12 Best Hidden Gems in New Orleans

Barrel Proof is the best whiskey bar in New Orleans that most visitors never find. The 1,000-bottle collection is encyclopedic, covering every major American whiskey region and a 60-bottle Japanese section. No cocktails, no mixers, no nonse

The Columns is one of the great undiscovered hotel bars in America. The Victorian mansion on St. Charles Avenue was built in 1883, and the bar inside operates as if time moves differently here. The wraparound porch overlooking the St. Charl

Hidden inside the Maison de la Luz hotel, Bar Marilou operates as if it is doing you a favor by existing. The velvet banquettes, low lighting, and French-leaning cocktail menu attract a creative-class crowd that dresses the part. The bar cl

Sidney's is what New Orleans bar culture looked like before cocktail culture arrived: a narrow room, cheap beer, a pool table, and whoever turns up. Located on St. Bernard Avenue in the Tremé, it operates as both a neighborhood bar and an u

Named for the Prohibition-era offshore limit where rum-runners operated, Twelve Mile Limit is the most beloved neighborhood bar in Mid-City. The drinks are genuinely good and cost what neighborhood bars used to cost before craft cocktail in

Bacchanal operates as a wine shop during the day and transforms into a wine bar and live music venue by evening. The backyard stage hosts musicians nightly. You pick a bottle from the shop at retail price, pay a small corkage fee, and carry

Bar Tonique sits on N. Rampart Street at the edge of the French Quarter, which means tourists almost never find it. The cocktail menu is organized by base spirit and runs to 40 drinks, all priced below $12. Bartenders here have been on the

Pal's is a Mid-City institution with no pretensions and an extraordinary loyalty from the people who live nearby. Open until 4am 7 nights a week, it is where the city's service industry workers drink after their shifts. The jukebox is impec

Snake and Jake's runs Christmas lights year-round in a room so dark you can barely see across it. This is the legendary Uptown dive that New Orleanians claim as a civic treasure. It opens at 7pm and closes at 6am. The drinks are cheap and p

Parasol's is the anchor bar of the Irish Channel neighborhood, which has housed New Orleans' Irish community since the 1830s. St. Patrick's Day here is a genuine neighborhood festival rather than a tourist event. The roast beef po' boy serv

Feelings Cafe hides behind a white-painted Creole cottage in the Marigny, recognizable only by a small sign and the glow from its piano bar inside. The cocktail menu is short and well-executed; the courtyard fountain makes every drink taste

A scruffy, beloved Warehouse District bar that has been pulling in artists, musicians, and night-shift workers since 1993. The Rusty Nail is not trying to be anything other than what it is: a comfortable, unpretentious place to drink at any