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A bartender at Manolito grates nutmeg on top of an eggnog daiquiri served in a martini glass. — Manolito’s eggnog daiquiri.

These Are New Orleans’s Very Best Bars

From posh to dissolute, here are New Orleans’s must-visit bars

by Eater Staff Updated Nov 12, 2024, 12:37pm CST

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Manolito’s eggnog daiquiri.

| Cory Fontenot/Punch

by Eater Staff Updated Nov 12, 2024, 12:37pm CST

With one of the highest bars per capita in the country, choosing New Orleans’s quintessential watering holes is no easy feat. This list represents a broad sampling of bars: iconic cocktail bars, neighborhood dives, hotel bars, beer bars, Irish pubs, and bars with live music — although the spots mentioned here are first and foremost bars, not music venues or restaurants.

Already well-versed in New Orleans’s essential bars? Check out the best new spots to knock back a drink around town, or keep it lowkey with New Orleans’s essential dive bars.

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Eater maps are curated by editors and aim to reflect a diversity of neighborhoods, cuisines, and prices. Learn more about our editorial process.

Snake & Jake's Christmas Club Lounge

At this point, enough non-New Orleans residents have been charmed by this quirky watering hole in Uptown that it’s practically world-famous. Widely known as the city’s best dive bar, Snake & Jake’s is an experience — basically a shack in a backyard lit up with year-round Christmas lights, there’s a welcoming, chaotic vibe here unlike any other. There’s a cool outside space, dogs are welcome, and the bar opens late and shuts down in the early hours of the morning.

7612 Oak St (at Hillary St.), New Orleans, LA 70118

Snake & Jake’s Christmas Club Lounge, Friday 1 a.m.

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Cure

This Freret Street trailblazer has been at the forefront of New Orleans’s new school of craft cocktail bars since opening in a beautifully renovated former fire station in 2009. A good spot for those placing a premium on ambiance, it still turns out some of the most innovative drinks in town. Cure also does a great classic cocktail happy hour.

4905 Freret St, New Orleans, LA 70115

The bar at Cure.

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Twelve Mile Limit

This Mid City favorite bridged the gap between lowbrow dive bar and highbrow cocktail lounge when T. Cole Newton opened the doors back in 2010. It’s a place where you can get a cheap beer or an incredibly crafted, original drink and not have to feel judged about it. Top local pop-ups offer something different.

500 S Telemachus St (Baudin), New Orleans, LA 70119

Outside of Twelve Mile Limit in Mid City — Outside of Twelve Mile Limit in Mid City.

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Finn McCool's Irish Pub

Finn’s is an Irish pub in the truest sense with devoted neighborhood regulars who gather to drink beer on tap, watch sports, play pool or darts, compete in Monday night trivia, and eat stick-to-your-ribs pub fare, including fish and chips. Because Finn’s is the city’s premier soccer viewing spot, it also draws the city’s international residents. A great place for either buddies or the solo drinker.

3701 Banks St, New Orleans, LA 70119

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Columns

Though new owners have rebranded the historic hotel and bar to just “Columns,” the elegant spirit and vibe at this St. Charles Avenue destination endure. Drinking here is best in mild weather — a seat on the hotel’s veranda offers a gorgeous view of St. Charles Avenue. Otherwise, multiple rooms inside replete with soaring ceilings, jewel tones, and ornate plaster trim make for prime hot toddy or Irish coffee sipping spots.

3811 Saint Charles Ave, New Orleans, LA

Columns bar.

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The New Orleans Restaurants and Bars of HBO’s ‘Treme’

Pal's Lounge

Pal’s encapsulates much of what distinguishes New Orleans’ drinking culture from the rest of the country: pride of place smack in the middle of a vibrant neighborhood, a classic corner bar architecture and long bar, a quality drink for a fair price, and regulars who fill its stools with friendly banter.

949 N Rendon St, New Orleans, LA 70119

Pal’s Lounge.

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The Sazerac Bar

Back in the day, Huey P. Long used to order his beloved Ramos Gin Fizzes here. Today, you can get all sorts of exceptional cocktails at this Roosevelt hotel beauty, but ordering the bar’s namesake, a Sazerac, is a sure bet.

130 Roosevelt Way, New Orleans, LA 70130

A sazerac at the Sazerac Bar.

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Barrel Proof

This low-lit, low-key bar serves as a kind of introduction to the Lower Garden District, given its location at the start of the neighborhood on Magazine Street right past Calliope. It matches the LGD’s hip but classic vibe — not overly pretentious or try-hard, but funky and cool nonetheless. The succinct cocktail list is simple and straightforward but expertly crafted, while the whiskey, bourbon, and beer lists steal the show. And, like any great bar dedicated to drinks, the food is done entirely by pop-ups, consistently hosting some of the best in town.

1201 Magazine St, New Orleans, LA 70130

Barrel Proof — The bar at Barrel Proof.

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Candlelight Lounge

The Candlelight Lounge is a neighborhood bar through and through, thanks to the late Miss Leona ‘Chine’ Grandison, Treme born and bred. Despite the tragic loss of Miss Leona to COVID-19, the bar continues, always with her in mind. A hole in the wall brought into the limelight by the HBO show Treme, this is the place for strong cash-only drinks and local brass bands, always thrumming with welcoming energy.

925 N Robertson St, New Orleans, LA 70116

Candlelight Lounge.

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Jewel of the South

Jewel of the South is one of the most notable cocktail bars to open in New Orleans in many years (see also, Manolito); it was awarded Outstanding Bar by the James Beard Award Foundation in 2024. The 19th-century Creole cottage situated on the edge of the Quarter offers a classy, calm, and romantic setting, inside and out, to sample Chris Hannah’s award-winning cocktails. Just don’t miss the famous brandy crusta.

1026 St Louis St, New Orleans, LA 70112

Jewel of the South’s brandy crusta.

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Arnaud's French 75 Bar

The James Beard Award-winning bar attached to Quarter icon Arnaud’s evokes the upper-crust masculinity of an intimate English club. A gorgeous polished bar, circa late 1800s, runs the length of the room. A high-quality French 75 (made old school with champagne and cognac) tops the short but eclectic menu of inventive cocktails, all a good value for an upscale venue.

813 Bienville St, New Orleans, LA

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Black Penny

Dark and woody, the Black Penny’s dimly-lit vibe evokes a pre-Thomas Edison era that remains true to the building’s 1830s roots. Don’t come to the Penny seeking wine or umbrella drinks (though it serves those, too) — this is a prime spot to sit at the wrap-around bar and sample off-the-beaten-path ales. An extensive beer menu divided into taste profiles helps to guide patrons.

700 N Rampart St, New Orleans, LA 70116

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The Carousel Bar & Lounge

Spinning for 75 years, this merry-go-round bar in the Hotel Monteleone is one of the swankiest attractions in the Quarter and offers non-rotating seats with great window views of Royal Street. The Ramos Gin Fizz is great here, but the hotel is known as the birthplace of the Vieux Carre cocktail. There’s live music in the adjacent room some afternoons and evenings.

214 Royal St, New Orleans, LA

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Erin Rose

Slim, unpretentious, and outfitted with a classic long bar, this perennial local favorite evokes a small Irish pub. Grab a pint or a whiskey and transition from day to night or refuel with banh mi from the Killer Po’boys window in back before heading out into the night. Or drink like a local and stay for hours while catching up with an old friend. “Wake Up and Live!” specials include bloody Marys and frozen Irish coffee.

811 Conti St, New Orleans, LA

A view of the bar inside Erin Rose with bottles and a green lit up “prescription” sign hanging.

Also featured in:

Bar Tonique

Boothy Bar Tonique centers on cocktails and casual glam, with exposed brick walls, high ceilings, and a hip clientele. One of New Orleans’s earliest craft bars, quality ingredients and skill still rule the day here. A selection of clever temperance drinks appeals to everyone.

820 N Rampart St, New Orleans, LA 70116

Bar Tonique.

Also featured in:

Kermit's Treme Mother-in-Law Lounge

With bright and jazzy murals covering every square inch of its colorful exterior, the Mother-in-Law shouts out its pride of family and music and the neighborhood that connects them. Founded by local musician Ernie K. Doe and named for his 1961 number one hit “Mother-in-Law,” the bar and patio now continues its musical stewardship under trumpet legend Kermit Ruffins who regularly plays here. Lagniappe like free crawfish boils or red beans and rice is common.

1500 N Claiborne Ave, New Orleans, LA

Also featured in:

Beachbum Berry's Latitude 29

When tiki historian Jeff Beachbum Berry opened this oh-so-fun upscale lounge in the Quarter in 2014, the cocktail world rejoiced. This is one of the best bars in New Orleans — with dozens of resurrected tiki drinks on the menu, from Sinatra’s favorite sipper to crazy communal wonders.

321 N Peters St, New Orleans, LA 70130

Latitude 29, one of New Orleans most influential bars of 2014. — Latitude 29.

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Napoleon House

Originally built as a refuge for Napoleon Bonaparte, time seems to stand still at this 200+-year-old French Quarter landmark, with its peeling plaster walls, exposed beams, classic polished bar, and opera arias playing in the background. Today, it’s the essential spot in town for a Pimm’s Cup, and it’s now run by the Ralph Brennan restaurant group, so the food menu is also on point.

500 Chartres St, New Orleans, LA

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Cafe Lafitte in Exile

A proud anchor of Bourbon Street’s “Fruit Loop,” Café Lafitte in Exile’s claim to fame is that it is the oldest continuously operating gay bar in the country, with the ghosts of past patrons occasionally visiting. The upstairs bar and balcony hosts weekly events, including karaoke and dance parties, while the downstairs has a welcoming bar with cheap drinks and views of Bourbon Street — ideal for people-watching.

901 Bourbon St, New Orleans, LA 70116

Also featured in:

Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop

Lafitte’s, over 300 years old, is reputed to be the oldest building in the U.S. used as a bar — it’s supposed to have been the storehouse of New Orleans privateer, read pirate, Jean Lafitte. The bar attracts less for its cocktail program than for its candle-lit, rustic, and on-theme atmosphere. And while Lafitte’s gets bustling come night, its lower Bourbon location puts some breathing room between it and the strip club scene. Keep the drinks simple here, and try the purple drink.

941 Bourbon St, New Orleans, LA

Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop Bar.

Also featured in:

Manolito

This Havana-inspired cigar box bar offers a refreshing respite from the chaos of the Quarter, but don’t tell the locals we told you — everyone wishes it was a secret. Try a classic daiquiri or dive into the famed frozen menu, and just try to sip your drink slowly enough to avoid brain freeze. A delightful menu of Cuban snacks and a loft-like second level make it a nice pre-dinner stop, and a new courtyard out back adds some breathing room.

508 Dumaine St, New Orleans, LA 70116

A bartender at Manolito grates nutmeg on top of an eggnog daiquiri served in a martini glass. — Manolito’s eggnog daiquiri.

Also featured in:

R Bar

Within shouting distance of both Frenchmen Street and the French Quarter, the classic corner R Bar sees its fair share of both locals and tourists. With dim lights, a pool table, and reasonably priced drinks — including a shot and haircut combo — this might be the most gratifying New Orleans dive bar experience.

1431 Royal St, New Orleans, LA

Also featured in:

The Crown & Anchor

Outfitted with rafters, hanging steins, and framed old pictures, the pint-sized Crown and Anchor offers a decidedly more ye olde tavern feel than the typical corner bar. Whether drinking alone or grabbing a few rounds with friends, this quaint and homey spot welcomes and is worth the occasional drive or ferry ride for those living across the river.

200 Pelican Ave, New Orleans, LA

Vaughan's Lounge

Vaughan’s is a joy, guaranteed to deliver cheap drinks, good music, and the kind of conviviality that you hope for when stumbling into a dive bar. If you’re lucky there will be a pot of delicious red beans and rice in the back, which customers are welcome to scoop for free, and live music at the front.

800 Lesseps St (at Dauphine St), New Orleans, LA 70117

Vaughan's — Vaughan’s.

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Snake & Jake's Christmas Club Lounge

7612 Oak St (at Hillary St.), New Orleans, LA 70118

At this point, enough non-New Orleans residents have been charmed by this quirky watering hole in Uptown that it’s practically world-famous. Widely known as the city’s best dive bar, Snake & Jake’s is an experience — basically a shack in a backyard lit up with year-round Christmas lights, there’s a welcoming, chaotic vibe here unlike any other. There’s a cool outside space, dogs are welcome, and the bar opens late and shuts down in the early hours of the morning.

7612 Oak St (at Hillary St.), New Orleans, LA 70118

Visit Website

Snake & Jake’s Christmas Club Lounge, Friday 1 a.m.

Cure

4905 Freret St, New Orleans, LA 70115

This Freret Street trailblazer has been at the forefront of New Orleans’s new school of craft cocktail bars since opening in a beautifully renovated former fire station in 2009. A good spot for those placing a premium on ambiance, it still turns out some of the most innovative drinks in town. Cure also does a great classic cocktail happy hour.

4905 Freret St, New Orleans, LA 70115

Visit Website

The bar at Cure.

Twelve Mile Limit

500 S Telemachus St (Baudin), New Orleans, LA 70119

This Mid City favorite bridged the gap between lowbrow dive bar and highbrow cocktail lounge when T. Cole Newton opened the doors back in 2010. It’s a place where you can get a cheap beer or an incredibly crafted, original drink and not have to feel judged about it. Top local pop-ups offer something different.

500 S Telemachus St (Baudin), New Orleans, LA 70119

Visit Website

Outside of Twelve Mile Limit in Mid City — Outside of Twelve Mile Limit in Mid City.

Finn McCool's Irish Pub

3701 Banks St, New Orleans, LA 70119

Finn’s is an Irish pub in the truest sense with devoted neighborhood regulars who gather to drink beer on tap, watch sports, play pool or darts, compete in Monday night trivia, and eat stick-to-your-ribs pub fare, including fish and chips. Because Finn’s is the city’s premier soccer viewing spot, it also draws the city’s international residents. A great place for either buddies or the solo drinker.

3701 Banks St, New Orleans, LA 70119

Visit Website

Columns

3811 Saint Charles Ave, New Orleans, LA

Though new owners have rebranded the historic hotel and bar to just “Columns,” the elegant spirit and vibe at this St. Charles Avenue destination endure. Drinking here is best in mild weather — a seat on the hotel’s veranda offers a gorgeous view of St. Charles Avenue. Otherwise, multiple rooms inside replete with soaring ceilings, jewel tones, and ornate plaster trim make for prime hot toddy or Irish coffee sipping spots.

3811 Saint Charles Ave, New Orleans, LA

Visit Website

Columns bar.

Pal's Lounge

949 N Rendon St, New Orleans, LA 70119

Pal’s encapsulates much of what distinguishes New Orleans’ drinking culture from the rest of the country: pride of place smack in the middle of a vibrant neighborhood, a classic corner bar architecture and long bar, a quality drink for a fair price, and regulars who fill its stools with friendly banter.

949 N Rendon St, New Orleans, LA 70119

Visit Website

Pal’s Lounge.

The Sazerac Bar

130 Roosevelt Way, New Orleans, LA 70130

Back in the day, Huey P. Long used to order his beloved Ramos Gin Fizzes here. Today, you can get all sorts of exceptional cocktails at this Roosevelt hotel beauty, but ordering the bar’s namesake, a Sazerac, is a sure bet.

130 Roosevelt Way, New Orleans, LA 70130

Visit Website

A sazerac at the Sazerac Bar.

Barrel Proof

1201 Magazine St, New Orleans, LA 70130

This low-lit, low-key bar serves as a kind of introduction to the Lower Garden District, given its location at the start of the neighborhood on Magazine Street right past Calliope. It matches the LGD’s hip but classic vibe — not overly pretentious or try-hard, but funky and cool nonetheless. The succinct cocktail list is simple and straightforward but expertly crafted, while the whiskey, bourbon, and beer lists steal the show. And, like any great bar dedicated to drinks, the food is done entirely by pop-ups, consistently hosting some of the best in town.

1201 Magazine St, New Orleans, LA 70130

Visit Website

Barrel Proof — The bar at Barrel Proof.

Candlelight Lounge

925 N Robertson St, New Orleans, LA 70116

The Candlelight Lounge is a neighborhood bar through and through, thanks to the late Miss Leona ‘Chine’ Grandison, Treme born and bred. Despite the tragic loss of Miss Leona to COVID-19, the bar continues, always with her in mind. A hole in the wall brought into the limelight by the HBO show Treme, this is the place for strong cash-only drinks and local brass bands, always thrumming with welcoming energy.

925 N Robertson St, New Orleans, LA 70116

Visit Website

Candlelight Lounge.

Jewel of the South

1026 St Louis St, New Orleans, LA 70112

Jewel of the South is one of the most notable cocktail bars to open in New Orleans in many years (see also, Manolito); it was awarded Outstanding Bar by the James Beard Award Foundation in 2024. The 19th-century Creole cottage situated on the edge of the Quarter offers a classy, calm, and romantic setting, inside and out, to sample Chris Hannah’s award-winning cocktails. Just don’t miss the famous brandy crusta.

1026 St Louis St, New Orleans, LA 70112

Visit Website

Jewel of the South’s brandy crusta.

Arnaud's French 75 Bar

813 Bienville St, New Orleans, LA

The James Beard Award-winning bar attached to Quarter icon Arnaud’s evokes the upper-crust masculinity of an intimate English club. A gorgeous polished bar, circa late 1800s, runs the length of the room. A high-quality French 75 (made old school with champagne and cognac) tops the short but eclectic menu of inventive cocktails, all a good value for an upscale venue.

813 Bienville St, New Orleans, LA

Visit Website

Black Penny

700 N Rampart St, New Orleans, LA 70116

Dark and woody, the Black Penny’s dimly-lit vibe evokes a pre-Thomas Edison era that remains true to the building’s 1830s roots. Don’t come to the Penny seeking wine or umbrella drinks (though it serves those, too) — this is a prime spot to sit at the wrap-around bar and sample off-the-beaten-path ales. An extensive beer menu divided into taste profiles helps to guide patrons.

700 N Rampart St, New Orleans, LA 70116

Visit Website

The Carousel Bar & Lounge

214 Royal St, New Orleans, LA

Spinning for 75 years, this merry-go-round bar in the Hotel Monteleone is one of the swankiest attractions in the Quarter and offers non-rotating seats with great window views of Royal Street. The Ramos Gin Fizz is great here, but the hotel is known as the birthplace of the Vieux Carre cocktail. There’s live music in the adjacent room some afternoons and evenings.

214 Royal St, New Orleans, LA

Visit Website

Erin Rose

811 Conti St, New Orleans, LA

Slim, unpretentious, and outfitted with a classic long bar, this perennial local favorite evokes a small Irish pub. Grab a pint or a whiskey and transition from day to night or refuel with banh mi from the Killer Po’boys window in back before heading out into the night. Or drink like a local and stay for hours while catching up with an old friend. “Wake Up and Live!” specials include bloody Marys and frozen Irish coffee.

811 Conti St, New Orleans, LA

Visit Website

A view of the bar inside Erin Rose with bottles and a green lit up “prescription” sign hanging.

Bar Tonique

820 N Rampart St, New Orleans, LA 70116

Boothy Bar Tonique centers on cocktails and casual glam, with exposed brick walls, high ceilings, and a hip clientele. One of New Orleans’s earliest craft bars, quality ingredients and skill still rule the day here. A selection of clever temperance drinks appeals to everyone.

820 N Rampart St, New Orleans, LA 70116

Visit Website

Bar Tonique.

Related Maps

Kermit's Treme Mother-in-Law Lounge

1500 N Claiborne Ave, New Orleans, LA

With bright and jazzy murals covering every square inch of its colorful exterior, the Mother-in-Law shouts out its pride of family and music and the neighborhood that connects them. Founded by local musician Ernie K. Doe and named for his 1961 number one hit “Mother-in-Law,” the bar and patio now continues its musical stewardship under trumpet legend Kermit Ruffins who regularly plays here. Lagniappe like free crawfish boils or red beans and rice is common.

1500 N Claiborne Ave, New Orleans, LA

Visit Website

Beachbum Berry's Latitude 29

321 N Peters St, New Orleans, LA 70130

When tiki historian Jeff Beachbum Berry opened this oh-so-fun upscale lounge in the Quarter in 2014, the cocktail world rejoiced. This is one of the best bars in New Orleans — with dozens of resurrected tiki drinks on the menu, from Sinatra’s favorite sipper to crazy communal wonders.

321 N Peters St, New Orleans, LA 70130

Visit Website

Latitude 29, one of New Orleans most influential bars of 2014. — Latitude 29.

Napoleon House

500 Chartres St, New Orleans, LA

Originally built as a refuge for Napoleon Bonaparte, time seems to stand still at this 200+-year-old French Quarter landmark, with its peeling plaster walls, exposed beams, classic polished bar, and opera arias playing in the background. Today, it’s the essential spot in town for a Pimm’s Cup, and it’s now run by the Ralph Brennan restaurant group, so the food menu is also on point.

500 Chartres St, New Orleans, LA

Visit Website

Cafe Lafitte in Exile

901 Bourbon St, New Orleans, LA 70116

A proud anchor of Bourbon Street’s “Fruit Loop,” Café Lafitte in Exile’s claim to fame is that it is the oldest continuously operating gay bar in the country, with the ghosts of past patrons occasionally visiting. The upstairs bar and balcony hosts weekly events, including karaoke and dance parties, while the downstairs has a welcoming bar with cheap drinks and views of Bourbon Street — ideal for people-watching.

901 Bourbon St, New Orleans, LA 70116

Visit Website

Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop

941 Bourbon St, New Orleans, LA

Lafitte’s, over 300 years old, is reputed to be the oldest building in the U.S. used as a bar — it’s supposed to have been the storehouse of New Orleans privateer, read pirate, Jean Lafitte. The bar attracts less for its cocktail program than for its candle-lit, rustic, and on-theme atmosphere. And while Lafitte’s gets bustling come night, its lower Bourbon location puts some breathing room between it and the strip club scene. Keep the drinks simple here, and try the purple drink.

941 Bourbon St, New Orleans, LA

Visit Website

Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop Bar.

Manolito

508 Dumaine St, New Orleans, LA 70116

This Havana-inspired cigar box bar offers a refreshing respite from the chaos of the Quarter, but don’t tell the locals we told you — everyone wishes it was a secret. Try a classic daiquiri or dive into the famed frozen menu, and just try to sip your drink slowly enough to avoid brain freeze. A delightful menu of Cuban snacks and a loft-like second level make it a nice pre-dinner stop, and a new courtyard out back adds some breathing room.

508 Dumaine St, New Orleans, LA 70116

Visit Website

A bartender at Manolito grates nutmeg on top of an eggnog daiquiri served in a martini glass. — Manolito’s eggnog daiquiri.

R Bar

1431 Royal St, New Orleans, LA

Within shouting distance of both Frenchmen Street and the French Quarter, the classic corner R Bar sees its fair share of both locals and tourists. With dim lights, a pool table, and reasonably priced drinks — including a shot and haircut combo — this might be the most gratifying New Orleans dive bar experience.

1431 Royal St, New Orleans, LA

Visit Website

The Crown & Anchor

200 Pelican Ave, New Orleans, LA

Outfitted with rafters, hanging steins, and framed old pictures, the pint-sized Crown and Anchor offers a decidedly more ye olde tavern feel than the typical corner bar. Whether drinking alone or grabbing a few rounds with friends, this quaint and homey spot welcomes and is worth the occasional drive or ferry ride for those living across the river.

200 Pelican Ave, New Orleans, LA

Visit Website

Vaughan's Lounge

800 Lesseps St (at Dauphine St), New Orleans, LA 70117

Vaughan’s is a joy, guaranteed to deliver cheap drinks, good music, and the kind of conviviality that you hope for when stumbling into a dive bar. If you’re lucky there will be a pot of delicious red beans and rice in the back, which customers are welcome to scoop for free, and live music at the front.

800 Lesseps St (at Dauphine St), New Orleans, LA 70117

Visit Website

Vaughan's — Vaughan’s.

Related Maps