Serving Since

New Orleans

Serving since

1946

80 years in New Orleans

Brennan's

French Quarter · Creole

Go here for
Bananas Foster · Eggs Hussarde
Why go
Bananas Foster and Eggs Hussarde, both house originals, at a Creole restaurant that has been serving since 1946.
Local character
Visitor destination
Good to know
Expect crowds. On Royal Street; The Infatuation calls it the brunch to have if you only have one in New Orleans and warns of hordes of bachelorette parties.
Directions Official website Reservations

Owen Brennan opened the restaurant on Bourbon Street in 1946 and it moved to 417 Royal Street in 1956. It closed in June 2013 and reopened under new ownership in November 2014.

Why it matters

Owen Brennan, proprietor of the Old Absinthe House, opened Owen Brennan's Vieux Carré Restaurant on Bourbon Street in 1946. In the early 1950s he named a dessert after his friend Richard Foster, and Bananas Foster became a house original, along with Eggs Hussarde and Breakfast at Brennan's.

The restaurant moved in 1956 to 417 Royal Street, a building dating to 1795. After a 1973 family split, Owen's widow and children kept Brennan's.

Brennan's closed in June 2013. Ralph Brennan and Terry White restored the building and reopened it on November 25, 2014. It is now part of the Ralph Brennan Restaurant Group.

The story

  1. 1946Owen Brennan opens his restaurant on Bourbon Street2
  2. 1956Moves to 417 Royal Street3
  3. 1973Family split leaves Owen Brennan's widow and children with Brennan's4
  4. 2013Closes in June3
  5. 2014Reopens November 25 under Ralph Brennan and Terry White3
  6. TodayStill serving New Orleans

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Notes on the record

  • Brennan's was closed from June 2013 to November 2014 and reopened under new ownership.

Details

Address
417 Royal Street, New Orleans, LA 70130
Neighborhood
French Quarter
Ownership
Not verified
Status
Open · verified Sep 2026

OldScore

A secondary, editorial measure. The founding year above is the fact that matters most. How it works.

Age22/ 35
Continuity5/ 20
Local significance10/ 20
Local food culture15/ 15
Independence—/ 10
OldScoreNot yet scored

"—" means unknown. We don't publish a total until every part is verified.

Local character: Visitor destination. On Royal Street; The Infatuation calls it the brunch to have if you only have one in New Orleans and warns of hordes of bachelorette parties. This is separate from OldScore: a place can be popular with visitors and still belong here.

More like this

Sources

  1. Brennan's (official site) Founding year, Ownership, Address, Current status
  2. Brennan's (official site, Traditions) Founding year, History, What to order
  3. Brennan's (official site), "Restored, Reborn, and Reopening" Founding year, History, Ownership
  4. Gambit (Blake Pontchartrain), "Blakeview: After 50 years of Commander's Palace" (May 27, 2019) History, Ownership
  5. The Infatuation, 'The Most Classic New Orleans Restaurants' (Sep 22, 2026) History