TRAVEL: A Beignet Throwdown

When E and I were planning our trip to New Orleans, I put together a list of all of the donut and beignet shops I wanted to visit. Becuase, priorities. #agirlandherdonut

Unfortunately, in the end, we only had time for two. Sad face. Thankfully, they were two of the most famous spots, Cafe du Monde and Cafe Beignet. While I have some friends who rave about du Monde, I have an equal number who are big Cafe Beignet fans. I thought it would be fun to compare the two. So below is my review of both beignets, and my thoughts on which one is better. Unlike my Beantown Donut Throwdown, this Beignet Throwdown had a clear winner. Scroll all the way to the bottom to see the winner!

Cafe du Monde

The one, the only. After hearing about it from basically everyone who has ever visited New Orleans, I knew I couldn’t visit without stopping in.

On Thursday, I had most of the day to myself so, after a quick shoot with Trevor (he is AMAZING) and a latte at Spitfire, I wandered through the French Quarter and found myself at Cafe du Monde. Everyone had warned me that the lines would be ridiculous. I didn’t find that to be the case. They were busy, of course, but not insanely so. There were several open tables outside. I plopped myself down at one of them and waited for the waitress to come over. The menu was glued to the back of the napkin holder, which was very convenient. It was a simple menu. When the waitress arrived, I placed an order for three beignets ($2.73) and a small hot chocolate ($2.73). Because you can’t eat that many beignets without having something to wash it down with. About 10 minutes later, the beignets arrived at my table, piping hot! I was so excited! I, of course, spent five to ten minutes photographing them before diving in. The people at the tables surrounding me may or many not have been staring at this point…

After I was satisfied with the photos, I took a bite into one of the beignets. They were still hot! They were crispy on the outside and light and fluffy on the inside. Talk about perfection! They were also COVERED in powdered sugar. After eating two and a half beignets, I gave up. Eating three beignets in one sitting was too much for me! I felt bad leaving leftovers, but so goes life. There is only so much room in my belly for donuts these days. After all, baby W is taking up more and more space as time goes on.

Just the experience alone of sitting, eating, and people watching at Cafe du Monde is worth the price of admission! I had such a great time and would definitely go back!

All About Those Stripes

The Menu

Cafe Beignet

On Friday morning, my sister in law and I were looking for a cute breakfast spot to enjoy before heading to our cooking class at the New Orleans School of Cooking (my review is HERE). I suggested that we head to Cafe Beignet for beignets and coffee. My sister in law happily obliged. We uber’d from our Airbnb to Royal Street, in the heart of the French Quarter. When we arrived, the tables were filled with locals and tourists alike. It seemed like more of the locals shopped at Cafe Beignet for the their beignet cravings and needs.

We found our way to the back of the restaurant to order. We each ordered a latte, some sliced strawberries, as well as an order of beignets (three) to share ($3.99, more expensive then Cafe du Monde). We were given a number and we sat down at a table inside towards the back because it was quite humid and it looked like it might rain. Within a few minutes, our beignets were at our table along with our lattes and strawberries. We dug right in! Unlike the ones I enjoyed at Cafe du Monde, these beignets were not piping hot. While they tasted ok, they weren’t as crispy on the outside as I would have liked. It was almost as if they sat out for a little too long before being served. I was really disappointed. Maybe it was just an off day. Unfortunately, I won’t know until the next time we visit! The highlight of our trip to Cafe Beignet was a Kenneth Lonergan, writer/director of Manchester by the Sea, sighting. He was sitting outside, enjoying some coffee and beignets! I love a good celebrity sighting!

The Winner: Cafe du Monde (by a LONG SHOT)