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Café Du Monde
Categories: Food Coffee & Tea Food Donuts Coffee & Tea, Donuts [Edit]
800 Decatur StNew Orleans, LA 70116
(504) 525-4544
- Price Range:
-
$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- No
- Parking:
- Street
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
2028 reviews for Café Du Monde
Review Highlights
"The cafe au lait and beneigts are well worth it though."
(in 586 reviews)
"I'm definitely now a fan of the beignets."
(in 1414 reviews)
"in powdered sugar is totally worth it."
(in 651 reviews)
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2023 reviews in English
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Review from Maly A.
2/9/2012
Years ago I visited NOLA (for the 2nd time).....to this day.....I dream of the beignets! Oh those beignets!!!!!!
I loved this place and during our one week stay came here at least 3-4 times. It's been around forever, and is one of those places that you MUST try when in town. The place is usually always busy, and there's always a long line, so be patient.
Next time, I will be here EVERY morning.
Oh....those beignets! -
Review from Samantha V.
Houston, TX
2/9/2012
Ok. I get it. New Orleans Landmark and all that.
Bad service.
loooong wait in line.
Bugs everywhere.
Ummm... bathrooms... ?!
Nothing a vegan or even a vegetarian can eat.
No soy milk for the only fabulous thing on the menue... coffee... good ol Louisiana Chicory.
Only getting two stars for the ultra cool musicians out on the street. -
Review from Maggie P.
San Luis Obispo, CA
2/9/2012
Beignets 4 out of 5
Coffee 3
Service 4
Atmosphere 1. Like effing Disneyland. Touristy. No soul except for the tuba and trombone duo playing outside. It had a factory like feel. Next time, I'll get my beignets somewhere else. -
Review from Ryan C.
2/9/2012 1 Check-in Here
I'm not really sure that there's much I can say about CDM. In a way, it's a big enough New Orleans institution that your review of it probably says more about you than you're ever going to say about it.
The beignets were hot and delicious. We don't drink coffee, but the hot chocolate was tasty.
I think complaints about dirty tables, a dirty restroom, and anything else you might consider to be a detriment are really missing the point as they're all a part of the experience. Ditto long lines, though during the rather wet and cold weather of our trip, we noted that the early morning avoided most of the waiting. The morning we went, we were there bright and early and grabbed a table just as the servers were sweeping the chairs off onto the ground. But if "get up early" isn't a reasonable solution to the line problem, patience is probably the only other recourse.
Did the food change my life? Probably not. There is something about the place that seems to sum up New Orleans, though. My two pictures of my wife and daughter all bundled up and waiting for a mound of powdered sugar are among my favorite keepsakes of the trip. -
Review from Jenelle J.
Boston, MA
2/9/2012 2 Check-ins Here
Warm beignets - the classic New Orleans breakfast fare. Were they good - much prefer these over dunkin. The coffee - not strong, but unique in flavor - must be the chickory.
I can only ask why don't they give Dunkin some competition up north? I'd much rather go to cafe du monde! Delish! -
Review from Jake O.
2/6/2012
In the wise words of Jimmy Buffett, "The coffee is strong at the Cafe Du Monde, the donuts are too hot to touch, and just like a fool when those sweet goodies cool, I eat till I eat way too much." Amen to that. The coffee is FANTASTIC. I like to dunk my beignet in there for a nice little bonus. I also like a whole lot of powdered sugar on them to the point where I basically licked my plate to finish it off. Didn't wanna waste it!
A couple of things to note: Cash only, the waitresses aren't very nice and please clean up after yourself. Also, eat all of your food man! When you don't, the pigeons come, eat and crap everywhere. Nobody likes this, so suck it up and stuff that last little bit of beignet down your face!
It's also about the experience here. Don't come here and try to rush so you can get to the next place. Soak it in baby. Take your time and enjoy the greatness of Du Monde! -
Review from Ann L.
Sugar Land, TX
2/7/2012 1 photo
I've never had beignets as good as Cafe Du Monde. Pair this with a frozen cafe latte and it's bliss.
Tip for the non-natives: The Cafe du Monde on Decatur is always jam-packed with people because of its central location. If you're there for the food, check out the many other locations they have. For you Houstonians, I always make a stop at the CDM next to the Esplanade or Lakeside mall to fuel my long drive home! -
Review from Yumiko K.
2/5/2012
Beignets are donuts. People love donuts. Therefore, Cafe Du Monde is so popular. There is no science to that.
It is just so much fun to order a plate of beignets covered with a copious amount of powder sugar and a cup of coffee with chicory from one of the white-aproned staff. It is more fun to eat beignets trying in vain not to get any of the sugar on your face/clothes/shoes/hair.
Sure, this place is so touristy/featured on TV/radio/magazines at least a gabazillion times. So what? Go, get yourself a plate of beignets and coffee/cafe au lait. It is OK to enjoy what everyone else does too. -
Review from Kyle C.
Houston, TX
2/7/2012
It was touristy. And it was awesome. We bested the waiting system a bit as we are known to do.
Eventually we took our seat inside the small restaurant, and if you follow suit, be prepared for a mess. I'd recommend wearing something other than black or dark colors. Even if you are a pristine eater, you're likely to get messy. And even if you manage that, there's enough residual on the tables, chairs, and floors to make Tony Montana's desk jealous.
Tried chicory for the first time, and as it was pretty warm and humid out, I went for the iced variety. It was different, but I don't know if I loved it. I'd have to try the regular version before judging.
The beignets were very tasty and a chance to eat pure sugar for breakfast. We saw other Cafe Du Monde located outside of the French Quarter, but you have to go to the original and get the full experience.
Be a tourist. It's well worth it. -
Review from Farrah A.
Still a must for me every time I'm in the Big Easy.
This CDM is always packed - no matter what the travel season, weather or time of day. I always go to the to-go window, rather than grabbing a seat. This time, the line was long, but one EXTREMELY kind young fellas approached us at the back of the line and offered to take our order. Still delicious, crispy, hot, powdery sweet sugared beignets and steaming cups of Café au lait. (You can get it iced or frozen, too). Mmmmm.
Cash only.
Three beignets per order.
Please clean up your mess. There are napkins and straw wrappers everywhere. People are so damn messy!
Check out my pics, yo.Listed in: New Orleans - Eats In The Big…, New Orleans - Best…, New Orleans - Sweets
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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8/7/2009
With white powder all over your face, earlobes (don't ask), clothes and car, you DON'T want to get… Read more »
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Review from Ryan O.
2/2/2012 2 Check-ins Here
I hate to love such a total tourist trap so much but it is really hard to deny just how fantastic this place really is. I've tried the café au lait and beignets other places and they don't even compare to Du Monde. The difference in how much better their beignets are than others is staggering. I think it is all in my head but I would even swear to you that the confectioners' sugar is better here.
The lines are always long and if you want a seat you should expect to park it at a messy table full of powdered sugar coffee slop and dirty dishes while you wait on the staff to come by and bust the table. You probably also didn't realize that you just sat in a pile of powdered sugar the size of what you would find in the climax of the movie Scarface. Don't worry though, soon you'll be shoving hot fried pastry dough in your face you'll forgot about pretty much everything except why it was a bad idea to split just a single order with your friend.
Protip: If you really like the chicory coffee mix here in the café au lait you can find it for sale in World Markets. A friend purchased some for me as a gift and I don't see myself buying any other coffee any time soon. -
Review from Danielle S.
Houston, TX
Is it touristy as hell? Of course it is. Do you still need to do it? Absolutely.
There's something just eminently and indescribably satisfying about stopping by this New Orleans institution on a Saturday night. The service was friendly, the cafe au lait was fabulous, and of course the beignets are great. You'll learn quickly that laughter + beignets do not mix (as my sister did).
Bring a friend and share an order, since there are diminishing returns on the goodness of a beignet after the first one.Listed in: She's a New Orleans Girl
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Review from Hermelinda A.
Orange, CA
2/2/2012
I trekked all the way here last night from my hotel by myself (not my best idea) to try the "original" Cafe Du Monde. Maybe it was because I dropped by in the evening, but I was really let down by the beignets. :( I didn't get a fresh batch. These weren't warm. And they were chewy.
Coffee was OK.
At that time of the evening, it was easy to get a table. A server spotted me fairly quickly and brought my order right out. Other people around me had to wait a pretty long time though.
Avoid the bathrooms if possible.
Overall, had a better experience at the Cafe Du Monde coffee stand in Riverwalk. Got my beignets right away and these were fresh and warm and fluffy. -
Review from O K.
Manhattan, NY
2/8/2012
Its a bit overrated.. the crowd there would make you think its the best think since sliced break.. but it does hit the spot late nite or if you need a sugar rush .. its pure fried dough and powdered sugar.. coffee isnt bad.. the area is a nice stroll through the NO
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Review from Archie G.
San Jose, CA
1/23/2012
I don't speak French. But if I had to guess, I would say "Café Du Monde" is French for "Crack House."
Random strangers are always walking in and out of the joint with items in unmarked bags. The restroom is filthy. Their signature chicory coffee makes my heart beat 150 times per minute. And as for their infamous beignets, this "powered product" is extremely addicting. On a scale of 1 to Sex - I would rank it a 9.
After devouring eight of them in two minutes, I had white powder all over my face. When I went to the nasty restroom to clean up, I was really afraid I was going to get a nosebleed. Damn.
A bit later, I felt like I was in college again. I was so high that I was ready to snort spilled white powder off the filthy floor. And when I was out of product, I was ready to call my mom to put money in my bank account for "textbooks." But then I realized while college was long ago, rehab was just yesterday.
In the end, Café Du Monde is a tourist trap, but one well worth visiting. It truly offers the best beignets I have ever had. And most importantly, it made me feel young again. -
Review from Sunil R.
1/29/2012 1 Check-in Here
A mandatory stop in NOLA and well worth it. The Beignets are like pillows, so good and fluffy. It comes with tons of powdered sugar and after scoffing at it, I ended up eating as much as I could. It was funny to see the powder mustaches that everyone had.
I am knocking off a star for the joke of a fresh OJ. It tasted worse than Minute Maid. Even though the lines are long, they do move pretty fast. -
Review from Nancy K.
Cleveland, OH
2/8/2012
The beignets were awesome with Cafe au lait. We had three people in our group and only needed one order. The sugar got a little messy because it looked like it had literally been dumped on. The waitress is very hard to understand and rushed us. She was a little rude and rushed us to order. The outdoorsy-ness of if, even on the rainy day we stopped by, was charming. Two men were playing jazz tunes outside of the cafe. All in all, despite the lousy service, it was not bad. I preferred their beignets to others in the French Quarter.
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Review from Camille R.
Somerville, MA
2/7/2012
Powdered sugar all over my clothes and face is sexy
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Review from Kim-Thao H.
Westwego, LA
Oh Cafe du Monde, I could never get tired of you! I've lived in New Orleans all my life and til this day I still crave for this piece of fried heaven! There's something about this specific location downtown that is just better! I'm not sure if it's the beignets itself that are always fresh, or the French Quarter atmosphere that makes it such a fun experience, but it's probably a mixture of both!
Beignets are such a such simple concoction, yet it is so genius! Fried dough and powdered sugar? Who knew they could be so yumtastic? But that's not all; you MUST order a hot chocolate and DIP the beignet into the hot chocolate to make the experience even greater. My sister told me to do this years ago, and after that I was hooked and so was all of my friends I told about it. If it's your first time you MUST order the frozen cafe au lait; it really is the best in town!
Oh Cafe du Monde, even if you are filled with a bazillion tourists year round, I will still love you forever. -
Review from Alison M.
1/20/2012 1 Check-in Here
2,000th review awesome! I can't believe a restaurant could have 2,000 reviews. Anyways, here's my two cents.
Beignets are described as donuts, but they're not. They taste a lot more like funnel cake. Thick, warm, doughy funnel cakes loaded with powdered sugar. I love funnel cake so its good, but I can't believe people come here and eat beignets everyday for breakfast! Think about eating funnel cake everyday for breakfast. Yeah... I think coming here once on my trip is plenty.
I got the cafe au lait and got a sip with a nasty brown stretchy thing in it. Yuck! 'm hoping that's the chikory. Other then that the coffee was served in paper cups. I'm a firm believer that coffee should be served in mugs at a sit down place.
Lastly, all the tables were sticky. Eh, as I said before. One trip here was plenty for me. I should mention that there was no line when we went on a Friday afternoon.Listed in: New Orleans Eats
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Review from Min H.
Kansas City, MO
1/29/2012 1 Check-in Here
Yumm coffee!
There was a bit of a line, but it moves fast and we were entertained by the people on the streets (it was the day Drew Brees made history). Side note-we also made it under the green-white striped awning right before a sudden downpour too! If I was trapped in line when that happened, my review may not be as happy.
Of course we ordered beignets and coffee (au lait-only way to go) and waited out the rain before venturing out to explore Jackson Square. Love loved the coffee, but wasn't feeling the beignets for some reason. And I do love deep fried dough and sugar so not sure why. It tasted dry? And as much as I love eating powdered sugar by the spoon-full (which we all did), it wasn't enough to make up the shortcomings of dry fried dough. Maybe next time I'll get it.
But the chicory coffee! I would have been more than happy to just sit and drink coffee for the remainder of my trip there.
Oh and cash only. -
Review from Carol J.
Updated - 2/4/2012 1 Check-in Here
So glad to be back here for cafe au lait and milk and sugary and powder beignets!! Great coffee, great beignets and people watch.
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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6/8/2010
It's true! The place is worth the wait and hype about their coffee with cream and the fluffy… Read more »
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Review from Kat S.
Seaside, FL
1/16/2012 2 Check-ins Here
what's not to love? Enough powdered sugar to make you look like a true coke addict, what could be more fun?
Come here super late night to miss the crowds. And the hot chocolate is pretty good. Its cash only, and you pay as you go.Listed in: 29 is super fine in noLA
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Review from Peter C.
1/20/2012
In the end, beignets is just the french word for "funnel cake." That doesn't mean you should go check this place out though.
Yes, it's a tourist trap, so it's overcrowded. But even at tourist-prices, it's still cheap. If you can snag a table, more power to you, enjoy. Otherwise, I suggest just walking up to a waiter and asking if you can place an order with them rather than waiting in the "to go" line. I was lucky enough to make friends with a waiter on his break, and he just went and put our order in for us...no lines for this guy!
Normally I avoid tourist traps, but this place was worth it. Besides, how can you not try it...they've been around for ages, and all they sell is coffee and beignets, so you know they're doing it well! -
Review from david p.
1/16/2012
I've been to NOLA half a dozen times or more and never had the interest to visit the institution that is Cafe du Monde. I've walked past it tons of times, walked past the lines of people standing 75 to 100 deep in the morning waiting for their beignets and chicory coffee. I was always surprised that people would wait in line for so long for what is basically a funnel cake. So, I finally decided to take the opportunity one afternoon, when the long lines were gone, to see what the hype was about.
Wow. What a disgusting, dirty place. Crowded, noisy, chaotic, and unorganized. You wait for a table to become available and hope nobody else has spotted it. More often than not you grab a dirty table and wait for someone to clean it. Service is prompt, but the servers are incredibly overworked. As for the much-hyped beignets, they had way too much powdered sugar and were already too sweet without it. The chicory coffee was watery and strong at the same time. One of the worst cups I have had.
I realize this review will get lost in the thousands of reviews of Cafe du Monde, but my advice is to skip this place and get a funnel cake at your local county or street fair. It will be just as dirty and crowded and smelly but cost half as much. -
Review from Saskia S.
1/17/2012
Tourist trap or not, a trip to Cafe Du Monde is worth a visit if you're in New Orleans. Although there was the dreaded line @ 11 am on Saturday morning, it moved quickly, and we didn't have any problems with table thieves!
Server was pleasant and efficient, and I think the kind of festival & sugar-covered atmosphere just adds to the charm! We DEVOURED our beignets, and definitely enjoyed our coffee.
Go, order more than you think you can eat (they'll all disappear, I promise) and walk away happy and a little jittery from the sugar and caffeine. -
Review from Lalaine C.
San Diego, CA
Depending on where you're from in the US or around the world, there are certain foods traditionally eaten on New Years' Day to ensure good luck because of what they symbolize. Beignets didn't make the list, but it should!
After partying at Jackson Square and Frenchmen Street 'til 2am that New Year's morning, Julius & I were hongggryyy. We headed to Café Du Monde, which was packed to the rafters, but we still managed to score an empty table under the huge covered patio. The atmosphere that night reminded me of a rowdy college cafeteria (it was Sugar Bowl week, and fans were chanting their fight songs!) Despite how filled to capacity Café Du Monde was, we were served our beignets and café au lait at lightning speed. Now, about those beignets...
Unlike those that we had at Café Beignet, Café Du Monde's beignets were more dense (Julius prefers them like that, I like mine lighter & more gooey.) They were also heavily covered in powdered sugar (not that I minded!) Bottom line, Café Du Monde's beignets were absolutely delicious and should be on the list of lucky foods to eat on New Year's. Why? They're sweet, decadent, rich, and famous...symbolic of just how I'd want my 2012 to be!Listed in: Big Eats in the Big Easy
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Review from Kourtney L.
Hayward, CA
2/2/2012
Finding a seat is near impossible but worth the stress. The biegnet's are to die for and it lets you know where you are. Loved this place, one of the main reasons I would return to the south.
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Review from Stephanie R.
Manhattan, NY
1/24/2012
I went on a trip with my friends to New Orleans and we stopped by here one afternoon and the beignets were as good as I had hoped. The windy weather made for a fun explosion of powdered sugar, but hey, it added to the experience. :) I don't drink coffee, but my friend who does said it was good.
The overall experience is really fun and yummy, but the waitstaff is a bit inattentive and seemed bothered by requests.
Originally my friends and I thought this place was over-hyped and were going to skip it because of the long lines, but we just happened to walk by at some golden hour in the afternoon to find an extremely short wait, which is what I would recommend other visitors do. -
Review from Ron L.
Concord, CA
1/27/2012
Only in New Orleans would you find a pastry shop open 24 hours and be packed each of those hours.
On my trip to this city, it was literally the last place I went before the airport. I'm not a dessert person, but I liked their food. And the crowd was lively as French Quarter crowds typically get.
Good place to get your sugar rush, even if it wasn't a famous place that you must go to just to say that you went there. -
Review from Kumari D.
Honolulu, HI
Updated - 2/5/2012
This is one of those places that seems to be making it on it's own fame. It's lovely to have a warm beignets - the hot chocolate, however, tasted like Swiss Miss. Go so you can say you went, and then sample some of the many less famous coffee houses in New Orleans - most of them are better
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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2/4/2012
This is one of those places that seems to be making it on it's own fame. It's lovely to have a warm… Read more »
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Review from Christine N.
New Orleans, LA
Beignets and a frozen cafe au lait? YES, PLEASE! This is a must eat place for me whenever I'm back in New Orleans. I even tell some tourist passengers I sit next to on the plane to come and try out this deliciousness.
Cafe Du Monde is pretty simple. You come in and sit wherever you like and just order. The only edible food on the menu is beignets. All the other choices are drinks (bottle water, hot chocolate, coffee, frozen cafe au lait, soft drinks, etc.). This place only takes cash (but there is an ATM machine nearby just in case).
P.S. Be careful when eating the beignets because the powder sugar can get everywhere. And the complimentary water is used for washing your hands, not drinking (just an inside note from a used-to-be-local). -
Review from Kristen M.
Hillsboro, OR
1/8/2012 1 Check-in Here
[NEWSFLASH!] An exclusive interview with Kristen M. on her trip to the infamous Cafe Du Monde, NOLA
NEWS: Is it the best beignets that you've ever had?
KM: Sorry no, I've had better else where. But be cautious of spilling the powdered sugar all over the place. (With that in mind, the environment can be quite sticky!) I do admit that they were fresh, CHEAP ($2.70 for 3), and warm!
NEWS: How was the Cafe au Latte?
KM: Didn't get any coffee since I wanted to fall asleep.
NEWS: How was the hot chocolate?
KM: It was a good alternative and was just as yummy.
NEWS: Is it a tourist trap?
KM: YES! But I'm glad to say that I've visited the place.
NEWS: Did you purchase any souvenirs?
KM: Yes, I purchased a Shirt. If their gift shop is closed, you can purchase the items here as well.
NEWS: Any words of advice for people who would like to visit this tourist trap?
KM: It's good to go during the late hours of the night where you don't have to wait so long in line (they are open 24 hours) and if you're just going there just to say you've been there then that's fine too. But the coffee cans and the beignet mix can be found in grocery stores and you can get it there instead of being ripped off.
NEWS: Well there you have it from a visiting yelper! This is the news giving you the exclusive look into the infamous Cafe Du Monde, New Orleans. Louisiana. Thanks for your time and travel safe! -
Review from Michelle G.
Lisle, IL
1/21/2012 1 Check-in Here
It's a staple - if you're in NOLA, you've got to try the beignets. But truthfully, they're not that great - not a whole lot of flavor and its really easy to get coated in powdered sugar.
If you order regular coffee, make sure you specify black coffee. The coffee is mixed with chicory, and the wait staff seems to assume that most people can't stomach the bitterness.
You may also want to forego this place if you don't enjoy eating with pigeons. -
Review from Neha S.
New Orleans, LA
1/13/2012
Touristy for a local? Yes.
Perhaps I could be guilty for being trite? Again, yes.
However, perhaps the most romantic of places in the evening and in the rain. People from all over mill around you. You can hear local music playing in the background.
I don't know. It just doesn't really get old for me. Beignets and a Cafe Au Lait. Or maybe you like orange juice with it.
It's hard to give an objective rating, when all I can see is that I really like it. -
Review from Nikki F.
Cincinnati, OH
1/8/2012 1 Check-in Here
This place is a staple on a trip to NOLA. We had so much fun. If it seems like there is a line walk ahead, look for a table and sit down. The dummies in line are tourists who don't understand there is no "wait to be seated" situation. You just move your butt in. Sit. Order. Leave. Pretty simple.
The servers don't like waiting to know what you want. per person just get 1 order of beignets ( ben-yays ) and a cafe au lait.
Don't wear black here or you will look like Tony Montana at the end of Scarface. -
Review from Caro d.
Is it just me? Chicory in my coffee, it really doesn't do it for me. Blech. Give me some espresso, please, ASAP.
The beignets were okay, but I still feel like I'm missing something. Maybe they were too sweet? Seriously, all of that powdered sugar just seems a little wasteful.
We were very lucky, we managed to hit Cafe Du Monde during the Sugar Bowl - no wait, all the tables were open and service was zippy.Listed in: Caffeine High, NOLA
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Review from Salsaboy S.
Oakland, CA
1/12/2012
Simple, well-executed, and delicious. The beignets were fresh, hot ,and powder sugary. Not the kind of place that I would patronize every day, but certainly worth checking out on a visit to the French Quarter despite its reputation as a tourist trap. Had a great time there, and around 11:30a, there were no lines.
Added bonus: Open 24 hrs.
The coffee was just okay. -
Review from Bill T.
All the cool kids are doing it, so there must be something to it, right?
Definitely a tourist trap place but kinda worth it. Visited one weekday morning, line was moving fairly quickly. We waited about 20 minutes in line then about as long until a waitress cleared our table and took our order. Beignets were awesome and coffee was great. If you're looking for quick and friendly service, you're in the wrong place but this is an institution.
One thing I noted was there was no line at the second door entrance near the inside sitting place and people were coming in that door and snapping up the outside tables on that end because the people coming in the far door closest to the plaza had a hard time seeing all the empty ones there. So if you want to be a complete d-bag and get seated faster, check out that option! -
Review from Loren A.
Brooklyn, NY
2/5/2012 3 photos
FRIED PILLOWS OF PERFECTION doused in powdered sugar, 'nuff said.
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