UPDATE 10/2:
It’s official! Cafe Beignets is now open in the food court at Lindale Mall in Cedar Rapids! The stand, which had its grand opening on October 1st, offers coffee, cake, cookies, and their signature beignets, as well as specials like hot dogs, nachos, and fries. The hours are:
- Monday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
- Friday & Saturday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.
- Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
ORIGINAL STORY 8/26:
If you’ve been enjoying the treats from the new Cedar Rapids Downtown Farmers Market vendor Cafe Beignets, you’ll be happy to know that you’ll be able to order from them on a daily basis this fall! Cafe Beignets is in the process of moving into the food court at Lindale Mall in Cedar Rapids!
What is a Beignet?
If you’re not familiar with beignets, Google describes them as “a deep-fried, soft, square piece of yeasted dough, generously covered in powdered sugar.” They were brought to Louisiana by the Acadians, a group of French settlers, in the mid-18th century. They are actually the official state donut of Louisiana!
One of the iconic places to order beignets is Café du Monde in New Orleans. In fact, you can even buy Café du Monde Beignet Mix in grocery stores across the country! My mom has been making them using the mix since her trip to New Orleans when I was a child. I’ve still never been there myself, but based on how good the mix is, I imagine they’re incredible.
About Cafe Beignets
If you’ve been to any of the recent Cedar Rapids Downtown Farmers Markets, then there’s a good chance you’ve come across a long line at a stand called Cafe Beignets. I finally got the chance to try one of their beignets a couple of weeks ago (the very last one they had!), and it was DELICIOUS.
In addition to beignets, Cafe Beignets also offers buttermilk drops, sugar cookies, caramel cake, and king cake iced coffee.
Cafe Beignets at Lindale Mall
According to their official Facebook page, Cafe Beignets is in the process of opening their very own stand in the food court at Lindale Mall in Cedar Rapids. A Facebook Reel from August 22nd shows that they got the keys and have started moving into the space, but the stand won’t begin welcoming customers until October 1st…