Cafe au lait with chicory is hot milk poured half-and-half over roasted-chicory-blended coffee, served in heavy white mugs around the clock. Bitter, smooth, the city's morning fuel.
Roasted-chicory coffee took hold in New Orleans during the Civil War, when Union blockades cut off coffee imports and locals stretched their grounds with chicory root (the practice was already common in Napoleonic France). Cafe du Monde opened in 1862 as a coffee stand in the French Market and made the chicory-cafe-au-lait-with-beignets format the city's defining cheap breakfast. It still pours the same Cafe du Monde Dark Roast and Chicory blend, mixed with steamed milk and served 24 hours a day. Cafe Beignet on Royal Street and Mojo Coffee on Magazine carry the tradition forward with their own chicory-blended pours.
3 editor picks for Cafe au lait with chicory in New Orleans, ranked by editorial score. All New Orleans signature dishes · Cafe au lait with chicory across every city.
Cafe du Monde ★ 4.4
800 Decatur St, New Orleans, LA 70116
Cafe du Monde in New Orleans is the 1862 French Market coffee stand on Decatur opposite Jackson Square, with beignets and chicory cafe au lait served around.
Mojo Coffee House ★ 4.3
1500 Magazine St, New Orleans, LA 70130
Mojo Coffee House in New Orleans is the Lower Garden District corner cafe at Magazine and Race, a 2007 indie shop with house espresso and cold brew on tap.
Cafe Beignet on Royal Street ★ 4.0
334 Royal St, New Orleans, LA 70130
Cafe Beignet on Royal Street in New Orleans is the 1990 French Quarter beignet cafe at 334 Royal, with sit-down service, a small courtyard and a Cafe du.