Most people visit New Orleans thinking of Mardi Gras, Creole food, and lots of adult beverages. I’ve done my fair share of all three, so this trip I decided to create a Bakery Crawl instead. What’s a bakery crawl, you might ask? It’s like a pub crawl, only with dessert! You research the bakeries you want to visit, make a list and plan your route, and go from there.

Thanks to Eater Nola for publishing a list of great New Orleans bakeries. I used their list as my guide for my 3-day crawl.

Day One: Croissant d’Or, New Orleans Cake Cafe, Bywater Bakery

On Day One I started in the French Quarter at Le Croissant d’Or on Ursulines Avenue, a classic French patisserie that offers croissants, pastries, quiches, cakes, sandwiches and soups. This shop has a lovely old world ambience…marble topped tables, a courtyard with a fountain and birdcages, and beautiful old tiled floors – including a famed tiled entrance marked “Angelo Brocato’s Ladies Entrance.” I had a citron tart, a lovely Linzer torte, and a Napoleon. At the New Orleans Cake Cafe in the Bywater, an area of town that is up and coming and has some fabulous restaurants, I went savory with a stuffed bagel. It had smoked salmon, cream cheese, tomatoes, capers, and red onions, all stuffed inside the bagel, instead of on top. I also picked up some beautiful pink striped doughnuts. Finally, I ended Day One at the Bywater Bakery for some memorable Carrot Ginger cake – warm, spicy, and full of veggies.

Day Two: Breads on Oak, Gracious Bakery

Day Two started with a delicious surprise: a vegan bakery with amazing baked goods. At Breads on Oak I had a delicious pumpkin biscuit stuffed with a tofu scramble. I ended Day Two at Gracious Bakery, a beautifully modern bakery. But don’t let the minimalist decor fool you; I had some wonderful black and gold Whoopie pies along with more doughnuts, made with Valrhona chocolate.

Day Three: Beth Biundo Sweets, Bakery Bar

On Day Three, I took a slightly different tack and planned an afternoon crawl. I started at Beth Biundo Sweets on Baronne Street, a combo bakery/gift shop with some amazing modern twists on classic favorites. The pumpkin rosemary mini bundt cake topped with pine nuts was interesting, but my favorite was the satsuma pound cake, baked in a mini loaf, topped with a light glaze…it was so good! Then, of course, no trip to New Orleans is complete without some yummy cocktails…so I headed on over to The Bakery Bar. Finally, a bakery open until midnight, my dream! This cozy corner serves brunch, desserts, and of course, cocktails. I debated between the bread pudding and the vanilla brulee, but ultimately decided on a slice of classic doberge, the New Orleans cake alternating thin slices of cake with layers of pudding. One of my childhood favorites, it was the perfect way to top off my bakery crawl, along with a modernized Rum Old Fashioned cocktail.

Listeners, let us know your favorite bakeries in New Orleans!