98 Best Bars in New Orleans, Louisiana

Across the street from the convention center, this large venue seats 400, and the dance floor quickly fills with couples twirling and two-stepping to authentic Cajun bands from the countryside. Regulars love to drag first-timers to the floor for impromptu lessons. The home-style Cajun cuisine is acceptable, but what matters is the nightly music.

The only gay bar in New Orleans that's also attached to a large hotel, this narrow space is in the heart of St.-Ann-and-Bourbon gay central; it's a must-visit during the annual Southern Decadence festival. The comfy sofas and handsome bartenders are a plus, and the crowd tends to be a bit dressier than at similar venues.

This 1960s-style coffeehouse attracts an artsy crowd, including adventurous local high schoolers who want to hear live music, but can't get into the bars yet. Sofas, chessboards, laid-back counter service, and a bulletin board encourage an intimacy unmatched in most other cafés. On Sunday night there's an open mike for aspiring musicians. On other nights, a string of singer-songwriters and contemporary or traditional folk artists perform. It's a 20-minute cab ride from downtown and opens every night at 7 pm.

Serious wine drinkers line up for this four-day celebration of Bacchus over Memorial Day weekend. Popular events include a series of vintner dinners at local restaurants, a wine-fueled stroll through the shops of Royal Street, and the two-day Grand Tasting, where nearly 75 restaurants serve food and 1,000 different wines are poured.

The dark windows give no hint of the sleek, modern lounge inside. This sophisticated spot for grown-ups to mingle over glasses of wine and gourmet nibbles draws professionals from Uptown and the nearby suburbs. Jazz and folk musicians perform Friday and Saturday.

In its 200-year history, this low-key oasis with its famous marble absinthe fountain has served guests including Oscar Wilde, Mark Twain, Franklin Roosevelt, and Frank Sinatra. It's now mostly frequented by tourists and casual local characters who appreciate a good brewski or cocktail to go. Thousands of business cards stapled to the wall serve as interesting wallpaper. Walk through the courtyard next door to find Belle Epoque, a speakeasy-style lounge and sophisticated extension of Old Absinthe House.

This former Toulouse Street theater hosts rock bands, as well as local up-and-comers, '80s nights, and even the occasional female arm-wrestling competition. The 19th-century saloon interior provides an appropriately decadent backdrop for Fleur de Tease, the resident burlesque troupe.

A spacious dance club that mainly attracts young gay men also draws straight men and women, largely because of the scarcity of good dance floors in the French Quarter. It's open around the clock and tends to peak very late.

Tucked away in a quiet residential neighborhood, this hipster hangout updated a neighborhood bar with the kind of carefully designed run-down vibe that might make Tom Waits smile. All the details are there, down to the soft-core porn on the restroom walls. The bar regularly hosts beloved pop-up restaurants serving Thai, Mexican, and Cajun food.

Banjo player Danny Barker immortalized this restaurant in his song "Palm Court Strut." Traditional New Orleans jazz is presented in a timeless setting with tile floors, exposed-brick walls, and a handsome mahogany bar. There are decent creature comforts here; regional cuisine is served, and you can sit at the bar and rub elbows with local musicians. A wide selection of records and CDs are available for sale.

High-energy disco is the rule at this dance club above the Bourbon Pub. If it gets to be too much, a quieter back bar and a balcony offer respite. The crowd is mostly male and young, but women are welcome.

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.

Sure, it's touristy, but there are reasons Pat O's has been a must-stop on the New Orleans drinking trail since Prohibition. Friendly staff, an easy camaraderie among patrons, and a signature drink—the pink, fruity, and extremely potent Hurricane, which comes with a souvenir glass—all make this French Quarter stalwart a pleasant afternoon diversion. There's plenty of room to spread out, from the elegant side bar and piano bar that flank the carriageway entrance to the lush (and in winter, heated) patio. Expect a line on weekend nights, and if you don't want your glass, return it for the deposit.

Dapper Patrick Van Hoorebeek holds court at his wine bar in a clubby atmosphere of dark wood and red upholstery. Wines by the glass are the specialty, but there's also an excellent selection of cocktails and beers, including Van Hoorebeek's own Belgian brew. Major oenophiles can rent personal wine lockers. Only a few steps from Bourbon Street, Bar Vin feels like another world. It opens at noon on Friday to catch the lunch crowd.

This lounge bills itself as a "Leather/Levi Neighborhood Alternative Bar," and that's a pretty apt description. The downstairs bar is a popular Marigny nightspot, with a calendar of special events and themed parties, including the International Mr. Leather Contest. The upstairs bar, called The Eagle, is notorious for its "anything goes" atmosphere.

Behind the tinted windows of this corner bar, find a red-vinyl-clad hipster hangout and stylish social hub with a throwback ambience. In addition to crawfish boils on Friday afternoons (in season), the place runs offbeat specials—on Monday night, for example, 10 bucks gets you a shot and a haircut—and it's prime real estate on costume holidays like Mardi Gras and Halloween.

As the name indicates, this is a rowdy—and sexually charged—leather-and-Levi's gay bar. It's two blocks from Bourbon Street and is open around the clock.

Part of the new generation of music venues in the Warehouse District, this rock club retains the rough-timbered feel of the cotton-and-grain warehouse it used to be. The club books touring hip-hop stars and rock bands as well as local acts, and DJs take over the sound system late at night for popular dance parties.

Down-home Louisiana music, rockabilly, R&B, and New Orleans swing in a bowling alley? Go ahead: try not to have fun. This iconic venue has a terrific lineup of music Wednesday through Saturday. Thursday is Cajun, Zydeco, and Swamp Pop Night, when some of the best musicians from rural Louisiana take the stage. The Front Porch Grill serves burgers made from grass-fed Louisiana beef.

Nestled in between the overhead highway and a series of converted 18th-century warehouses, this discreet neighborhood bar can be difficult to find. With lively DJs and football crowds, a great selection of scotches, a gorgeous renovated patio, frequent visits by food trucks, and even the occasional play reading, it's worth the trek to get here.

This intimate club with a sometimes-steep cover charge is one of the city's best rooms to soak up modern jazz. It is the home base of such esteemed talent as vocalist Charmaine Neville, who plays every Monday, and pianist-patriarch Ellis Marsalis (father of Wynton and Branford). The dining room serves good local food but is best known for its burgers.

No need to book a ticket to the United Kingdom when this cozy bar so faithfully re-creates a British pub. Even the daily newspapers come from the other side of the pond. Accordingly, you can count on a well-poured pint and warm company.

A young, Uptown professional crowd packs this narrow bar known for its blueberry mojitos and religious-themed decor. The narrow front bar has more crosses than a Catholic church; the back patio, strung with Chinese lanterns and decorated with statues of Asian deities, is a "Caribbean Zen temple," in the owner's words.

Each July, the annual Tales of the Cocktail, billed as "the most spirited event of the summer," brings thousands of experts and enthusiasts together for an internationally acclaimed, five-day celebration dedicated to the artistry and science of making drinks. In addition to enjoying some of "the best cocktails ever made," attendees participate in dinners, demonstrations, tastings, competitions, seminars, book signings, tours, and parties.

Beer lovers from around the globe make a beeline to this 24-hour neighborhood joint with pressed-tin ceilings. Boasting the best beer selection in New Orleans, 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.

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, but during crawfish season, boiled mudbugs from the seafood market across the street are the preferred fare.

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.