In one of our latest posts, we wrote about five of our favorite spots to drink wine in New Orleans. But New Orleans is a city with so many options, why limit yourself to just wine? During our trip to New Orleans in May 2019, we explored a few tried-and-true favorites and new spots to drink in New Orleans. While you probably wouldn’t order wine at the places listed below, we’ll touch on a few more great spots to grab a great drink in New Orleans.
1) The Club Ms. Mae’s
The Club Ms. Mae’s is a 24/7 dive bar on the corner of Magazine and Napoleon which offers a wide range of affordable beverages. Our suggestion is to come to Ms. Mae’s for morning screwdrivers ($3 for a small or $4 for a large) before setting out for the day. If you’re not the kind of person who wants to start drinking at 9 AM, you can stop by for a nightcap or in between sightseeing.
Entertainment options are aplenty. If you’re lucky, Golden Girls might be on television. If not, enjoy the pool table or one of the arcade-style poker games. Ms. Mae’s is a dive in the absolute best way.
2) The Courtyard Brewery
The Courtyard Brewery is hands-down my favorite brewery in New Orleans. When I lived in NOLA, my group of friends came to Courtyard at least once a week.
The interior itself is tiny, offering maybe 20 assorted chairs, benches, and stools to sit on. A TV often plays whatever major sporting events are happening.
My favorite way to experience Courtyard is outside on the patio, which is where most of the seating is. With 15 beers on tap, Courtyard has something to suit a variety of beer preferences.
Its unassuming yet intimate vibe nestled on a tiny street in the Lower Garden District makes it the perfect contrast to the sights, sounds, and smells of the French Quarter. If you decide to stop by, nearby Barrel Proof is also worth a visit.
3) Bar Tonique
This spot is at the top of the French Quarter, right across from Louis Armstrong park. Several of the New Orleans Free Tours by Foot tours start at Mr. Gregory’s which is right down the block.
While Bar Tonique features a wide variety of cocktails with excellently balanced flavors, the Bloody Mary special is a true stand-out. It even comes with a strip of bacon laid neatly on top.
On our latest trip to New Orleans, we stopped at Bar Tonique for a round of drinks before setting out to the French Quarter.
Here, you can sip a well-crafted cocktail in the cozy interior, or grab a To-Go drink before hitting the main sites of the Quarter.
By grabbing a drink here first, you can avoid the sugar-bomb “Hand Grenades” and other similar drinks found on nearby Bourbon Street.
4) Commander’s Palace 3 Martini Lunch
Commander’s Palace is a long-standing institution in New Orleans. While the dinner menu can be extremely pricy, Commander’s Palace offers a relatively affordable Three-Martini Lunch during the week.
With the price of an entrée, you can order up to three 25-cent martinis from the bar. If regular martinis aren’t your thing, they also offer various flavors. When we went, they had Cosmopolitan (a good choice for Sex and the City fans), Melon, and Citrus, which I found to be the most interesting.
Others in our group tried the traditional martini. They thought that this option was well-prepared and decently strong. If you’re free on a weekday in New Orleans, this is a great option and lets you experience the old-school Three-Martini Lunch.
There are hundreds, if not thousands of great places to grab a drink in New Orleans. These are just a few of the places we visited on our most recent trip.
Have a bar you’d recommend? Send us a message at info@winewithourfamily.com. Always feel free to reach out to us with any questions or feedback.
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