6 Best Bars in New Orleans, Louisiana

Created by devoted soccer fans from Belfast, this popular and expansive neighborhood bar opens up as early as 6 am for European soccer matches. Fan groups of all sports teams as well as neighborhood regulars flock here for its ample TVs, indoor and outdoor seating, pool and darts, and a kitchen serving tasty pub fare. On Monday night, there's popular and competitive trivia, and if you happen to be in town for St. Patrick's Day, don't miss their rollicking daylong festival.

It's impossible to miss this 24-hour video bar at the corner of St. Ann and Bourbon streets, especially in early evening, when the doors are open and the dance crowd spills into the street. There's usually a cover charge on Friday and Saturday night after 10 pm; Sunday afternoon is devoted to vintage videos by assorted gay icons.

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.

This well-worn favorite has a pool table, a jukebox stocked with the Pogues and Flogging Molly, and, of course, Guinness on draft. A small stage at the back hosts Irish musicians, singer-songwriters, and R&B or jazz musicians nightly with no cover charge. It's one of the last venues for Irish music in the Quarter.

Grab a perch almost any time of day at one of the best-known and most popular bars along the far stretch of Decatur Street, where you'll find perfect pints of Guinness, generously poured cocktails, and gregarious bartenders. From a window seat, you can watch the crowds of shop-goers, sightseers, and all-day revelers. Everyone from politicians to punk rockers eventually drifts through these doors.