Visiting Laura’s Candies in New Orleans: The French Quarter’s Oldest Candy Shop

There is a sweet destination on Royal Street in New Orleans ’ French Quarter that has been serving up tasty treats for more than 100 years.  Laura’s Candies was founded in 1913 by French immigrant Laura Levy. It is the oldest candy shop in New Orleans — and remarkably, it’s still family-run today.

The recipes haven’t changed much either. 

The Best Pralines 

Century-old copper pots still bubble with sugar, butter, cream, and pecans — the classic ingredients of a New Orleans praline. The treat traces its roots to French settlers who adapted European confectionery using Louisiana pecans and local cream, creating a candy now inseparable from the city’s identity.

We visited on a cool winter weekend trip to Crescent City. We are staying across the street at Hotel Monteleone and decided we wanted a sweet treat before hitting the town. 

We tried a sample of their Mississippi Mud, which was to die for. But in the end, my wife and I each got a praline. And let me tell you, they were on point!

The praline is soft and creamy rather than hard — almost fudge-like — with toasted pecans giving it a slight crunch. Sweet but balanced, rich but not overwhelming, it melts quickly and leaves behind that unmistakable brown-sugar caramel flavor.

We liked them so much that we went back the next day and picked up a small container to take home! 

Plenty of places in New Orleans sell pralines. But at Laura’s, you’re enjoying over a century of tradition.