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“Don't eat here... take your beignets to go!”
Review of Cafe Du Monde

Cafe Du Monde
Ranked #4 of 91 Coffee & Tea in New Orleans
Certificate of Excellence
Price range: AU$2 - AU$32
Cuisines: American, French, Cafe
More restaurant details
Restaurant details
Good for: Local cuisine, Child-friendly
Dining options: After-hours, Lunch, Dinner, Breakfast, Delivery, Takeout
Neighbourhood: French Quarter
Description: Since 1862, serving Hot Beignets and Cafe Au Lait in New Orleans Historic French Market, at the down river corner of Jackson Square
Reviewed 3 weeks ago

The beignets, for which this cafe are known for, were delicious. They were served fresh, hot and with plenty of powdered sugar. (Don't wear black when visiting!)

The service, however, was absurd.

We were seated by a pleasant enough worker who directed us to an empty but dirty table. As they were so busy, we assumed the table would be cleared prompty when our server arrived to take our orders. Not so. After waiting for about ten minutes at a table with powdered sugar and dirty dishes, we decided to put the dishes on another empty table (also with dirty dishes) to get them out of our way.

Upon doing so, a server finally arrived and screamed at me. "YOU NO TOUCH ANYTHING." I was directed back to my seat and repeatedly told (at a shout) not to touch anything. Our table, at this point, was still not cleaned, nor did she make any effort to take away remaining dishes. This left me feeling quite ridiculous, being scolded like a child and being yelled at as though I'd done something entirely inappropriate.

After about another ten minutes, the server arrived again, and finally took away the remaining dishes and swiped our table with a cloth that looked like it had been plucked from a trench, or possibly a sewer. She made no effort to ensure no sugar/crumbs dropped on our persons or our belongings. She then took our order (two orders of beignets, one coffee, one hot chocolate) and left.

Our orders arrived reasonably prompty (I appreciate that the cafe was very busy and there seemed to be a lot of orders going in at once) but my coffee was wrong, I had specifically ordered a coffee with milk, and upon delivery our server dropped one of our beignets on my skirt. She attempted to wipe the mess with that same dirty cloth, which I tried to stop her from doing, before dropping a large amount of cash on the floor. As it was windy, I tried to help by catching some of the bills... but of course, I had forgotten what had been screamed at me earlier in the chaos of the event...

Once again, I was shrieked at not to touch anything. Our server collected her money and then repeatedly tried to attack my skirt with the cloth.

By this point, it was not worth trying to fix the coffee error, as I did not feel safe in doing so. I was sure I would be either berated again, or I would receive a coffee that had been tampered with, assuming the one I had was clean to begin with. (Or both)

Other customers seemed to be having a much more pleasant experience with their servers, so it's possible we had terrible luck, but I would not have wished this experience on anyone. It left us feeling really awful, not to mention dirty and sticky. It would be wonderful if Cafe Du Monde could have a talk with this server about customer service, and perhaps send her to retraining. I appreciate that everyone has a bad day, but as we were not being particularly demanding on our server or doing anything particularly out of the ordinary, it seems unreasonable for her to have treated us so poorly.

I invite Cafe Du Monde to reach out to me for more information about my visit or about my server, as I'd be happy to help them improve.

I would return for more beignets, but I would absolutely be taking them to go!!

Date of visit: December 2024
    • Value
    • Atmosphere
    • Service
    • Food
Thank kachow21
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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8 - 12 of 39,684 reviews

Reviewed 4 weeks ago

If you can get a table, service is good. Only serve beignets and coffee, water, cocoa. Very crowded…but was a favorite of my 9 year old grandson!

Date of visit: December 2024
    • Value
    • Atmosphere
    • Service
    • Food
Thank Carole G
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed 3 January 2025 via mobile

The food is amazing. Wait times can be long but well worth it. We only did take-out. Prices are very fair. It is a must visit if in New Orleans.

Date of visit: January 2025
Thank J4213BJgeorgek
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed 2 January 2025 via mobile

I LOVED it! The coffee and the bignets are delicious!! The Service is really good. They have only 2 bathrooms for dozens Of People so consider this before going.

Date of visit: January 2025
Thank Lucero G
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed 1 January 2025 via mobile

Been coming here for over 20 years and I hate to admit that the quality and service has really taken a nosedive in the last few years. The size of the beignets have gotten smaller as well. I guess it’s to be expected but it doesn’t make it any easier to see the quality of an institution like this dying slowly. That being said, business is booming and tourists and those seeking nostalgia still line up. It’s an institution that I will continue to return to every time I visit New Orleans. It’s still a good deal and a wonderful place to people watch at all hours of the day or night. I’ve tried other beignets but Cafe du Monde, its history and location, still rules.

Date of visit: December 2024
Thank FP29ml
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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