If you’re hitting the big easy and want to get out and enjoy the nightlife, you have hundreds of choices at your fingertips. Although I could never narrow these down without missing some unusual spot, here are my top three bars in New Orleans that will make you want to stay forever.
3- The Carousel Bar
This circular bar in the heart of the classic Hotel Monteleon looks like it escaped a circus in the late 1800s. The primadonna of the french quarter, The Carousel Bar prides itself on unique (and strong!) cocktails and lively entertainment. The revolving bar will make you question if it’s the seats or the drinks leaving you dizzy, while live entertainment will attempt to will your heart into keeping the tempo.
Almost every acoustic singer for hire in New Orleans dreams of performing in this lounge, which means you’ll only get to enjoy the best of the best. If you want to feel like you’re getting whisked away to a dream world, while enjoying only the best of company, The Carousel Bar is the one for you.
If liquid spirits aren’t enough for you, the Carousel Bar boasts several ghost tours. NOLA is an old city, full of nightlife, why wouldn’t the ghosts want a bit of that?
2- The Sazerac Bar
Borrowing its name from history’s first known mixed drink, this bar in the Roosevelt hotel feels like steeping yourself in history. Beautiful art deco decor and smooth music make this the kind of bar you’ll want to come back to every night.
Easy to access, located downtown in the business district, this bar has beautiful original murals by local artist Paul Nunes that scream New Orleans. The drinks are classic, strong, and you won’t want to stop coming back until you’ve tried everything on the menu.
The Sazerac Bar is the only bar on the list that doesn’t boast a ghost, but it more than recovers from its lack of ghosts with how strong its liquid spirits are.
1- The Napoleon House
It’s borderline illegal to write an article about bars in New Orleans without mentioning the Napoleon House. Although a few locals may turn up their noses at it, more locals laud it as one of the best places to get a drink and relax.
Two hundred years old, this building offered to be a place of refuge for Napoleon during his exile, and although he never made it to Louisiana, the name stayed on.
It’s since lived many lives, starting as a bar in the early 1900s, and keeping the night crowds lively ever since.
It’s drinks, and music, send you back through time to when New Orleans was young, and the liquor flowed easily.
Just be careful; like most of NOLA, the Napoleon House is very superstitious. Tales often get told of ghosts who take up residence in the old building. Don’t worry, though! They only seem to play tricks on people who are mean or sour- and the moment you step into this bar, you won’t have a single worry to turn you sour.
