Café du Monde facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Café Du Monde |
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Café Du Monde is open 24 hours a day (2011)
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| Restaurant information | |
| Established | 1862 |
| Current owner(s) | Fernandez family |
| Food type | Coffee & beignets |
| Dress code | Casual |
| Street address | 800 Decatur Street |
| City | New Orleans |
| State | Louisiana |
| Postal/ZIP code | 70116 |
| Country | United States |
| Seating capacity | 400 |
| Reservations | No |
| Website | Cafedumonde.com |
Café du Monde (which means "Café of the World" in French) is a famous outdoor coffee shop. It's located on Decatur Street in the French Quarter of New Orleans, Louisiana, USA. This spot is a well-known landmark and a popular place for tourists. It's especially famous for its delicious café au lait (coffee with milk) and tasty beignets. You can even find their special coffee with chicory in stores across the United States.
Contents
A Taste of History
The story of Café du Monde begins with coffee itself! The French settlers brought coffee to the Gulf Coast and Mississippi River around the year 1700. During the American Civil War, there was a shortage of coffee. So, the Creoles in New Orleans started mixing chicory with their coffee. This special blend is still served today at Café Du Monde and other restaurants in New Orleans. Chicory gives the coffee a unique, slightly chocolatey flavor.
Beignets: A Sweet Tradition
The Acadians (also known as Cajuns) came to Louisiana from Nova Scotia. They brought many French customs, including the beignet, in the 1700s. Beignets are different from most doughnuts. They are square pieces of dough with no hole in the middle. They are almost always covered with lots of powdered sugar. Sometimes, people eat them with fruit, jam, or maple syrup. At Café du Monde, beignets are served with a thick layer of powdered sugar. You usually get them in orders of three.
Keeping Things the Same
The menu at Café Du Monde is quite simple. They offer dark-roasted coffee with chicory, which you can have black or au lait (with milk). They also serve beignets, white milk, chocolate milk, hot chocolate, and fresh-squeezed orange juice. The vice-president of Café du Monde, Burton E. Benrud Jr., says that beignets are the only food item at their original French Market spot. He also shared that Café Du Monde wants to "keep things the way they've always been." This means their recipes have stayed mostly the same for a very long time!
After Hurricane Katrina
In 2005, Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans. Café Du Monde closed on August 27, 2005, just before the storm. Even though the shop only had minor damage, it stayed closed for almost two months. The owners used this time to clean up and fix the eating areas and kitchens. Six weeks after the hurricane, Café Du Monde announced its reopening. This was a big deal, showing that the city was starting to recover. Over 100 news groups, including ABC-TV's Good Morning America, reported on the reopening. The original French Quarter location opened its doors again on October 19, 2005.
Where to Find Café Du Monde
The original Café Du Monde is in a building called "The Butcher's Hall." This building was built by the Spanish in 1791. However, a hurricane in 1812 damaged it. A new market building was built in 1813. The coffee stand officially opened at the French Market in 1862.
For over 100 years, Café Du Monde was one of two similar coffee and beignet places in the Market. The other was Morning Call, which started in 1870. Morning Call moved out of the French Market in 1974.
Since the late 1980s, Café Du Monde has opened more locations. You can now find nine Café du Monde coffee stands in the New Orleans area. These include the original spot at 800 Decatur Street in the French Market. Other locations are in shopping malls and even at the New Orleans Louis Armstrong International Airport.
Café Du Monde in Japan
After the 1984 Louisiana World Exposition in New Orleans, Japanese companies became interested in Café Du Monde. In 1989, a company called Duskin made a deal with Café Du Monde. They opened their first Japanese locations in 1990. The franchise grew to have 32 locations at its busiest time. By 2016, there were 10 locations in Japan.
The Japanese Café Du Monde stores looked a lot like the original ones. They used the same green and white colors and French Quarter style. However, the Japanese stores added more types of beignets to their menu. They also offered seasonal desserts, which you won't find in Louisiana. The special Café Du Monde coffee with chicory stayed the same. Duskin ended its business with Café Du Monde in early 2018. All Café Du Monde locations in Japan closed on March 31, 2018.
Coffee in Grocery Stores
Since the early 1990s, you can often buy Café du Monde coffee in Asian grocery stores across the United States. After the Vietnam War, many refugees from Vietnam came to the U.S. They were used to French-style chicory coffee, just like people in Louisiana. As more Vietnamese families settled in cities, many started visiting Café du Monde in New Orleans. Some even worked there. These families would send the orange-yellow tins of Café Du Monde coffee to friends and family around the country. This was a different choice from American coffee, which didn't have chicory. Because of this, many markets started selling Café Du Monde coffee.
See also
- French Market
- List of doughnut shops
- List of Louisiana Creole restaurants
