Lounges in New Orleans

New Orleans's craft cocktail lounge scene extends from the French Quarter into the Marigny and Bywater — a city where the extraordinary invention of the Sazerac, the Ramos Gin Fizz, the Hurricane, and dozens of other American cocktail staples gives cocktail culture a depth unmatched in any other American city. New Orleans's remarkable cocktail invention legacy and its extraordinary living cocktail culture create lounge experiences of singular American mixological historical significance.

Blue Nile is Frenchman Street's most beloved music lounge — a Marigny establishment presenting the finest funk, soul, R&B, and hip-hop alongside traditional jazz in an intimate two-floor setting that represents New Orleans' music culture at its most genuinely diverse. New Orleans' extraordinary musical ecosystem creates venues like Blue Nile where multiple musical traditions coexist in a single room, reflecting the city's unique capacity to contain all of American music within its borders.

Buffa's is one of New Orleans' most beloved neighborhood bars — an Esplanade Avenue institution presenting live music seven nights a week in the most authentic non-tourist New Orleans bar atmosphere available to visitors. The Tremé neighborhood's extraordinary African American cultural heritage (the oldest continuously inhabited African American neighborhood in the United States), combined with Buffa's genuine community spirit, creates a bar experience that represents the most authentic face of New Orleans hospitality.

Cure is New Orleans's most celebrated craft cocktail bar, the driving force behind the city's cocktail renaissance and a James Beard Award semifinalist. The Uptown Freret Street bar showcases complex house cocktails in an elegant but unfussy setting.

French 75 Bar at Arnaud's is one of New Orleans's most historic cocktail destinations — a French Quarter bar presenting one of the finest collections of vintage cognac in the world and an extraordinary selection of classic New Orleans cocktails. Arnaud's extraordinary 100+ year heritage (founded 1918) and French 75 Bar's remarkable cocktail expertise create a lounge of singular New Orleans fine dining and cocktail historical significance.

Jewel of the South is New Orleans's most acclaimed craft cocktail bar — a Tremé neighborhood institution named for an 1840 punch recipe discovered by cocktail historian Philip Greene. Jewel of the South's extraordinary cocktail research (it serves historically accurate 19th-century New Orleans cocktail recipes) and its remarkable Tremé location (the oldest African American neighborhood in America) create a cocktail lounge of genuine New Orleans cultural and historical significance.

Loa Bar at the International House Hotel in the Central Business District is one of New Orleans's most acclaimed cocktail bars, a candlelit lounge where the cocktail menu changes with the phases of the moon and bartenders are trained in the city's deep cocktail heritage. An elegant respite from the French Quarter's rowdier drinking scene.

New Orleans' Bywater neighborhood is one of the most authentically creative communities in the American South — a Creole cottage neighborhood where artists, musicians, and writers have created one of the most genuinely alternative entertainment cultures in Louisiana. Bywater's concentration of independent bars, natural wine shops, and creative studios creates an entertainment environment shaped by the city's most genuinely experimental creative community.

Peristyle at the Four Seasons New Orleans is a rooftop bar and terrace atop the renovated World Trade Center building, offering panoramic views of the Mississippi River, French Quarter rooftops, and the Canal Street corridor. The opening of the Four Seasons brought one of New Orleans's most spectacular cocktail view experiences to the city.

The Bombay Club is a sophisticated cocktail lounge in the French Quarter renowned for its martini menu — over 100 variations — and nightly live jazz piano. The British colonial-themed interior with leather chairs and dim lighting creates an intimate atmosphere for cocktail connoisseurs visiting the gaming and entertainment district.

The Davenport Lounge at the Ritz-Carlton New Orleans is a sophisticated lobby bar featuring nightly live jazz, an exceptional cocktail program, and refined Southern hospitality. One of the most elegant settings in New Orleans to experience live jazz with a classic cocktail — the Davenport balances hotel luxury with authentic New Orleans music culture.

The Loa Bar at International House Hotel is one of New Orleans's most creative cocktail lounges — named for the spirits (loae) of Haitian Vodou, with cocktails built around seasonal Louisiana produce, local spirits, and voodoo-inspired naming. The hotel bar's intimate scale and inventive programme make it a destination for serious cocktail drinkers visiting the city's gaming district.