Where To Drink In The French Quarter Away From Bourbon Street
Bourbon Street gets most of the attention, but some of the French Quarter’s most interesting bars are found on Decatur, Chartres, Toulouse and the streets in between. I’ve spent plenty of time exploring them over the years, and this is my firsthand guide to drinking in the French Quarter beyond Bourbon Street. This article is always being updated but the beauty of New Orleans is that tradition matters and a lot of the places go on and on year after year.
By Kevin Wilkerson, PubClub.com New Orleans Nightlife Blogger
There is more to partying it up in New Orleans than Bourbon Street.
The rest of the French Quarter is good for quenching one’s thirst for fun and a New Orleans-style experience.
This is a look at the bars off Bourbon Street, fun places that are good for mixing not only with visitors but also spots that are favorites of locals.
Decatur Street Bars & Hangouts
A locals’ dive, Coops, is a small place with brick walls, a brick floor and wood tables, it can boast to having New Orelans’ Best Bloody Mary and Best Margarita. The food is great – big burgers, tasty red beans and rice with fried chicken and the heartiest gumbo in the city. Order off the big menu on the wall, not off the printed menu.
Another bar that’s one of the Best French Quarter Hangouts Not On Bourbon Street is a small place called The Alibi Bar & Grill. Located on Iberville just off Bourbon, it is where locals in the lower Quarter go to hang. It has the city’s most extensive international beer selection – Germany, England, Scotland, Canada, just to name a few represented countries – and it’s casual style attracts waitresses and bartenders from the nearby restaurants who come in after work. The Alibi is also one of the few places in the Quarter that serves food past 11 p.m.
Chartres Street & Historic French Quarter Bars
Over on Chartres Street, some of the cheapest drinks in town are served at The Chart Room. Not to be at all confused with that upscale American restaurant chain with a similar name, the Chart Room is an old bar that looks like it will fall down. But it’s a popular locals’ spot for Happy Hour and mid-to-late nights. It’s a classic local bar – cold, cheap beer ($2.50 for imports), patrons who look likely to have their heads on the bar before too long and a bartender who has probably been there since the place opened.
A couple of blocks up the street (at St. Louis) is one of the most historic buildings in town. Napoleon House, which was built for but never lived in by the famous French leader, is both a bar and a restaurant. Classical music plays in a classical setting. The bar area is open to the street and the restaurant has the kind of patio one envisions when thinking of New Orleans. It is a good place for a few drinks or a meal but be prepared for the very deliberate French service.
Toulouse Street Bars & Late-Night Nightlife
Toulouse Street, about halfway down Bourbon, has four good bars (go toward the Mississippi River).
The Gold Mine is a weekend-only late-night dance club. Try the Flaming Dr. Pepper.
The Dungeon could almost be my favorite New Orleans bar. It’s neat and funky. The entrance is a narrow hallway that opens up into a small patio with a tiny waterfall. Upstairs has a bar and dance floor that plays kickass rock and punk tunes of the patrons’ choice. It is black and dark and has the feel of, well, a dungeon. But it also has this Big Brother thing to it. You can’t do shots with the bartender/music girl, photos are not allowed and there are Secret Service-style security guys with headsets watching over everyone as if they are suspected terrorists. At least there’s no trouble in the place, a contrast to its past when the bikers from the bar across the street used to come in and act like drunken bikers.
For live music, locals once loved to love the Shim Sham Club. It’s currently The Joker, which has live music, often with a heavty cover charge. We include it mainly for nostalgia purposes; the original had awesome local bands, some of which din’t even go on until 3 a.m. Whenever the Shim-Shamettes took the stage, the place went nuts. These 20 girls put on an old-style striptease show.
Live Music Bars
For live music – and people here love to hear live music – is Tipitina’s and the House of Blues. The original Tipitina’s is at 501 Napoleon Avenue, outside the French Quarter. The French Quarter North Peters location opened in 1998 and subsequently closed. The House of Blues books name national rock acts. On Mondays, it’s SIN Night (Service Industry Night) and while there’s no band, the place is packed with locals from other bars and restaurants enjoying a night off from work.
Margaritaville Cafe Is Closed
For those wondring about Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville Cafe it is, unfortunately, permamently closed. Or perhaps temporarily permamently closed as Buffet might have said.
Kevin Wilkerson is the founder of PubClub.com, an award-winning journalist and nightlife expert who has covered destinations, events and nightlife for more than two decades. While working as a newspaper reporter, he received an Associated Press award for investigative journalism. He has been to New Orleans many times.
Next Stops on the New Orleans Party Bus
• New Orleans Complete City Guide
• The Best Bars On Bourbon Street
• The Do’s And Dont’s Of Bourbon Street
• Hit Hard By The Hand Grenades On Bourbon Street
• Locals Bars – Frenchman Street, Warehouse District & Beyond
• Post Party Sightseeing Guide