These Best King Cakes In New Orleans Are A Real Cake Up Call!

Thought to have been brought over from France to New Orleans in 1870, the king cake is a baked delicacy. It’s a unique blend of flavors that are best compared to a cross between a coffee cake and French pastries. Louisiana style king cakes are often made with that delicious bread-y/cake-y like dough twisted into a ring, decorated with white icing and colorful sprinkles and or sanding sugar, (just like we see in the photo up there). 

Every king cake also has a tradition, a small figurine, (normally in the shape of a baby…that’s definitely a tradition to look up the origin too) is hidden in the cake and whoever finds it is “king” for the day, however now, it means that you will have luck and prosperity for that day. Or it can just be a funny silly thing to discover when you take a bite into this flavorful treat!

King cakes can often be found everywhere, but Louisiana is known for this appetizing treat, so it’s safe to say that finding the best king cakes in New Orleans can lead you with a lot of options, today we are breaking down to try and find the best of the best!

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1. Haydel’s Bakery

Custom baked goods served since the 1950’s!

They don’t just have big king cakes, they also have baby ones! Image courtesy of the Haydel’s Bakery Instagram page.

4037 Jefferson Hwy | New Orleans | haydelsbakery.com 

In 1959, Lloyd Haydel took over the then Sunny Flake Donut Shop in hopes of turning it into a trampoline center, which was short-lived, and instead Lloyd then turned it into the Haydel’s Sunny Flake Bakery. Just a little over 5 years later, Hurricane Betsy sadly leveled the Haydel’s Sunny Flake Bakery, but Lloyd’s son David built a new shop, renaming it and is now known as the renowned Haydel’s Bakery!

The Haydel’s Bakery over the years has expanded their unique menu options to wedding and wedding cakes, pastries, pies, Cajunnolies, and of course their famous king cakes!

Haydel’s Bakery traditional and flavor-filled king cakes are made with Danish dough, braided with cinnamon and sugar, topped with fondant icing, and adorned with the classic purple, green, and yellow sugar. Their filled king cakes have choices between cream cheese, praline pecan, strawberry cream cheese, German chocolate, and brownie chocolate chip fillings! A wide variety of combinations for your king cake needs!

“I only visit Haydel's during Mardi Gras, they have my favorite king cake! Always fresh with just the right amount of moistness, icing and sugar! Customer service is always great. I'll probably be back a couple more times this season. Until we meet again!” -Yelp Review

2. Gambino’s Bakery

Upscale bakery making custom baked goods since 1949!

A king cake with good ol’ traditional flavors! Image courtesy of the Gambino’s Bakery Instagram page.

4821 Veterans Memorial Blvd | Metairie | gambinos.com

In the early 1920’s, Beulah Ledner began baking in her own kitchen, her delicious treats began to make waves around the New Orleans area, thus leading to her to open a location on Claiborne. Then just a little over 20 years later, Beulah met a man named Joe Gambino, and sold her business and recipes to him. Through some time and changes, what we now know as Gambino’s Bakery has been serving the New Orleans population for over 7 decades!

Available all year long, Gambino’s Bakery takes the Mardi Gras tradition and keeps the king cakes produced for all to enjoy every day! Their “one of a kind” king cakes are hand-made and baked fresh every single day. 

They offer traditional king cakes, two filling king cakes, one filling king cake, then two, three, and six king cake packs! If you’re feeling like adding something special to your king cake, they do have classic cakes you can order, dessert trays, or custom cakes for your events! (Plus they even ship their king cakes to most of the United States)!

“Cake was fresh, delicious and BEAUTIFUL!!! I would definitely buy here again they were so helpful when I placed my order and had to figure out exactly what I wanted” -Yelp Review

3. Maurice French Pastries

A French patisserie serving well…French pastries!

A colorful background to match a colorful king cake! Image courtesy of the Maurice French Pastries Instagram page.

3501 Hessmer Ave | Metairie | mauricefrenchpastries.com 

Born in the French Alps, Jean-Luc wanted to follow in his father’s footsteps in becoming a chef, and ever since the age of 15, he has done just that! Bouncing from kitchen to kitchen in many different places, Jean-Luc learned and gained experience through his work. Eventually his path led him to New Orleans to create Maurice French Pastries!

Offering mini pastries, French specialties, pies, Kugelhopf’s’, specialty cakes, and of course king cakes! Out of every bakery on this list, Maurice French Pastries definitely has the most fillings/flavors available for their king cakes.

From apple cinnamon, cream cheese, Nutella, guava, lemon, chocolate pecan, cherry, blueberry, strawberry, Bavarian cream, Praline, and bourbon! You can go back many times and try out different fillings!

“Came here to get a king cake for my class. It's a little pricy but I'll pay that price for this cake. It isn't the traditional king cake but it's so good and really pretty. The small fed my entire class of 12. I come here at least once a year for their king cake and It never disappoints!” -Yelp Review

4. Antonie’s Famous Cakes

Shopping center bakery selling baked goods and year-round king cakes!

Since the start they are still stackin’ king cakes for you! Image courtesy of the Antonie’s Bakery Instagram page.

1300 Stumpf Blvd | Gretna | antoinesbakerynola.com 

In 2015, Antonie’s Bakery opened their doors with one goal in mind and that was to make and serve the best custom cakes, pastries, and king cakes all around! There are fresh baked treats available every day and they have an amazing team to create anything you can think of for your parties and events!

Antonie’s Bakery makes their king cakes in a traditional manner but puts their own spin on it! They come in a variety of sizes and come in traditional flavor fillings, with some of Antonie’s exclusive fillings! They also have their very own QUEEN cake which was made for Antonie’s Bakery, and that has five separate fillings too!

Fillings include apple, cream cheese, bavarian cream, and strawberry filling flavors to go along with their already tasty king AND queen cakes!

“Very happy with the cake for my son's party. It was everything I asked for and the cake was so fresh and delicious. The black icing was not bitter and the company was wonderful and carried out to my car.” -Yelp Review

5. Clauda’s King Cake

Wholesale king cake bakery offering this cake in many different varieties!

King cakes + new flavor combos? Amazing! Image courtesy of the Caluda’s King Cake Instagram page.

1536 River Oaks Rd W | Harahan | kingcakeshop.com 

Serving the New Orleans metro area, Caluda’s King Cake makes all of their baked goods out of a 10,000 square foot bakery! Making an impressive number of king cakes everyday. 

You can choose from the more traditional style king cake with a cinnamon, strawberry, and cream cheese flare. Or you can look at Caluda’s fun flavors like their Caramel Kringle Cake or Praline King Cake! They also hold weekly specials that have included Maple Bacon Praline and Bananas Foster. Caluda’s definitely puts a twist on the old traditional king cakes!

Caluda’s King Cake is also doing something really special for Ukraine, and is selling a king cake with blue and yellow topping, proceeds from the sale goes to the World Central Kitchen!

“Caludas is a classic king cake spot and their cakes are always fresh and moist, even when shipping. I recently had one shipped to my clients in Memphis and it arrived on time and tasty! These are always a hit with out of town guests and a fun way to share a NOLA tradition.” -Yelp Review

6. Cartozzo’s Bakery 

Their king cakes have been “A New Orleans Original Recipe” since 1960!

Mini king cakes for that little sugar craving! Image courtesy of the Cartozzo’s Bakery Instagram page.

111 23rd St | Kenner | cartozzosbakery.com 

Specializing in New Orleans-Style French and Italian baked goods, Cartozzo’s Bakery is a fourth generation bakery that makes breads, sweets, and even some savory items! From bread twist loaves, round loaves, sandwich rolls, and French bread. Also, cocktail sandwiches, stuffed breads, and savory pies are all available at Cartozzo’s, but most importantly they have king cakes!

From 4 and 14 inch king cakes that have delicious options like cinnamon, red velvet, and pumpkin spice. Their fillings include Bavarian cream, apple, strawberry, cream cheese, strawberry cream cheese, and praline cream cheese! Lots of different flavors come together to make for a great tasting king cake!

“Best King Cake I've had.  Very moist, flavorful ( of course "sweet "). The presentation was awesome.  The entire family enjoyed it. We had the cream cheese filling. It was given to us as a gift,  and it was truly appreciated.  Can't wait to order another.” -Google Review

Although these restaurants don’t offer GiftYa opportunities yet, they are adding more places every day! So make sure to check back and see if you can get a virtual gift card to one of the best king cakes in New Orleans soon!

All of the bakeries on this list offer king cakes throughout the entire year, so you can’t go wrong with ordering a king cake anytime you feel like! There are other “closed for the season” bakeries that specialize in king cakes in New Orleans, but they usually are only open during the Mardi Gras/Christmas season.

King cakes are full of flavor, their rich “brioche-like” dough, fillings like cinnamon, chocolate, and cream cheese make these “typical” holiday cakes stand out. Why not get them all throughout the year and enjoy this tasty treat with your family and friends? You can visit any of these bakeries for the best king cakes in New Orleans!

7. Angelo Brocato

Gelateria, Pasticceria, and King Cake-eria For 110+ Years

214 N Carrollton Ave | Mid-City | angelobrocatoicecream.com

NOLA is packed full of history, and its culinary scene is no exception. Angelo Brocato has been serving up gelato, cannoli, biscotti, and other delicious sweets for over a century, so they know a thing or two about what makes a treat tasty.

Now, an Italian sweet shop might not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think King Cakes, but Angelo Brocato teams up with Clauda’s King Cakes to offer up a treat unlike anything else in the city: king cake gelato!

“King cake flavored gelato. Check. Chocolate dipped cannoli with candied orange bits. Check. A wide assortment of Italian cookies. Check. The ambiance of an old world European cafe where you can bring the whole family. Priceless.” – Yelp Review

8. Brennan’s 

Enjoy an Iconic NOLA Treat in Brennan’s Iconic Pink Building in the Heart of the French Quarter

417 Royal St | French Quarter | brennansneworleans.com

Brennan’s has been a part of the New Orleans culinary tradition since 1946 – but don’t let their age fool you. These aren’t your mama’s king cakes. Stepping into the gorgeous historic building is like stepping back in time – and you can rest assured that the King Cakes and the rest of the offerings on their innovative creole menu are just as opulent.

In addition to their traditional King Cake, Brennan’s serves up two iconic twists on the classic – a Pink Parade King Cake filled with strawberry jam and whipped cream cheese, and a Banana Foster King Cake accented with banana-flavored filling and boozy brown sugar icing. Can’t choose? Don’t worry. Just order the Parade of King Cakes and try all three!

“This spot is serving up some AHmazing king cakes for the first time ever. If you're looking for a new king cake to try for the Mardi Gras season, look no further than this 'Pink Parade' Strawberry Cream Cheese King Cake. This rosy-hued beauty is filled with strawberry jam (strawberries from Ponchatoula) and whipped cream cheese. She sparkles and shines! ” – Yelp Review

9. Gracious Bakery

Keeping NOLA Creative with a New King Cake Flavor Each Year

2854 Saint Charles Ave | Garden District | graciousbakery.com

Made from scratch and baked fresh daily, Gracious Bakery has a reputation for serving up some of the best desserts in New Orleans, and that includes their King Cakes. They get creative with an inventive new flavor every year – but you can also stick with the traditional flavor if you prefer. Or sample one of their popular “Queen Cakes” – filled with delicious frangipane.

And don’t forget to try the King Cake latte, too!

“Staff is incredible; food is delicious; baked goods on point. This is my mother's favorite King Cake location and my favorite pre-work coffee haven.” – Yelp Review

10. Adrian’s Bakery

Take a Big Bite Out of New Orleans with Supreme King Cakes

4710 Paris Ave | NOLA | adrians-bakery.com

Ever taken a bite out of a King Cake and wished it was simply… more? For anyone who can’t get enough King Cake, Adrian’s Bakery serves up double-filled or supreme cakes so you’ll never have to choose between flavors again. 

The best part? Adrian’s keeps the party going all year round. Outside of Mardi Gras season, just call a few days ahead – and you can pick up your favorite King Cake treats any time you like!

“Best king cakes!! Wonderful service, fresh selection daily. My go to spot for a king cake and anything sweet!” – Yelp Review

Well that’s the icing on the King Cake!

All of the bakeries on this list offer king cakes throughout the entire year, so you can’t go wrong with ordering a king cake anytime you feel like! There are other “closed for the season” bakeries that specialize in king cakes in New Orleans, but they usually are only open during the Mardi Gras/Christmas season.

King cakes are full of flavor, their rich “brioche-like” dough, fillings like cinnamon, chocolate, and cream cheese make these “typical” holiday cakes stand out. Why not get them all throughout the year and enjoy this tasty treat with your family and friends? You can visit any of these bakeries for the best king cakes in New Orleans!