Saints Gameday Date Guide: Six Dates Before Kickoff

The best date in New Orleans this fall is not dinner and a movie. It is brunch or dinner, then the Saints. Six date ideas, each one ending at the Dome. Pick the spot first: the room with the right light, food that lands, drinks that do not wreck the budget. The game is the after-party, and every room on this list is a short ride to the Caesars Superdome when it is time to move.

Twenty years ago this fall, the Saints came home. September 2006, one year after Katrina, the Dome reopened on a Monday night against Atlanta, and the whole city remembered how to believe in something again. This season is twenty years since that night. These six dates are our way of celebrating it.

Prices are our honest estimates for two, food and drinks. Ticket prices are the cheapest seats on SeatGeek, checked October 2, 2026, and they move, so treat them as a guide.

Luke

The St. Charles brasserie for any kind of night, CBD

Official site · (504) 378-2840 · 333 St Charles Ave

Photo: Luke’s OpenTable page

When to go: happy hour every day, 3 to 6, with $1.50 Gulf oysters and half-price cocktails reported by regulars (the official site does not publish the deal list, so confirm at the bar). Brunch Saturday and Sunday, 10 to 3. Book on OpenTable; it does volume on weekends.

This is the workhorse of the list, and we mean that as praise. A grand brasserie on St. Charles with a serious raw bar and a room that hums at every hour. The Fried Oyster and Bacon Salad never misses, the Jumbo Louisiana Shrimp and Grits is the move, and the Blue Crab Gratin earns its reputation. Brunch date when the day is yours, happy-hour date when the night is.

What to order The Fried Oyster Salad with Benton’s bacon, the Jumbo Louisiana Shrimp and Grits, the Blue Crab Gratin, and the Seafood Gumbo a La Creole.

What to drink The French 75 made with cognac, half off at happy hour, or a Brandy Milk Punch at brunch.

The date About $70 for brunch for two, about $60 at happy hour, tickets extra.

To the Dome About a 5-minute drive or 15-minute walk to the Caesars Superdome.

The game plan It covers every kickoff. Brunch date on the noon Sundays (Vikings, Oct 11, is the sweet spot), happy-hour date on Falcons Monday night.

Copper Vine

The CBD wine-pub date, 1001 Poydras

Official site · (504) 208-9535 · 1001 Poydras St

Photo: Copper Vine, via coppervine.com (official)

When to go: happy hour weekdays, 3 to 6. Brunch Sunday from 10:30. Book on OpenTable; it fills up on event nights.

The most date-worthy room on Poydras. Copper Vine is a wine pub and inn in the CBD with a lush plant-filled courtyard, leather and velvet dining rooms, and 30 wines on tap. The Black Truffle Fries and Fig and Goat Cheese Flatbread never leave the table, the Louisiana Crawfish Beignets are the sleeper, and their private-label wine was made for this. Courtyard cocktails when the night is yours, brunch when the day is.

What to order The Black Truffle Fries, the Fig and Goat Cheese Flatbread, the Louisiana Crawfish Beignets, and the Jumbo Lump Crab Deviled Eggs.

What to drink A glass of their private-label wine, or work through the 30 wines on tap. Cocktail people get the Cucumber Gimlet.

The date About $75 for two at happy hour, about $100 for brunch, tickets extra.

To the Dome About a 5-minute drive or 10-minute walk to the Caesars Superdome, the closest room on this list.

The game plan Monday Night Football against the Falcons, Oct 5 (open Mondays, happy hour lands right before the 7:15 kickoff), or brunch on any noon Sunday.

Meril

Emeril’s fun one, Warehouse District

Official site · (504) 526-3745 · 424 Girod St

Photo: Eater

When to go: happy hour every day, 3 to 6, at the bar: half off wines by the glass, $4 draft beer, $7 vodka cocktails, palomas and old fashioneds, $10 select martinis. Brunch Saturday and Sunday mornings.

Chef Emeril Lagasse’s Warehouse District room is the playful Emeril date: shareable plates, a loud happy list, and a dining room built for celebrations. Google’s own listing flags it as good for dates, and the room earns it.

What to order The Fried Turkey Necks with Crystal mojo, the Gulf Yellowfin Tuna Bundles, the Korean Fried Chicken Wings, and the Banana Cream Pie that regulars call amazing.

What to drink The Paloma at happy hour, and the Espresso Martini that has its own fan club.

The date About $70 for two at happy hour, about $90 for brunch, tickets extra.

To the Dome About a 5-minute drive to the Caesars Superdome.

The game plan Monday Night Football against the Falcons, Oct 5 (open Monday, happy hour straight into kickoff), or brunch on any noon Sunday.

Plates

The new Warehouse District shareable date, 1051 Annunciation

Official site · (504) 582-9020 · 1051 Annunciation St

Photo: Plates, via platesnola.com (official)

When to go: happy hour daily with $8 cocktails. Weekend brunch brings bottomless mimosas and chorizo hash. Open Monday 4 to 9, so happy hour lands right before the Monday night kickoff. Walk-ins welcome at the bar; book dinner on OpenTable.

The new one, and the best shareable-plates date in the Warehouse District. Chef Farrell Harrison’s room in the Cotton Mill building runs on Louisiana roots and a global palate: Spanish, French, Mediterranean, and Creole influences, every culture that shaped New Orleans cooking getting its own plate.

What to order The Garlic Shrimp, which regulars call a must-have, the Patatas Bravas, the wild mushrooms, the Puff-puffs (West African beignets with cinnamon sugar), the Coq au Vin, and the Cane Syrup Creme Brulee.

What to drink The Persephone’s Return, fruity with light bubbles, or an eight-dollar happy hour cocktail and a glass of Spanish or French wine.

The date About $65 for two at happy hour, about $85 for brunch, tickets extra.

To the Dome About a 7-minute drive to the Caesars Superdome.

The game plan Monday Night Football against the Falcons, Oct 5 (happy hour before the 7:15 kickoff), or brunch on any noon Sunday.

Compère Lapin

The Sunday brunch date, Warehouse District

Official site · (504) 599-2119 · 535 Tchoupitoulas St

Photo: The Old No. 77 Hotel press page (official)

When to go: brunch runs Sunday only, 10:30 to 2. Book the early seating, 10:30 sharp, and you will still make the noon kickoff. No happy hour, just brunch done right.

Nina Compton’s Caribbean French room does Sunday brunch the way it should be done: low light, big flavor, a dining room that feels like a party that started at noon. The detail that sells it: the brunch menu footer reads “Go Saints, beat falcons.” This kitchen is already in game-day mode.

What to order The Hot Fire Chicken with biscuits and pickles, the Gulf Shrimp and Coconut Grits with sauce Creole, the French Toast with Chantilly Creme and Rum Caramel, and the Buttermilk Biscuits with whipped ricotta and berry jam.

What to drink The Copper Hopper, tequila and pineapple served in the copper bunny mug, plus a pour from their Caribbean rum list.

The date About $100 for brunch for two, tickets extra.

To the Dome About a 7-minute drive to the Caesars Superdome.

The game plan Any noon Sunday works: Vikings (Oct 11), Browns (Nov 8), Panthers (Nov 15), Packers (Dec 6), Cardinals (Dec 27).

Cochon Butcher

The fun, cheap Warehouse District date

Official site · (504) 588-7675 · 930 Tchoupitoulas St

Photo: Cork and Journey (real diners at Cochon Butcher)

When to go: open daily, 11 to 10. No happy hour, no brunch, just the counter. Ten minutes from the Dome.

Donald Link and Stephen Stryjewski’s butcher shop and sandwich counter has been one of the best casual rooms in the city since 2009, and it holds a Michelin Bib Gourmand to prove it. House-cured meats, five full-time butchers, a dining room that smells like heaven. This is the date for people who would rather split a Le Pig Mac than split a tasting menu. Lines form at lunch and they move.

What to order The Le Pig Mac, which is like the best Big Mac you have ever had, the Cochon Muffaletta, the Duck Pastrami sliders, and the Cajun Ribs. Finish with a slice of key lime pie.

What to drink A blonde ale or an Urban South, or one of the house cocktails.

The date About $45 for two, the cheapest date on the list, tickets extra.

To the Dome About a 5-minute drive or 10-minute walk to the Caesars Superdome.

The game plan Any noon Sunday works (Vikings, Oct 11, has the cheapest seats of the good dates), or make it a casual Monday-night bite before the Falcons.

THE SCHEDULE, IF YOU NEED IT

Monday, Oct 5 vs. Atlanta Falcons, 7:15 PM CT, ESPN (Monday Night Football). Tickets start around $85.

Sunday, Oct 11 vs. Minnesota Vikings, noon CT. Tickets start around $90.

Sunday, Nov 8 vs. Cleveland Browns, noon CT. Tickets start around $50.

Sunday, Nov 15 vs. Carolina Panthers, time TBD. Tickets start around $56.

Sunday, Dec 6 vs. Green Bay Packers, noon CT. Tickets start around $117.

Sunday, Dec 27 vs. Arizona Cardinals, noon CT. Tickets start around $40.

Week 18 vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Jan 10 or 11, time TBD. Tickets start around $49.

One scheduling truth worth knowing: Monday Night Football on October 5 is the Saints’ only primetime game of the entire 2026 season. Every other home game kicks off at noon on Sunday. Night game means dinner date; noon Sunday means brunch date.

Ticket prices are the cheapest seats on SeatGeek, checked October 2, 2026, and they move. Date costs are our estimates for two people. The formula: pick the date first, then check the kickoff. Noon Sunday means brunch (Compère Lapin, Luke, Copper Vine, Meril, Plates) or sandwiches (Cochon Butcher). Night game means happy hour (Copper Vine, Meril, Plates, Luke) or a casual bite at Cochon Butcher. Either way, confirm times before you go.