Two Items, 160 Years, No Closing Time
There are restaurants in New Orleans with menus the length of novels, wine lists that require their own table of contents, and reservation systems that would make an air traffic controller nervous. And then there's Cafe Du Monde, which has been serving exactly two things — beignets and coffee — since 1862, and doing it 24 hours a day, seven days a week, with the possible exception of Christmas Day and the occasional hurricane.
The formula is elemental: fried dough dusted with an absurd amount of powdered sugar, paired with dark roast coffee cut with chicory and served black or au lait. That's the menu. There are no substitutions, no seasonal specials, no avocado toast. You sit down, you get beignets, you get coffee, you get powdered sugar all over your shirt, and you understand why this place has outlasted every food trend of the last century and a half.
The Open-Air Institution
Cafe Du Monde sits at the edge of the French Market, across from Jackson Square, in an open-air pavilion that has no walls to speak of. There's a roof and some columns and a lot of green-and-white striped awning, and that's about it. In summer, fans push the humid air around. In winter — the three weeks of it that New Orleans gets — the staff might hang plastic sheeting on the sides. The elements are part of the experience.
The location has been a coffee stand since 1862, though the current structure has been rebuilt and expanded over the years. The original French Market, where the cafe sits, has been a trading post of one kind or another since the late 1700s, making this one of the oldest continuously operating market areas in the country. Cafe Du Monde is simply the latest — and longest-running — tenant.
The Beignet and the Chicory
The beignet is a French doughnut — a square of yeasted dough, deep-fried and buried under powdered sugar. The technique came to Louisiana with the French colonists, and the recipe has barely changed. The key is the frying: hot enough to puff the dough into a golden pillow, fast enough to keep the inside soft and almost hollow. The powdered sugar is applied with the subtlety of a snowstorm.
The chicory coffee is equally important. During the Civil War, when coffee supplies were scarce, New Orleanians began mixing roasted chicory root with their coffee grounds to stretch the supply. The war ended, but the taste for chicory stayed. The resulting brew is darker, slightly bitter, and earthy — the kind of coffee that wakes you up and reminds you where you are at the same time.
Frequently Asked Questions About Cafe Du Monde
Is Cafe Du Monde really open 24 hours?
Yes. Cafe Du Monde operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It traditionally closes only on Christmas Day and during severe weather events like hurricanes.
What does Cafe Du Monde serve?
The menu consists of beignets (French-style fried dough covered in powdered sugar), cafe au lait (dark roast coffee with chicory and hot milk), black coffee, hot chocolate, orange juice, and white or chocolate milk. That's it.
How long has Cafe Du Monde been open?
Cafe Du Monde has been operating as a coffee stand in the French Market since 1862, making it over 160 years old.
Why is there chicory in the coffee?
New Orleanians began adding roasted chicory root to coffee during the Civil War to stretch scarce coffee supplies. The practice survived the war and became a permanent part of the city's coffee culture.
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