History

It was built in 1880. It is located in the Garden District

Garden District, New Orleans

The Garden District is a neighborhood of the city of New Orleans. A subdistrict of the Central City/Garden District Area, its boundaries as defined by the City Planning Commission are: St. Charles Avenue to the north, 1st Street to the east, Magazine Street to the south and Toledano Street to the...

 of Uptown New Orleans

Uptown New Orleans

Uptown is a section of New Orleans, Louisiana on the East Bank of the Mississippi River encompassing a number of neighborhoods between the French Quarter and the Jefferson Parish line. It remains an area of mixed residential and small commercial properties, with a wealth of 19th century architecture...

 (1403 Washington Ave, New Orleans, 70130), and is owned by the Brennan family

Brennan Family Restaurants

The Brennan Family Restaurants are a group of restaurants owned or operated by family members of Owen Brennan of New Orleans, Louisiana. The Brennan family is well known in New Orleans for their successful restaurant dynasty. Not all of the restaurants on this list are financially affiliated with...

. It has long been one of the best regarded upscale restaurants in the city. Paul Prudhomme

Paul Prudhomme

Paul Prudhomme is an American celebrity chef whose specialty is Cajun cuisine. He is also the owner of one of the top restaurants in New Orleans, K-Paul's Louisiana Kitchen.-Early life:...

 and Emeril Lagasse

Emeril Lagasse

'Emeril John Lagasse is an American celebrity chef, restaurateur, television personality, and cookbook author. A regional James Beard Award winner, he is perhaps most notable for his Food Network shows Emeril Live and Essence of Emeril as well as catchphrases such as “Kick it up a notch!” and...

 are two of its most famous alumni who have worked in its kitchen through the years. Commander's Palace received a four-diamond rating by the American Automobile Association

American Automobile Association

AAA , formerly known as the American Automobile Association, is a federation of 51 independently operated motor clubs throughout North America. AAA is a not-for-profit member service organization with more than 51 million members. AAA provides services to its members such as travel, automotive,...

 and has also been recognized as one of the Top 40 Restaurants in the U.S. by GAYOT.com.

In 1880, Emile Commander established a small saloon at the corner of Washington Avenue and and Coliseum Street. 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.

In the 1920s, Frank G. Giarratano was the owner of the restaurant and 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. After, World War II, Mr. Giarratano fearing that the restaurant business would decline from what it had been during the war and in declining health sold the restaurant to Frank and Elinor Moran.

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.

30 years later, when the Brennans took over, they redesigned the interior to complement the outdoor setting. Large windows replaced walls, and custom trellises and paintings were commissioned.
The restaurant suffered extensive damage due to Hurricane Katrina

Hurricane Katrina

Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...

 in 2005. After a full renovation, the restaurant re-opened on October 1, 2006.

In 2001, a second Commander's Palace restaurant was opened in the Desert Passage

Desert Passage

Miracle Mile Shops is a 475,000 square foot , long, enclosed shopping mall on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada. It is home to more than 140 stores and 15 restaurants....

 mall adjacent to the Aladdin, Las Vegas casino (It subsequently closed a few years later). A new Commander's Palace restaurant in Destin, Florida

Destin, Florida

Destin is a city located in Okaloosa County, Florida. It is a principal city of the Fort Walton Beach-Crestview-Destin, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area.Located on Florida's Emerald Coast, Destin is known for its white beaches and emerald green waters...

opened July 9, 2008, and closed in 2010.