So the main thing I was recommended to do was try beignets from both Cafe Du Monde and Cafe Beignet. That there is some kind of epic battle between the two of these places and I HAVE to pick between the two. I can officially say, I’ve Beignet Done That! We also don’t tend to buy souvenirs, but once we saw that stickers we couldn’t resist it for our sticker board. So have I decided? Yes, but that’ll come after the pictures.
We ended up trying both the beignets the same day. One after breakfast and one after dinner as a late night snack. We thoroughly enjoyed both of them, but between all five of us (the family) we all picked the same location as the “winner.”
We first tried Cafe Du Monde at their Decatur Street location:
Since we went during their off season, there was no problem finding a seat or having to wait. We all enjoyed being in the Jackson Square to enjoy the scenery, music, and people watching while we enjoyed our beignet and coffee. We aren’t fans of heavy powdered sugar and next time I definitely would say lay low on that, but hey we were on vacation. And three beignets between the five of us, it was fine.
Late night snack at Cafe Beignet at their Bourbon Street location:
We actually went really close to closing time, but they were still serving their beignets fresh, hot, and ready. This had a cool vibe going for it as well being right off bourbon street. It felt like a cute tucked in place and had live music while you sat to enjoy your snack. They had a smidge less of powdered sugar, but the extra chocolate drizzle came in clutch. Be prepared and have napkins on stand by.
The verdict? Well, if we had to pick specifically from these two options, it would be CAFE DU MONDE! As much as we enjoyed the chocolate drizzle from Cafe Beignet, they felt more dense and heavier. Cafe Du Monde had a much lighter feeling and to us it was more enjoyable to us.
HOWEVER!!! I’m throwing a wrench into this have to pick between these two dynasty’s. Here’s my curve ball:
Loretta’s Authentic Pralines – French Market
Now, now I know it says pralines, but imagine a beignet filled with pralines?!?!? Yes, this is my final pick, Loretta’s. To be honest, I just like the idea of something more in the beignet to help elevate it. Like the chocolate drizzle, but better.
Plus there are options for beignets all over town, that aren’t between the two classics. Yes it was fun to compare the two traditional, but there is so much more out there! If we stayed longer we would have tried more and even the sandwich versions. We saw that places offered crab, breakfast, burger, etc. I personally would have loved to try the breakfast one, big egg breakfast fan over here.
Fun fact, beignets are also known as “nun’s fart.”
Don’t tell them; but Jersey people say, “Oh, it’s like a Zeppole.”
Capsule Customs Travel 