Go beyond king cakes at Dong Phuong
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A table is set at the Dong Phuong Restaurant with pho and vermicelli. Photo: Chelsea Brasted/Axios
Dong Phuong Bakery is known for its king cakes and moon cakes, selling and shipping thousands of the treats every year from its New Orleans East location.
Zoom in: A recent lunch, however, was a reminder that this James Beard Award-winner is a worthwhile stop any time of year.
Catch up quick: Dong Phuong represents a beautiful success story that began when the city became a safe haven for Vietnamese immigrants during and after the Vietnam War.
- Like thousands of other Vietnamese newcomers, De and Huong Tran settled in New Orleans East. There, the pair began selling treats out of their home before opening a formal bakeshop in 1982.
- Since then, Dong Phuong has become an integral part of the way New Orleans eats, from helping to introduce the city to banh mi and creating a highly sought-after, cream-cheese covered king cake.
The vibe: The bakery shares main event duty with Dong Phuong Restaurant.
- On one side of the building is the restaurant, which specializes in vermicelli and pho.
- On the other side is the bakery, where you can scoop up bags of fresh bread, cakes and freshly-crafted banh mi.
What I ordered: Bún đậu hũ nướng (rice vermicelli bowl with grilled tofu and an egg roll, $12).
- The generous pile of vermicelli noodles was topped with bright cilantro, carrots and green onions, but the star was the garlicky, grilled tofu that had Carlie wishing she'd ordered it, too.
And before we left, we both settled on some sweets for later. Mine included coconut macaroons that were perfect with coffee the next morning.
