Best cocktail bars in New Orleans

Ten bars worth the trip, from the Carousel’s revolving bar and the Roosevelt’s Sazerac Bar to a Bourbon Street jazz club and an alley bar known for absinthe.

Blog New Orleans barsNovember 8, 2026

Each bar here has its own page: where it is, its story, what to drink, what to know before you go, and photos of the place. They’re in alphabetical order, and the list will keep growing.

Backspace Bar & Kitchen139 Chartres StreetA book-minded bar at 139 Chartres Street, with author-named sandwiches, a fireplace, and a status worth confirming before you go.
Beachbum Berry’s Latitude 29Bienville House HotelJeff Berry’s tiki bar and restaurant in the Bienville House, with vintage recipes, house originals, and a PolynAsian kitchen.
Burgundy BarThe Saint Hotel, Autograph CollectionThe Saint Hotel’s cocktail lounge, with sin-named drinks, live jazz, and the Gluttony behind Charles’s Coconut Sin.
The Carousel Bar & LoungeHotel MonteleoneHotel Monteleone’s revolving bar, home of the Vieux Carré and a stop for Faulkner, Williams, and Capote.
Empire Bar at Broussard’sBroussard’sThe Empire Bar at Broussard’s, 819 Conti Street: a decade-by-decade cocktail menu, a wisteria courtyard, and Paul Gustings behind the bar.
Fritzel’s European Jazz Club733 Bourbon StreetTraditional jazz in a 1969 Bourbon Street room that bills itself as the oldest operating jazz club in New Orleans.
The Jazz PlayhouseRoyal Sonesta New OrleansTicketed live jazz, brass, and a Friday burlesque night in the lobby of the Royal Sonesta on Bourbon Street.
Napoleon House500 Chartres Street, at St. Louis StreetThe Napoleon House at 500 Chartres Street: the building, the Impastato family, the room, the Pimm’s Cup, and the warm muffuletta.
Pirate’s Alley Cafe622 Pirate’s Alley, beside St. Louis CathedralPirate’s Alley Cafe at 622 Pirate’s Alley: the alley, the Faulkner house next door, the absinthe, and the U.S. ban that ended in 2007.
The Sazerac BarThe Roosevelt New OrleansThe Roosevelt’s hotel bar, home of the Sazerac, the Ramos Gin Fizz, and a 1949 protest that may have been a publicity stunt.

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