Beignets mean powdered sugar and café au lait at Café du Monde for most tourists. Chef Justin Devillier had a different idea. His blue crab beignets at La Petite Grocery replaced sugar with seafood and redefined what fried dough means in New Orleans.
Housed in a historic Uptown building that dates back to the early 1900s, La Petite Grocery sits at 4238 Magazine Street—a space that began as a neighborhood grocery.
Devillier became executive chef in 2004, purchased the restaurant in 2010 with his operator and wife Mia, and earned a James Beard Award in 2016 for Best Chef South. The blue crab beignets appeared on the menu early and never left.
The beignets are fried choux pastry puffs filled with lump blue crab meat. The pastry is light and airy, crispy on the outside, while the crab filling stays delicate with minimal seasoning, letting the natural sweetness of Gulf blue crab dominate.
They arrive with a malt vinegar aioli that cuts the richness, and three beignets per order run around $18.
The execution is precise because choux pastry is temperamental, requiring exact ratios of butter, water, flour, and eggs. Fry temperature matters too; too hot burns the outside before the inside cooks, too cool makes them absorb oil.
When the kitchen gets it right, the beignets come out golden, puffed, and greaseless. Breaking one open releases a curl of steam and reveals the crab filling inside.
Eat them immediately. Fried choux loses its texture as it cools, and the first bite when they’re still crackling is the only bite worth waiting for.
The malt vinegar aioli pulls from British fish-and-chips tradition and applies it to New Orleans technique. Its acidity balances the richness of the fried pastry while doubling as a dipping sauce for the crispy exterior.
Most people eat with their fingers and accept the mess as part of the deal.
Devillier applied classic French choux technique to Gulf blue crab, creating something that tastes completely New Orleans. The crab’s sweetness and delicate texture work beautifully inside the light pastry, and the result is a dish that feels both technically accomplished and completely unpretentious.
The dining room has white tablecloths, exposed brick, and a warm neighborhood bistro atmosphere that makes the space feel lived-in rather than staged.
Six bar seats take walk-ins, so showing up at opening often gets you a spot even when the dining room is fully booked. Service is professional without tipping into formal territory.
The menu beyond the beignets includes turtle Bolognese, pan-roasted redfish, duck confit, and seasonal vegetable preparations. Devillier cooks French technique with Louisiana ingredients, producing food that’s rich without being heavy.
Entrées run $28-38, and a full meal with appetizer, entrée, and drinks lands around $60-90 per person. It’s upscale neighborhood bistro pricing, and the kitchen earns it consistently.
The blue crab beignets work as an appetizer for two or a solo indulgence at the bar. Order them, add an entrée, and leave happy.
The restaurant sits on Magazine Street’s corridor in Uptown, about 15 minutes from the French Quarter by car. The St. Charles Streetcar stops three blocks away, and street parking exists if you’re patient enough to find it.
La Petite Grocery serves lunch and dinner Tuesday through Saturday, though hours shift slightly by service and season, so checking before you go is smarter than trusting posted times. The restaurant holds maybe 45 seats total. Reserve a table. Book two weeks out for weekend dinner, one week for a weeknight.
Phone: (504) 891-3377 or book online.
