Most hotel bars trade on location. The Polo Club Lounge trades on a Sazerac, served two floors up at the Windsor Court inside a wood-panelled room that feels lifted from a private English club.
Published January 29, 2026 · By Daniel Okafor
Polo Club Lounge sits on the second-floor mezzanine of the Windsor Court Hotel at 300 Gravier Street, in the heart of the Central Business District a short walk from Canal Street. Robb Report named it the best spot in New Orleans for a Sazerac, crediting a bar program that treats the city's signature drink as a craft rather than a souvenir.
The room reads as old-world by design. Dark cherry wood, soft leather chairs, and illustrative polo murals set the tone, and a piano anchors the floor most evenings. It is the kind of bar built for a slow drink and a real conversation, not a quick round.
The room
The lounge runs along the mezzanine beside the hotel's Grill Room, with leather seating arranged for small groups and couples. The Windsor Court keeps the lighting low and the volume conversational, so the piano carries without forcing anyone to raise their voice. It holds one of the largest Cognac collections in the city behind the bar, a detail regulars on Tripadvisor mention as often as the cocktails.
What to order
Order the Sazerac first. Head bartender Roger Blais has poured more than 50,000 of them over two decades, a figure the hotel cites and reviewers repeat. From there the Cognac list rewards exploring, and the classics are built to spec rather than dumbed down for hotel traffic. Expect $$$ pricing in line with a serious cocktail room, which buys precision and a glass that lasts.
The crowd and best time to go
Hotel guests, downtown professionals, and out-of-towners who came for the music share the room. John Royen and David Boeddinghaus play piano in the early evening, and Bean N' the Boys take the Friday and Saturday late slots, so the energy lifts after 9pm on weekends. Go early in the week for a near-private nightcap, or after dinner on a Friday for the fuller live-music set.
What regulars say
Across Yelp and Tripadvisor the steady praise is the Sazerac, the piano, and the service, with the English-club setting called out as a calm break from the French Quarter. WWOZ lists the nightly piano program, an authority signal for the live-music side. The common caution is that it is a hotel lounge, so the dress leans smart and the bill runs higher than a Bourbon Street round.
Getting there
The Windsor Court stands at 300 Gravier Street between Magazine and Tchoupitoulas, a five-minute walk from the Canal Street streetcar lines and the foot of the French Quarter. Valet and several nearby garages cover drivers, and the lounge sits one floor above the lobby, so the way in is the hotel's main door rather than a side entrance. The location makes it an easy first or last stop on a Central Business District crawl, and the streetcar keeps it within reach of Uptown without a car.
Who it is for
This is for the cocktail enthusiast, the visitor chasing a proper Sazerac, and anyone working through New Orleans cocktail bars who wants a quiet, polished room. Skip it if you came for a loud night or a cheap pour. For the wider city, see the full New Orleans bar guide.
The verdict
Polo Club Lounge wins because it does one thing better than almost anyone in town and surrounds it with the right room. Come early, take a leather chair, and let Roger Blais build the Sazerac. For more classic New Orleans cocktails, compare the spinning Carousel Bar and the landmark Sazerac Bar. Our cocktail bars guide rounds out the night.
