The 14 Best Places For Beignets In New Orleans
To imagine a New Orleans without beignets is to imagine a New Orleans without Mardi Gras and gumbo — colorless and far less tasty. Traditionally splattered in powdered sugar and often stuffed with savory and sweet fillings, these fried pieces of dough have been enjoyed by folks in The Big Easy for centuries. So adored, in fact, are beignets that they're Louisiana's official state doughnut. That is to say, if you find yourself in New Orleans and don't try these famed French-style pastries we're pretty sure you'll be haunted by one of NOLA's famous ghosts for the rest of your natural-born beignet-less life.
But much like judging NYC pizza based on a 99-cent slice instead of assessing a pie from one of the best pizzerias in the city, you can't just get this fried treat from any old place, lest you risk getting a subpar beignet from a subpar beignet-making institution. That's what we're here for.
For the good of your taste buds and to protect the reputation of New Orleans' favorite dessert, we have compiled a list of the city's 14 best beignet spots. We did this through thorough research with various criteria in mind. For some, we judged how long they've been popping out these New Orleans staples. For others, we looked at the inventive ways they've upgraded the traditional beignet recipe. For all, we examined how plain tasty their beignets are. So grab your café au lait, here are the must-hit NOLA beignet spots.
1. Café Du Monde
We start with arguably the king of beignets, the incredibly (and rightfully) famous Café Du Monde. A spot that's often deemed one of the must-visit eateries in New Orleans, Café Du Monde was founded in 1862 before beignets were even called beignets (they were originally referred to as "French Market Doughnuts"). Today, this famed coffee stand has 11 restaurants, but the spot to eat beignets in New Orleans is its flagship Decatur Street French Quarter location.
Often referred to as "The Original French Market Coffee Stand," aside from traditional beignets garnished with powdered sugar, you'll also find coffee, soft drinks, orange juice, and milk on the menu. Because quite frankly, Café Du Monde's fried doughnuts are so good it doesn't have to sell anything else.
According to one food reviewer, Café Du Monde's beignets taste "like heaven sprinkled with a large helping of powdered sugar." At this famous eatery, your beignets will come out piping hot and perfectly fluffy. In summary, this is one place that actually lives up to the hype. A Big Easy icon that helped shape beignet culture into what it is today, Café Du Monde has undoubtedly earned its spot as one of the best beignet makers in New Orleans.
2. Morning Call
Tourists, we're here to spread the word, Café Du Monde isn't the only coffee stand that's been serving fresh beignets since the 19th century. Yep, Morning Call, a local favorite, started selling hot and fresh traditional beignets and French-drip coffee in 1870. However, unlike Café Du Monde, the long-standing doughnut fryer did go on to move locations from the French Quarter to a vintage-looking building with a view of New Orleans' famed street cars on the intersection of Canal Street and City Park Avenue. But its kept its beloved beignet-making methods the same.
Morning Call shapes and fries all of its beignets by hand, meaning every set of these delectable doughnuts comes out fresh and hot. This is probably why one person reported on Yelp its take on the eat makes the establishment "a crown jewel of New Orleans." In fact, you'll often find the locals arguing whether Morning Call or Café Du Monde's beignets take the title of the best in The Big Easy. So although Morning Call's pastries are reportedly light and fluffy, the fact its beignets are often pitted against Café Du Monde's alone makes the eatery worthy of making this list.
3. The Vintage
First opening its doors in 2018, The Vintage is a fresh face in the NOLA beignet community. However, while it opened in the 21st century and doesn't only specialize in French fried doughnuts (it also has a full-service bar and menu), The Vintage is committed to making pillowy beignets the good old-fashioned and fancied-up way. Ladies and gentlemen, let us introduce you to The Vintage's stuffed "fancy beignets" – high-class beignets that have been filled with everything from matcha and s'mores flavors to raspberry and bananas Foster (a New Orleans' loved recipe). And both tourists and locals agree that the taste of The Vintage's fancy and traditional beignets does not disappoint.
Every beignet variety comes out pillowy and hot. And the fancy beignets (which is what we're all here for) taste like the flavors they were inspired by, with one stand-out being the s'mores option for its perfect balance of chocolate and marshmallow fluff flavor.
Nestled in a lounge-style restaurant on Magazine Street, a New Orleans' famed shopping district, The Vintage is a top-notch spot to grab beignets in our book. It has both delicious and innovative recipes that are perfect with coffee... or even a little wine.
4. Loretta's Authentic Pralines
Despite its name and notoriety for being the first Black woman-owned Praline company in New Orleans, don't let this neighborhood favorite's emphasis on its unique praline recipe fool you. Loretta's Authentic Pralines is also a top-notch beignet maker. Because like The Vintage, Loretta's doesn't just sell any old beignets. At this local-loved spot, you can munch on a range of award-winning stuffed fried doughnuts filled with crabmeat, hamburger fixings, and, of course, praline pieces.
Customers rave about Loretta's beignets. But what exactly — aside from the delicious stuffings — makes them stand out? According to reviews on TripAdvisor, Loretta's take on these famed French doughnuts have a light texture, is perfectly flaky, and doesn't suffer from being too greasy. And Loretta's also seems to have a good handle on its stuffing, as some people noted the praline-filled beignets have the perfect degree of sweetness. Nestled in the French Quarter in a cozy diner-like setting, Loretta's Authentic Pralines is a place where you can savor two iconic and authentic New Orleans desserts in one sweet-filled sitting.
5. La Petite Grocery
Named for the fact the building was formerly a grocery store, we assure you this 2016 winner of the James Beard Best Southern Chef award is no small-town grocer. A fine dining establishment, La Petite Grocery's menu is filled with refreshing takes on Southern classics. But while the restaurant can easily impress you with its crawfish and beat salad or alligator bolognese, the hot appetizer on everyone lips is its blue crab stuffed beignets.
Reportedly one of La Petite's Grocery's best-selling items, customers note that these beignets are both tantalizingly crispy and unfathomably creamy. On top of its great texture, this dish (which is served with a side of aïoli sauce) also has a high-quality, bold, butter-filled flavor — one that La Petite Grocery is committed to never compromising. In fact, in an effort to preserve the taste of its famed beignets, the restaurant only fries up fresh crab meat. Luxuriously full of savory flavor, La Petite Grocery's blue crab beignets have allowed the Magazine Street eatery to make a name for itself as one of NOLA's best beignet spots.
6. Criollo
If you haven't started brushing up on your fine dining rules after reading about La Petite Grocery, you better get to it, because you'll need to know them if you want to successfully dine at Criollo. Nestled inside the illustrious 4-star Hotel Monteleone,this eatery's intricate carousel lounge has been deemed one of the world's best bars, and its decadent beignets have made it one of New Orleans' favorite brunch spots. While the restaurant offers a crab-stuffed version of the NOLA staple on its lunch menu, the true show stopper of its fried doughnut selection is its French Market-Style beignets. A sweet tooth lover's dream, these fluffy fried doughnuts come with a side of praline sauce and ripe strawberries.
"I don't care what anyone else has to say, Criollo has THE BEST beignets in the French Quarter," wrote one Yelp reviewer who sunk their teeth into these pillowy treats. And we can see why they'd make such a bold proclamation. Criollo's beignets are perfectly fluffy in texture and have a decadent butter flavor. And its melt-in-your-mouth quality has forced more than one foodie to order two servings of the signature dish during the course of one meal. So while Criollo may be a grandiose spot with plenty of atmosphere, in our opinion, its beignets are what makes this fine dining restaurant worth visiting.
7. Cafe Beignet
As we're sure you've gathered by now, there are as many cafes in the running for best beignet fryer in The Big Easy as there are restaurants with the claim they make the best muffuletta in New Orleans. However, few are bold enough to outright say they roll the meanest French doughnut in NOLA — except for Cafe Beignet, that is. Claiming that it's the home of New Orleans' best beignets, Cafe Beignet was created by a group of like-minded foodies who were obviously looking to make the most delectable, traditional beignet recipe known to New Orleans. And to their credit, their in-house recipe is delicious. In fact, Cafe Beignet's signature dish actually won the People's Choice Award for Best Traditional Beignet at New Orleans 2017 Beignet Fest.
According to customers, these beignets are winners because they are bigger and come topped with more powdered sugar than the ones sold at other eateries. And, unsurprisingly, frequenters of Cafe Beignet also report its doughnut's flavor is as bold as its size.
With three restaurants spread throughout the French Quarter, most of the locals favor the ambiance of the cafe's original location on Royal Street, which is housed in a historic building. Still, no matter which restaurant you choose to order at, while whether or not Cafe Beignet makes the best beignets in New Orleans is debatable, the fact you'll be able to enjoy gigantic and authentic NOLA beignets by checking out the famous chain is not.
8. Teddy's Cafe
Once the home of former Louisiana Governor Huey P. Long, The Roosevelt Hotel offers guests luxurious rooms and Sunset Soirée's.. However, this illustrious hotel's grand lobby houses an eatery that you don't have to don black tie attire to enjoy. Teddy's Cafe is a restaurant that sports an elegant interior and serves up Southern-foodie-approved recipes, like red velvet cake and chicory-infused bread pudding. But, even among its many delicious treats, this have-to-know-it-to-find-it spot's beignets are a standout dessert served with a side of rich chocolate-hazelnut sauce.
If the word "chocolate" already has you ready to put this one on your NOLA itinerary, you should know that while the chocolate certainly helps, the pastries are delicious even without being doused in this decadent sauce. These French doughnuts are deliciously thick while still retaining a fluffy texture and great flavor. So really, the chocolate-hazelnut sauce is more like the icing on the beignet cake rather than what makes these fried doughnuts so delicious. Chocolate lover or not, after you try beignets at Teddy's Cafe, you may just deem them your favorite New Orleans treat.
9. Mr. B's Bakery
Located in a quiet section of New Orleans on General Meyer Avenue, Mr. B's Bakery is one of NOLA's best-kept secrets. This little cafe boasts only 700-odd followers on Instagram and a little over 2,000 on Facebook, however, it also offers one of the most unique takes on The Big Easy's famed French doughnuts — the glazed beignet. A concoction that could only have been dreamed up by someone who we imagine would get along well with the madman that created Philadelphia's corn dog doughnut, Mr. B's glazed beignets are fried on the spot and dipped in a powdered sugar glaze. And, unsurprisingly, doughnuts and beignets make for an absolutely delicious combo.
These specialty beignets are fresh and perfectly puffy, which has made some foodies even go as far as to say Mr. B's glazed French doughnuts are the most delicious version of the famous NOLA eats to ever cross their lips. In fact, some have even said that Mr. B's most beloved dessert made them quit eating beignets the traditional way. A hidden gem situated in a small, modest building, at Mr. B's serves up delicious glazed beignets with a side of some good ol' Southern hospitality.
10. Stuph'd Beignets and Burgers
When you walk into Stuph'd Beignets and Burgers' bright diner-style restaurant on Royal Street, if its name didn't already tip you off, you'll immediately realize that this eatery pulls no punches when you see the following sign on the wall: "We are NOT fast food. We move at the speed of quality." As you probably guessed, this eatery serves up both savory beignets brimming with the likes of mushrooms, seafood, and cheese, as well as sweet beignets filled with delicious treats like sweet potato pie and cheese cake.
Often recommended by locals, all of Stuph'D's beignets are filled with an impressive amount of flavor. Always served fresh, the savory eats on the menu, like the crab, crawfish, and shrimp-stuffed Creole Queen, are delectably seasoned and perfectly crispy. And the sweet side of the beignet selection, like the oeey-gooey pecan pie-filled version of the treat, is bursting with creamy, decadent flavor. Whether you love all things sugary or are more invested in salty snacking, NOLA's Stuph'd Beignets and Burgers has some delicious beignets waiting for you.
11. Restaurant R'evolution
From Creole-inspired red beans and rice to jambalaya, the sheer amount of cultures that play a role in Louisiana's culinary landscape is nothing to sneeze at. And Restaurant R'evolution, a Bourbon Street eatery housed inside the classy Royal Sonesta Hotel, is a gourmet restaurant that's managed to represent all of the flavorful cultures of Louisiana on its menu. Many foodies allege that in the process of creating inventive Cajun and Creole cuisine, this high-class restaurant has also perfected the entire blue crab beignets concept. How, you ask? To make its famed beignet dish, this eatery fries its blue crab beignets in beer-infused batter, fills them with cream cheese, and serves the dish with a side of four remoulade sauces.
These fried pastries are perfectly crispy, full of flavor, and wonderfully tender. Costing $20 for a plate of four, Restaurant R'evolution's blue crab beignets are the most expensive eat on this list, but the restaurant is also undoubtedly one of the best beignet spots in New Orleans.'
12. New Orleans Coffee + Beignet Co
A St. Charles Avenue cafe with an elegant yet modern artistic atmosphere, after a stint away from the beignet-making game, New Orleans Coffee + Beignet Co reopened its doors in 2020. And it's obvious why tourists and locals were quick to snag some of the eatery's beignets the second it started selling them again.
The cafe's pastries are pillowy, large in size, and made made to order. Diners rave about the restaurant's beignets, saying it's a "secret spot for BEST beignets in NOLA!" and, "Hands down beats Café Beignet and Café Du Monde." Another reviewer agreed, saying, "Better than Cafe Du monde...their beignets are by far the best I've had."
Offering these tasty, fried doughnuts in mini and traditional form, we're glad New Orleans Coffee + Beignet Co. is back on the market because, without them, NOLA would lose one of the best spots to munch down on this classic treat.
13. Luca Eats
Another restaurant for those who want to eat like a local, Luca Eats is a community-oriented diner on Cohn Street that seeks to make a positive difference in the NOLA neighborhood it feeds. While this cafe may pride itself on its positive attitude and pressed sandwich recipes, Luca Eats is best known for taking traditional beignets and stuffing with them Oreos. Yes, Oreos. And Luca's Oreo-beignet creations are famous inside and outside of New Orleans. In fact, these decadent treats were the 2016 Beignet Fest Crowd Favorite winner and have been featured in various publications. Luckily, according to reviewers, this snack lives up to its high expectations.
"Think fried Oreos but better," wrote one reviewer on Yelp in an attempt to describe the beignet. That's probably because Luca Eats' famed Oreo beignets are served hot, so the Oreo cream inside the doughnuts is gooey and delicious when it reaches your table. Another happy diner noted, "...the Oreos beignets are to die for." Luca Eats' motto is "Put on Your Positive Pants," which is something eating a New Orleans-approved Oreo beignet will make you very inclined to do.
14. Katie's
Located in the deeper parts of NOLA, Katie's is a family-run seafood restaurant filling New Orleans' plates high with shrimp, oysters, and catfish. But we're here to talk about this Iberville Street-based diner's larger-than-life crawfish-filled beignets. At this neighborhood eatery, the crawfish beignets are stuffed with jalapeno peppers, onions, cheddar, and mozzarella. But if that wasn't enough flavor for you, it should ease your mind to know these fried doughnuts are also brushed with jalapeno aioli.
These flavors combine to create a taste reviewers on Trip Advisor describe as "obscene," " so decadent and delicious it should be outlawed," and slap your mama good." A dish that's deliciousness got it featured on Food Network's Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives, if you're a fiend for heat, Katie's huge crawfish beignets will fuel you up for NOLA's nightlife and make you understand why these French pastries have such a grip on the culinary world of New Orleans.