There are plenty of good smells on the streets of Deep Ellum, from the bacon at AllGood Cafe to the onion rings at Angry Dog. Depending on your taste, the smell of hops from Deep Ellum Brewing Co. can make you ready for a beer, even though that smell happens early in the morning.
And then there’s that smell of fried dough on Main Street, billowing out of a tiny establishment by the name of Le Bon Temps.
That delightful aroma comes from the New Orleans delicacy of beignets: puffy, sweet desserts enthusiastically dusted with more than enough powdered sugar.
Le Bon Temps opened in the fall of 2019, when Observer writer Danny Gallagher wrote about his hometown’s famous dessert:
“One of my all-time favorites is the French-fried beignet, a satisfying take on the fritter that’s a square, bean bag-sized mass of delicate dough covered in powdered sugar. It’s often paired with strong chicory coffee or café au lait, making it a wonderful breakfast treat, a tasty dessert and a perfect treatment for being drunk and hung over.”
The order of classic beignets
Biting into the hot, fried dough, you’re met with a slight crunch before taking in the soft, pillowy sweet bread. That crunch is the indicator of a great beignet: There are other places in Dallas with this treat, but Deep Ellum is lucky enough to have the best in Le Bon Temps.
There are some pro tips we can offer, too:
- Don’t wear black. As earlier mentioned, there’s so much powdered sugar in the little bag of beignets that there’s clearly been rigorous training for staff specifically on dusting. (And, yes, it’s proper to have that much!) Powdered sugar’s nature is to go everywhere, and it’s delightfully unavoidable as you devour beignets.
- Don’t try to share an order. The classics come three to a little brown paper sack: Now, this may sound like too much for you. Calories and whatnot. Management of Le Bon Temps tells us when people attempt this, they end up sauntering back in, asking for another order. These pillowy delights seem to go magically fast, and one person can easily handle the three (or more — we’re not judging).
The St. Patrick’s Day special.
And there’s way more than the classic beignet here. Make sure to follow the store on Instagram because they’re constantly working up something creative: Take St. Patrick’s Day, for instance, when they’ll have a special with 5 beignets: two classiques, one lucky charm beignet, one Irish cream-glazed beignet with espresso powdered sugar and one mint chocolate chip ice cream sandwich.
Plus, March 20, they’re rolling out a new menu with decadent goods including red velvet beignets, beignet tarts, Nutella-stuffed beignets and cinnamon Le bon bons.
All we can say is, it’s a good thing there are a few gyms in Deep Ellum, because we’re going to have a lot of delicious calories to work off.
Le Bon Temps is located at 2932 Main St. and open 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
