café du monde

this is the place you need to go.  it is a can't miss for new orleans history, cafe au lait and beignets.  it is an experience that is pleasant and close enough to get the vibe of whatever is happening on the street.

just as delicious as promised! two orders was enough for our family of four (boys seven and eleven). we went around 9pm so the line wasn't as long.

a great classic stop in nola, no matter how long the line is! i could never get by the shop front without at least a cafe au lait and an order of sugar laden beignets.

as always cafe du monde is a highlight of a french quarter visit. although, the customer service is getting worse as nearly all the waiters and waitresses were playing on their phones. we still got out beignets in a timely fashion. also, there are two crushed penny machines.

expect long queues. delicious, cheap beignets served 24 hours a day, caked in icing sugar, warm and so satisfying. this place is an institution, you have to go.

cafe du monde is what it advertises. a coffee stand. but the coffee is good and the beignets are fresh. don't expect fast service and it's just friendly enough that you wouldn't consider it obnoxious. but as a tourist it's worth dropping in once for the experience.

if you haven't been to café du monde... you haven't been to new orleans. it is a surprisingly great experience to brave the crowds, wait in line, and get a café au lait and some sugary beignets. once you get a table, the server will come by at take your order. you can find a list of their offerings directly on the napkin dispenser on each table. the server then goes to get your order and actually pays for it themselves at the kitchen and then collects money from you to reimburse themselves. it's a pretty unique system that works well. on our visit i had the large café au lait and while it doesn't come in the nice little cup and saucer combo... i need a little more coffee to reach my fill. sugar is available, but i like mine just like it comes from the kitchen. i'll sometimes have a beignet as i did this particular morning; but sweets are not my thing. still, everyone else in our party just gobbled them up. this is how you should start any day you find yourself in new orleans! they get five stars because they gave me the experience i was expecting.

of course you have to come here when in nola. i like watching them making the begnet. i have been to the one in the french market as well as the riverwalk mall. even if you only eat there once and have the chicory coffee you will be happy.

cafe du monde is a must stop for every visit. do yourself a favor and eat them there though. it's fast service so it won't slow you down. beignets have to be eaten while they're still hot. once they start cooling down, they lose their texture.

what can i say - this place is an institution in new orleans. all you need is a beignet and a cafe au lait. you will not be disappointed. a must-do when in new orleans.

lives up to its reputation !!! beignets were awesome!!! not for the faint of heart... deep fried dough with a pound of powdered sugar.. but oh so good!!! best bargain in nola i'll be back!!!

i must say i wasn't happy with our visit to cafe du monde.  after standing in line for 45 minutes we were herded to a small dirty table that still had the dishes and cups from two sets of previous diners.  table was nasty.  waitress was not nice either.  they never did come take away the old stuff from the previous guests the entire time we were there.  we just had coffee and beignets and they were good but not worth the hassle it took to receive them and certainly not worth the nasty tables and rude staff.

very busy as expected, so i went back later in the evening. the staff was very friendly and helpful. i only stopped in for the beignets, so my wait was very short. the beignets were made to order, fresh, hot, and delicious. i bought a box of the mix so i could try to make them at home. the only negative is the patio was a bit trashy, but i bet that was due to the super high volume of turnover on the tables. otherwise, don't miss this treat in nola.

a great new orleans coffee shop to try out. the beignets are hot and delicious and the coffee (cafe au lait) is a new orleans original. :)!!

i was so excited to try it. the food was good. the staff were all new asian immigrants, not friendly, no clue about southern hospitality. just wanted to get us in and out.