The best breakfast in New Orleans to start your day

Written by Gerrish Lopez

Time Out Contributor, US

Contributor: Jenny Peters

There’s nothing like waking up to the rich aroma of chicory coffee and the promise of a great meal. In New Orleans, breakfast is as revered as any other meal—it’s a celebration of bold flavors and culinary tradition. Whether you’re in the mood for a simple pastry and café au lait or a feast of praline bacon, pecan waffles and eggs Benedict, there’s no shortage of ways to start your day right. The best breakfast spots in New Orleans deliver.

Cozy neighborhood cafés, bustling diners and legendary restaurants serve up everything from classic Southern comfort food to inventive, locally inspired creations. You’ll find influences from Creole, French and Italian cuisines woven into every menu, whether it’s in a plate of shrimp and grits, a fluffy omelet packed with Gulf seafood or a warm beignet fresh from the fryer. So, rise and shine—these top breakfast spots are worth getting out of bed for (but if you need more time, there's always brunch).

Melissa Araujo brings the flavors of her Honduran heritage to life at Alma in the Bywater, where every detail—from the decor to the menu—tells a story. Served daily until 3pm, breakfast offers a mix of traditional and familiar favorites. The signature Alma Breakfast is a hearty plate of eggs, refried beans, sweet plantains, avocado, homemade crema and queso fresco. For those with a sweet tooth, the lemon ricotta pancakes with hoodoo liqueur syrup does the trick. There are also classics like avocado toast, biscuits and fried chicken, with a Honduran twist. A second location brings the same breakfast goodness to Mid-City.

In the Local Palate’s 2022 Restaurants Issue, our state-by-state guide highlights the new restaurants that have emerged since 2020. Here, contributor Beth D’Addono gives an overview of new restaurants. in Louisiana.

Alma | New Orleans

Chef Melissa Araujo pays homage to her Honduran roots—and her grandmother’s kitchen —at her welcoming Bywater cafe. She channels culinary influences from the homey dishes of her childhood along with specialties of the Garifuna, descendants of an Afro-indigenous population from the Caribbean who were exiled to the Honduran coast in the eighteenth century.

Alma, which means soul in Spanish, was five years in the making, with Araujo popping up in various kitchens while she was running a catering business. From day one, it was wildly popular with locals, but as time went by and more visitors started coming back to New Orleans, tourists discovered Araujo’s from-scratch menu.

The Alma breakfast is a best seller—two eggs with refried beans, sweet plantains, avocado, queso fresco, and homemade crema—along with its sister dish baliadas sencilla, a mix of eggs, refried beans, and queso on homemade flour tortillas. Fried dough dusted with sugar delivers a Honduran version of beignets called bunuelo macheteadas. There’s also house-cured salmon paired with toast for a take on a bagel with lox.

Plant-based dishes are a feature at every meal, from the red beans and jasmine rice served with coconut milk and herbs at lunch to the garlic-roasted eggplant and coriander roasted carrots on the new dinner menu. Initially open just for breakfast and lunch, Araujo added dinner early this year, offering a newly crafted menu each night. Guests can dine inside and out in the sparse, elegant space, which is decorated with her grandparents’ wedding photo and a tile mural of the Mayan moon goddess Ixchel, a deity of female power and fertility.

Can’t Miss

Cocktail: The Mayan Mezcalita with Montelobos mezcal, hibiscus tea, lime, and cilantro syrup

Appetizer: Ana shrimp dip

Main: Caracol al ajillo—escargot served with garlic butter and bread for dipping

Dessert: Honduran bread pudding drizzled with cognac-infused cane syrup

Out All Day: New Orleans

Alma Café
review by Paul Oswell

New Orleans has among the biggest Honduran populations in the U.S., so it’s only fitting that the country is gastronomically represented. If Alma Café is among the restaurants leading the way in that regard, then both the culture and its cuisine are safe in the more-than-capable hands of Chef Melissa Araujo. 

Since opening in October 2020 (what a time to open a new business), Chef Araujo hasn’t put a foot wrong, and in fact it’s been a heck of a journey since their first pop-up, back in 2015. From those humble beginnings at Central City food hub Roux Carre, they’re at a point now where they’ve announced an upcoming expansion into dinner service and a likely additional location. 

Throw in the small matter of being a 2024 James Beard Award semi-finalist and the last decade looks nothing less than unswervingly impressive. Chef Araujo’s bona fides are gilt edged: Doris Metropolitan, Mondo, and Restaurant R’evolution, then six years refining those skills in Italy before returning home. 

Alma (‘Soul’ in Spanish) stepped into a spot that previously housed Paloma Cafe, Cafe Henri, and Booty’s Street Food, but it feels as though it’s been there for decades. Stepping in for lunch on a nondescript Wednesday, it’s immediately buzzy, with couples lingering over late breakfasts, locals working on laptops drinking their (frankly incredible) coffee, and groups arriving for family celebrations. 

There’s a cheery vitality, helped along by the easy charm of the servers, working the room with warm chattiness and consummate professionalism in equal measure. Alma is currently serving breakfast and lunch menus, with both available from 8am-3pm. It’s maybe 85% Honduran, with a few culinary tips of the hat to New Orleans thrown in for good measure. You can - and I’ll go further and say ‘should’ - mix it up. A breakfast appetizer and a lunch entree, or the other way round, just for variety. 

My friend jumped on the Moros y Cristianos, red beans in jasmine rice, cooked in coconut milk with herbs. It’s a subtle but clever red beans and rice variation, seasoned to absolute perfection.

I’m physically unable to order anything else if a restaurant serves meat pies, so I went straight ahead and started with those. Three huge pies arrive with crisp, buttery pastry, and condiments. Sidebar: one of the fixings is a spicy pickled red cabbage, which is also a traditional pie extra (minus the spice) in my hometown in the north of England (also famed for its pies), so that was a lovely, random reminder. 

For mains, my friend plumped for the corned beef hash from the breakfast menu. It’s a novel iteration, slightly elevated from its American cousin with the tender beef marinated and then shredded over crispy potatoes and sunny-side-up eggs. I landed on Carne Asada, which sounds unadventurous, but again, Chef Araujo really works some magic on a well-known dish. The torched cherry tomatoes are bold and flavorful, the juicy acidity complementing the ribeye steak chunks to perfection. It was a happy table.

Optimistic thoughts about ending on the Tres Leches cake were put on hold, but we’ll definitely be making good on a promise to return. I also walked out with a bag of their Extra Dark Roast Coffee beans. I mean, I paid for them first, but let me tell you, I think I’ve found my new home coffee supplier, an unexpected bonus.

It feels as though ten years of hard work and risk, backed by inarguable ability, are paying off. You can see and taste the commitment, integrity and high standards - they’re right there on the plate, and this reviewer for one is excited to see the wonderful things that Chef Araujo and the Alma Café team are achieving. If breakfast and lunch are anything to go by, then dinner is going to be something very special. 

New Orleans Magazine

Heritage in Every Bite at Alma Café

Alma Cafe celebrates Honduran cuisine with a new location opening in Mid-City.

December 31, 2024   |By Misty Milioto and Photos by Jeffery Johnston|New Orleans Magazine January 2025

Heritage in Every Bite at Alma Café

Alma Cafe celebrates Honduran cuisine with a new location opening in Mid-City.

December 31, 2024   |By Misty Milioto and Photos by Jeffery Johnston|New Orleans Magazine January 2025

Pollo Chuco

Born in La Ceiba, Honduras, Melissa Araujo grew up enjoying her grandmother’s cooking. In fact, it was in her grandmother’s kitchen that she first learned that food equals love. In 2020, Araujo opened Alma Café in the Bywater, serving bold and authentic Honduran cuisine, as a tribute to her grandmother and her heritage. Now, she is taking her culinary career to new heights with the opening of a second Alma Café in Mid-City.

It all started at the age of 14, when Araujo’s family moved to New Orleans in order to be close to other family members who had immigrated from Honduras. As a young teen, she began working in restaurants throughout New Orleans, and, while pursuing a degree in architecture (while simultaneously working in restaurants), she realized that her dream was to become a chef.

After a three-month internship in Milan, Italy — and years of working under top chefs in New Orleans, such as Susan Spicer, John Folse, Rick Tramonto and Alon Shaya — Araujo continued to hone her culinary craft. During this time, she opened Saveur Catering to serve events throughout New Orleans, and she later founded Oscar at PWB (a small kitchen in Arabi, Louisiana, that also offers full catering services).

Her crowning achievement—to date, anyway—has been the opening of Alma Café. This small but mighty restaurant landed Araujo as a semifinalist for a James Beard Award for Best Chef South in 2024.

One of her most popular dishes, the pollo chuco, is a deeply personal dish for Araujo. “[It is] inspired by my Honduran heritage, particularly the street food culture of San Pedro Sula,” she said. “It’s a fried chicken dish served with crispy green bananas (tajadas), a rich tomato sauce and tangy pickled onions. The taste is a perfect balance of crispy, savory and tangy, with layers of flavor in every bite.”

While pollo chuco is a traditional dish, Araujo has made it her own by marinating the chicken with a special blend of spices, frying it to perfection and pairing it with house-made sauces using fresh, local ingredients. The addition of tajadas fried to a golden crisp ensures a truly authentic experience. “Guests love Pollo Chuco because it’s flavorful, nostalgic and comforting,” Araujo said. “It’s a dish that tells a story, offering both a cultural experience and a hearty, satisfying meal.”

Other popular dishes include the huevos rancheros from the brunch menu, featuring scratch-made tortillas, fresh eggs and roasted tomato salsa. Another guest favorite is the “Lola Gray,” a unique brunch dish featuring a cathead biscuit, fried chicken, crawfish tails and chorizo-sage gravy. The old-fashioned burger — a double-patty burger topped with sharp cheddar, caramelized onions and house-made pickles served on a Dong Phuong brioche bun — also is popular among guests thanks to its balance of classic and bold flavors.

Of course, the menu also boasts desserts and cocktails. For something sweet, try the tres leches cake. “[It’s] moist, flavorful and topped with fresh whipped cream,” Araujo said. “It’s a nod to my Latin American roots. Meanwhile, the Chocolate Flourless Cake is decadent and rich, and it’s perfect for gluten-free guests seeking indulgence.”

On the cocktail menu, Aruajo suggests trying the smoky bourbon sour with a rosemary honey twist. “It combines depth and sweetness with a subtle smoky finish,” she said. “[Or,] the hibiscus margarita is a refreshing take on a classic margarita with vibrant floral notes.”

While all of these menu items are popular, Araujo changes her offerings seasonally in order to reflect the best of what local farmers and purveyors have to offer. “Local sourcing ensures the freshest ingredients, while supporting the community and sustainable farming practices,” she said. “It’s about creating a connection between our guests, and the people who grow and produce their food. We also create specials and introduce new items frequently to keep our offerings exciting for returning guests.”

As her culinary journey continues to unfold, Araujo is excited about Alma Cafe’s second location, which is opening in the former Mr. Ed’s space (301 N. Carrollton Ave.) in Mid-City. In addition to offering indoor and outdoor seating for 200 guests (including cozy corners and a central bar for casual dining), the restaurant will feature an oyster bar, a tortillera (dedicated tortilla-making station), a full-service cocktail bar and a specialty coffee bar.

While the interiors will carry Alma Cafe’s signature warmth and inviting charm, the Mid-City location will have unique design elements (such as natural wood finishes, tropical plants, handcrafted Honduran art, and a mix of vintage and modern touches) reflecting the neighborhood’s character. “Mid-City is a vibrant, diverse neighborhood that reflects the ethos of Alma Cafe,” Araujo said. “It’s the perfect spot to bring our food closer to more guests who appreciate our focus on locally sourced ingredients and cultural authenticity. I designed the space to ensure the space feels fresh yet familiar.”
The core menu at both locations will remain consistent—focusing on traditional dishes with a modern twist — but the Mid-City location will introduce unique specials like oysters and dishes that highlight the tortillera. Additionally, both locations will have an expanded offering of vegan and gluten-free options. These dishes include roasted vegetable tacos on corn tortillas and avocado toast with gluten-free bread.

“When I opened Alma in Bywater, my goal was to share the warmth and soul of Honduran cuisine,” Araujo said. “We’ve had such an incredible journey. Opening a second location in Mid-City allows me to introduce even more people to the heart of Honduran cooking — simple, soulful and filled with flavor. I want guests to feel welcomed, relaxed and connected. Alma is designed to feel like home — a place where everyone belongs and can share meaningful moments over great food.”

About the ChefMelissa Araujo’s culinary career began to take off in northern Italy, where she worked in a number of top restaurants, but her craft has truly taken shape in New Orleans. After working under top chefs such as Susan Spicer, John Folse, Rick Tramonto and Alon Shaya, she opened Alma Cafe in 2020. She is now opening the second Alma Cafe in Mid-City.

Southern Living

The 7 Best Snacks At Buc-ee's, According To Southern Chefs

Melissa Araujo, James Beard 2025 semifinalist and chef/owner of Alma Café in New Orleans, also opts for the brisket sandwich during Buc-ee’s stops, telling us that "it’s smoky, juicy, and packed with flavor, making it a solid and satisfying bite on the road."

These five women are behind the concepts pushing the Big Easy forward

Despite more than 300 years of hospitality, New Orleans is a tough town to succeed in as a restaurant. Buildings crumble and molder while the ground settles and shifts. Parking sucks. Break-ins are frequent. Utility bills vary wildly for no apparent reason. Insurance is astronomical. Summers are sweltering and everyone leaves. We haven’t even murmured the word hurricane.

Who in their right mind would open a restaurant in New Orleans? Women.

The new face of New Orleans is female. The Big Easy is not easy at all, and it is women who are gutsy enough—or maybe stubborn enough—to serve guests in ever-inspiring ways.

From cocktails to bagels, breakfast to fine dining to seafood, these five women in food and beverage in New Orleans are showing up with grit in a place known for its well-connected, male-run restaurant groups. These women are steering where we will eat and drink in spaces we will long remember.

5 Women Shaping the Restaurant Scene in New Orleans

Melissa Araujo Alma
‍ ‍Alma Café, owned by chef Melissa Araujo, offers chef- d driven cuisine for breakfast and lunch in a town known f for late-night revelry. The Honduran café sits on a prom prominent corner in the Historic Bywater neigborhoo eighborhood, d a postcard of technicolor Creole cottages peopled with with discriminating diners.

The original restaurant was a pandemic baby, and Araujo took advantage of the quiet opening. She hired immigrant women who could cook; some were looking for a path to
citizenship, while others wanted to break into the restaurant world. Araujo is an exacting chef, and only those who could handle the learning curve would stay. But it’s those people, a well-paid staff offered benefits, who make her concept a success, Araujo says: She is in the restaurant every day but knows the kitchen can replicate every dish without her.

Word spread quickly about the Honduran cuisine utilizing locally grown ingredients. Alma is decidedly not Tex-Mex, nor is there a whiff of Cajun seasoning. Coffee is single origin and double strength, and a second cup costs the same as the first. There’s a fried whole bass with escabeche and tostones, and citrus ricotta pancakes that will never leave the menu. Plates are garnished with herbs from the chef’s urban farm a few miles away.

“Quality above all else. Quality ingredients, quality people,” says the chef, who opened a second location in Mid-City New Orleans in February. “I know what it takes to succeed here. Once you disappoint New Orleans, they don’t come back. PR can’t make up for that. You have to be authentic. You have to know who you are and who to hire to represent your food.”

Alma Cafe

Casual but incredibly satisfying meals away from the bustling NOLA crowds

Reviewed by Paul Oswell

What were your first impressions when you arrived?

New Orleans has among the biggest Honduran populations in the US, so it’s only fitting that the country is gastronomically represented. If Alma Café is among the restaurants leading the way in that regard, then both the culture and its cuisine are safe in the more-than-capable hands of Chef Melissa Araujo. Since opening in October 2020, Chef Araujo hasn’t put a foot wrong since their first pop-up, back in 2015. Throw in the small matter of being a 2024 James Beard Award semi-finalist and the last decade looks nothing less than unswervingly impressive. Alma (‘Soul’ in Spanish) stepped into a spot that previously housed Paloma Cafe, Cafe Henri, and Booty’s Street Food, but this colorful, casual cafe feels as though it’s been there for decades—it deserves a long life here.

What’s the crowd like?

Stepping in for lunch on a nondescript Wednesday, it’s immediately buzzy, with couples lingering over late breakfasts, locals working on laptops drinking their (frankly incredible) coffee, and groups arriving for family celebrations. There’s a cheery vitality, helped along by the easy charm of the servers, working the room with warm chattiness and consummate professionalism in equal measure.

What should we be drinking?

It’s just breakfast and lunch for now, so treat yourself to one of their refreshing aguas frescas—the hibiscus and the passion fruit varieties were outstanding. The peanut butter horchata is a decadent but comforting, and there’s Mexican Coca-Cola, fresh orange juice, and lemonade. If you’re feeling celebratory, then brunch cocktails include a house Bloody Mary, sangria, and a Dirty Rum Horchata that kicks its virgin sister up a notch. By far my favorite, though, was their coffee, which was dark and rich, and so good that I bought a bag of beans to take home.

Main event: the food. Give us the lowdown—especially what not to miss.

Alma is currently serving breakfast and lunch menus, with both available from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. It’s maybe 85% Honduran, with a few culinary tips of the hat to New Orleans thrown in for good measure. You can—and I’ll go further and say should—mix it up. A breakfast appetizer and a lunch entree, or the other way round, just for variety. My friend jumped on the Moros y Cristianos, red beans in jasmine rice, cooked in coconut milk with herbs, a subtle but clever red beans and rice variation, seasoned to absolute perfection. I went straight for the meat pies, with their crisp, buttery pastry. For mains, my friend plumped for the corned beef hash from the breakfast menu. It’s a novel iteration, slightly elevated from its American cousin with the tender beef marinated and then shredded over crispy potatoes and sunny-side-up eggs. I landed on Carne Asada, which sounds unadventurous, but again, Chef Araujo really works some magic on a well-known dish. The torched cherry tomatoes are bold and flavorful, the juicy acidity complementing the ribeye steak chunks to perfection. It was a happy table.

And how did the front-of-house folks treat you?

A busy late brunch/early lunch crowd didn’t present any problems to the cool and collected servers and kitchen staff. Almost every table was spoken for, but dishes came out in good time, and with a friendly word that made everyone feel at home. It’s such a welcoming, neighborhood ambience, the clear love of the food and culture spilling out into the service and general atmosphere.

What’s the real-real on why we’re coming here?

Alma Cafe is an elevated brunch choice on many levels. Fried chicken and waffles or typical brunches are ten-a-penny in this city, so you’ll automatically win points by choosing a memorably different menu. You’ll also likely avoid the braying bachelor party crowds, and you can instead revel in a comfortably hospitable cafe that has the confidence and taste to serve you a casual but incredibly satisfying meal.