5 January 2024
Coffee Science king cake. | Randy Schmidt/Eater NOLA
Top picks for the 2024 season, from classics like Hi-Do to newcomers like Dough Nguyener’s
Mardi Gras is New Orleans’s favorite time of year and king cakes are a totem everyone can celebrate, and that’s just what this city does — bakeries, restaurants, and pop-ups flood the market with creative, unexpected, and gorgeous cakes to enjoy at home, gift a neighbor, or bring to work.
Beginning January 6, options abound, from the traditional, brioche-based king cake — ring-shaped and laced with cinnamon, covered in icing and purple, green, and gold sugar, plastic baby hidden inside — to the many twists on the original, plus growing options for the elegant French puff pastry and almond cream version. This map reflects the area’s best king cakes that are available on a regular basis to pick up in person throughout the short, 39-day 2024 Carnival season. Stay tuned for a guide to the best king cakes available via pop-up or special order this season.
Did we miss an outstanding king cake available in New Orleans this year? Let Eater know.