Qualla: Commander's Palace

Commander's Palace: Introduction

Fri, 06 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit APK, CC BY-SA 4.0. Emile Commander had a modest idea: a small saloon on the corner of Washington Avenue and Coliseum Street where the well-heeled families of the Garden District could eat and drink. That was 1893. Within a few years the saloon became a restaurant, and by 1900 Commander's Palace was drawing gourmets from around the world. Today the turquoise-and-white Victorian building stands as one of the most awarded restaurants in the United States, a place where the James Beard Foundation named it the nation's Most Outstanding Restaurant in 1996, where Zagat readers called it the Most Popular Restaurant in New Orleans for 18 consecutive years, and where the kitchen has served as a proving ground for chefs who went on to reshape American cuisine. Not bad for a neighborhood saloon.

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Image: APK | CC BY-SA 4.0

Commander's Palace: From Saloon to Shrine

Fri, 06 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Clark Mills, Public domain. Commander's Palace passed through several hands before finding its destiny. In the 1920s, Frank Giarratano owned the place and lived upstairs with his wife Rose and their two sons, while the restaurant operated below with a separate entrance. Rumors swirled about private dining r...

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Image: Clark Mills | Public domain

Commander's Palace: The Brennan Revolution

Fri, 06 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Joyce N. Boghosian, Public domain. The transformation that made Commander's Palace a culinary institution came in 1969, when the famous Brennan restaurant family purchased the property. The Brennans reimagined the interior to complement the lush outdoor setting: walls gave way to large windows, and custom trellise...

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Image: Joyce N. Boghosian | Public domain

Commander's Palace: Surviving the Deluge

Fri, 06 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Krista, CC BY 2.0. Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans in August 2005, and Commander's Palace did not escape the devastation. The historic building suffered extensive damage -- a cruel blow to a structure that had anchored the corner of Washington and Coliseum for over a century. But the Brennan f...

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Image: Krista | CC BY 2.0

Commander's Palace: A Garden District Table

Fri, 06 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Infrogmation of New Orleans, CC BY-SA 3.0. Commander's Palace sits in the heart of one of New Orleans' most storied neighborhoods. The Garden District, with its oak-canopied streets and antebellum mansions, provides a setting that few restaurants anywhere can match. Through the years, the property has expanded into adjace...

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Image: Infrogmation of New Orleans | CC BY-SA 3.0