These Are the Best Hotel Bars in New Orleans
There's something romantic about a hotel bar, harkening back to an old Humphrey Bogart movie, with the perfect martini, piano music, and a wizened barkeep. In a city chock full of charm, decadence, and—lets face it—drinking, these hotel bars will sweep you off of your feet with entertainment, atmosphere, and knowledge of the craft. These are the best hotel bars in New Orleans.
The Old No. 77 Hotel & Chandlery
Why it made the list
You’ll find some of the best (and most friendly) mixologists in the city at Compere Lapin Bar, a chic, industrial bar inside Nina Compton’s restaurant at The Old No. 77 Hotel & Chandlery. The craft game is on point (try the Andromeda with green chile vodka, grapefruit, and rose) but the wine list is well curated and satisfying as well. Come dressed to impress.
Ace Hotel New Orleans
Why it made the list
This lobby bar has two personalities: during an event at Three Keys, the ACE's one-roomed music venue, it's a place to pick up a beer and snifter of small batch bourbon among the crowd between sets. At happy hour, late night, or earlier in the week, it’s where you'll meet up with friends while you sip a negroni, lounge on the velvet and leather green parlor furniture, marvel at the eclectic art, read a coffee table book, and be bothered by no one.
Columns Hotel
Why it made the list
Many flock here not for the rooms, but for the distinctly Southern experience of sipping drink's on the inn's wide veranda. Classic cocktails like a Pimm's Cup or French 75 are most popular here, there is nightly jazz piano or three-piece band sets, and the veranda provides pleasant views of the passing streetcar, giant live oaks and mansions of St. Charles avenue
Hotel Monteleone
Why it made the list
A slowly revolving bar adorned with a dramatic carousel top, the Carousel Bar at the Monteleone is a unique but classic spot for anyone into New Orleans history, charm, and consistently good classic cocktails. In recent years, the digs here have become a little less elegant, due to the large numbers of partying clientele, but it’s still well worth an afternoon of day drinking.
Catahoula Hotel
Why it made the list
Pisco Bar at the Catahoula Hotel is downright lovely. This small black-and-white tiled bar, with a piano, brick courtyard and vintage wooden bar top charms the heck out of even the pickiest bar enthusiasts. The bar menu focuses on the Peruvian spirit Pisco, and the enthusiastic staff responsible for the creative drinks list are happy to school you on the merits of the spirit or pour you a perfect classic concoction instead.
Pontchartrain Hotel
Why it made the list
At Hot Tin, the rooftop bar with a galvanized tin ceiling, grab a Moscow Mule and settle into a distressed leather booth to ogle at the Tennessee Williams and 1940s memorabilia, or fight a wedding party or two for a spot on the balcony, overlooking the Mississippi river and spectacular views of the city.
The Roosevelt Hotel New Orleans
Why it made the list
After all these years, Sazerac Bar at the Roosevelt Hotel is still the best place in the city to go for a Sazerac or a Ramos Gin Fizz, and it’s the best place for feeling like you’re living in the time when these classic cocktails were most enjoyed. A 1930s Paul Ninas mural fills the walls of the walnut-paneled room and bar, where you're sharing a moment in history with Huey P. Long, Frank Sinatra, and many other famed imbibers.
International House
Why it made the list
Loa at The International House Hotel is easily the sexiest bar in the city, and you can sit and chat with the vested barkeep at the bar top, flanked with vintage lamps, found objects and curious antiques, or get intimate at the Morrocan-inspired low tables and cushion seats throughout the space. A seasonal cocktail list, based on lesser-known spirits and house made concoctions (think fresh syrups and homemade limoncello) will surprise and delight.
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