Fans of Creole cooking can now get their weekends started with a taste of New Orleans at this long running Los Angeles restaurant.

For the first time in its nearly 60-year history the well-known Creole spot Harold & Belle’s is now offering a weekend brunch menu.

“What makes our brunch different is that you get a little bit more variety than you would get at your typical American brunch restaurant. You’re not getting shrimp and grits etouffée at Denny’s,” said Ryan Legaux, who along with his wife Jessica owns the family run restaurant, which was first opened in 1969 by Harold Legaux Sr. along with his wife Mary Belle.

The restaurant has traditionally been a lunch and dinner spot but with each generation of the family who takes over the spot comes a few changes, Jessica Legaux said.

“For ours it was time to refresh it, paying homage to the past and keeping all of the classics but also introducing new dishes because New Orleans is always evolving with their dishes,” she said.

Here’s a look at the new brunch menu dishes, which are now available from 9:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday and Sundays.

The well-known Creole spot Harold & Belle’s is now offering a weekend brunch menu. (Photo courtesy Harold & Belle’s)

Breakfast Po’Boy

The classic sandwich is turned into a brunch dish with scrambled eggs, bacon-infused remoulade, which is a classic New Orleans condiment, and cheddar cheese. Diners are then given a choice of fried catfish, hot link, or bacon served on a French roll. “We are suggesting catfish because Harold & Belle’s is known for catfish, it’s one of our specialties,” Ryan Legaux said.

Mushroom and Spinach Hash

This one is for diners who want a lighter brunch. It’s made with maitake mushrooms, sautéed spinach, eggs and homestyle potatoes. “We have these homestyle potatoes, they are red potatoes, the kind we use in Louisiana for crawfish boil,” he said.

The well-known Creole spot Harold & Belle’s is now offering a weekend brunch menu. (Photo courtesy Harold & Belle’s)

Wings and Waffles

For bigger appetites the restaurant offers this dish as their version of chicken and waffles. It’s made with whole wings with hot honey butter and maple syrup. “We paired it with hot honey butter for those that like spicy and sweet,” he said.

Shrimp and  Grits Étouffée

This brunch dish will likely be one of the more popular items on the new menu since it offers a truly authentic taste of Creole cooking. It’s made with blackened shrimp over corn grits with crawfish gravy. “This crawfish gravy is based on Harold & Belle’s crawfish etouffée, which is one of our most popular dishes,” he said. “When you bite into it you’ll get the creaminess from the grits but with a mild flavor because it’s getting paired with the crawfish gravy that has a very powerful and strong flavor. It’s a unique New Orleans flavor,” he added.

Harold & Belle’s is at 2920 West Jefferson Blvd., Los Angeles.  323-735-9023 or haroldandbelles.com

Related Articles