New Orleans watches the game in black and gold. The Saints set the calendar, LSU owns the fall Saturdays, and the rooms split three ways. The big sports bars stack screens by the dozen for a full slate, the French Quarter spots put the game on a balcony over the street, and the neighborhood Saints rooms turn loud and local. A few of the best are Irish bars that also fill for soccer. These ten cover the city, from Poydras Street to the Irish Channel.
The Big-Screen Sports Bars
These rooms stack screens by the dozen and fill for a Saints Sunday or an LSU Saturday, so arrive early for the marquee games.
01
Walk-On's Sports Bistreaux
Poydras St$$50 screens / LSU home
Founded by two LSU walk-ons, Walk-On's downtown on Poydras runs fifty screens for up to 380 fans and serves Louisiana plates rather than standard bar food. It carries the full slate with sound on for the Saints and LSU, and dedicated fan sections fill for Tigers games. The scale and the gameday energy make it the easy first call near the Superdome.
Game day tip: Get there early before a Saints home game, since it is the closest big room to the Superdome.
02
Manning's
Harrah's$$30+ screens / Saints
Manning's, the Peyton and Eli family room at Harrah's on Fulton Street, is wrapped in over thirty flat screens and family football memorabilia. It seats a big Saints crowd, runs sound on for the home game and pours a deep beer list with elevated New Orleans plates. The location near the Superdome makes it a natural pre-game and game-day base.
Game day tip: Book a table for a Saints Sunday and walk over to the Superdome from Fulton Street afterward.
03
Tracey's Original Irish Channel Bar
Irish Channel$$32 screens / Saints crowd
Tracey's in the Irish Channel claims the title of the original neighborhood Saints bar, with thirty-two screens and room for 220 fans. The crowd is local and loyal, the roast beef po-boy is a institution, and the sound goes on for Saints and LSU. It is a classic uptown game-day room that fills fast on a home Sunday.
Game day tip: Order the roast beef po-boy and claim a high-top before a Saints kickoff.
04
Cooter Brown's Tavern
Riverbend$$84 beers / Full slate
Out by the Riverbend at the end of the streetcar line, Cooter Brown's runs eighty-four beers on tap and a wall of screens for a full football slate. Boudin balls, muffalettas, wings and oysters keep a big crowd fed through a long Sunday. It is an uptown institution that draws students, locals and Saints fans together.
Game day tip: Ride the St. Charles streetcar to the end and settle in for an all-day slate.
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French Quarter Game Day
In the Quarter the game goes up on a courtyard screen or a balcony over the street, with the crowd spilling out the door.
05
Mississippi River Bottom
French Quarter$100+ beers / Courtyard
Known as MRB, this hole-in-the-wall on Toulouse Street is the French Quarter game-day pick, with a clutch of screens, a huge beer list of over a hundred bottles and a courtyard that fills until folks spill out the door. It is loose, local and loud on a Saints Sunday, a real neighborhood room hidden inside the tourist Quarter.
Game day tip: Head for the courtyard when the front room packs out before a Saints kickoff.
06
Bourbon Heat
French Quarter$$13+ TVs / Bourbon St balcony
In the middle of the action on Bourbon Street, Bourbon Heat puts the game on more than a dozen screens and opens a fifty-foot balcony over the street. It is the spot when you want the Quarter atmosphere with the game still on, a courtyard-and-balcony room that turns into a party once the Saints score.
Game day tip: Get a balcony spot early for a Saints game with a view over Bourbon Street.
07
Bourbon Street Drinkery
217 Bourbon St$$Big screens / Balcony
A few doors down at 217 Bourbon, the Drinkery runs big-screen televisions, a balcony over the street and a kitchen serving game-day plates. It is a straightforward Quarter sports room, easy to walk into for a Saints Sunday when the French Quarter is the whole point and you still want the broadcast on with the sound up.
Game day tip: Use the balcony for the street view and step inside for sound on the key play.
Neighborhood Saints Rooms
Out in the neighborhoods the football turns local and loud, with regulars, cheap drinks and the headline game on every screen.
08
Finn McCool's
Mid-City$Irish / Saints, LSU and soccer
Finn McCool's in Mid-City is one of the most treasured neighborhood sports rooms in the city, an Irish bar that packs out for Saints and LSU and also draws the soccer crowd for early-morning Premier League kickoffs. It is a genuine locals' room with regulars, cheap drinks and a community feel the Quarter bars cannot fake.
Game day tip: Come early for an overseas soccer kickoff, when the Irish crowd is in full voice.
09
Bruno's Tavern
Maple St$10 TVs / Uptown locals
A staple on Maple Street since 1937, Bruno's is the uptown college and locals' room near Tulane and Loyola, with ten televisions, shuffleboard and pool to fill the lulls. The crowd skews students and longtime regulars, the drinks stay cheap, and the headline Saints or LSU game is always on. It is a no-frills neighborhood watch.
Game day tip: Best for an LSU Saturday with the uptown college crowd.
10
The Rusty Nail
Warehouse District$$275 whiskeys / Saints crowd
On the edge of the Warehouse District and the Lower Garden, The Rusty Nail is a small neighborhood bar that pulls a crowd for the Saints game and pours over 275 whiskeys. The patio and the easy local feel make it a relaxed alternative to the big rooms, with the game on and a serious brown-spirits list to work through.
Game day tip: Sit on the patio for a Saints afternoon game and order from the whiskey list.
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Game Day Questions
Where is the best sports bar in New Orleans?
Walk-On's Sports Bistreaux on Poydras Street is the biggest, with fifty screens, an LSU fan section and Louisiana plates a short walk from the Superdome. Manning's at Harrah's and Tracey's in the Irish Channel are the other top rooms for a Saints Sunday.
Where can I watch the Saints game in the French Quarter?
Mississippi River Bottom on Toulouse is the local favorite, with over a hundred beers and a courtyard that fills until folks spill out. Bourbon Heat and Bourbon Street Drinkery both put the game on big screens with balconies over Bourbon Street.
Where do locals watch the Saints?
Tracey's in the Irish Channel calls itself the original neighborhood Saints bar, and Finn McCool's in Mid-City is a treasured locals' room for Saints, LSU and soccer. Bruno's on Maple Street draws the uptown college crowd.
Where can I watch LSU football in New Orleans?
Walk-On's runs dedicated LSU fan sections and was founded by two LSU walk-ons. Tracey's, Cooter Brown's by the Riverbend and Bruno's near Tulane and Loyola all fill with Tiger fans on a fall Saturday.
Our Verdict on Game Day in New Orleans
Match the room to the day. For a Saints Sunday near the Superdome, Walk-On's and Manning's are the big-screen calls, with Tracey's the classic neighborhood pick. For the Quarter, Mississippi River Bottom keeps it local while Bourbon Heat gives you the balcony. For an LSU Saturday or a soccer morning, Finn McCool's and Bruno's deliver the loudest local crowd. Arrive early on a home Sunday.
How We Picked
Every bar on this list was checked against its own current listing plus at least one independent guide before publishing, and ranked on the game day specifics that matter: screen count and sight lines, the channels and feeds available, the leagues shown, the crowd, and how the room handles a marquee night. We exclude venues we could not verify as open and showing live sport. For the method behind every game day guide, see our pillar guide to watching the game.
