Beignets and cafe au lait in New Orleans: a visitor's guide

Beignets are square pillows of yeast-risen fried dough, served hot and buried under powdered sugar, and in New Orleans they come with a cafe au lait made from dark, slightly bitter chicory coffee mixed with hot milk. The pairing is one of the city's essential experiences, most famously at a coffee stand in the French Market, which has been serving it since 1862.

What is a beignet?

A New Orleans beignet is a rectangle or square of dough, raised with yeast, fried until puffed and golden, and served hot under a heavy drift of powdered sugar. It is denser and chewier than a typical ring doughnut, crisp outside and soft inside. The word is French, a reminder of the city's French colonial roots.

Beignets are traditionally served plain except for the sugar, usually in an order of three. Other versions, filled or savory, exist around the city, but the classic is the square with sugar.

What is cafe au lait with chicory?

Cafe au lait is coffee mixed with hot milk. In New Orleans the coffee is usually blended with chicory, the roasted root of the chicory plant, which gives it a dark color and a slightly bitter, almost chocolate-like flavor. Chicory was used to stretch coffee during shortages, including during the Civil War, and the taste stuck. Many places also serve it iced in hot weather.

What is the famous French Market coffee stand?

The city's best-known coffee stand sits at the corner of Decatur and St. Ann streets at the edge of Jackson Square, on a spot where the French Market has operated since the 1700s. It was established in 1862, in the middle of the Civil War, while Union troops occupied New Orleans, and its menu has stayed famously short: beignets, coffee drinks including cafe au lait, and a few other beverages. It also has other locations around the area, including one in City Park, where it took over the coffee stand concession from its old rival.

The French Market location has kept long hours for many years and closes only on Christmas Day and when a hurricane comes too close, but hours have changed over time, so check before you go.

How do you order at the French Market coffee stand?

At the French Market stand, the experience works a little differently from a normal restaurant:

1. Decide whether you want table service or takeout. There are usually two lines: one for a table, and one for the takeout window.
2. At a table, sit at any open one. Grab an empty table when one frees up; a server will come to you.
3. Order beignets and a drink. Beignets come three to an order. Cafe au lait is the classic drink.
4. Pay the server when your food arrives.

Lines can look long, but they often move quickly. Early morning and late evening are usually the quietest times.

How do you eat a beignet without wearing it?

You will not stay entirely clean, so do not wear black. A few tips:

• Do not breathe in as you take the first bite, or you will inhale powdered sugar.
• Shake off some of the sugar before you bite, or tap it onto the plate.
• Eat them while they are hot; beignets lose a lot as they cool.
• Sit away from the wind on a breezy day if you can.
• Keep a napkin in your lap and another in your hand; the sugar goes everywhere, and that is part of the fun.

Where else can you get beignets in New Orleans?

Beignets are served all over the city, at cafes, coffee shops and brunch restaurants, and some places offer twists such as fillings or savory versions. The other historic coffee stand opened in the French Market in 1870, moved out to Metairie in 1974 and later ran a stand in City Park; it has moved several times, so check where it operates now. Trying beignets somewhere other than the French Market is a good way to skip the lines and see how other kitchens make them.

When is the best time to have beignets?

Any time of day works, which is part of the appeal: they are breakfast, a mid-afternoon snack or a late-night stop after music on Frenchmen Street. For the shortest wait, go early in the morning or late at night. In summer, an iced cafe au lait helps.

What goes well with beignets?

Little else is needed, but a morning of beignets pairs naturally with a walk through the French Market, a stroll along the riverfront, or people-watching in Jackson Square, all a few steps away. On Sunday afternoons the market's flea market stalls sell jewelry, posters and clothes, which makes a good excuse to linger after the sugar has settled. If you are planning a full food day, keep it to one order and save room for a po'boy at lunch.

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More guides to read next:

• Eating in the French Quarter without the tourist traps
• Crawfish season in New Orleans: when to go and how to eat a boil
• Creole vs Cajun food, and gumbo, explained for New Orleans visitors

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