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The Best New Orleans King Cakes 2016

There's something for everyone in this list of king cake purveyors - with 13 new locations added since the last version.

by Nora McGunnigle Updated Jan 20, 2016, 9:33am CST

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by Nora McGunnigle Updated Jan 20, 2016, 9:33am CST

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It's the most wonderful time of the year— Carnival, aka King Cake Season. The traditionalists flock to the brioche-based, ring-shaped cake laced with cinnamon, covered in icing and purple, green and gold sugar, with a plastic baby hidden inside. However, these days the daring gobble up local versions of the tradition that have banana, goat cheese, peanut butter, boudin, bacon, and the like.

Whichever side of the divide you sit on (much like sidewalk side or neutral side), Eater presents the hottest king cakes in New Orleans right now.

Still don't see your favorite on the list? Tell us why it deserves to be on the map in the comments section or send us an email, and we'll update the map all Carnival long.

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Eater maps are curated by editors and aim to reflect a diversity of neighborhoods, cuisines, and prices. Learn more about our editorial process. If you buy something or book a reservation from an Eater link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics policy.

Sucré

The sweets boutique on Magazine Street (and also in Lakeside Mall) not only has king cakes with shiny, almost airbrushed-looking icing over buttery pastry filled with cream cheese, they also sell king cake macarons for Carnival too.

3025 Magazine Street, New Orleans, LA 70115

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Gracious Bakery + Cafe

Chocolate-filled King Cakes and almond-infused Queen Cakes at $20 each. Both cakes feature house-made brioche dough (ie. less sweet than grocery store versions). Free delivery with orders of $100+.

1000 S. Jefferson Davis Pkwy, New Orleans, LA 70125

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Cochon Butcher

Oh, yes they do have king cakes, and in mini sizes perfect for two bacon friends to share. Minis come in cinnamon; cream cheese; and strawberry; the full-size "Elvis" is filled with peanut butter, banana and topped with house-cured bacon topped with marshmallow. Each cake includes a baby piggy.

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930 Tchoupitoulas Street, New Orleans, LA 70130

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Rouses Market

In terms of King Cake, the ubiquitous Rouse's version is at least a faithful stand by. They come in large, or gigantic, with fillings or not. This year, they're offering an "old school" king cake with no icing, like your "mom'n-dem" used to eat. Check out locations on Tchoup, Royal, and on Baronne Street.

400 N Carrollton Ave, New Orleans, LA 70119

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La Boulangerie

Now under Link Group management, the bakery's tradition for turning out galette de rois continues. The cake is made from layers of puff pastry with an almond cream center. Their New Orleans style King Cakes come with a range of fillings like cinnamon, cream cheese, and strawberry..

4600 Magazine St, New Orleans, LA 70115

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Cake Cafe & Bakery

Cake Cafe is known for their signature apple and goat cheese filling, though you can also get mini Boudin and bacon king cakes here as well, along with more traditional cream cheese fillings (as well as unfilled).

2440 Chartres Street, New Orleans, LA 70117

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Haydel's Bakery

For the purist, Haydel’s king cake has a cinnamon-infused Danish dough and lighter icing. This is the third year also, that they've set up shop in an Uptown outpost, taking over at the SnoWizard at 4001 Magazine St. (And two additional popups in Metairie.)

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4037 Jefferson Highway, New Orleans, LA 70121

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Tartine

This often overlooked Uptown bakery and lunch gem has Brioche King Cakes with a cream cheese, brown sugar, and cinnamon filling.

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7217 Perrier St., New Orleans, LA

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Breads on Oak

Their king cake is both organic and vegan, using an almond in lieu of the plastic baby. They've got plain cinnamon, and fillings include almond, apple, and cream cheese.

New Orleans, LA 70118

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McKenzie's Tastee Restaurant

While the McKenzie's Bakery is no longer around, their old school traditional king cake is found at Tastees around NOLA, including the Harrison Ave location. These king cakes aren't too tooth-rottingly sweet, so if you have kids...

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901 Harrison Avenue, New Orleans, LA 70124

Manny Randazzo

For many a New Orleanian, there is only one king cake that matters, and it's Randazzo's braided, traditional version. Which is probably why a line stretches out of the building during Carnival time. There are also flavors like Pecan Praline and the Royal, which includes a little bit of everything, dawlin.

3515 N Hullen St, Metairie, LA 70002

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Gambino's Bakery

Badabing, it's a king cake. The bakery's signature item ships around the globe, with fillings aplenty (hmm, pineapple?) or not, and they even toss in some doubloons, beads, and a poster if you're willing to spend upwards of sixty bucks.

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4821 Veterans Memorial Blvd., Metairie, LA 70006

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Hi-Do Bakery

Hi-Do Bakery in Terrytown has a nice plain brioche-style version - similar to the McKenzies version of old. The Hi-Do king cakes also don't have the sickeningly sweet white icing on them... so if you like fillings but not cinnamon and icing, those might be worth a try. Also available in cool shapes including fleur de lis and crab, but note: cash/check only.

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441 Terry Parkway, New Orleans, LA 70056

La Divina Gelateria

La Divina has mini king cakes (big enough for one person) including a classic version, cookie batter, bananas foster, and Nutella. Large cakes available by special order.

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621 Saint Peter Street, New Orleans, LA 70116

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The Sweet Life Bakery

Available daily: almond, traditional, cream cheese, and bananas foster. There are other flavors available with 24 hours notice, and they ship cakes too.

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6268 Vicksburg St., New Orleans, LA 70124-3045

ManhattanJack

Get traditional cinnamon or raspberry, chocolate, pecan praline filled every day till they sell out, for $16.

4930 Prytania St, New Orleans, LA 70115

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Bittersweet Confections

Attention chocoholics - Get your king cake and chocohol cravings sated in the Warehouse District with Bittersweet Confection's chocolate cream cheese filled cake with chocolate drizzled on top of a daily made and braided brioche dough. Purists, do not despair, they have the classic version as well, in both regular size and mini/individual size.

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725 Magazine St Suite A, New Orleans, LA 70130

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Dong Phuong

This New Orleans East Vietnamese bakery offers horseshoe shaped king cakes topped with a cream cheese icing and is available in cinnamon, cream cheese, strawberry, and blueberry. This cake's fans include the owners of Pizza NOLA in Lakeview, who are carrying it for sale in their restaurant (141 W Harrison Ave), for those who don't want to brave the wilds of the East. Also check them out at both McClure's uptown locations.

14207 Chef Menteur Hwy, New Orleans, LA 70129

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Teddy's Cafe

Roosevelt pastry chef Deborah Heyd creates Raspberry Nutella and Honey Almond Thyme mini king cakes inside Teddy's Cafe, right off the lobby.

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130 Roosevelt Way, New Orleans, LA 70112

Shake Sugary

This Bywater bakery turns out a king cake dubbed by many (including a tiptster) as "absolutely delicious." King cakes here include traditional, stuffed, and even vegan options, with the Savory Apple Cheddar Rosemary version sounding incredible. Call ahead to place order, or stop by to try a slice.

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3600 Saint Claude Ave, New Orleans, LA 70117

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Twins Burgers & Sweets

In addition to a variety of traditional king cakes (plain, cream cheese, strawberry cream cheese, blueberry cream cheese, and chocolate) Twin Burgers & Sweets created and serves a king cake is stuffed with boudin and topped with cracklins and Steen's Maple Syrup at this Lafayette restaurant. It can be shipped, but it's pricey.

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2801 Johnston St, South College Shopping Center, Lafayette, LA 70503

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Aunt Sally's Pralines

Get a praline king cake or almond croissant queen cake at Aunt Sally's FQ or St. Charles Street location. Can also be ordered online and shipped.

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810 Decatur St, New Orleans, LA 70116

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Mr. Ronnie's Famous Hot Donuts

You may want to make a road trip to this Houma landmark (or its second location in Baton Rouge) because this king cake is DEEP FRIED. It also comes with your choice of 20 different flavor fillings.

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1173 West Tunnel Boulevard, Houma, LA 70360

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Maurice French Pasteries

This bakery won the People's Choice award at the King Cake Festival for their highly regarded traditional French variation, the Galette des Rois, last year - but they also do a Ponchatoula King Cake, stuffed with strawberries and cream.

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3501 Hessmer Ave, Metairie, LA 70002

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Creole Bagelry

Tipsters in Slidell rave about this bagel shop's king cakes, including a cream cheese version, and the "bitchin' bagels" too.

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1337 Gause Boulevard, Slidell, LA 70458

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Pizza Nola

Lakeview can easily get its hands on Dong Phuong king cakes at Pizza NOLA. They're carrying the cinnamon, cream cheese, strawberry and blueberry versions. Delivery is also available (order via phone). This year, they kicked off the season with a police escorted first delivery of the year on January 8.

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141 West Harrison Avenue, New Orleans, LA 70124

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Willa Jean

Lisa White and Kelly Fields switch things up a bit this year with a Valrhona caramelized milk chocolate and espresso king cake available online or in store (which will even have king cake by the slice). $32, feeds 6 to 8 people.

611 Okeefe Ave, New Orleans, LA 70113

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DISTRICT. Donuts. Sliders. Brew.

The thing about District's king cake is that the cream cheese in the icing, and it's colored with natural ingredients that add to the flavor - green matcha, purple ube, and yellow satsuma.

2209 Magazine St, New Orleans, LA 70130

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Blue Dot Donuts

Get up super early for regular sized king cakes - but if you want a maple bacon king cake, you're going to have to special order it.

4301 Canal St, New Orleans, LA 70119

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Toast

Tartine's sister restaurant makes their own king cakes in house using the same recipe for cinnamon-cream cheese filled cakes. They also serve mini king cakes to go or slices of king cake to eat there. If you find the baby in a mini king cake, you get 10% off a regular sized one.

5433 Laurel St, New Orleans, LA 70115

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NOLA Brewing Tap Room

Not only does McClure's BBQ sell Dong Phuong king cakes by the slice at the taproom, but the Old Portage popup will be serving a Foie Gras king cake, with foie ganache, strawberry jam, and pistachios every Tuesday of Carnival season.

3000 Tchoupitoulas, New Orleans, LA 70115

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Cottage Catering & Bakery | Caluda's King Cakes

Check out the various flavors of king cakes here, like chocolate hazelnut, maple bacon praline, white chocolate bread pudding, as well as fruit filled varieties and plain.

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1536 River Oaks Rd W, Harahan, LA 70123

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Rocket Girl Treats

Rocket Girl, aka Dianna Egan, gives the gluten-free the opportunity to healthily enjoy the Carnival season. (She also makes vegan cakes as well). Call her (or go to her Facebook page) to order a cake with cinnamon or filled with seasonal fruit - and check out her new flavor with caramel and pink Himalayan salt. Pro tip: you can try GF king cake donuts at HiVolt.

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New Orleans, LA 70115

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Quebedeaux's Boudin and Cracklins

This Cajun meat and food powerhouse of Central LA makes boudin king cakes to order - made with fresh risen bread, stuffed with boudin and butter, topped with cracklins. and glazed with homemade praline syrup. Sounds very much worth the drive, if you're in to that kind of thing. They're made only to order, so call to get yours (they're also very responsive on their Facebook page.)

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3710 S MacArthur Dr, Alexandria, LA 71302

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City Pork Deli & Charcuterie

If conducting business (like government or LSU related stuff) in Baton Rouge, you won't want to leave town before checking out the king cakes at City Pork; They have traditional ones, like plain and cream cheese-filled, but then they get creative with the Zulu flavor (coconut, chocolate, and cream cheese) and the City Pork king cake, with chocolate, cinnamon, and house cured bacon,

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2363 Hollydale Ave, Baton Rouge, LA 70808

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Whole Foods Market

Stop by any Whole Foods to check out a very nice standard and filled versions of king cake, but the reason it's on this list is because one of the fillings is the WF bakery's addictive chantilly cream, which is basically life changing.

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5600 Magazine St, New Orleans, LA 70115

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Kingfish

Chef Nathan Richard has a hand with offal, and he puts his talents to work with the restaurant's "Mardi Foie" kingcake dish. The cake is a duck fat brioche, and the icing uses saffron, beets, and arugula for color (and flavor) in its duck fat icing. Oh, and it has a big ole piece of seared fois gras on top.

337 Chartres St, New Orleans, LA 70130

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