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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.
This divey neighborhood spot has been popular for live music and festive vibes since 1939. The food can be uneven but the Bloody Marys and other drinks are solid. There is live music in Buffa's backroom each night and a fun traditional jazz brunch on Sundays.
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.
This neighborhood bar (featured on the HBO show Treme) crowds with locals and visitors on weekends for the lively brass band performances, plates of hot comfort food, DJ sets, and fan-friendly Saints games. On nights when there is no live music, Bullet's is a relaxed sports bar with friendly service and cheap drinks.
This Bourbon Street stalwart claims to be the oldest operating gay bar in the United States, attracting a somewhat older and very casual group of gay men. The second floor has a pool table, pinball machine, and wraparound balcony with a bird's-eye view of the lively street scene below. Sunday afternoon, when the oldies spin and the paper-napkin confetti flies, is especially popular.
This cozy neighborhood bar keeps unfolding the farther back you go—from the front bar to the stage to the backyard. The regular schedule of live music emphasizes local roots, rock, and acoustic acts. On nights without music, there is usually trivia or a comedy show. It's two blocks off the Carrollton streetcar line and close to the Oak Street commercial district.
Unpretentious even by New Orleans standards, this little dive not far from Canal Street draws a good number of locals from the Quarter and beyond for inexpensive drinks and wide-open doorways that offer table seating just off the sidewalk. Note that it's cash only.
This corner bar draws young locals who shoot pool and listen to blues and rock, whether live or from the jukebox—24 hours a day, seven days a week. Weekends often feature hard rock, punk, and metal bands. There is also a fully functioning laundromat. Street kids and pan handlers typically hang out front.
Right on the Canal Street streetcar line, this neighborhood music club is unassuming from the outside but hosts some of the city's most popular acts. With happy hour and early evening sets on offer, this destination is a favorite among low-key New Orleanians who aren't into late nights. The covered patio is a popular place to hang between sets.
Like something out of a Tim Burton film, this teetering old Victorian house that straddles the concrete jungles of downtown and the Warehouse District hides one of the coolest indie-rock clubs in the city. Scenesters descend around 10 pm, but earlier in the evening this is a laid-back neighborhood haunt. Pull on your skinny jeans, so that you can squeeze into the room that holds what might be the world's tiniest stage.
This rambling tavern across from the Mississippi River levee boasts 400 different bottled beers and 45 on tap. That, along with the excellent food, an oyster bar, and enough televisions to show nearly every game during a busy football weekend, makes it a favorite haunt of students from nearby Tulane and Loyola universities, as well as nostalgic alums and Uptown locals.
Filmmaker John Waters reportedly counts the Pocket as a New Orleans favorite, and with skinny, tattooed strippers on the bar and an inebriated drag queen emcee, it's easy to see why. Sleazy fun on a good night, but keep your wits about you.
Few tourists make their way to this hip neighborhood hangout, in a far corner of the Lower Quarter. A short flight of stairs leads to a darts and billiards room. Quirky wagon wheel–shape ceiling fans, ample windows, and a friendly vibe make it a low-key place to wind down. Food options include pizzas, burgers, and Cosimo's famous fried green beans.
A mixed crowd enjoys an elegant retreat from the hustle and bustle of the city in this handsome 19th-century Bywater mansion. The interior restaurant, bar, and parlor rooms have a trippy Palm Springs vibe, with plenty of glitter and neon. The outdoor pool and deck bar hidden away behind lush vegetation and high walls is especially popular with the gay and bachelorette party crowd. Pool access requires a small fee, and towels and lockers are available. The drag brunch on weekends is wildly popular---reserve ahead.
No stranger to national accolades, including the coveted James Beard Foundation Award for Outstanding Bar Program, this pioneer of the revitalized Freret Corridor adds a touch of urban chic to an historic neighborhood. Cure was one of the city's first modern cocktail bars and they have the space to match: a converted fire station boasts 20-foot ceilings and a lovely patio. Knowledgeable bartenders use a breathtaking arsenal of liquor to push the boundaries of what a drink can be, paired with delicious small plates.
These swanky digs in the Ritz-Carlton are home to their namesake, Jeremy Davenport, an old-school crooner in the mold of Sinatra and Crosby. With a hot trumpet, Davenport plays Wednesday through Saturday and draws a mixed crowd of visitors and locals to the swinging dance floor.
From the same owner of the well-loved Twelve Mile Limit bar in Mid-City, The Domino offers a similarly refined dive atmosphere, with checker-board table tops, board games to borrow, a generous happy hour, and wide horseshoe bar. Picnic tables out front let you people-watch on St. Claude while sipping your wine spritzer, and there are occasional food pop ups.
A 20-minute drive from downtown, this popular Tchoupitoulas Street hangout for grown-ups is a lively den of blue smoke. The selection of scotches, brandies, ports, and bourbons is outstanding. The nightly live music runs the gamut of New Orleans styles. A full calendar of performances is available online. The low-key patio offers a quiet retreat from the haze.
Ernst has been operating as a bar since the first years of the 20th century, and the classic interior and upstairs balcony provide a welcome respite for conventioneers, lawyers from nearby firms, and service-industry folks winding down from shifts at area hotels. The classic menu includes local staples like red beans, po'boys, jambalaya, and burgers.
For college kids and grown-ups reliving their youth, an all-nighter in New Orleans isn't complete until you've danced on top of a pool table at this classic hangout. There's a loud jukebox, a popular photo booth, and a late-night kitchen (it fires up around 7 pm and keeps serving until early morning) that turns out legendary cheese fries. The party really gets going around 1 am, but the tropical-theme patio can actually be peaceful at times. You'll need to get here by car or taxi.
This intimate bar is considered the most sophisticated (albeit pricey) place to get a drink on Jackson Square, where patrons can also get quality raw oysters from the Gulf and East Coasts. The crowd around the large marble horseshoe bar is always lively and stylish, and drinks are served with flair: the Columns Martini comes with its own crystal-bowlful of pickled vegetables.
This beloved dive bar draws an eclectic local following, thanks to strong, cheap drinks and a crowd that lives up to the bar’s name. There’s a pool table and room for dancing to the juke box. It becomes a busy spot during Mardi Gras parades.
An old-school gem in the midst of Bourbon Street's many venues with bad cover bands, this Dixieland music club, built in the style of the old jazz halls, has tight rows of seating close to the stage and floating barmaids. Drinks cost a little more, but there's never a cover charge. Shows are held nightly.
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.
The Lower Quarter has become a lot more upscale since this neighborhood gay haunt's heyday, but (the officially named) Tubby's Golden Lantern soldiers on. The bartender's whim determines the music, the drinks are strong, and happy hour runs from noon to 8 pm Monday and Tuesday, and from 8 am to 8 pm every other day. The bar is best known as ground zero for the annual Southern Decadence drag parade, when a crowd gathers out front for the kick-off. It's cash only.
With its tasteful decor and reasonable volume level, this is a slightly more upscale, sedate alternative to the blasting disco bars down the street. The Queen's Head Pub on the second floor, open weekends, has darts, a wraparound balcony, and respectable martinis. Brush up on your show tunes at the popular Sunday afternoon piano sing-along.
This is one of those neighborhood haunts that is just the right amount of dive bar. The drinks are cheap, the selection is big, and the beer is local. There is an event almost every night, from funk performances and karaoke to live jazz and dance parties.
Despite its name, blues rarely makes the bill at this Decatur Street link in the national chain. The midsize venue embraces rock, country, soul, funk, and world music, and it's a reliable destination for national touring acts. The restaurant serves dinner before shows, and the Voodoo Garden, in the adjoining courtyard, hosts outdoor live music on weekends. The Parish, a more intimate offshoot upstairs from the main house, books edgier, up-and-coming groups.
This New Orleans favorite has long been a premier venue and anchor of the Warehouse District club and music scene. With a great corner location in a converted warehouse, it hosts larger rock, funk, blues, Latin, and hip-hop shows nearly every night on the main stage, as well as comedy and burlesque shows. A side bar called The Den books more intimate events and offers a full bar with pub fare served until late.
Serious music lovers converge on this intimate lounge with a modern aesthetic. Top-notch local jazz and brass acts like the Glen David Andrews Band and the Brass-A-Holics are a refreshing change from the loud rock and blues cover bands that have become the Bourbon Street norm. There are multiple sets of local talent daily between 5 pm and midnight. There's no cover, but you can pay in advance (typically $20) for guaranteed preferred seating.
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