New Orleans Restaurants Open For Turkey Day

Thanksgiving is a fun time to gather family and friends, but it can also be a stressful time—particularly if it's your turn to cook! It's hard to get involved in the merriment if you are worried about burning the turkey. Stay out of the kitchen this year, and head to one of our top picks for restaurants to dine at in New Orleans on Thanksgiving Day.

Head over to Compere Lapin where chef Nina Compton has put together a four-course prix fixe menu that is sure to please the Thanksgiving crowd. Start with a choice of a roasted fall vegetable salad with spiced pecan butter or curried butternut squash soup with Louisiana Shrimp. Diners will choose between an option of mojo turkey or butternut squash agnolotti for their main course, and will also have their selection of two accompanying sides. This festive meal wouldn't be complete without two delectable dessert options: pumpkin pie with pecan ice cream and pomegranate or cheesecake with spiced cookie crumbles and satsumas.

Kingfish will offer a three-course prix fixe with two or more options for each course. Start with a beet salad, kabocha squash soup, or a mixed green salad. Choose from a traditional turkey feast or smoked ham, each served with an array of fixings. Finish with decadent bourbon pecan pie or spiced pumpkin bread pudding. This menu is sure to please your family and will only set you back $38 per person, which is a fair trade for not having to spend the day in the kitchen.

Josephine Estelle has got your Thanksgiving meal covered. Celebrate the holiday inside the stylish Ace Hotel with a four-course prix fixe followed by a free music performance by Bill Summers and his band of Todo Mezcla at Three Keys (also located inside Ace Hotel). The menu will feature traditional Thanksgiving fare like roasted turkey breast and cornbread dressing, but will also include inventive dishes like grilled cobia with pumpkin puree, jumbo lump crab meat, and salsa verde. This dinner, which will be served from noon until 9 p.m., is $55 per adult and $25 for children under 12. 

Sobou will offer a full Thanksgiving menu with several special holiday plates. Featured on the menu is Mom's champagne and Cointreau-injected turkey, which will be accompanied by traditional holiday sides like oyster dressing, whipped sweet potatoes, cranberry chutney, and gravy.

Cavan will serve a Turkey Day prix fixe along with its coastal-American full menu. The specialized menu will start with a choice of turkey neck and andouille gumbo with crab fat fried rice or turkey hot brown with white gravy, bacon crumble, and smoked cheddar cheese. Entrée selections will include amaretto glazed "ham" ossobuca or satsuma ponzu turkey. For dessert, choose from drunken pumpkin pie with bourbon whipped cream or can syrup gateau with herbsaint icing. The restaurant's Thanksgiving menu also features a section for all the little gobblers in your life!

Brennan's Restaurant has put together a fantastic three-course menu in honor of the holiday. The menu offers a wide variety of offerings including brunch dishes like eggs Benedict, traditional Thanksgiving fare like, roasted sweet tea-brined turkey breast, and classic New Orleans cuisine like turtle soup and bananas foster.  The dinner will be offered from noon until 7 p.m. and is $65 per person.

Check out Broussard's for another three-course prix fixe to get you in the holiday spirit. The classic New Orleans establishment has put together an equally classic Thanksgiving menu that starts with a choice of roasted butternut squash soup or a fall salad. Pick from an herb-roasted turkey breast accompanied by a variety of sides or the stuffed pork loin for your main course. You'll want to save room for dessert because Broussard's is offering a choice of bourbon pecan pie or warm cinnamon bread pudding.

If you think classic Thanksgiving cuisine is overrated, head over to Doris Metropolitan where their menu is comprised of what they do best: meat. The French Quarter chophouse will be open for lunch and dinner on Thanksgiving to satiate your carnivorous cravings! If you're not in New Orleans, we've rounded up the best restaurant serving Thanksgiving dinner in every state.

No matter where you dine, we've got your wine-pairing guide: