Brennan's Restaurant

Owen Brennan opened his restaurant in 1946 after a friend told him the Irish couldn't run a fine Creole kitchen. The building that became Brennan's permanent home — 417 Royal Street, built in 1795 — came later. Owen leased it in 1954, but he died in his sleep from a heart attack on November 4, 1955, before the restaurant opened. It opened the following spring without him. Bananas Foster was invented at the original location in 1951, flambéed tableside and named for local businessman Richard Foster. Brennan's helped establish brunch as a destination meal — not just breakfast, but a social event. The pink stucco building on Royal Street housed the Banque de la Louisiane, the first bank in Louisiana. From 1841 to 1891, it belonged to the Morphy family. Paul Morphy, the celebrated chess player and unofficial world chess champion, lived there until his death in 1884. Hurricane Katrina didn't flood this stretch of Royal Street, but the restaurant suffered significant damage when refrigerators on the second floor lost power and their contents seeped onto lower floors. The wine cellar lost temperature control. The entire collection was ruined. Brennan's reopened briefly in 2006, closed in 2013 after financial trouble, and was purchased by new owners. The building underwent more than a year of restoration and reopened in fall 2014. Reservations are strongly recommended. Brunch is the signature meal. The courtyard is one of the prettiest in the Quarter.