My first local coffee stop in New Orleans: Antoine’s Annex on Royal near Toulouse. Out of all the coffee I had in New Orleans during my time there for the International Collegiate Conference for the American Marketing Association (which also happened to be the same time as the
French Quarter Music Festival) I discovered that Antoine’s Annex was my favorite. I loved the look of the place; the locals who recommended it were definitely on point with how clean it is inside! The doors and window panes (right word?) were a deep teal on the outside, but once you walked inside the floors were composed of black and white tiles, while the walls were decorated with large black and white photographs and white shelves. Due to the fact that outside it was humid and in the 80’s, I knew I’d want something cold for after we left the air-conditioned black and white cafe. I knew iced was the only option, which is how I came upon this refreshing iced soy latte. It was very smooth and a light tan color when the soy and espresso were mixed, with a ratio of soy to espresso that was very heavy on the soy side of things. The espresso was so good that I wish I’d ordered it with another shot.

The fresh, certified organic, and fair trade espresso actually comes from a family-owned local roaster, Orleans Coffee Exchange, which provides coffee to the majority of New Orleans coffee houses.

Multiple New Orleans locals recommended the place because it’s clean, has better coffee, and most important: it has ice cream. Even though I’m lactose intolerant, I can still appreciate the concept and understand the appeal of having both ice cream and good coffee.