Where to Eat

Where to Eat for Mardi Gras in San Francisco (and the East Bay)

Photo: iStock Photo

Mardi Gras is less than two weeks off, and though we’re awfully far from New Orleans, we can travel there in spirit via some special Mardi Gras dinners around town. First off, the Absinthe folks are doing another Boxing Room preview dinner, this time with a Fat Tuesday theme — as you may recall, the new restaurant in the former Citizen Cake space at Gough and Grove will have a New Orleans bent, from N.O. native chef Justin Simoneaux, and it’s slated to open in March or April.

Boxing Room’s Mardi Gras Celebration
at Absinthe Brasserie and Bar
398 Hayes Street at Gough
Monday, March 7, 5:30 to 10 p.m.
$35 per person, exclusive of beverage, tax, or gratuity
See the menu here, and reserve at 415.551.1590.

Do note: There will be fried alligator.

Town Hall
342 Howard Street
March 8, starting at 6 p.m.
$60 in advance, $75 at the door

Town Hall does it up big every year, with samba dancers, Hurricanes, Willie Brown (probably), and unlimited fried chicken, étouffée, gumbo, oysters, and barbecued shrimp. Beware: those advance tickets sell out quick.

Front Porch
65A 29th Street
March 8, 4:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.
Price TBA - check website

Over in La Lengua, Front Porch will be doing a Louisiana shrimp boil, with an all-you-can-eat prix fixe (around $20) and beers from Louisiana’s Abita Beer.

Brenda’s French Soul Food
652 Polk Street
March 8

This popular breakfast place is in the process of expanding, currently operating out of a new space next door to their old space, and they announced recently that they’d be opening up for dinner in time for Mardi Gras. This still may not be a certainty.

Pican
2295 Broadway, at 23rd Street, Oakland
March 8, 8 p.m. to 11 p.m.
$49 in advance; $59 at the door

High end soul food eatery Pican is throwing their biggest party of the year, with free-flowing cocktails, crawfish jambalaya fritters, gumbo, and a Zydeco band.

Angeline’s Louisiana Kitchen

2261 Shattuck Avenue, Berkeley
March 8

You’ll need to check back here for that evening’s specials, but this is sure to be a down-home Louisiana good time.

Hibiscus
1745 San Pablo Avenue, Oakland

There’s not a specific Mardi Gras menu set in stone at the moment, but chef Sarah Kirnon already has a crawfish soup on the menu, so she’s already halfway there. Also, you must have the fried chicken.

Where to Eat for Mardi Gras in San Francisco (and the East Bay)