COMING THIS DECEMBER!!!
By Karen Brem, Marketing Director, Historic Mardi Gras Inn
If December had a love language, in New Orleans it would be gourmet multi-course meals, strong cocktails, twinkling lights, and the occasional moment where you whisper, “Oh Lord, I should not have eaten that last bite… but wow was it worth it.” 😅🍰💋
Yes, darlin’, it’s officially Réveillon Season — that magical time of year when participating New Orleans restaurants roll out serious holiday menus: multi-course, chef-crafted, Creole-rooted, and designed to make every foodie weak in the knees. 🤤🔥
And if you think this sounds like the perfect excuse to plan a long weekend of eating, sipping, streetcar-hopping, and indulging in grown-up holiday fun in the French Quarter…
You’re absolutely right. 😉🎄🍸
🎅🍾 What Exactly Is a Réveillon Dinner?
Let’s get you dinner-party smart so you can impress everyone at the table.
The word réveillon comes from the French word réveiller — meaning “to awaken.”
(Which is funny, because after you eat one of these dinners, the only thing awakening is your desire to undo your belt a notch. 😇🍽️)
Back in the 1800s, New Orleans’ Creole families would return home from Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve and sit down to a huge late-night feast: gumbo, roast meats, oysters, soufflés, brandy… the works.
A full feast at 1:00 AM?
Of course New Orleans invented something like that. 😏🎄✨
The tradition faded for a while, but—like everything fabulous and slightly extra—it made a comeback in the 1990s. Now dozens of restaurants participate every year, offering lush prix-fixe menus designed to celebrate the season with elegance, indulgence, and enough butter to make your cardiologist nervous. 🧈❤️🔥
📅✨ When Does All This Deliciousness Happen?
Réveillon dinners typically run:
🗓️ Early December through January 6 (Twelfth Night)
But the peak foodie window is December 1–23, when most restaurants offer full multi-course menus bursting with holiday magic. 🎄🍷
Translation:
Pick literally any weekend in early or mid-December and you’ll hit the sweet spot.
🍷🔥 What You’ll Eat (Spoiler: Everything Delicious)
Menus vary by restaurant, but you can expect things like:
✨ Turtle soup
✨ Chicken & oyster gumbo
✨ Seared duck
✨ Gulf fish in luscious sauces
✨ Handmade pastas
✨ Bûche de Noël
✨ Bread pudding that should honestly be illegal
Plus wine pairings, seasonal cocktails, and desserts that look like they belong in a gourmet magazine spread. 🍰📸✨
This is not “grab a quick bite.”
This is “block out two hours and prepare to be happily ruined for all other holiday meals.” 😈🍾
🚋❄️ Why Stay With Us for a Réveillon Weekend?
Because cher, the Historic Mardi Gras Inn is your perfect home base for a weekend of indulgence and grown-up holiday cheer. 💋🎄✨
Here’s why:
📍 One Block from the French Quarter
Walk out the door and boom — the city’s adult playground is right there waiting for you. 🍸🎶💃
🚋 Streetcar Stop? Just Two Minutes Away.
Yes, ma’am.
Stroll two minutes from our front door, hop on the streetcar, and float through the city like the festive royalty you are. ⭐👑
🍸 Late-Night Fun at Your Fingertips
After your multi-course feast, you’re steps from…
💃 Burlesque
🎷 Jazz clubs
🍹 Cocktail lounges
🎄 Holiday lights everywhere
🥂 And that “oh wow, we’re definitely staying out later than planned” kind of night
💙 LGBTQ+ Owned & Operated
Warm, welcoming, inclusive, chic — and serving nothing but good vibes and clean, affordable rooms.
🎄🍽️ Make a Long Weekend Out of It
You’re not coming for just one meal.
Oh no.
You’re coming for:
🍽️ One Réveillon dinner
🎁 Cocktails afterward
☕ Brunch the next morning
🚶♀️ Wandering the Quarter
🛍️ Holiday shopping
🎷 Live music
✨ And probably another Réveillon dinner because you’re on vacation and no one can stop you
Stay two or three nights and make it your holiday treat-yourself getaway.
📞🎉 Ready to Eat, Drink & Be Merry? Let’s Book It, Baby!
Don’t wait — December rooms disappear faster than a bread pudding brûlée at a foodie convention. 🍮🔥
Call us directly at
📞 504.949.5815
📞 1.800.209.9408
Or visit us online at
🌐 HistoricMardiGrasInn.com
Come feast, play, sip, flirt, explore, and indulge.
After all… it’s the holidays, and calories don’t count if you’re in New Orleans. 😉🍸🎄