Alcohol isn’t technically in the definition of brunch.
That being said, the first time the beloved portmanteau of a Sunday meal showed up in print was in Guy Beringer’s 1895 Hunter’s Weekly article, “Brunch: A Plea.” Beringer called the breakfast/lunch mash-up, “cheerful, sociable and inciting. It is talk-compelling. It puts you in a good temper, it makes you satisfied with yourself and your fellow beings, it sweeps away the worries and cobwebs of the week.″
Cheerful? Talk-compelling? Puts you in a good temper and makes you satisfied with yourself?
If that’s not alcohol, we don’t know what is.
(But, before you get too carried away, don't miss our invaluable guide to the Do's and Don'ts of bottomless brunch.)
In the 21st century, the meal has gotten a new spin of which Beringer could only have dreamed. Bottomless brunch — accompanied by a literal, never-ending stream of boozy beverages — is now offered by dozens of New Orleans area restaurants.
Here is a sampling of our favorites.
Apolline
Our journey begins at the Uptown neighborhood charmer, Apolline. Grab a seat inside this cute Creole cottage, or outside among the greens for entrees that include roasted pork enchiladas, shrimp and grits, steak and eggs, chicken and waffles, and the titular Eggs Apolline with a housemade biscuit, andouille sausage, crawfish tails, poached eggs, and hollandaise. It’s a lively meal made livelier with your choice of $22 bottomless mimosas or bloody marys. Brunch is Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and also Wednesday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Broussard’s
If you’re looking for a New Orleans classic, Broussard’s is available for unlimited rosé or mimosas for just $18 on Fridays through Sundays 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. There’s a jazz band playing and fare that ranges from classics like deviled eggs and eggs Benedict, to house specialities like a croque madame with cochon de lait, gruyere, a sunny-side egg, and banana-cane barbecue sauce. Make a reservation because jazz brunch is no secret.
Compère Lapin
It was gone for a while, but bottomless brunch is back at Compère Lapin as of June 4.
“It’s my favorite shift of the week,” restaurant chef and owner Nina Compton said. “Brunch should be fun, fun and lively, provide a bang for your buck, and should have great booze options. We aim to do that all.”
Compère Lapin’s bottomless booze of choice is the brunch punch, for just $25 during Sunday brunch from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Whether you order food a la carte, or from the $45 pre-fixed menu, you’ll find items that pull from both traditional brunch favorites and Compton’s Caribbean roots, such as the everything bagel with tuna tartare, calabrian cream cheese and avocado; and the fried chicken with biscuits and hot honey.
Copper Vine
At Copper Vine, you’re encouraged to sit and stay awhile, whether it’s at a table in the middle of their beautiful interior, or one that enjoys the Superdome-adjacent restaurant’s airy, bright and welcoming courtyard and balcony. On weekends from 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., Copper Vine offers bottomless mimosas from for $25, but it's executive chef Amy Mehrtens’ food that steals the show. Try the shakshouka with the option of adding shrimp, cornflake-fried chicken with waffles, fritter french toast, and a sourdough bread pudding dipped in doughnut batter and served with cane syrup, seasonal fruit and soft brie.
“It’s a showstopper, and also maybe a heart stopper,” Copper Vine’s Assistant General Manager Charles Regnard said jokingly. “But we love it, and so do our guests.”
Duck and brie spring rolls at Couvant
Couvant
Most bottomless brunches will let you choose one type of cocktail to ride or die with until the end of your meal. That’s not a complaint, but downtown French brasserie Couvant encourages diners to try them all, allowing you to switch freely between bloody marys, mimosas, palomas, sangria and brunch punch for just $25 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Fridays through Sundays. The food is extraordinary, too, with duck and brie spring rolls, the croque madame, stuffed French toast sticks and duck confit having risen to crowd favorite status.
Lucy’s Retired Surfer Bar
Head to the Warehouse District for an ultra-casual, relaxed bottomless brunch experience, featuring unlimited mimosas or bloody marys for only $12.95. Benedicts, breakfast platters, barbecue pork hash and “brunchos” (now that’s a portmanteau!) will keep your belly lined while you hang.
Saint John
Known for specializing in Creole cuisine, Saint John, like its sister restaurant Gris-Gris, is also known for being a fun, high-energy place to enjoy a great meal. No time is that more on display than during brunch, which is actually offered a generous six days a week (the restaurant is closed on Tuesdays) from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Even more amazing, if a table can show a local ID on Thursdays and Fridays, they get 20% off their bill. Brunch includes bottomless mimosas with high quality champagne ($45) and bottomless bloody marys ($25) with great food like crawfish bread, oysters Saint John, smothered turkey necks and more.
Thanh Thanh
Out in Gretna, Vietnamese restaurant Thanh Thanh offers a brunch menu that spans the globe on weekends from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Vietnamese grilled pork and eggs, ribeye and eggs, pad thai, shrimp and grits, pancakes and much, much more. Pair your food with $17 never-ending mimosas or bloody marys and your day is off to a strong start.
Toups Meatery
“Most people think of brunch and they think eggs, pancakes, etc.,” said Isaac Toups, James Beard Award nominee and chef/owner of Toups Meatery. “But we look at brunch with the same ... approach to flavors as we do dinner and lunch.”
At Toups’ brunch, you’ll find items like a giant burrito to which you can add boudin, and the Southern breakfast, which includes a fried bone-in pork chop.
“Our portions are big, and our cocktails and bottomless mimosas are strong,” Toups said laughing.
Bottomless mimosas at this Cajun-centered restaurant are available for $20 on Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., and Sundays starting one hour earlier.
Crab cake benedict at Tujague's
Tujague’s
There’s a debate over where brunch originated. England says they invented it. New York City disagrees. Even New Orleans has a claim. Tujague’s, founded in 1856, is the third oldest still-active restaurant in the country and has a strong connection to the meal’s earliest days. More than 165 years later, it's still producing a leading brunch. On most weekend days, bottomless mimosas are just $18 (with a 90-minute time limit) from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. with Creole-inspired dishes like a cochon de lait benedict or a crab cake benedict. But on the last Sunday of each month this summer, things are taken up a notch with Poppy Tooker’s Drag Queen Brunch. For $70, guests enjoy three hours of bottomless mimosas, a three-course brunch and one of the liveliest drag shows in the city.
And lively is exactly how a great bottomless brunch is meant to be.
Matt Haines is author of "The Big Book of King Cake." Contact him at haines.matthew@gmail.com.
