Lagniappe Bakehouse in Central City might be the most popular bakery in New Orleans right now. And if it is not, it should be.
Between a James Beard Foundation nomination and a viral Eater video on YouTube, locals and tourists alike are flocking to
Lagniappe, with their Instagram story reporting they’re selling out well before 1 p.m. every day.
Lagniappe is a house repurposed into a bakery, and it’s beautiful. The outdoor seating with tons of shade and great vibes is all you can ask for in a New Orleans house. People were quietly chatting enjoying their pastries while others read books and everyone enjoyed the cool morning — by southern standards — especially with the breeze rusting the leaves. Going inside and looking at the pastry options, I naturally decided to try everything. Here are my thoughts, ordered from my favorite pastries to my least.
Grains of paradise bun, $6.00
The paradise bun uses West African spice married with local citrus. It tasted like cardamom and orange, with a thin glaze on top. Much moister than your traditional cinnamon roll even without frosting, the flavor combination immediately won me over.
Savory seasonal Danish, $6.50
The Danishes are based on the farmer’s market ingredients, with the savory one this day being goat cheese and squash puree with hot honey. This was perfectly savory while being the crispiest pastry I have ever had. With the squash, this was the perfect fall treat, pairing especially well with coffee. I will be dreaming about this and lamenting that it’s only seasonal.
Cornmeal muffin, $6.50
Going as far as to list the specific cornmeal and honey butter — Anson Mills cornmeal and Acadiana honey butter — these muffins lived up to the hype. I could easily eat a tin of these happily. The chunks of corn throughout meant juicy pockets and the generous helping of honey butter kept this so moist. Lagniappe has perfected cornbread.
Sweet seasonal Danish, $6.50
Just like the savory danish, the sweet danish is based on local ingredients — in this case custard cream, fig jam and fresh fig. The custard was lost to the fig, but the texture and moisture were perfect, much like the savory danish.
Gator claw, $7.26
The gator claw is filled with praline and candied citrus, topped with poppy seeds and alligator pepper. The texture of the filling and pastry was great but a little dry and didn’t deliver on as much flavor as other items, largely due to the dominant taste of poppy seeds.
Spiced fig flat white, $5.50
This isn’t a pastry, but we can’t forget the coffee! With an insane menu of coffee and matcha, including flavors like coco berry and spiced fig, I had a tough time deciding what to order. I went with the spiced fig flat white on recommendation. It was on the sweeter side, but perfectly creamy and smooth.
Lagniappe is the best bakery I’ve been to in New Orleans or anywhere else, offering perfectly laminated pastry with unique, delicious flavor combinations and an extensive coffee program. Everything is stellar, but if you have to pick, I highly recommend the paradise bun, savory seasonal danish and cornmeal muffin.