Café du Monde

Located in the French Market

813 Decatur Street

(504) 581-2914

Open 24 Hours

The Original Cafe du Monde Coffee Stand was established in 1862 and has remained a traditional coffee shop ever since. Its menu consists of dark roasted Coffee and Chicory, Beignets, White and Chocolate Milk, and fresh squeezed Orange Juice. The coffee is served Black or Au Lait, which means that it is mixed half and half with hot milk. In 1988 both soft drinks and Iced Coffee were introduced to the Café.

According to Café officials, the taste for coffee and chicory was developed by the French during their civil war. Coffee was scarce during those times, and they found that chicory added body and flavor to the brew. The Acadians from Nova Scotia brought this taste and many other French customs to Louisiana. Chicory is the root of the endive plant, which is a type of lettuce. The root of the plant is roasted and ground and is added to the dark roasted coffee to soften its bitter edge. It adds an almost chocolate flavor to the Cafe Au Lait served at Cafe Du Monde. Beignets (pronounced ben-yay) were also brought to Louisiana by the Acadians. These were fried fritters, sometimes filled with fruit. Today, the beignet is a square piece of dough, fried and covered with powdered sugar. They are served in orders of three for a dollar and change.

Without a doubt, this open-air café is an excellent location to sit back and watch the hundreds of people strolling by, as it is located at the edge of bustling Jackson Square. There are always plenty of street performers in the area as well, providing fantastic and free entertainment throughout the entire day. Although the Café is almost always filled with customers, the experience is well worth fighting the crowd. If you want to avoid the crowd, get there very early in the morning or during the wee hours of the night; it is open 24 hours! The Cafe closes only on Christmas Day and on the day an occasional Hurricane passes too close to New Orleans.