New Orleans is known for many things, but one of the most popular is the beignets. And for good reason. New Orleans beignets are truly top tier. The beignets I’ve eaten during my trips to the Big Easy were undoubtedly delicious. Perhaps the most notable spots to get your beignet fix in New Orleans are Cafe Du Monde and Cafe Beignet. I will make the distinction here that I am referring to the Cafe Du Monde on Decatur Street and the Cafe Beignet on Royal Street. Though these restaurants do have multiple locations throughout the city, I can only speak to my experience at the individual spots I visited. For this reason, any time I mention these establishments I am referring to the aforementioned locations. In this post, I’ll dissect the pros and cons of these establishments: Cafe Beignet vs. Cafe Du Monde.

With that being said, these specific spots are arguably the most popular because they are both the original cafe locations. This might be an unpopular opinion, but I think the added charm of visiting the OG cafes is worth waiting in line. Sure, you can visit their other locations if they’re closer or more convenient but I think everyone should aim to visit the original spots at least once to have the experience of eating at where all the hype started. 

I’m breaking this post into 5 separate categories to convey which New Orleans beignets take the “cake”, and why. I will judge both beignet establishments based on the following criteria:

1. Restaurant ambience
2. Lines/waiting experience
3. Pricing
4. Beignet quality
5. Location

I’ll include some final remarks on my personal experience toward the end before revealing the “winner”. Without further ado…Let’s dive into the debate: Cafe Beignet vs. Cafe Du Monde.

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Cafe Beignet vs. Cafe Du Monde

Restaurant Ambience

Café Beignet

Café Beignet is small, but there is a decent amount of indoor and outdoor seating available for patrons. Decorated with chandeliers and other carousel-style lighting fixtures, Café Beignet feels warm and inviting. There is also a subtle charm inside the establishment that pays homage to the French influence seen throughout the French Quarter and beyond. 

When you walk through the doors (likely after waiting outside in line for a while), you make your way to the counter to place your order. The staff were all very friendly during my recent visit. You order the beignets at the counter and get a number, after which you sit down and wait for a runner to bring you your fresh, warm beignets. I personally enjoyed this added bit of service–it made it feel a bit more like a cafe rather than a quick self-serve experience. Plus, this way the beignets come out fresh, right as they’re ready to eat! Cold, hardened beignets really just aren’t as good. 

Café Beignet was also quite clean when I visited. I sat in the outdoor patio section and every table was free of messiness and waste, and the floor wasn’t sticky or covered in powdered sugar! It’s certainly very easy to make a mess while eating beignets, but Café Beignet does a great job of making sure the establishment is taken care of and presented nicely to patrons. 

The outdoor patio is tropical and quiet. It’s the perfect atmosphere for enjoying classic New Orleans beignets and a warm cafe au lait.

Cafe Du Monde

Cafe Du Monde features tented, outdoor seating for patrons. I am not sure whether indoor seating has ever been offered at the Decatur location but the tented outdoor seating is what they’re working with now and what they had the last time I visited in 2019. 

The overall atmosphere was a bit more hectic compared to what I experienced at Café Beignet. Not to say that the atmosphere was bad or uncomfortable, but there was a lot of visual stimulation and noise from both inside and outside the cafe. There were two separate lines to order: one for dine-in and one for take-out. The take-out line cut through the side of the cafe and people were practically standing on top of those trying to eat their beignets. 

The floor was also sticky with a finely layered coating of powdered sugar and napkin debris. It sort of added to the experience, in a funny way. I will give props to the staff and crew who were coming around regularly to wipe down tables and sweep the floor.

At Cafe Du Monde, you order at a counter regardless of whether you dine-in or take-out. In both instances, you get your beignets and coffee at the counter and then you either proceed to find a table or exit out the back. The beignets come in bags, and there is no paper basket. This likely contributes to the messy floor situation, but could certainly be mitigated if you create a napkin plate (see the photo for reference).

The atmosphere overall at Cafe Du Monde is upbeat and fun, and it’s worth visiting if you’ve never been to the restaurant before.

Lines and Waiting Experience

The lines at both Café Beignet and Cafe Du Monde were long. I visited Cafe Du Monde on a Saturday morning around 8:30am and Café Beignet on Sunday morning at roughly 10:30am. I expected long lines, so I was mentally prepared. Wear comfortable shoes because you will stand in line for at least 5-10 minutes, surely. 

Café Beignet

I was surprised that I waited longer for Café Beignet than I did for Cafe Du Monde. I didn’t time it to the minute but I believe I waited roughly 25 to 30 minutes in line before ordering at Café Beignet. It seemed like everyone and their mother was gathered in line to try a bite of the famous New Orleans beignets! I don’t blame them.

The line went down Royal street along the sidewalk. The walkway was pretty narrow and in some parts of the line passerbys had to step down into the street to get past the line. As you can imagine, this can be rather hectic and stressful–especially with cars, buggies, and scooters whizzing past in the street. I am sure that it’s not like this all the time, but I did notice it while I was there and figured it was worth mentioning. Luckily, the line is covered and shaded by trees. 

Cafe Du Monde

Similar to Café Beignet, you will likely encounter a line to get into Cafe Du Monde. Depending on the time of day you arrive, the line might be down the block so come prepared for at least a 30 minute wait. 

I waited roughly 15 minutes to order beignets from Cafe Du Monde. I showed up at 8:30am on a Saturday morning, and by 9am the line quadrupled and was down the block. If you can, show up early for this experience–especially if you are visiting on a weekend. 

The wait was not horrible at all, and there was enough sidewalk space to share between those waiting in line and those passing by. There was also a band playing directly outside of the entrance to the cafe–the band was decent but, to be completely honest, their volume made it extremely difficult to hear the line attendant giving instructions. Overall, I wasn’t bothered by it but I could certainly see how it could be tough for those hard of hearing.

Cafe Du Monde is situated just across the street from Jackson Square, and while in line you have great photo opportunities and views of New Orleans’ French Quarter. 

Menu Pricing

Café Beignet

The prices for 3 beignets are slightly more expensive at Café Beignet compared to Cafe Du Monde. At both restaurants, however, the price for 3 beignets was shown as slightly lower on the menu than what the price actually was at the counter. 

At Café Beignet, the price shown on the menu outside for 3 beignets was $3.99 (at the time of this blog post), whereas inside at the counter the price shown on the board was $4.75. See the photos below for reference. It is not a huge difference in pricing, but it could certainly be a surprise to those who have strictly budgeted their trip based on the listed prices online or on the outdoor menus. Keep this in mind if planning to visit either Café Beignet or Cafe Du Monde, especially if you are traveling with a larger party. 

Cafe Du Monde 

At Cafe Du Monde, the same was true regarding the pricing disparity between the posted pricing and the counter pricing. I searched online for pricing before my trip and found a few different prices between $2.14 and $2.73 for an order of 3 beignets (at the time of this blog post). Perhaps this was old or outdated pricing, but I vaguely remember that pricing being accurate from my 2019 trip. At the counter, the price for an order of 3 beignets was $3.40 (again, at the time of this blog post–prices may have changed since my visit, so be sure to check online prior to your visit). Again, not a bank-breaking difference, but still good to keep in mind. Regardless, both Café Beignet and Cafe Du Monde are relatively cheap breakfast spots compared to other cafes in the French Quarter. 

Beignet Quality

Café Beignet

The beignets at Café Beignet were warm, fluffy, and thickly coated with powdered sugar. I could see the heat rising off of the beignets in the cold air (it was in the 40’s and 50’s during my trip in March!). They were presented in a paper, recyclable basket, which was a great way to mitigate the potential of powdered sugar falling from the beignet onto the floor. 

I also ordered a cup of strawberries to place on top of my beignets, and the flavor was out of this world. Even on their own, the beignets tasted exactly as I had dreamed. Sweet, doughy, and simply perfect. They were everything I hoped for (and more) from a basket of New Orleans beignets.

Cafe Du Monde

I want to chalk up my experience at Cafe Du Monde to the crew possibly being in between shifts, or the establishment just being really busy in general, but the beignets I had at Cafe Du Monde just didn’t hit the mark for me. When I dreamt of New Orleans beignets as a child, I used to picture Cafe Du Monde. As you can imagine, I was quite disappointed when this dream didn’t turn out to be a reality for me on my visit. The beignet quality just wasn’t what I thought it would be.

When I ordered my beignets at Cafe Du Monde, the cashier pulled them out from behind the counter and they were already in bags. I was a bit disappointed because they weren’t warm and the powdered sugar was clumpy and didn’t even fully coat the beignet. The bulk of the powdered sugar sat at the bottom of the bag and was equally as clumpy and hardened. To try to make light of the situation, I got crafty and poured the powdered sugar over top of the beignets but considering it was clumpy it barely stuck at all. You can see the clumps clearly in the photo below. The beignets were also hard and cold when I took my first bite–a bit disappointing, but they still had decent flavor.

Restaurant Location

Café Beignet

Café Beignet is located on Royal Street but, as I mentioned previously, there are several locations throughout the city. The Royal Street spot is the perfect place to start your day in the French Quarter. The shops and eateries on Royal Street are a bit less touristy compared to Bourbon Street or Decatur Street. Of course there are a few tourist-centered spots on Royal but you will also find many art galleries, antique shops, and picturesque street corners. 

The Café Beignet on Royal is open 7am to 5pm daily, and nestled just behind Jackson Square and St. Louis Cathedral. To view other locations and operating hours, visit their official website here.

Cafe Du Monde

Cafe Du Monde is located on Decatur Street though, just like Café Beignet, there are many locations around the city (including one at the MSY airport in case you’re craving those classic New Orleans beignets upon arrival or departure!). Decatur Street is, as mentioned above, a bit more touristy than Royal Street. If that’s what you’re into, you will find it there. 

Cafe Du Monde on Decatur is literally steps away from Jackson Square and St. Louis Cathedral. The Decatur location is also pretty close to the Riverfront. If you’re getting beignets to-go from Cafe Du Monde, I suggest taking them over to the Riverfront Park and enjoying them on a bench overlooking the Mississippi River. Pretty cool New Orleans experience on a nice, sunny day.

Cafe Du Monde on Decatur is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Perfect for an early morning breakfast run, or a late night snack after enjoying the bars and live music around the French Quarter. The spot inside MSY airport is open daily from 4am to 6pm inside the terminal after going through security. 

Check out their official website for more information on locations and hours.

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Who does it better: Cafe Beignet vs. Cafe Du Monde?

Overall, the argument of Cafe Beignet vs. Cafe Du Monde comes down to personal preference. Personally, I preferred Café Beignet over Cafe Du Monde based on my experiences at both spots during my recent trip to New Orleans. In my opinion, Café Beignet exceeded my expectations in the areas of beignet quality, restaurant ambience, and location in proximity to other spots in the French Quarter that I wanted to see. However, both restaurants provide a fun and unique experience, which is why I suggest you try classic New Orleans beignets from both establishments next time you’re visiting to craft your own opinion. 

While you’re here, you might also enjoy some of my other blog posts. Check them out and let me know what you think!

• Top 3 Foodie Spots in New Orleans
• HI New Orleans Hostel Review
• 30 Things to Do in Memphis, Tennessee

Have you ever eaten at Cafe Du Monde or Café Beignet? What were your thoughts? Do you have a preference for one over the other? Let me know in the comments, or shoot me an email at sydney@sydneybrowntravels.com. I would love to hear about your thoughts and experiences.

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