New Orleans

No American town places such a premium on pleasure as New Orleans. From swank hotel lounges and refined jazz halls to sweaty dance clubs and raucous Bourbon Street bars, this city is serious about frivolity—and famous for it. Partying is more than an occasional indulgence in this city—it's a lifestyle. The bars and clubs that pulse with music are the city's lifeblood, and are found in every neighborhood. Like stars with their own gravity, they draw people through their doors to belly up to their bars or head feet-first onto their dance floors. Blues, jazz, funk, R&B, rock, roots, Cajun, and zydeco—there are many kinds of music and nightlife experiences to be had in New Orleans. On any day or night of the year, the city is brimming with musical possibilities.

The French Quarter and Faubourg Marigny are the easiest places to find great music and nightspots. The venues are numerous and all within easy walking distance of one another. In the nearby Warehouse District, New Orleans institutions like Howlin' Wolf, Mulate's, and Circle Bar have been joined by scores of new bars, clubs, and restaurants. Moving upriver through the Garden District and Uptown, you'll find some of the most famous music spots in the city, such as Tipitina's and Maple Leaf. Bywater, Mid-City, and Tremé are residential neighborhoods with fewer commercial strips, but they too have their crown jewels, like Vaughan's, Bullet's, and Rock ’n’ Bowl.

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  • 1. Bacchanal Fine Wine & Spirits

    Bywater

    In the far reaches of the Bywater, Bacchanal is part wineshop, part bar, part music club—and 100% neighborhood hangout. Enter the old building first, then beyond the wine racks you'll find a courtyard with seating and a spacious bar upstairs that serves beer and liquor. You can have a bottle uncorked on the premises or order by the glass. The kitchen supplies gourmet cheese plates and small, tasty dishes that go well with the wine selections—osso buco, mussels, and confit chicken leg are among the best. Local bands play seven nights a week.

    600 Poland Ave., New Orleans, Louisiana, 70117, USA
    504-948–9111
  • 2. Cane and Table

    French Quarter

    With its elegant, understated Caribbean decor, dim lighting, and low volumes, this rum house is a refreshing relief from the general chaos of the neighborhood. The friendly barkeeps love making "ProtoTiki Cocktails" (specialty rum drinks with modern twists), but there's a sophisticated list of Spanish wines to choose from as well. The space offers a large marble bar, charming courtyard out back, and small tables for intimate dining. Come for the cocktails and atmosphere, but don't miss out on the food: the menu combines Caribbean and Southern culinary traditions, and the dishes are inventive and intensely flavorful.

    1113 Decatur St., New Orleans, Louisiana, 70116, USA
    504-581–1112
  • 3. Carousel Bar

    French Quarter

    A favorite New Orleans drinking destination since 1949, the revolving bar has served the likes of Tennessee Williams, Truman Capote, and Ernest Hemingway. If the famed carousel bar is too crowded, there's a second (stationary) bar and a stage that hosts free shows by local musicians Wednesday through Saturday.

    214 Royal St., New Orleans, Louisiana, 70130, USA
    504-523–3341
  • 4. Cat's Meow

    French Quarter

    Before you see it, you'll hear this Bourbon Street landmark, New Orleans's most popular karaoke bar. Given an ideal corner location, the bar's tall doors and windows open onto two streets, luring undergrads, conventioneers, and bachelorette parties to hit the dance floor and grab the mic. High-energy MCs and DJs keep the night spinning along, but get on the sign-up sheet early if you want a chance at French Quarter fame.

    701 Bourbon St., New Orleans, Louisiana, 70116, USA
    504-523–2788
  • 5. Columns Hotel's Victorian Lounge Bar

    Uptown

    One of New Orleans's most traditional drinking experiences, enjoy an old-fashioned or a Sazerac here on the expansive front porch, shaded by centuries-old oak trees and overlooking the St. Charles Avenue streetcar route. Built in 1883 as a private home, the Columns has been the scene of TV ads, movies, and plenty of weddings. The interior scenes of Louis Malle's Pretty Baby were filmed here. The Victorian Lounge, with its restored period decor and a fireplace, has a decaying elegance marred only by the television above the bar. There's a great happy hour, too, with live jazz combos playing Monday through Friday.

    3811 St. Charles Ave., New Orleans, Louisiana, 70115, USA
    504-899–9308
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  • 6. Delachaise

    Uptown

    A long, slender room with plush banquettes in a charming sliver of a building on a busy stretch of St. Charles Avenue looks as if it were air-dropped straight from Paris. Offering a carefully chosen (and reasonably priced) selection of beer, spirits, and wines by the glass, the menu also includes upscale small plates, such as frog legs, frites fried in goose fat, and house-made paté.

    3442 St. Charles Ave., New Orleans, Louisiana, 70115, USA
    504-895–0858
  • 7. French 75

    French Quarter

    This is a must-visit for any who love to submerge themselves in old-time elegance. Adjoining Arnaud's, the classic New Orleans Creole restaurant, this dark-wood bar is complete with leather-backed chairs and imposing columns. The bartenders work magic with their encyclopedic knowledge of cocktails and arsenal of ingredients. Be sure to venture upstairs to the free Germaine Wells Mardi Gras Museum, a slightly bizarre showcase for memorabilia and ball gowns worn by the original owner's daughter.

    813 Bienville St., New Orleans, Louisiana, 70112, USA
    504-523–5433
  • 8. Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop

    French Quarter

    Perhaps the most photographed building in the Quarter after St. Louis Cathedral, this 18th-century blacksmith shop was once a front for the eponymous pirate's less legitimate business ventures—or so says local legend. Today, it's an atmospheric piano bar with a rustic, candlelit interior and a small outdoor patio shaded by banana trees. Despite the addition of a few flat-screen TVs, a drink here just after sundown, under the soft glow of candles, lets you slip back in time for an hour or so. It's also known as the oldest bar in New Orleans as well as one of the most haunted.

    941 Bourbon St., New Orleans, Louisiana, 70116, USA
    504-593–9761
  • 9. Maple Leaf

    Carrollton-Riverbend

    The phrase "New Orleans institution" gets thrown around a lot, but this place deserves the title. It's wonderfully atmospheric, with pressed-tin walls and a lush tropical-themed patio, and it's also one of the city's best venues for blues, New Orleans–style R&B, funk, zydeco, and jazz. On Sunday afternoons, the bar hosts the South's longest-running poetry reading. Rebirth Brass Band's standing Tuesday gig is a show everyone should see, and Joe Krown starts his set around 10:30 pm. It's a long haul from the French Quarter, but worth the trip, especially if combined with a visit to one of the restaurants clustered near this commercial stretch of Oak Street.

    8316 Oak St., New Orleans, Louisiana, 70118, USA
    504-866–9359
  • 10. Napoleon House Bar and Café

    French Quarter

    It's a living shrine to what may be called the semiofficial New Orleans school of decor: faded grandeur. Chipped wall paint, diffused light, and a tiny courtyard with a trickling fountain and lush banana trees create a timeless escapist mood. The house specialty is a Pimm's Cup (here they top Pimm's No. 1 with lemonade and 7-Up). This vintage restaurant and watering hole has long been popular with writers, artists, and other free spirits, although today most customers are tourists. But even locals who don't venture often into the French Quarter will make an exception for Napoleon House.

    500 Chartres St., New Orleans, Louisiana, 70130, USA
    504-524–9752
  • 11. Preservation Hall

    At this cultural landmark founded in 1961, a cadre of distinguished New Orleans musicians, most of whom were schooled by an ever-dwindling group of elder statesmen, nurture the jazz tradition that flowered in the 1920s. There is limited seating on benches—many patrons end up squatting on the floor or standing in back—and no beverages are served, nor are there restrooms. Nonetheless, legions of satisfied music lovers regard an evening at this all-ages venue as an essential New Orleans experience. You must buy a ticket online in advance (nothing is old at the door any longer), and you are asked to arrive 20 minutes before the performance.

    726 St. Peter St., New Orleans, Louisiana, 70116, USA
    504-522–2841
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  • 12. The Spotted Cat

    Faubourg Marigny

    Jazz, old-time, and swing bands perform nightly at this rustic club right in the thick of the Frenchmen Street action. Sets start at 2 pm and the music continues until at least midnight. Drinks cost a little more at this cash-only destination, but there's never a cover charge and the entertainment is great—from the popular bands to the cadres of young, rock-step swing dancers.

    623 Frenchmen St., New Orleans, Louisiana, 70116, USA
    No phone
  • 13. Tipitina's

    Rub the bust of legendary New Orleans pianist Professor Longhair (aka "Fess") inside this Uptown landmark named for one of the late musician's popular songs. The old concert posters on the walls read like an honor roll of musical legends, both local and national. The midsize venue boasts an eclectic and well-curated calendar, particularly during the weeks of Jazz Fest. The long-running Sunday afternoon Cajun dance party still packs the floor. Although the neighborhood isn't dangerous, it's far enough out of the way to require a cab trip.

    501 Napoleon Ave., New Orleans, Louisiana, 70115, USA
    504-895–8477
  • 14. AllWays Lounge & Theatre

    Faubourg Marigny

    This lounge-theater combo has become one of the centerpieces of the local indie, avant-garde, and art scenes. Evoking 1930s Berlin, the lounge has a black-and-red color scheme and frayed-at-the-edges art deco aesthetic. Musicians, burlesque dancers, clowns, artists, and jacks-of-all-trades take to the stage here most nights of the week. Meanwhile, in the back of the house, the 100-seat AllWays Theatre hosts weekend plays and other performances.

    2240 St. Claude Ave., New Orleans, Louisiana, 70117, USA
    504-321–5606
  • 15. Banks Street Bar and Grill

    Mid-City

    This comfortable Mid-City nightspot has become one of the city's most reliable venues for local music, with live shows—sometimes several a night—every day of the week. The bill of fare leans toward blues and funk. There is no cover charge for music.

    4401 Banks St., New Orleans, Louisiana, 70119, USA
    504-486–0258
  • 16. Bar Frances

    Uptown

    This bar's casual elegance is readily apparent during its popular happy hour, when Francophiles can enjoy pork rillette, chicken liver mousse, and Chartreuse cocktails. A small patio of bistro tables looks out onto Freret Street.

    4525 Freret St., New Orleans, Louisiana, 70115, USA
    504-371–5043
  • 17. Bar Marilou

    Central Business District

    An evening at this dimly-lit venue begins with an aperitif hour and ends with burlesque, a jazz trio, or other entertaiment appropriate for a place that is part intimate library and part Parisian club. The food here is fittingly European, with grazing options like almonds, olives, and anchovies; seared scallops in white miso dressing and a satisfying pub burger are among more substantial choices. If you're looking for atmosphere and romance served alongside your expertly crafted cocktails, this is your spot.

    544 Carondelet St., New Orleans, Louisiana, 70130, USA
    504-814–7711
  • 18. Bar Tonique

    French Quarter

    An eclectic spot on North Rampart Street, this brick-walled room with private nooks and intimate corner booths looks like a cross between a dive and a lounge on the Riviera. The book-length drinks menu, with everything from pre-Prohibition classics to modern creations, practically recounts the history of the cocktail. The talented staff can turn out any of those offerings with aplomb.

    820 N. Rampart St., New Orleans, Louisiana, 70116, USA
    504-324–6045
  • 19. Bayou Beer and Wine Garden

    Mid-City

    Claim a seat on the sprawling multilevel outdoor patio at this low-key neighborhood pub and sip a pint from the great selection of beers. Multiple TVs show the big game, and the bar occasionally hosts live music. Next door, and sharing an adjoining courtyard, a slightly more sophisticated sister property has opened as a wine garden. The wine garden offers gourmet meat and cheese boards and popular wines on tap.

    326 N. Jefferson Davis Pkwy., New Orleans, Louisiana, 70119, USA
    504-302–9357
  • 20. BJ's Lounge

    Bywater

    This gritty corner bar is a beloved neighborhood joint. Most weekends it hosts music, like Little Freddie King, who blows the top off the place.

    4301 Burgundy St., New Orleans, Louisiana, 70117, USA
    504-945–9256

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