OT: Best places for live music in NOLA. Going there for a bachelor party for a long weekend.
- Thread starter PennsylvaniaPride
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Cover Bands Bourbon Street. Jazz and party jazz….Frenchman’s.
Frenchman Street is the place to go.
Concur--but also see if the Old Mint has a free concert (they have a concert program, in the hall upstairs). We went to a pretty good one last time there.
Yeah, the best bet is to go to Frenchman Street. There are six or seven clubs that will have live music all clustered together. This is walkable from Bourbon Street (long walk but doable) or a short uber ride.
The other place you might want to check out is the Maple Leaf. Less touristy, great dive bar space, awesome courtyard, slightly bigger named artists.
CALENDAR OF EVENTS | mapleleafbar
It isn't near other music venues but is on the same block as an amazing restaurant, so it might be worth the uber ride out there.
Jacques Imo's Cafe | Real New Orleans Food
Jacques-Imo's Cafe is one of the hottest tickets in New Orleans for anyone looking for "real Nawlin' food." Find us uptown at 8324 Oak Street.
jacques-imos.com
Definitely will need a reservation for dinner (they take reservations for parties of 5 or more).
My wife went to Tulane and keeps a list of new orleans recos. Will grab that and throw it up. She says its geared towards people closer to 21. Which is probably exactly what you want for a bachelor party in new orleans.
Bourbon Street jazzy spots:
- the Jazz Playhouse
- Fritzel's Jazz Pub
For more locally-rooted music jazz venues, near bourbon street:
Preservation Hall, 21st Amendment, or the Bombay Club
Frenchmen Street hot spots include:
-Snug Harbor,
-The Spotted Cat, .
-DBA,
- the Jazz Playhouse
- Fritzel's Jazz Pub
For more locally-rooted music jazz venues, near bourbon street:
Preservation Hall, 21st Amendment, or the Bombay Club
Frenchmen Street hot spots include:
-Snug Harbor,
-The Spotted Cat, .
-DBA,
Definitely Frenchmen Street as has been suggested. I would add Blue Nile to the list of clubs to check out there.
The Maple Leaf on Oak Street is a short Uber ride away from the Quarter.
If you there on a Thursday I highly recommend Vaughan’s Lounge in the Bywater…they just started back up with their Thursday nights featuring Cory Henry and the Treme Funktet…
The Maple Leaf on Oak Street is a short Uber ride away from the Quarter.
If you there on a Thursday I highly recommend Vaughan’s Lounge in the Bywater…they just started back up with their Thursday nights featuring Cory Henry and the Treme Funktet…
Last time I was there, we heard good rock cover band at Famous Door. Band was named Dysfunction Band. Guitarist was skilled! Good Jazz to be found as above if that is your preference. The Soul Rebels are pretty awesome if they are playing while you are there.
Apologies in advance for the length and some if it being irrelevant. Wife made this list after getting requests for recos from all of her friends that were visiting over the years.
MUST VISIT
· Take a streetcar down St. Charles
· Do a lap around St. Louis Cathedral
· Bourbon Street; it’s not the ONLY place to go out in NOLA, but a fun one
· Royal Street (one block off Bourbon) has really cool galleries
· Frenchman on the outskirts of the French Quarter where the BEST live music is
MUST EAT
· A po boy! I suggest Mothers or ACME, both downtown near the hotel
· Beignets from Café Du Monde on Decatur; red beans and rice, jambalaya, etouffee, crawfish, chargrilled oysters, alligator cheesecake
MUST DRINK
· Pat O’Briens Hurricane
· Abita beer; Nola’s own
· Hand grenades on Bourbon St.
· Frozen Daiquiri; shops are all over downtown, or you can get one from the drive thru near the airport
Suggested Restaurants:
· Lunch: Port of Call (burgers, casual), Stanleys in Jackson Square, Acme or Mother’s (po boy), Cochon Butcher (casual lunch version of well-known dinner spot), Commander’s Palace (fancy but very special), Camellia Grill (diner near campus, good for lunch or breakfast), Gumbo Shop in the Quarter, Tajague’s
· Dinner: Antoine’s, Brennan’s, Arnaud’s (classic old-school), K-Paul’s or NOLA (NOLA Chef faves), Upperline or Clancey’s (family-owned near Tulane), Borgne (in the Hyatt, by my fave Chef, casual), Coop’s Place (hole in the wall on Decatur), Bourbon House in the Quarter, Dick and Jenny’s, Muriel’s in Jackson Square
· Jaques-imos; my favorite NOLA restaurant; located in Garden District
o If the wait is long you can get a beer and listen to music next door at the Maple Leaf
· Cool bars for good music: Le Bon Temps Roule, Maple Leaf, Circle Bar (at Lee’s Circle), Tipitina’s
+++++++++++,
Restaurants
Breakfast/Brunch:
1.Brennan’s- flagship of the Brennan’s family restaurants. Heavy meal.
2. The Columns Hotel- has the feel of a genteel pre-Civil War mansion. Located on St. Charles, has Sunday Jazz brunch, best if weather is nice to sit outside.
3. Café Du Monde- great atmosphere, legendary beignets, cheap and quick. Note: strategically sit yourself away from the wind so that powdered sugar does not engulf your wardrobe.
4. Court of Two Sisters – beautiful restaurant with lovely courtyard. Has great Saturday Jazz Brunch with traditional NOLA fare
5. Palace Café- located on Canal Street in a historic landmark; you can hop off the streetcar to get to this very popular NOLA spot
6. Antoine’s or Arnaud’s – both require jackets but offer the quintessential jazz brunch
7. Stanleys – located in Jackson Square; put your name in, grab a Bloody Mary next door from Muriel’s and get a casual brunch; I recommend the
8. Willa Jean - grab a pastry
Lunch (and po’boys)
1. Acme Oyster House- watch out for the Peacemaker; it’s one intense sandwich.
2. Mother’s- lines on the weekends but worth the wait. Order the Ferdi special po’boy.
3. Domilise’s- located in the Garden District neighborhood on Annunciation St. Might be shocking to some outsiders, but food is delish.
4. Camelia Grill – vintage diner located uptown, on the River Bend near Tulane campus; great for extra-large omelets and hamburgers.
5. Frankie & Johnny's – great neighborhood spot. Casual restaurant with gingham tablecloths and great crawfish.
6. Gumbo Shop – tucked away in the French Quarter. Great sampling of Creole food, and the gumbo is a must!
7. Central Grocery- across from the French Market. Made the “Muffuletta” sandwich famous.
8. Cochon Butcher - the casual, walk-up sandwich counter of the nicer Cochon restaurant by John Besh.
10. Turkey & the Wolf - Bon App best restaurant, sandwiches
Dinner: New Orleans classics:
1. K-Paul’s Louisiana Kitchen- the Mecca of Cajun cuisine, reasonably priced for amazing seafood.
2. Galatoire’s, Arnaud’s and Antoine’s- French/Creole cuisine. Best places to mingle with old money locals. Jacket required.
3. Restaurant August-a departure from Creole, but acclaimed and revered. Very fancy and expensive.
5. Cafe Atchafalaya, Tujagues, Broussards - local fare
6. Coop's Place - total hole in the wall near river and Jackson Square.
Dinner: Uptown/Garden District
1. Brigtsen's, Upperline, Clancey’s- all located “uptown” near Tulane. Wonderful family-owned restaurants with delicious, albeit, a bit pricy menus. Go here for a nice dinner with many courses and classic NOLA food.
3. Jacque-Imo’s- fun atmosphere and good food. Not expensive and party-vibe. Wait could be very long on a weekend evening and you could end up dining at a table in a truckbed! Order the gator cheesecake.
4. Dick and Jenny’s- this cottage serves fine NOLA dining in a causal setting.
5. Port of Call- located on outer edge of French Quarter. Best place to get a burger in NOLA. Order a burger with an enormous baked potato and a Monsoon to drink!
6. NOLA, Emeril’s, Delmonico – all of Emeril’s restaurants, listed in order of my favorite. I adore the red fish at NOLA.
7. Commander’s Palace- one of a kind NOLA institution. Classic and beautiful décor, the finest table service and delicious food. Go for the 25 cent martini lunch and be sure to order the turtle soup.
8. Stella, Iris, Lilette- very fancy places that I, unfortunately, have not had the opportunity to dine at.
9. Borgne another John Besh restaurant, he’s newest. Located in the Hyatt. Can be casual.
10. Restaurant R’evolution – new restaurant by Rick Tramonto; haven’t been but heard great things!
11. SoBu – another new place I haven’t tried yet; from the family behind Commander’s Palace, so it’s probably fantastic
12. Peche - great seafood
Bars
Music: Le Bon Temps Roule (you must go if Soul Rebels or Rebirth are playing), Tipitina's, Maple Leaf Bar (right next to Jaques-imos), Circle Bar (at Lee’s Circle)
Drinks: Miss Mae's (Uptown), Lucy's Surfer Shack (Central Business District)
Bourbon: Pat O's (sit in the piano bar and order a Hurricane here), Tropical Isle (order a Hand Grenade here), Flaming Dr. Pepper shots at Gold Mine, Grape drink at Lafiette's Blacksmith Shop (oldest continually occupied bar in the U.S., built around 1772)
Magazine Street: Bulldog, Balcony Bar, St. Joe's, Bridge Lounge. This street also has easy restaurants and fun shopping.
Frenchman: Blue Nile, d.b.a., Snug Harbor, Spotted Cat for non-tourist jazz bars.
Freret: A street that has been completely revitalized since I lived on it. It’s filled with restaurants and bars. I hear that Cure is great, it’s speakeasy-style.
Bacchanal: wine bar
MUST VISIT
· Take a streetcar down St. Charles
· Do a lap around St. Louis Cathedral
· Bourbon Street; it’s not the ONLY place to go out in NOLA, but a fun one
· Royal Street (one block off Bourbon) has really cool galleries
· Frenchman on the outskirts of the French Quarter where the BEST live music is
MUST EAT
· A po boy! I suggest Mothers or ACME, both downtown near the hotel
· Beignets from Café Du Monde on Decatur; red beans and rice, jambalaya, etouffee, crawfish, chargrilled oysters, alligator cheesecake
MUST DRINK
· Pat O’Briens Hurricane
· Abita beer; Nola’s own
· Hand grenades on Bourbon St.
· Frozen Daiquiri; shops are all over downtown, or you can get one from the drive thru near the airport
Suggested Restaurants:
· Lunch: Port of Call (burgers, casual), Stanleys in Jackson Square, Acme or Mother’s (po boy), Cochon Butcher (casual lunch version of well-known dinner spot), Commander’s Palace (fancy but very special), Camellia Grill (diner near campus, good for lunch or breakfast), Gumbo Shop in the Quarter, Tajague’s
· Dinner: Antoine’s, Brennan’s, Arnaud’s (classic old-school), K-Paul’s or NOLA (NOLA Chef faves), Upperline or Clancey’s (family-owned near Tulane), Borgne (in the Hyatt, by my fave Chef, casual), Coop’s Place (hole in the wall on Decatur), Bourbon House in the Quarter, Dick and Jenny’s, Muriel’s in Jackson Square
· Jaques-imos; my favorite NOLA restaurant; located in Garden District
o If the wait is long you can get a beer and listen to music next door at the Maple Leaf
· Cool bars for good music: Le Bon Temps Roule, Maple Leaf, Circle Bar (at Lee’s Circle), Tipitina’s
+++++++++++,
Restaurants
Breakfast/Brunch:
1.Brennan’s- flagship of the Brennan’s family restaurants. Heavy meal.
2. The Columns Hotel- has the feel of a genteel pre-Civil War mansion. Located on St. Charles, has Sunday Jazz brunch, best if weather is nice to sit outside.
3. Café Du Monde- great atmosphere, legendary beignets, cheap and quick. Note: strategically sit yourself away from the wind so that powdered sugar does not engulf your wardrobe.
4. Court of Two Sisters – beautiful restaurant with lovely courtyard. Has great Saturday Jazz Brunch with traditional NOLA fare
5. Palace Café- located on Canal Street in a historic landmark; you can hop off the streetcar to get to this very popular NOLA spot
6. Antoine’s or Arnaud’s – both require jackets but offer the quintessential jazz brunch
7. Stanleys – located in Jackson Square; put your name in, grab a Bloody Mary next door from Muriel’s and get a casual brunch; I recommend the
8. Willa Jean - grab a pastry
Lunch (and po’boys)
1. Acme Oyster House- watch out for the Peacemaker; it’s one intense sandwich.
2. Mother’s- lines on the weekends but worth the wait. Order the Ferdi special po’boy.
3. Domilise’s- located in the Garden District neighborhood on Annunciation St. Might be shocking to some outsiders, but food is delish.
4. Camelia Grill – vintage diner located uptown, on the River Bend near Tulane campus; great for extra-large omelets and hamburgers.
5. Frankie & Johnny's – great neighborhood spot. Casual restaurant with gingham tablecloths and great crawfish.
6. Gumbo Shop – tucked away in the French Quarter. Great sampling of Creole food, and the gumbo is a must!
7. Central Grocery- across from the French Market. Made the “Muffuletta” sandwich famous.
8. Cochon Butcher - the casual, walk-up sandwich counter of the nicer Cochon restaurant by John Besh.
10. Turkey & the Wolf - Bon App best restaurant, sandwiches
Dinner: New Orleans classics:
1. K-Paul’s Louisiana Kitchen- the Mecca of Cajun cuisine, reasonably priced for amazing seafood.
2. Galatoire’s, Arnaud’s and Antoine’s- French/Creole cuisine. Best places to mingle with old money locals. Jacket required.
3. Restaurant August-a departure from Creole, but acclaimed and revered. Very fancy and expensive.
5. Cafe Atchafalaya, Tujagues, Broussards - local fare
6. Coop's Place - total hole in the wall near river and Jackson Square.
Dinner: Uptown/Garden District
1. Brigtsen's, Upperline, Clancey’s- all located “uptown” near Tulane. Wonderful family-owned restaurants with delicious, albeit, a bit pricy menus. Go here for a nice dinner with many courses and classic NOLA food.
3. Jacque-Imo’s- fun atmosphere and good food. Not expensive and party-vibe. Wait could be very long on a weekend evening and you could end up dining at a table in a truckbed! Order the gator cheesecake.
4. Dick and Jenny’s- this cottage serves fine NOLA dining in a causal setting.
5. Port of Call- located on outer edge of French Quarter. Best place to get a burger in NOLA. Order a burger with an enormous baked potato and a Monsoon to drink!
6. NOLA, Emeril’s, Delmonico – all of Emeril’s restaurants, listed in order of my favorite. I adore the red fish at NOLA.
7. Commander’s Palace- one of a kind NOLA institution. Classic and beautiful décor, the finest table service and delicious food. Go for the 25 cent martini lunch and be sure to order the turtle soup.
8. Stella, Iris, Lilette- very fancy places that I, unfortunately, have not had the opportunity to dine at.
9. Borgne another John Besh restaurant, he’s newest. Located in the Hyatt. Can be casual.
10. Restaurant R’evolution – new restaurant by Rick Tramonto; haven’t been but heard great things!
11. SoBu – another new place I haven’t tried yet; from the family behind Commander’s Palace, so it’s probably fantastic
12. Peche - great seafood
Bars
Music: Le Bon Temps Roule (you must go if Soul Rebels or Rebirth are playing), Tipitina's, Maple Leaf Bar (right next to Jaques-imos), Circle Bar (at Lee’s Circle)
Drinks: Miss Mae's (Uptown), Lucy's Surfer Shack (Central Business District)
Bourbon: Pat O's (sit in the piano bar and order a Hurricane here), Tropical Isle (order a Hand Grenade here), Flaming Dr. Pepper shots at Gold Mine, Grape drink at Lafiette's Blacksmith Shop (oldest continually occupied bar in the U.S., built around 1772)
Magazine Street: Bulldog, Balcony Bar, St. Joe's, Bridge Lounge. This street also has easy restaurants and fun shopping.
Frenchman: Blue Nile, d.b.a., Snug Harbor, Spotted Cat for non-tourist jazz bars.
Freret: A street that has been completely revitalized since I lived on it. It’s filled with restaurants and bars. I hear that Cure is great, it’s speakeasy-style.
Bacchanal: wine bar
This is a great list!
Couple of comments I would make:
1) If Cafe du Monde is crowded (and it often is) there is a satellite location in the Riverwalk Mall (near Convention Center). Same menu (beignets/coffee) and you can sit on the patio area and look at the River.
2) Abita beer is fine (I'm partial to the TurboDog) and found everywhere, but there are some pretty good local microbreweries now as well.
3) Along the same lines, the Bulldog (which is mentioned in the list, on Magazine St) is an excellent beer bar with a great patio.
4) Regarding Pat O'Brien's, it's definitely an interesting scene (piano bar can be fun), it is very touristy and their version of the hurricane is pretty gross (way too sweet). I'd suggest sampling a hurricane that is closer to the original version (light rum, dark rum, passion fruit syrup and lemon juice) which is yellow in color, not the bright red that you'll see around town. A good cocktail bar will make it this way.
5) Similarly, Tropical Isle is an interesting (very touristy) scene. Their famous drink (the Hand Grenade) is also sickeningly sweet (citrus-y, I guess) and made with grain alcohol. I drank them when I was in my 20s, but not my thing anymore.
6) The correct name for Lucy's is "Lucy's Retired Surfers Bar" ;-)
7) This is obviously a very niche thing that won't appeal to everyone, but there is a heavy metal bar called the Dungeon that is in the Quarter. Pretty intense decorations, some people get pretty dressed up to go there and there are hidden rooms etc.
For music. Tipitinas is a great spot, locals favorite. Maple Leaf Bar and Grill, Le Bon Temps Roule, DBA, and then the rest really comes down to who is playing and where. Jazz Preservation Hall is always not too bad. Try and catch a good local brass band like the Soul Rebels, Hot 8 Brass Band, Rebirth, Kermit Ruffins, Trombone Shorty, or Dirty Dozen. A ton of tourist traps on the this thread, but Bourbon Street is great for a night at best.....then hit uptown or the Marigny. Even Mid city has made a strong comeback, but there aren't many music bars there. Be sure to look at the dates as the French Quarter Fest and Jazz Fest are coming up in near future. In that case hit the fairgrounds for Jazz fest and the Riverwalk during the french quarter fest.
Restaurants from one of the above lists that are now closed: Stella, Central Grocery
Thanks for the awesome thrad guys, getting ideas on I can get the ol lady back LSU tiger 2019 style like again on that ol Slide trombone at bandcamp throwin pineapples with Joey B. Maybe even the 2006 Last Page of the Rock Les Miles Drunk Redux Remastered too.
Central Grocery is the iconic muffaletta spot. But I had a muffaletta at NoLa Po-Boys a few weeks ago. Probably best I can remember. They are on the far east end of Biurbon Street.
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https://parkwaypoorboys.com/ for the real deal.
Parkway is excellent!
My only complaint with them is that I think (or at least it used to be this way) that oyster po boys (my go to) were only available on certain days of the week. And while I generally skew towards oysters or shrimp, Parkway's roast beef is pretty strong.
Muffaletta's obviously aren't po-boys and have a very specific set of ingredients (unlike a poboy which is essentially just a "sub" that can contain any number of ingredients).
Not picking on you, just pointing out the difference.
Agree on Tipitina's. It is the best for music. I think Professor Longhair played there a lot prior to his death. Place was named after his song. I think band Galactic owns it now. I saw them play there from 1am to 6am straight during Jazzfest about 12 years ago. It was incredible but also surreal once you get drunk and drowsy by 3am. It is a few miles from Bourbon street so need a taxi. It breathes history and it is the mecca for world renowned musicians and well as amazing local talent. Maple Leaf is next up as you say. Can't go wrong. They will have great music as well.
I went to a bachelor party a few nights before the wedding for my former 1/2 brother in law who was a Garden District old NOLA oil heir and a politician to boot (totally legit.... really... not corrupt at all...Louisiana politics are as clean as Chicago I'm told!)
Surreal scene...Antiones restaurant....25 guys with blue blazers, bucks and Duck Heads on. Amazing foid, champagne toasts, smashed goblets in the fireplaces, faux lesbian dancers, shots, double dong show on the table, all with the sounds of Bourbon Street below.
Luckily the groom got so blitzed that he was incapable of receiving all of the services that had been paid for. I fished the dude out of the hopper and carried him down the steps to a cab.
It is a different world down there...and the local gents I was with were indeed batshit crazy. Great time. Enjoy!
Surreal scene...Antiones restaurant....25 guys with blue blazers, bucks and Duck Heads on. Amazing foid, champagne toasts, smashed goblets in the fireplaces, faux lesbian dancers, shots, double dong show on the table, all with the sounds of Bourbon Street below.
Luckily the groom got so blitzed that he was incapable of receiving all of the services that had been paid for. I fished the dude out of the hopper and carried him down the steps to a cab.
It is a different world down there...and the local gents I was with were indeed batshit crazy. Great time. Enjoy!
How did beignets get behind any food?
I don't question my wife on her lists.
Galactic before they owned it played NYE for many years at TIPs and probably still do. They would come on at 11pm and play until sun up. Usually with 2-3 set breaks. I never made it as I would bail at 3-4am, but I had friends that could charge through the night. I also lived about a mile from there so getting home wasn't an issue as it was a quick cab ride or walk to Igors to eat and then crash. Good times.
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