new orleans bars

New Orleans, LA

New Orleans is a magical city. I lived there for almost five years and absolutely love it!

NOLA Tips: 

  • Drink on the streets. There is no open intox law here, so pop a beer or pour some mimosas and hit the streets. At bars you can ask for a drink to go so you don’t have to rush to finish anything ever

  • Get out of the French Quarter. So many tourists stay in the Quarter and don’t see the rest of the city, which is a tragedy. Spend one night on Bourbon, not all nights.

  • If you visit in the summer months be sure to bring a raincoat, it rains almost every day from the humidity, but usually only for an hour or so

  • Check out my other New Orleans blogs here:

Adventures & Ales Top New Orleans Recommendations: 

  • Bacchanal: My favorite place in the city. Live music, cheese plates, and wine bottles in an adorable courtyard. Walk in and pick out your own cheeses and wine, and then snag a spot while they assemble your cheese plate. They have a small “real” menu if you want something more hearty, and they have a full bar upstairs if you aren’t in the mood for wine

  • Courtyard Brewery: My favorite brewery in New Orleans! They have the best New England IPAs in particular and an amazing staff!

  • District Donuts/Stein’s Deli: Two separate establishments, to be clear. They are right next to each other on Magazine Street and both offer fantastic breakfast options. District has fancy delicious donuts and amazing coffee (Vietnamese Iced Coffee here is my fav), while Stein’s has delicious bagels and breakfast sandwiches, with some sass

  • Parleaux Beer Lab: A great brewery in the Bywater. Lots of outdoor space! Right around the corner from Bacchanal

Courtyard Brewery

  • The Fly: Just off Audubon Park you’ll find a narrow strip of land along the Mississippi filled with locals enjoying the breeze and views. Bring some drinks and a blanket and lounge by the water. The sunsets are gorgeous!

  • Avenue Pub: The best beer bar in the city, maybe in the country. So many options. Go after 4pm to get onto the balcony overlooking St Charles Avenue!

  • Saba or Shaya: These Israeli restaurants are amazing and have won every top restaurant award in the country. The menus are really similar, as the head chef Alon Shaya worked at Shaya before he got into a feud with the owners and started his own spot, Saba. You need reservations for either spot. Get a bunch of small plates for the table and dig in!

  • NOLA Brewing: Sit on their rooftop, drink their specialty releases, and eat BBQ.

The Fly

New Orleans Tourist Spots Actually Worth Visiting: 

  • Mardi Gras: Mardi Gras is shown as only Fat Tuesday and only women gone wild on Bourbon Street, but it couldn’t be further from that. Mardi Gras is a month long celebration that can be as family friendly as you’d like. My favorite parade day is the Sunday before Fat Tuesday. Be sure to check out Bacchus and the Walking Wine parade that is directly before it!

    • Do NOT try to drive/Lyft/Uber/taxi/streetcar anywhere during Mardi Gras parades or directly before/after

  • The Columns Hotel: Go during Happy Hour and sit on the large front porch to watch the streetcars roll by

  • Frenchmen Street: It used to be called “the local’s Bourbon Street” but tourists have since claimed Frenchmen as well. It’s still a fun place and definitely worth checking out. This street is packed full of live music bars. Don’t pay a cover, just pop into a neighboring bar that doesn’t charge one. Maison, d.b.a, and The Spotted Cat are my favorites

    • Need some late night grub on Frenchmen? Dat Dog is perfect! Their gourmet hot dogs and fries are the perfect solution after a night full of drinking

    • Brieux Carre Brewing: Right off Frenchmen Street is a cute little brewery with some great brews. Their staff is super nice and I definitely recommend popping in! If it’s packed because the space is small just grab a beer to go and hit up Frenchmen!

  • Bourbon Street: You have to do it. Just don’t do it for too long of a time period.

  • Pat O’Briens: Check out the dueling piano bar and the flame fountain. Drink a hurricane but be prepared for lots of sugar and rum!

  • Lafitte’s: The oldest bar in America. This bar actually existed before America. Get the purple drank

  • Molly’s at the Market: Right in the heart of the French Quarter on Decatur Street this little dive bar is the quintessential NOLA hang. Grab a frozen Irish coffee (size = large obviously)

  • Cafe du Monde: You can’t leave New Orleans without getting hot, fresh beignets, and Cafe du Monde is the spot to do that. Don’t go at peak hours (weekend breakfast really) and the line will be relatively short. It moves fast so don’t be dissuaded if it is longer

Mardi Gras on St. Charles Avenue

Other things to do in NOLA:

  • Superior Seafood: Go for Happy Hour—get a frozen drink (I love the pomegranate mojito, the French 75 is a local fav as well) and if you like seafood the Oyster Happy Hour is legit as well. During crawfish season you can get that here too

  • Crescent Park: You can pop into this park either from right near the French Market off Decatur Street in the French Quarter or down in the Bywater. Gaze at the Mississippi and the New Orleans skyline

    • Pizza Delicious is the city’s best pizza and directly off the Bywater end of the park

  • Bayou Beer/Wine Garden: Located in Mid City, this combo beer and wine garden location is the best of both worlds. The palm trees and outdoor set-up really bring the tropical vibes

    • Parkway Bakery: Grab a delicious poboy from Parkway, a couple of blocks up from Bayou Beer Garden.

  • Urban South Brewery: A large warehouse style brewery with some great beers! I love the Lime Cucumber Gose and their specialty releases

  • Hot Tin: The rooftop bar at The Pontchartrain Hotel

  • Miel Brewery: Right around the corner from NOLA Brewing, this brewery is cranking out delicious beers!

The Best Bars in New Orleans

New Orleans is full of bars on every corner, but these are my favorite spots in The Big Easy to grab something that is not a beer. If you’re looking for the best beer bars in New Orleans check out my blog post here!

Bacchanal: Live music, bottles of wine, and build-your-own cheese boards! They’ve got a lively backyard-style outdoor seating area that is the place to be. This is one of my favorite spots in the city, don’t miss out!

Superior Seafood: Go during Happy Hour and sit at the bar for two-for-one Frozen drinks, half-off wine bottles, $3 draft beers, and 50 cent oysters daily from 4-6:30pm. Their Frozen French 75s and Frozen Pomegranate Mojitos are my favorites! Located Uptown on Saint Charles Avenue.

Molly’s at the Market: Frozen Irish Coffees reign supreme at this French Quarter dive bar. Go for the large, you won’t regret it.

Delachaise: A fun wine bar with a patio directly on Saint Charles Avenue. They’ve got $5 glass specials, cheese plates, and delicious fries!

Bacchanal

The Columns Hotel: Sit on their expansive front porch and enjoy daily Happy Hour from 5-7pm as the streetcar rolls down Saint Charles Avenue.

Superior Grill: The best place in New Orleans for margaritas! From 3:30-6pm every day you can get a large margarita or mixed drink for the price of a small. Don’t forget in New Orleans you can take them to-go as well!

Carousel Bar: Located inside of Hotel Monteleone in the French Quarter, this is actually a bar on a moving carousel! It slowly spins as you sit back and relax in this old-school hotel. Home of the original French 75!

Bar Tonique: Fancy and innovative cocktails on Rampart Street right on the edge of the French Quarter.

The Country Club: Drag brunch and bottomless mimosas in the Bywater neighborhood on Saturdays and Sundays. Make reservations in advance!

The Columns Hotel

The Columns Hotel

Cure: Boogie cocktails at this Freret Street staple. They were the 2018 winner of the James Beard Award for Outstanding Cocktail Program, so you know it’s delicious!

The Sazerac Bar: Located in The Roosevelt Hotel, this old-school bar is home to the New Orleans classic Sazerac cocktail. Visit during the holidays to see their fabulous decorations!

Commanders Palace: Arguably the best restaurant in New Orleans, they offer 25 cent martinis during weekday lunch! Be sure to check the dress code and make a reservation.

Latitude 29: Get your tiki-drink fix at this fun bar in the French Quarter! They also offer “communal drinks” which are basically nicer versions of fishbowls to throw you back to your college days.

Barrel Proof: A low-key bar in the Lower Garden District with over 300 whiskeys! They host pop-ups in their kitchen frequently and have Happy Hour specials from 4-6 daily.

What is your favorite bar in new orleans?! Let me know in the comments: