Ultimate Guide to NOLA’s Best King Cake
Each year, on Epiphany (January 6), the Christmas decorations in the bayou turn from shades of red and green to purple, green, and gold as Mardi Gras season begins! And while your vision of Mardi Gras may be an all-out party with overflowing beads on Bourbon Street, Mardi Gras season (yes…it’s an entire season) is actually filled with tons of community events, parades, and celebrations AND one delicious dessert…KING CAKE.
King Cake’s popularity has been soaring in recent years, making it’s way across Lake Ponchartrain and infiltrating grocery store shelves throughout the United States. But if you take a trip down to New Orleans, you’re bound to find some of the best King Cake in all the land.
So, if you’ve had your fill of the best pralines New Orleans has to offer, keep reading for our favorite King Cakes throughout the city…
What is a King Cake?
Let’s begin with the basics…
A King Cake is a sweetened, yeasted brioche oval-shaped ring, stuffed with cinnamon sugar (& sometimes other less-traditional fillings!), glazed with a sweet vanilla icing, and topped with purple, green, and gold sprinkles for decoration. Oh yeah…and there’s a plastic baby inside.
What???
Yes, it’s true. In the 1940s, a local bakery started placing porcelain dolls in the cake. They’ve since been switched out for a plastic baby that the host places into the cake AFTER it’s baked (no worries…there are no melted plastic babies in the pastry!).
If you find the baby, you’re said to find good luck & fortune in the coming year…so much so that you get to bring next year’s King Cake to the party!
King Cake Hub
Ok, so King Cake Hub isn’t a singular King Cake bakery, but it’s certainly THE place to go if you have plans to buy a large selection of King Cakes. While not all of the King Cakes on this list are available at King Cake Hub, tens of bakeries across the city haul their delicious baked goods to this warehouse where you can purchase as many as your heart desires!
There are an array of traditional cinnamon King Cakes to choose from, as well as unique flavors like Ube and Pandan King Cakes. PLUS, you can buy tons of King Cake items from earrings to children’s games and ornaments for your Christmas-turned-Mardi Gras trees.
King Cake Hub Details: Over 30 King Cakes to choose from, including mini King Cakes from Caluda’s PLUS all sorts of King Cake-themed gifts & decor
3300 Gravier St. New Orleans, LA (2026 location)
Dong Phuong Bakery
One of NOLA’s most beloved King Cake bakeries is a New Orleans East institution. This Vietnamese bakery opened in 1982, supplying baked goods to restaurants throughout the city. They rebuilt after Hurricane Katrina and gained national fame for their king cakes in 2018 when they received the James Beard American Cassic Award.
The lines at Dong Phuong are LONG (we waited an hour after arriving at 9am), but the king cake is worth it!
Bakery Details: Walk-in purchase available, No single slices, 3 King Cake limit per person, Flavors include original cinnamon, cream cheese, pecan, strawberry, coconut, almond, and durian (some flavors may sell out).
14207 Chef Menteur Hwy. New Orleans, LA 70129
Flavor profile: Fluffy, moist brioche that is not overly sweet. Icing has a light, whipped consistency that is delicious!
Bywater Bakery
If you’re looking for unique King Cake flavors that deliver consistently delicious results, Bywater is your stop! The name gives its location in the historic Bywater neighborhood away. The people are incredibly friendly and eager to introduce you to their wide array of sweet AND savory King Cakes!
Bywater Bakery opened in 2017 and has gained notoriety for their incredible Chantilly Cake and their unique King Cake flavors, as well as their involvement in the local community.
Whether you plan to purchase a full King Cake or not, grabbing a slice at Bywater Bakery is a MUST during Mardi Gras season!
Bakery Details: Walk-in purchase available, slices & full cakes available in a variety of sweet & savory flavors (Bourbon Cinnamon, Cajun Bouille (sweet custard), Chantilly, Frangipane, Praline, Boudin, Cajun Seafood, and Spinach Artichoke)
3624 Dauphine St. Bywater, New Orleans | 8am-3pm, Closed Tuesday & Wednesday
Flavor Profile: Structured brioche, LOADED with filling and drizzled with thick icing.
Tartine
What’s better than a delicious brunch cafe that also serves as a revolving door for King Cake lovers?
Tartine opened in 2010 in the Black Pearl neighborhood and serves an incredible 150 full King Cakes per day out of their small breakfast cafe (as well as an additional 250 out of their other restaurants!). Their signature King Cake is filled with a delicious cinnamon cream-cheese mixture that is perfect for people who love a bit of a sweet & savory dessert.
Bakery Details: Slices and full King Cakes available at the cafe, as well as their other restaurants Toast, Toast Gretna, French Toast, and Hen House.
7217 Perrier St, New Orleans, LA 70118 | 8am-3pm (9am-2pm on Sundays)
Flavor profile: Moist brioche with a delicious balance of sweet & tangy flavors in their cinnamon cream cheese filling!
Brennan’s
Well-known as the inventors of the popular Bananas Foster dessert, Brennan’s also whips up a delicious King Cake is served all throughout the city. Oh…AND they have a Bananas Foster King Cake, too!
Brennan’s originally opened in the French Quarter in 1946, but they only started baking King Cakes in 2021. In just a few years, their iconic pink boxes (to match the restaurant’s facade) have staked their claim as a popular contender in the King Cake competition.
Their full King Cakes are available for pick-up at their historic French Quarter location, but if you want to try a slice before committing, we recommend visiting our favorite coffee shop in town, Congregation Coffee in Algiers Point, to try a slice of Brennan’s Traditional King Cake with a nice cup o’ joe.
Bakery Details: Slices & full cakes available at Congregation Coffee. Full cakes available at several retail locations including King Cake Hub & Brennan’s restaurant (when pre-ordered). Flavors include traditional cinnamon and Bananas Foster.
Various locations & hours at kingcakesbybrennans.com
Flavor profile: Structured dough with a good balance of sweetness, topped with a thick, sweet icing and LOADED with icing sugar!
Randazzo Family Bakeries
Alright…here’s the deal with Randazzo’s….everyone has a favorite. Whether it’s Manny Randazzo’s (Metairie’s OG), Nonna Randazzo’s (across Lake Ponchartrain), Caywood and Randazzo’s (likely the easiest King Cake to get!), Randazzo’s Camellia City, OR Caluda’s (no Randazzo in the name by order of the court!), they all stem from the same family and the same original King Cake recipe.
Why are there so many, you may ask? Well…to be honest, a combination of in-fighting, destruction from Hurricane Katrina, and divorce has produced the fractured lineage of the Randazzo’s fame. One thing is clear, though…the Randazzo family King Cake recipe is beloved!
Manny Randazzo’s
Opened in 1992 by the son of Manny Randazzo Sr., who operated the original bakery with his father and brothers, this Metairie bakery is a STAPLE. So much so, that lines form daily & they ship King Cakes nationwide!
Known for its award-winning traditional King Cake, Randazzo’s best seller is loaded with cinnamon (with a variation injected with cream cheese, too!) and topped with a thick, creamy icing.
4515 N. Hullen St. Metairie, LA 70002 | 7am-4pm M-F, 8am-12pm Sat (until sell-out)
Nonna Randazzo’s
Across Lake Ponchartrain, Joel Randazzo (daughter of Lawrence Randazzo & cousin to Manny Jr.) operates her own King Cake bakeries in Covington & Mandeville (in addition to a closer location in Chalmette). After originally operating bakeries pre-Hurricane Katrina, Nonna Randazzo’s officially opened in 2006.
Nonna Randazzo’s offers a variety of unique fillings, including apple, pumpkin, pecan praline, and strawberry cream cheese. Unlike other King Cakes, the iconic Mardi Gras icing sugar is wrapped between the braids and rainbow-colored pareil sprinkles adorn the icing on top of the cake, offering a unique alternative to the traditional green, purple, and gold appearance.
925 E. Perez Dr. Chalmette, LA 70043 (other locations in Covington & Mandeville) | 7am-5pm
Caywood & Randazzo’s
In 2015, two grandsons of Manny Sr., along with their parents, threw their hat back into the ring of the Randazzo family King Cake lineage.
Serving up traditional cinnamon, cream cheese, and pecan praline varieties of King Cakes, you can find these King Cakes available all throughout NOLA!
120 Packenham Ave. Chalmette, LA 70043 | 7am-6pm M-F, 8am-3pm Sat
Randazzo’s Camellia City
Following the closure of Hi-Lan Bakery, Tricia Randazzo & her husband Lou (who were helping Tricia’s father, Manny Sr., operate Hi-Lan) opened Randazzo’s Camellia City on the North Shore in Slidell.
Offering varying sizes of King Cakes, from Mini (2-3 slices) to Super (45-50 slices), Randazzo’s Camellia City provides plenty of variety when it comes to hosting a Mardi Gras party.
3501 Ponchartrain Dr. Slidell, LA 70458 | 6am-3pm M-Sat
Caluda’s
Caluda’s is no longer affiliated with the Randazzo family, but it did get its start as Dianne Randazzo’s Bakery! After a divorce, Dianne opened her own King Cake bakery which was later legally changed to Dianne’s King Cakes. Later bought by Chef John Caluda, Caluda’s Bakery offers a variety of King Cakes that differ significantly from the remainder of the Randazzo family King Cakes.
Caluda’s offers full and mini King Cakes that are available for purchase online, in-person, and at King Cake Hub!
1536 River Oaks Rd. Harahan, LA 70123 | 7am-sell out M-F, 8am-sell out Sat