Sports bars, pubs, dive bars, upscale lounges, you name it, and Louisiana has them. Still, one thing holds for them all. They provide a social escape from the daily hustle. They are a place to meet friends, family, and strangers and simply let loose. Here are the 7 best bars in Louisiana: 2024 edition!
This bar combines a variety of entertainments to meet their diverse clientele. The bar itself is large and full of local craft brews, tasty cocktails, and affordable beverages. Being not far from Louisiana State University campus, the atmosphere is vibrant with people of all ages. A huge shuffleboard sits to the side of the bar and a ping pong table is outside on the open patio ready for use. Still, one of the coolest thing about the bar is the app you can download to then participate in picking the next tune that comes on the airwaves. Located on historic Government Street, the Radio Bar is never a disappointment.
This swank establishment sits on North Rampart right across from Louis Armstrong Park on the edge of the French Quarter. Open from noon to 2a.m. everyday, this bar specializes in classic, original, and adapted cocktails. Specialty cocktails like “The Rampart” and sours like “The Saint Claude” combine nicely with classic like the Pimms Cup or Sazerac. The bar has that classic old-New Orleans feel where you can be casual or dressed up to the dime still feeling good. The eclectic beer and wine selections as well as the one of a kind service make this establishment a truly unique drinking hole.
As it was built between 1722-1732 by Nicolas Touze, this bar is the oldest existing bar in New Orleans. Sitting right on Bourbon Street in the French Quarter, Lafitte’s is a great place to grab a drink and hear some piano music. The inside is typically dimly lit by candlelight with ahuge brick chimney to remind every visitor of the age of the bar. Named after the old pirate Jean Lafitte who helped General Jackson defeat the British in 1814, the character of this bar truly embraces the pirate atmosphere.
This is your classic sports bar with good food, great drinks, and friendly service. Located right outside the campus of University of Louisiana in Monroe, this joint provides a great social environment for students, young professionals, and sports lovers everywhere. Founded by Joey Trappey of the Trappey Fine Foods, Inc., that was established in New Iberia in 1898, this place serves some spectacular bar food that arranges from po’boys and burgers to a lightweight menu as well as some of everyone’s Cajun plus creole favorites. TVs adorn the walls that constantly play sports. Two dining areas are available as well as a prominent full-service bar room.
Providing its customers with a comfortable place to drink, this inviting bar is always smoke free and clean. Twenty-four beers are always on tap with selections that rotate seasonally. It is a place where the locals go to befriend the best bartenders in town and simply talk to the rest of the crew in attendance that day. Happy hour is served everyday until 7p.m. making this spot a great place to grab a cocktail or ice cold brew after work. They say their goal is to “make the in betweens as memorable as possible” and the local will tell you this nice bar will do just that. Sometimes all you need is good drinks, friendly service, and friendlier customers to make for a great bar.
The only bar in town with over 140 beers in stock, and the widest selection of whiskey’s, MacFarlane’s is an Irish pub that will not disappoint. Their happy hour runs everyday from 2-6p.m. and has become so popular in the Lake Charles area that MacFarlane’s is simply known as “The Pub” to the locals. They have outstanding bar food, live music, and game nights. Tuesday night is their Trivia Night where you pick a team and the whacky MC asks pairings of 10 questions to you as well as your opponents in between playing some crazy bar games! It is the best Tuesday night around with the winning team getting a $50 gift certificate!
This bar is significant not only because it is a fine, decadent establishment. It has made history by serving the world’s first mixed drink, the Sazerac. For generations, this elegant establishment has served celebrities, politicians, tourists, and locals alike in the downtown New Orleans area. The bar itself is huge and offers a wide variety of specialty cocktails, fine wine selections, and more to every guest. This is a place where Huey P. Long himself would stroll in to order a Ramos Gin Fizz while conversing with friends and consultants. This New Orleans institution is located in the Roosevelt Hotel right to the left as you enter.