café du monde

our next stop was cafe du monde. everyone and their mother recommended we go there for one of their famous beignets. cafe du monde only really serves two things: the beignets and coffee. i, unfortunately, am not a coffee drinker so i didn’t get to experience their famous coffe au lait (coffee mixed with half hot milk) but i did dig into a beignet and chased it down with a cold chocolate milk. it was good but not earth-shattering good. maybe my expectations were too high? honestly, i think i had better beignets in savannah ! don’t get me wrong. i enjoyed them but next time i won’t wait on the excessively longlinefor some simple fried dough with powdered sugar. it reminded me of  voodoo donut in portland . good, not great, but the reputation has grown so much it’s a must try for yourself when you visit. cochon we met local friends from baton rouge  at this lovely restaurant who highly recommended it. thankfully we had reservation as it was packed to the rim! the atmosphere was casual and fun but a little loud. i loved the small plate options on the menu and we decided to order a bunch to share. i didn’t take many photos. i was enjoying the company and conversation too much but i did pause when my entree came out. that’s rabbit and dumplings and it was amazing! i’m normally not a dumpling girl but i made an exception as this was a menu item i’ve never seen before. the whole meal was fabulous and our waiter was super nice even though he seemed stretched too thin at this busy dinner spot. apolline based on yet another recommendation (thank you brandi !) we had to go to apolline for brunch. it  was a cute little place in uptown new orleans. small but cozy. a little loud but that may have only been because we were seated next to the most annoying group on the planet. before i even get into my entrée i have two words for you: cinnamon bacon.

sunday morning coming down. been up all night doing what comes natural in nawlins? but the real guilty pleasure is hanging out at the market early sunday morning, hung over to beat all hell. the church bells from st. louis cathedral are beating like gongs in your aching head and you've got a cuppa the most incredible joe and a pile of fried dough with sugar on it. hurts so good. buck it up, stand inlineand enjoy the cure. i love the smell of nola on sunday morning -- fresh french pastry and stale beer.

you just can't really review a cultural institution where people consistentlylineup for hours to get into and not sound like a complete idiot. go, i tell you. just go.

thelineup is well worth it for these sugary pastry goodness!

maybe i don't get it. i am so glad we went after hours and did not have to wait inlinefor these. the waitstaff seemed annoyed that we only ordered 2 orders of benigets to split between the 4 of us and no drinks. the benigets were hot and covered in powdered sugar, but they were nothing special. i would not go back, especially if there was a line.

a "must stop" while in nola. we couldn't wait to try the beignets at cafe du monde. it was worth the wait! it isn't the cleanest but you'll forget about that when your order arrives! the cafe au lait (iced or hot) is the best i've had and the beignets are soft, fluffy, and absolutely delicious. the birds love the scour the floor for any pieces that have been dropped! there was quite alinebut it did move fast and it was fun to listen to the music while we waited. don't forget cash, the atm across the street has a $4 fee. will definitely go back next time we are in town!

overrated. after standing inlinefor 30 minutes, we sat in a jammed packed environment with a horrible odor coming from the floor. this place needs to be pressure washed with bleach.
been there and done that.

the five of us visited café du monde on a sunday morning around 9am. at the time, thelinewas not too long, but by the time we left by 10, thelinewas more than double. thelinedid more well. during the wait, we listened to the street musicians. once we were seated, the waitress came by and took our order. this morning’s breakfast consisted of beignets & cafe au lait. the food and service were great. the only negative is that the seating area was tight. all and all, as a tourist, this place is a place you must visit.

thirty years after our first visit three impressions:

1) the beignets, coffee, and hot chocolate are as good as always;
2) same location next to jackson square; and
3) no where near as cozy as it once was...

to be fair this was sunday, new year’s eve, the day before the sugar bowl (clemson vs. alabama), 300 anniversary of the founding of the city. the french quarter was packed! thelinefor a table went all the way to the jackson brewery.

to take care of the traffic they need to move efficiently... fans from both schools were showing their colors.

in 1988 i remember large kettles where the beignets would fry right in front of you...

today they are an assembly line, a well oiled machine that the industrial engineer in me marveled at.

it’s a strictly cash business... after all the jokes aside the fact is the wait staff pickup the beignets in the kitchen and join the hot drink assemblylinewhere they fulfill the rest of the order and then pay cash before setting back out to the tables... everything moves so fast that they haven’t the time to take credit cards...

again the beignets are that amazing hot fried dough conduit for powdered sugar... oh so good. perfect for a cold day when paired with a hot coffee or chocolate.

remember the menu is spartan - a tour de force in focus and efficiency!

cafe du monde is by far the best. a beignet (to me) is kind of like a donut crossed with a croissant. it’s deep fried choux pastry smothered in powdered sugar. they are delicious and fluffy but doughy and amazingly sweet.

pro tip: it’s worth the wait in line, go round the back for the take-awaylineif you can’t wait for a table.

original and the best. that biglineout front? don't let it worry you too much, it goes quickly. that coffee is excellent and the beigets are wonderful.

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

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

i must say i wasn't happy with our visit to cafe du monde.  after standing inlinefor 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.

a must experience when coming to new orleans! the coffee is amazing and so are the beignets are crispy, soft and warm all at the same time. thelineis long, but don't let it discourage you because it does go by rather quickly. there is also a take outlineto the back...but i suggest sitting down and soaking up a new orleans favorite!