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Near downtown and right on the streetcar line, the Garden District is relatively easy to reach and offers numerous options for dining and going out, especially along St. Charles Avenue, the main thoroughfare. Running parallel, just a few blocks toward the river, Magazine Street is another corridor rich with restaurants, bars, and nightspots. St. Charles Avenue tends to offer a more upscale and elegant version of nightlife, with historic venues and a touch of haute couture, while Magazine Street caters to a younger crowd of students and young professionals looking for vibrant neighborhood hangouts, beer gardens, and sidewalk cafés.
The view from this hip penthouse bar is unbeatable, but if you can't get a seat outside, curl up in a plush booth under the plated tin ceiling and enjoy the Tennessee Williams-inspired memorabilia filling the walls. Even the cocktails are served in antique glassware.
Beer lovers from around the globe make a beeline to this late night neighborhood joint with pressed-tin ceilings. Boasting the best beer selection in New Orleans (and above-par pub food), the bar hosts a regular schedule of tastings and special events. The whiskey selection also ranks among the top in town. Sip your pint on the wraparound balcony upstairs, where you can watch streetcars roll past on St. Charles Avenue.
This dimly lit whiskey bar is popular with the local service industry crowd. The bar boasts more than 250 types of the spirit, several cocktails on tap, and rotating nightly food pop-ups that pair well with imbibing.
The postcollege set claims most of the seats on the beautiful brick patio here, with its views of the Magazine Street bustle and a fountain made from dozens of beer taps. The dog-friendly venue bills itself as "Uptown's International Beer Tavern," and it backs up that boast with 50 different brews on tap and more than 100 bottles. Solid bar food keeps patrons well fueled.
Just down the block from some of Magazine Street's finest boutiques, you'll find this neighborhood haunt that exudes the ambience of a 19th-century pub. Its exposed-brick walls and copper-top bar are completed with Sazeracs and absinthe on the terrific drinks menu. It's a great place to end a day of exploring or to get the evening started, while mingling among neighborhood denizens.
Roast beef po'boy devotees genuflect at the mention of this friendly hole-in-the-wall, which for more than 60 years has served the sloppy sandwiches along with Guinness on tap. The annual St. Patrick's Day block party at Parasol's spills out into the surrounding lower Garden District neighborhood; it's grown so large that police have had to erect barricades to keep traffic out—or to keep the revelers in.
The best of the Lower Garden District takes place in charming, tucked-away spots like this one, where knowledgeable staff guide you through a beguiling selection of bottles from around the world, with an emphasis on natural and minimal-intervention methods. Sit on the patio, and come early if you want quiet, since DJs spin later at night---but even when there's a crowd, you will be able to find a comfortable chair or a romantic corner to sip and people-watch
