Commander's Palace

Commander's Palace
Commander's Palace, renovated and reopened
Restaurant information
Established	1893
Current owner(s)	Brennan family
Street address	1403 Washington Ave
City	New Orleans
State	Louisiana
Postal/ZIP code	70130
Country	United States
Coordinates	29°55′44″N 90°05′03″W / 29.92878°N 90.08422°W / 29.92878; -90.08422
Website	Official Site

Commander's Palace is a restaurant in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA.

The award-winning Haute Creole restaurant Commander's Palace was established in 1893, and is located in the Garden District of Uptown New Orleans (1403 Washington Ave, New Orleans, 70130). Owned by the Commander's Family of Restaurants, whose matriarch Ella Brennan, resides next door, it has long been one of the best-regarded upscale restaurants in the country. Paul Prudhomme and Emeril Lagasse are two of its alumni. Commander's Palace is the winner of six James Beard Foundation awards, including Best Chef and Outstanding Service Award. It was ranked the most famous restaurant in New Orleans.

Emile Commander established a small saloon at the corner of Washington Avenue and Coliseum Street in 1893. Within a few years he turned it into a restaurant patronized by the distinguished neighborhood families of the Garden District. By 1900 Commander's Palace was attracting gourmets from all over the world. Legend has it that stored alcohol was ferried across from the adjacent cemetery during prohibition for patron beverages.

In the 1920s, Frank G. Giarratano was the owner of the restaurant. He lived above the restaurant with his wife, Rose, and their two sons. There were rumors that there were private dining rooms upstairs rented to riverboat captains, visitors, etc. The upstairs rooms were the private residence of Mr. Giarratano and his family, while the downstairs, with a separate entrance, remained a family establishment. Fearing that the restaurant business would decline from what it had been during World War II, and Giarratano's declining health, he sold the restaurant to Frank and Elinor Moran after the war ended.

In 1944, Frank and Elinor Moran bought Commander's Palace, refurbished it, and carried on its tradition of excellence with an expanded menu including many recipes still used. The Moran's lived in the adjacent home facing Coliseum. Weather permitting, dining on the restaurant courtyard was encouraged - around a large goldfish/coy pond, with a large battery of electric heaters available to ward off chill during mild New Orleans winters. It was during this post WWII period that many of New Orleans restaurants, including Commander's Palace, received wider national/international recognition and broader acclaim.