The French Quarter has been feeding people's sweet tooth for a very long time. We're talking beignets at sunrise, pralines wrapped in wax paper for the walk home, gelato on a hot afternoon, and bananas foster flambeed tableside after dinner. The dessert scene here goes deep, and every block seems to have something worth stopping for. We're an ice cream shop on Decatur Street, so obviously we have a favorite (it's us), but we also genuinely love the other sweet spots in this neighborhood. Here's our honest, local take on where to go when you're craving something sweet in the French Quarter.
Cafe Du Monde
You can't write about desserts in the French Quarter without starting here. Cafe Du Monde has been serving beignets and chicory coffee since 1862, and the experience hasn't changed much since then. Three beignets come out piping hot and absolutely covered in powdered sugar. It will get everywhere. You will not care. The cafe sits right on the edge of Jackson Square with outdoor seating, so you're eating your beignets with a view of the cathedral. It's open nearly 24 hours, which means you can go at midnight when the crowds thin out and have the whole place to yourself. The coffee is strong, the beignets are simple and perfect, and it's one of those places that genuinely lives up to everything you've heard about it.
Loretta's Famous Pralines
Pralines are as New Orleans as it gets, and Loretta's makes some of the best ones in the city. They're handmade in small batches with real pecans and brown sugar, and each one has that crumbly, melt-in-your-mouth texture that you can't fake with mass production. They also make praline beignets, which is exactly the combination you think it is, and once you've tried one you'll understand why people keep coming back. The shop has a real family feel to it, and you can usually watch them making a fresh batch while you wait. It's the kind of place that makes you realize why pralines became a tradition here in the first place.
Sucre
Sucre is a different vibe from the rest of this list. It's more of an upscale pastry shop, and the quality shows. Their pastry case is full of French macarons in flavors you won't see anywhere else, chocolates made in-house, and seasonal tarts that look almost too good to eat. Almost. If you're looking for something to bring back home as a gift, this is the place to go. A box of their macarons or chocolates is the kind of thing that makes people think you really know what you're doing when it comes to gifts. It's a treat-yourself kind of spot, and the attention to detail is obvious from the moment you walk in.
Brennan's
Bananas Foster was literally invented at Brennan's in 1951, and they still make it tableside the exact same way. A server comes to your table, sautes bananas in butter and brown sugar, pours in the rum, and lights the whole thing on fire right in front of you. Then they spoon it over vanilla ice cream and you eat what might be the best dessert you've ever had. It's a little bit of a show, but the flavor backs it up completely. Brennan's itself is a beautiful old restaurant with a grand dining room, and the whole experience feels like something special. If you're going to splurge on one fancy dessert while you're in New Orleans, make it this one.
Angelo Brocato
Angelo Brocato has been making Italian gelato and pastries in New Orleans since 1905. That's over 120 years of one family doing the same thing and getting better at it. Their spumoni, cannoli, and lemon ice are the kind of thing people drive across town for, and the shop itself feels like stepping into a different era. It's a little off the main French Quarter drag on Ursulines Avenue, but it's absolutely worth the short walk. If you love gelato or Italian pastries, you need to go here. There's a reason it's lasted this long.
O.K. Ice Cream
Now for the part where we talk about ourselves. We're a small ice cream shop at 1129 Decatur Street, right in the middle of the French Quarter. We opened in 2024 because we felt like this neighborhood deserved a place that serves real, quality ice cream made with actual ingredients. Our ice cream comes from Quintin's, a New Orleans maker that has been at it since 1998 using all-natural ingredients. No artificial flavors, no artificial colors, nothing you can't pronounce on the label.
The thing we're probably most known for is our Screamers. Those are our ice cream sandwiches, built to order with your pick of flavor sandwiched between fresh-baked cookies, brownies, or cake. People order one, eat it walking down Decatur, and then turn around and come back for a second. We also do thick, hand-spun milkshakes and frozen coffee that's perfect for a hot afternoon. We keep our flavor rotation interesting, with New Orleans staples like Polly Praline and Cafe Au Lait alongside flavors like London Fog and Bread Pudding Rum Ripple.
We're not trying to be some big fancy operation. We're a neighborhood shop that happens to be in one of the most visited neighborhoods in the world, and we try to treat every person who walks through the door the same way, whether you live down the block or flew in this morning. Come find us on Decatur, or order delivery if you're staying nearby.