Go Nuts for New Orleans Donuts

When the little Creole children, taking a peep into the kitchen, saw that the cook was going to make Apple Fritters, Orange Fritters or cook fried bananas for dinner, there was always some endearing term applied to her and she never failed to respond in the wholesome and practical way that the Creole cooks of those days did by handing a beautiful golden Beignet piled with snowy sugar, to the expectant little ones.
- The Picayune Creole Cook Book (1901)

If a local tells you she is heading out to get some “coffee and donuts,” chances are she’ll soon be covered in powdered sugar, courtesy of a beignet from one of New Orleans’ favorite spots, Café Du Monde. Some historians believe that the Ursuline nuns who arrived in Louisiana in 1727 brought us this pastry tradition but regardless of where it came from, by the mid 19th century, it was a habitual offering at the coffee stands that peppered the city’s markets. The Original Cafe Du Monde Coffee Stand, established in 1862 in the New Orleans French Market, is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, closing only on Christmas Day. The beignet was so popular in 1986, that it became the Louisiana State Doughnut.

But while New Orleanians appreciate the tradition of heading to Café Du Monde for an early morning (or, more often, late night) treat, other venues around the city offer their own twists on America’s favorite breakfast food.

The Freret Street Po-Boy and Donut Shop serves up a variety of tasty, traditional pastries including the house specialties: the apple fritter and the honey bun. Both are delicious on their own, or as a prelude to the other breakfast and lunch fare served by chef and owner, Troy Rhodies. The restaurant sits in the heart of the up and coming Freret neighborhood, which hosts a slew of hip new shops and bars. Take the St. Charles streetcar to the Napoleon stop and follow your nose to Freret, where you can sample a fritter, followed by gumbo or red beans.

Donuts in another direction can be found at Blue Dot Donuts, located in Mid-City right along the Canal streetcar line. The folks at Blue Dot take pride in creating new riffs on traditional donut flavors. Peanut Butter and Jelly and Red Velvet are popular selections, as are seasonal flavors like Pumpkin and Sweet Potato.

But the stand out flavor is a Maple Bacon Long John, a traditional donut shaped like an éclair, topped with maple flavored frosting and a hefty handful of real bacon pieces. If you are headed out to visit City Park or the New Orleans Museum of Art, make sure to buy a transfer from your streetcar conductor, hop off at Blue Dot, and go nuts for donuts.

Elizabeth Pearce is a culinary historian at the Hermann-Grima House, where she directs their hearth cooking program. She also gives cocktail and culinary walking tours of the French Quarter. When she’s not drinking or talking about drinking, she’s writing about drinking at Neat with a Twist. To find out more, visit Elizabeth’s website.

Tagged as: beignets, blue dot donuts, Cafe Du Monde, Canal Streetcar, City Park, French Quarter, Freret Street Po-Boy and Donut Shop, New Orleans, New Orleans Food, St. Charles Streetcar