Commander's Palace — Restaurant in New Orleans

When visiting New Orleans, Commander's Palace is a must-experience destination for anyone seeking top-tier Southern fine dining. Located in the picturesque Garden District, this iconic restaurant has long been a cornerstone of the city's culinary scene, renowned not only for its exceptional cuisine but also for its history of nurturing some of the most celebrated chefs in the world.

Given its reputation, Commander's Palace is often booked months in advance, so if you plan on dining here—especially for a weekend meal—be sure to make reservations well ahead of time. The restaurant is housed in two buildings: the original, historic dining room and a newer space across the courtyard. During our visit, we were fortunate to tour the recently renovated areas, and it was clear that the restaurant had maintained its classic charm while embracing a more modern aesthetic. From new wallpaper to updated seating, the renovations enhance the overall dining experience, bringing a fresh, contemporary feel without losing the elegance. One particularly striking update was the new walk-in wine cellar, which commands attention. We were fortunate enough to meet Whitney, the restaurant's Director of Hospitality, who gave us a tour of the renovations. She explained how a hurricane in 2023 forced them to remove the iconic trees that once grew inside the second dining room, but made way for the stunning changes. One of these, which was my personal favorite touch, were the faux birthday balloons that adorned the ceiling of the second dining room's entranceway. These are a fun nod to the Commander Palace's tradition of placing birthday balloons on stakes at the tables of groups celebrating birthdays.

The Sunday dinner service at Commander's Palace did not disappoint. We started with the Hokkaido Scallop appetizer, where perfectly sliced tender Japanese scallops were served on toasted brioche, complemented by mulled cider membrillo, green apple mash, shaved watermelon radish, and whipped chicken liver mousse. This dish was an intricate blend of flavors and textures that set the tone for the evening.

Next, we dove into the infamous Turtle Soup, a rich, flavorful concoction of veal fond, egg, and crushed lemon, finished tableside with a splash of aged sherry. This is a true New Orleans classic, and Commander's Palace does it justice, offering a bowl brimming with layers of complex, savory depth.

For our mains, we chose the Wild White Shrimp & Grits, a decadent dish that featured garlic-herb marinated Gulf shrimp seared in cast iron over Creole cream cheese stone ground grits. Accompanied by pickled sweet peppers, braised collard greens, and house-made chorizo court bouillon, the dish was a perfect marriage of Southern comfort and culinary sophistication. The Pecan Crusted Gulf Fish was another standout, with jumbo lump crab poached in Prosecco, resting atop a spiced pecan crusted fish. The dish was completed with roasted corn, asparagus, grilled kale, melted leeks, and a whiskey-spiked crushed corn cream—an artful presentation of flavors that left us in awe.

While the food was flawless, there was a minor hiccup with the wine service. We asked our server, who was studying for his Advanced Sommelier certification, for a white wine recommendation to pair with our meal. Unfortunately, we were left without much insight, as he simply pointed to the white wine section of the menu, stating that "you can't go wrong with any of these." Thankfully, our table is well-versed in wine pairings, so we managed fine, but we had hoped for a more knowledgeable suggestion from the staff.

That small misstep aside, the overall experience at Commander's Palace was exceptional. From the impeccable food to the stunning renovations, it was clear that this legendary institution continues to uphold its reputation for excellence. This was our second visit to Commander's Palace, and it certainly won't be our last. Whether it's your first time in New Orleans or your fiftieth, dining at Commander's Palace is an experience that should be on every food lover's...

This might be a long review for some, but for others this will be helpful.

Commander's Palace was the FIRST restaurant I came to visit for my FIRST visit to NoLa, so that might be why I didn't have the best experience.

There were 7 of us girls at this table. First impressions were GREAT! The waiter offered me a black napkin to use on my blue pants to match and he went around and put napkins in everyone's laps. Then that waiter left and we were introduced to Offir. He was very nice at first, we had no issues. When it came to ordering our drinks, we were all very interested in ordering the 25 cent martinis! (See image and video below) I was very excited to try them and get to enjoy a cocktail with my friends. Pro Tip The martinis are only 25 cents with the order of an entre. (This tip comes in handy later on in my review.)

My other friend next to me wanted to order a coffee, she requested for cream and sugar, and the coffee and sugar came to the table right away. . . but never the cream. Poor girl waited until her coffee was cold before she got her creamer.

Then I was trying to read the menu. For me, this restaurant didn't have anything I wanted to eat (especially nothing worth paying $30+ for.) I do not eat pork or shellfish, and it's a good thing I asked before ordering the chicken, because it's cooked in pork fat.

At first, Offir wasn't very helpful in trying to help me make a decision, so I asked if the kitchen could cook the chicken without the pork fat, he came back and said "They could, but the chicken would be very dry." (I didn't even want to order the chicken anyways because it was a chicken thigh, and I didn't feel like picking through bone in front of my friends. When I was looking at the salad options, I really didn't feel like paying $30+ for grass. There were barely any toppings on these salad options (mind you) Offir was pointing things out to me on the menu, but I was just being picky at this point, but hey it's food I'm paying a lot of money for, I feel like I can be a little picky. Finally! After about 10 mins of him coming back and forth, putting my friends orders in, did he tell me I was able to order grilled chicken. I didn't think that was an option. We decided to put it on a Cesar salad. That I was happy with.

I also was concerned with the fact that my meal wasn't a full entre, since we had basically a makeshift chicken Cesar salad, so I asked Offir if he could put my drinks on my friend who ordered an entre, and that was no issue.

When it came down to paying, this was our own issue because we were a big group, we had to put it all on one credit card and then split it between 6 people (not 7 because we all split the brides meal.)

We had one issue with an extra charge for the brides appetizer, it was supposed to be included in her lunch special order, and they charged us full price for it, the other issue was the coffee my friend ordered. We asked nicely for them to take it off the bill because A. It was a whopping $5 for bad coffee. B. She never got her creamer so she didn't even drink it.

Other than that, the vibes of this place are adorable, it's VERY fancy, and very fitting for a bachelorette trip...

Our friend, my husband and I enjoyed lunch here on a Thursday afternoon. Our friend had been here a couple of times. It was the first time for my husband and myself. There is a dress code to follow: shirts with collars and dress pants for men and closed toe shoes for women. Most women wore dresses and/or skirts. Reservations are required.

Our reservation was for 12:30 p.m. We were shown to our table and our waiter pushed in our chairs for us and placed our napkins on our laps. A very nice gesture. We were given the day's menu.

To start, we ordered drinks. My husband ordered a beer. Our friend ordered a Cosmopolitan martini and I ordered a Ray's Melon martini. For lunch, regular size martinis are 25 cents each and a limit of three per person.

Our drinks arrived promptly. My Ray's Melon martini was made with Midori Melon liquor and was very mellow.

We each ordered a Spiced Carrot Salad as the first course. For our main course, my husband ordered Cracklin' Crusted Cochon De Lait. My friend ordered Pineapple Caipirinha Shrimp. I ordered Maggie's Mushroom Vol Au Vent. While waiting for our salads, a plate of garlic toast was served. The garlic toast was crunchy and the garlic was not overpowering.

The Spicy Carrot Salad consisted of roasted baby carrots, cucumbers, spicy arugula, almond clusters and curried carrot vinaigrette with tart labneh. It was delicious. It had big carrot flavor.

We ordered another round of drinks: a beer, Commander's martini and this time I tried a Cosmopolitan martini.

Our entrees arrived. My husband's Cracklin' Crusted Cochon De Lait was a smoked pork shoulder compressed and fried crisp over roasted garlic creamed white beans with baby arugula, cherry tomatoes and charred poblano butter. He enjoyed his food.

Our friend's Pineapple Caipirinha Shrimp had cachaca and crushed lime glazed Gulf shrimp with grilled pineapple, English cucumber, roasted red peppers, shaved red onion and a Caipirinha vinaigrette. She said her dish was delicious.

I received my Maggie's Mushroom Vol Au Vent which was Tempura fried Louisiana summer squash over pickled chestnut and pioppino mushrooms and garlic wilted spinach tucked into a French pastry with red pepper chimichurri. It was full of texture and flavor.

Our entrees were beautifully cooked and presented.

We all ordered the same dessert ahead of time which was Summer Blueberry Coffee Cake Cobbler. It is made to order.

The Summer Blueberry Coffee Cake Cobbler is made of macerated blueberries baked in fluffy coffee cake batter with spiced streusel and Creole cream cheese ice cream. (Must be ordered 20 minutes in advance)

The desserts arrived right from the oven with a scoop of cream cheese ice cream melting on top. Lots of blueberries and a crunchy top.

Our waiter was knowledgeable and attentive. Our food arrived in a reasonable amount of time. We were not rushed during our luncheon. We left feeling very satisfied with the food and service. You're the best!...