve eaten breakfast at many of the restaurants that serve it but, as with everything, I have my favorites. Here’s my top five breakfast spots and a few I’d like to try.

1. Refuel (8124 Hampson Street). I love Refuel for a few reasons. The first is that it’s literally blocks from my house and I love convenience. The second is that it’s absolutely delicious. The staff, including the owner who is almost always there, is very friendly, they have some of the best iced coffee in the city and their bacon is crispy perfection. I always get the Refuel Breakfast during the week and The Big Breakfast on the weekends but, honestly, you can’t go wrong. They serve breakfast and lunch Tuesday-Friday and brunch on the weekends.

2. Surrey’s Juice Bar (1418 Magazine Street). If you like juice, Surrey’s is the place for you. The tiny restaurant is situated in the Lower Garden District on the one-way part of Magazine Street. In addition to delicious and fresh breakfast and lunch dishes, they have seasonal and fresh juices. Each day Surrey offers orange, grapefruit, apple, carrot and beet juice and they usually feature one or two seasonal juices; my favorite seasonal is the Watermelon Limeade served in the spring and summer.

3. The Ruby Slipper (139 South Cortez Street). I only just discovered this Mid-City gem a few months ago. I’m not usually an omelet person. Don’t get me wrong, eggs are delicious, but very few places can cook an omelet the way I like it. Ruby Slipper is one of those few places. They have an omelet they call “The European” with Portobello Mushrooms and Brie. Words cannot describe the awesomeness of this omelet.

4. Huevos (4408 Banks Street). Owned by the same folks as Crescent Sausage and Pie Co. and The Dough Bowl, Huevos is the perfect spot for, as you may have guessed by the name, huevos. They also happen to have some stellar kosher for Passover dishes (I am Jewish, so I like to go there for matzah and eggs) and they’re one of the only restaurants in the city that does.

5. Camellia Grill (626 S. Carrollton Ave). Tourists and locals alike flock to this Riverbend eatery. It’s a total dive, joint, diner — whatever you want to call it — and it is southern, greasy goodness. This is my favorite place after I’ve been out all night. I hear the omelets and eggs are good but my go-to meal there is the waffles. They are moist and delicious, not to mention that the butter comes in a syrup jar — only in New Orleans.

Here are a few other breakfast spots that I have enjoyed or heard great things about:

Stanley (547 Saint Ann Street)
Eco Cafe (3903 Canal St.)
Elizabeth’s (601 Gallier Street)
Slim Goodies Diner (3322 Magazine Street)

Tagged as: Bacon, breakfast, Camellia Grill, Crescent City Sausage and Pie, Crescent Sausage and Pie Company, Eco Cafe, Elizabeth's, GoNOLA, Huevos, Kosher, Magazine Street, New Orleans, NOLA, Passover, Refuel, Refuel Cafe, Slim Goodie's, Stanley, Surrey's, Surrey's Juice Bar, The Dough Bowl, The Doughbowl, The Ruby Slipper, Waffles, Watermelon Limeade