Editorial
The best bars in New Orleans have been here longer than most of the buildings in cities that consider themselves sophisticated. New Orleans invented the cocktail, invented the American concept of the bar as social institution, and has spent the past two centuries refining what it built. The best bars in New Orleans right now include rooms that have been operating for over a century and newcomers that have absorbed everything the old guard knows. Here's where to start.
New Orleans's cocktail culture is so embedded in the city's identity that it is possible to drink historically here in a way that isn't available anywhere else in America. The Sazerac was invented on Exchange Alley. The Vieux Carré was created at the Monteleone. The French 75 is named after the gun that felt like the cocktail going down. These are not trivial claims. If you want to turn these recommendations into a full evening on foot, our editors have mapped a complete bar-hopping guide to the French Quarter — nine bars across Chartres Street, Bourbon, and the Roosevelt, sequenced for pace and stamina.
Frenchmen Street in the Marigny is where New Orleans locals actually go to hear live music. The scene here is nothing like Bourbon Street — the musicians are better, the venues are smaller, and the drinks are cheaper. Several blocks of bars and clubs run most nights until the musicians decide to stop, which is rarely before 2am.
New Orleans has hidden gem bars in the most literal sense — rooms that have been operating for decades without ever attracting tourist attention, and newer spots that the local population has claimed before anyone thought to write about them. These are our picks from both categories.
New Orleans is the only American city where the history of the cocktail and the current cocktail scene are impossible to separate. Drink the classics here — the Sazerac, the French 75, the Vieux Carré — because this is where they belong and where they taste best. Then go to Cure to understand what those classics look like when extended by people who love them. Then go to Frenchmen Street and let the jazz determine the rest of your evening. For a neighbourhood-by-neighbourhood bar crawl route, read our New Orleans bar crawl guide.
James has been visiting New Orleans since 2010 and considers it the most important American city for understanding cocktail history. He has strong opinions about the correct base spirit for a French 75.
Five editor-curated guides, each ten bars, each tuned to a specific moment. The New Orleans bars our editors send first dates to, and the ones we send proposals to, and everything between.
Last reviewed April 30, 2026 by the barsforKings editorial team