Festive fare: the Wild Boar Provencal at King Brasserie
Reveillon Dinners, December 2023
It shouldn’t come as a shock to discover that a food-obsessed city like New Orleans has its own festive culinary traditions. Reveillon dinners originated with 19th century Creole families, who would eat extravagant late dinners twice a year - on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve. They would serve special dishes such as sweetbreads, jellieds stews and rum-drenched cakes as part of the seasonal celebrations.
These traditions have been updated and repackaged by modern New Orleans restaurants, and the menus are typically available nightly from Dec 1st to the first week of January. Most places serve a mix of traditional and contemporary dishes, many with a French or Creole slant, and they’re largely offered on a prix-fixe menu.
Of course, the old, traditional restaurants in the Quarter are many poeple's go-to, but here’s our round-up of some of the alternative best Reveillon dinners in town, plus some more general holiday specials below those:
The Bower
Located in New Orleans’ Lower Garden District, The Bower is helmed by Executive Chef Marcus Woodham, who has worked at some of NOLA’s most acclaimed restaurants, including Luke, Restaurant Patois, and more. The Bower will be offering a mouthwatering four-course Réveillon dinner. Priced at $65 per person (plus tax and gratuity). The menu includes: Spicy Shrimp Arancini, Turtle Soup, Radiatore Pasta and Eggplant Parmesan. The Bower’s Réveillon dinner will be offered during dinner service from December 1st-30th. It is not available on New Year’s Eve. Reservations can be made on OpenTable. https://www.thebowernola.com/
Costera
Costera is the Coastal Spanish restaurant and bar in New Orleans' Uptown neighborhood. Under the direction of Chef Brian Burns and Reno De Ranieri, the restaurant will serve a flavorful four-course Réveillon menu served family style for $65 per person (plus tax and gratuity). The menu includes paella and ribeye steak. Costera’s Réveillon will be available from December 1st-31st. Reservations can be made on Resy. https://costerarestaurant.com
Josephine Estelle
Feast of the Seven Fishes five-course prix-fixe ($120/person) on Christmas Eve. Highlights include Poached Prawns with tiger’s milk, Brown Butter Cobia with salt cod brandade, and White Chocolate Gelato finished with Cajun caviar. Holiday specials like Bistecca Florentine and Stuffed Quail will be available à la carte on Christmas Day. Reserve HERE.
King Brasserie and Bar https://kingbrasserieandbar.com/reveillion
prepared by Executive Chef Samuel Peery. The menu will be available November 25-December 30, including Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, at $75. Dishes include Pate Terrine, Wild Game Cassoulet, Wild Boar Provencal and Chocolate Souffle. Reservations through OpenTable at the Link Here
Miss River
Alon Shaya's restaurant in the Four Seasons Hotel will offer a four-course prix-fixe Réveillon dinner ($95/person) from December 1-25 with inspired dishes such as Crab-Stuffed Deviled Eggs with Caviar; Crab and Dumplings; and Breaded Snapper with crabmeat, blood orange, and citrus hollandaise. Miss River will be open all holiday season, including Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Reserve HERE.
Osteria Lupo
Uptown’s Northern Italian hotspot will be offering a four-course, family-style tasting for Réveillon, available at $55 per person. Dishes include Gulf Fish Crudo, Radiatori Louisiana Blue Crab, Campanelle Porcini, Grilled Lamb Rack, and Seared Scallops. Full table participation kindly requested. https://www.osterialupo.com/
Seaworthy
The seafood specialists will offer a four-course prix-fixe menu ($99/person) on Christmas Eve, with highlights including Charbroiled Oyster Trio, Pan-Seared Scallop with squid ink risotto and parmesan tuile, and Potato-Crusted Halibut with braised greens, rainbow chard, and bottarga. On Christmas Day, look for holiday specials on the à la carte menu. Reserve HERE.
Tujague’s
Tujague’s, the city’s second oldest restaurant, is excited to invite visitors to indulge in the flavors of the season with its tantalizing four-course Réveillon menu. Deeply rooted in the cultural heritage of New Orleans, Chef Gus Martin created a specialty menu highlighting the exquisite flavors and delightful holiday traditions. Priced at $67 per person (plus tax and gratuity), the menu includes Oyster Chowder, Shrimp and Goat Cheese Crepes, Pan Roasted Gulf Fish, Grilled Pork Tournedos, and Pan Roasted Maple Leaf Duck. Tujague’s Réveillon dinner will be offered during dinner service from December 1st-30th. Per tradition, this menu will be the only offering on Christmas Eve. It is not available on Christmas Day or New Year’s Eve. Reservations can be made on OpenTable. Tujague’s is located at 429 Decatur Street. https://tujaguesrestaurant.com
Holiday specials:
Ayu Bakehouse will offer stunning and one-of-a-kind NOLA shotgun-style gingerbread houses, satsuma curd-filled Bayoule Logs, and Hot ‘Mallow kits. Pre-order HERE.
Devil Moon BBQ will have smoked ham, turkey, and other Christmas mainstays available for pre-order (not dine-in).
Porgy’s will have festive grab-and-go offerings—think Whole Smoked Fish with fixins, Shrimp or Oyster Bisque, Seafood Dressing, and Yellowfin Tuna Conserva—as well as caviar, ceviche, crab fingers, and dips. They will also offer latke kits with mix-and-match accouterments including Cajun caviar, smoked fish dip, and sour cream, complete with a dreidel and traditional gelt.
Saba’s L’Chaim Lounge: Celebrate the Festival of Lights at L’Chaim Lounge, located in Saba’s Lounge. Enjoy the signature Latke Board along with drink specials named after Jewish icons, including Barbra Streisand, Jerry Seinfeld, Ben Stiller, and Ruth Shaya (N/A). Reserve HERE.
More:
New Orleans pop-up Christmas bars
It shouldn’t come as a shock to discover that a food-obsessed city like New Orleans has its own festive culinary traditions. Reveillon dinners originated with 19th century Creole families, who would eat extravagant late dinners twice a year - on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve. They would serve special dishes such as sweetbreads, jellieds stews and rum-drenched cakes as part of the seasonal celebrations.
These traditions have been updated and repackaged by modern New Orleans restaurants, and the menus are typically available nightly from Dec 1st to the first week of January. Most places serve a mix of traditional and contemporary dishes, many with a French or Creole slant, and they’re largely offered on a prix-fixe menu.
Of course, the old, traditional restaurants in the Quarter are many poeple's go-to, but here’s our round-up of some of the alternative best Reveillon dinners in town, plus some more general holiday specials below those:
The Bower
Located in New Orleans’ Lower Garden District, The Bower is helmed by Executive Chef Marcus Woodham, who has worked at some of NOLA’s most acclaimed restaurants, including Luke, Restaurant Patois, and more. The Bower will be offering a mouthwatering four-course Réveillon dinner. Priced at $65 per person (plus tax and gratuity). The menu includes: Spicy Shrimp Arancini, Turtle Soup, Radiatore Pasta and Eggplant Parmesan. The Bower’s Réveillon dinner will be offered during dinner service from December 1st-30th. It is not available on New Year’s Eve. Reservations can be made on OpenTable. https://www.thebowernola.com/
Costera
Costera is the Coastal Spanish restaurant and bar in New Orleans' Uptown neighborhood. Under the direction of Chef Brian Burns and Reno De Ranieri, the restaurant will serve a flavorful four-course Réveillon menu served family style for $65 per person (plus tax and gratuity). The menu includes paella and ribeye steak. Costera’s Réveillon will be available from December 1st-31st. Reservations can be made on Resy. https://costerarestaurant.com
Josephine Estelle
Feast of the Seven Fishes five-course prix-fixe ($120/person) on Christmas Eve. Highlights include Poached Prawns with tiger’s milk, Brown Butter Cobia with salt cod brandade, and White Chocolate Gelato finished with Cajun caviar. Holiday specials like Bistecca Florentine and Stuffed Quail will be available à la carte on Christmas Day. Reserve HERE.
King Brasserie and Bar https://kingbrasserieandbar.com/reveillion
prepared by Executive Chef Samuel Peery. The menu will be available November 25-December 30, including Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, at $75. Dishes include Pate Terrine, Wild Game Cassoulet, Wild Boar Provencal and Chocolate Souffle. Reservations through OpenTable at the Link Here
Miss River
Alon Shaya's restaurant in the Four Seasons Hotel will offer a four-course prix-fixe Réveillon dinner ($95/person) from December 1-25 with inspired dishes such as Crab-Stuffed Deviled Eggs with Caviar; Crab and Dumplings; and Breaded Snapper with crabmeat, blood orange, and citrus hollandaise. Miss River will be open all holiday season, including Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Reserve HERE.
Osteria Lupo
Uptown’s Northern Italian hotspot will be offering a four-course, family-style tasting for Réveillon, available at $55 per person. Dishes include Gulf Fish Crudo, Radiatori Louisiana Blue Crab, Campanelle Porcini, Grilled Lamb Rack, and Seared Scallops. Full table participation kindly requested. https://www.osterialupo.com/
Seaworthy
The seafood specialists will offer a four-course prix-fixe menu ($99/person) on Christmas Eve, with highlights including Charbroiled Oyster Trio, Pan-Seared Scallop with squid ink risotto and parmesan tuile, and Potato-Crusted Halibut with braised greens, rainbow chard, and bottarga. On Christmas Day, look for holiday specials on the à la carte menu. Reserve HERE.
Tujague’s
Tujague’s, the city’s second oldest restaurant, is excited to invite visitors to indulge in the flavors of the season with its tantalizing four-course Réveillon menu. Deeply rooted in the cultural heritage of New Orleans, Chef Gus Martin created a specialty menu highlighting the exquisite flavors and delightful holiday traditions. Priced at $67 per person (plus tax and gratuity), the menu includes Oyster Chowder, Shrimp and Goat Cheese Crepes, Pan Roasted Gulf Fish, Grilled Pork Tournedos, and Pan Roasted Maple Leaf Duck. Tujague’s Réveillon dinner will be offered during dinner service from December 1st-30th. Per tradition, this menu will be the only offering on Christmas Eve. It is not available on Christmas Day or New Year’s Eve. Reservations can be made on OpenTable. Tujague’s is located at 429 Decatur Street. https://tujaguesrestaurant.com
Holiday specials:
Ayu Bakehouse will offer stunning and one-of-a-kind NOLA shotgun-style gingerbread houses, satsuma curd-filled Bayoule Logs, and Hot ‘Mallow kits. Pre-order HERE.
Devil Moon BBQ will have smoked ham, turkey, and other Christmas mainstays available for pre-order (not dine-in).
Porgy’s will have festive grab-and-go offerings—think Whole Smoked Fish with fixins, Shrimp or Oyster Bisque, Seafood Dressing, and Yellowfin Tuna Conserva—as well as caviar, ceviche, crab fingers, and dips. They will also offer latke kits with mix-and-match accouterments including Cajun caviar, smoked fish dip, and sour cream, complete with a dreidel and traditional gelt.
Saba’s L’Chaim Lounge: Celebrate the Festival of Lights at L’Chaim Lounge, located in Saba’s Lounge. Enjoy the signature Latke Board along with drink specials named after Jewish icons, including Barbra Streisand, Jerry Seinfeld, Ben Stiller, and Ruth Shaya (N/A). Reserve HERE.
More:
New Orleans pop-up Christmas bars