When it comes to historic restaurants, New Orleans is hardly lacking. But one venerated establishment outdoes them all: Antoine’s, located in the French Quarter. Open since 1840, it’s not only the city’s oldest restaurant, but considered the oldest continuously family-run restaurant in the country (as in, it’s stayed within one family for nearly two centuries). Its namesake, Antoine Alciatore, was a French-raised Italian immigrant who felt at home with the French vibe of New Orleans.
Of course, Antoine’s age is hardly the only reason to visit. It’s one of the granddaddies of New Orleans’ refined culinary scene as the birthplace of iconic dishes like Oysters Rockefeller (baked oysters with a buttery herb sauce). It’s a top-notch example of Creole cuisine in the city (not to be confused with Cajun cuisine, although there’s overlap), which mixes together diverse Caribbean and French influences and is characterized by rich, hearty sauces and plenty of seafood, typically sourced locally from Gulf waters.
On Antoine’s menu, that translates to rich dishes like creamy crawfish gratin, a gumbo stuffed with crab, shrimp, and oysters, roasted chicken with crawfish and a cognac flambé, or the incredibly rich filet mignon with butter-poached crab meat and truffle hollandaise. You may want to jump at any item that features that butter-poached crab: When Anthony Bourdain visited Antoine’s for an episode of “No Reservations”, he raved about it. He had it served with grilled pompano, a fish from the waters of Florida known for its delicate, slightly sweet taste — that item is still on the menu, served with a white wine reduction and onion rice.
What else to know about Antoine’s
You can stop by Antoine’s for dinner any night, and for lunch or brunch most days. The lunch and dinner menus are relatively similar, with a few more casual options appearing during lunch hours, like a burger. During weekend brunch, there are some other classic Southern dishes like shrimp and grits or Eggs Sardou, a New Orleans specialty that starts with a Benedict-like base of poached eggs and hollandaise and adds spinach, artichoke, tasso ham, and truffle. No matter when you go, you can pair your meal with classic cocktails like an Old Fashioned or a Sazerac, another New Orleans staple…