29 March 2023
Beignets from Cafe du Monde. | Shutterstock
From sweet versions doused in powdered sugar or stuffed with strawberries to savory pillows filled with blue crab or crawfish
Fried dough, both sweet and savory, is popular in almost every culture. In Mexico, they’re called buñuelos, dusted with cinnamon and sugar. In Italy, it’s zeppole, sweet with powdered sugar or savory with anchovy. In Nigeria, rounds of sweetened deep-fried dough are street snacks called puff puffs. In New Orleans, beignets are a calling card, craved by all and usually dusted with powdered sugar. But creative makers stuff and flavor them with all kinds of goodness. In this town, beignets are the gold standard. Below are 15 cafes, restaurants, and bakeries serving some of the best versions of this staple, from sugar-coated and stuffed with strawberry or sweet pralines to savory and filled with blue crab and cheesy crawfish.
Do you have a favorite beignet in town you don’t see here? Send us a tip.