8 editor picks in New Orleans.
8 late-night dives in New Orleans our editors have drunk at, sorted by score. All New Orleans nightlife.
Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop at Bourbon and St Philip is the candlelit 1772 cottage commonly cited as the oldest standing structure used as a bar in the United.
TipOpen until 03:00 most nights. Order the purple Voodoo Daiquiri; cash and card both work but the line in the back is faster.
Erin Rose on Conti, half a block off Bourbon, is the locals' Irish pub with frozen Irish coffees out front and Killer PoBoys serving sandwiches from the back.
TipOpen 21 hours a day. The frozen Irish coffee is the order; cash bar runs faster than card on Saturday nights.
Molly's at the Market on Decatur is the journalist and bartender pub at the river end of the Quarter, open 10:00-03:00 with a frozen Irish coffee that rivals.
TipThe bar runs until 03:00 every night. Order the frozen Irish coffee at the counter; the front window seats people-watch the Decatur foot traffic.
Saturn Bar on St Claude in Bywater is the cluttered velvet-painting dive with a tin ceiling, cheap beer and a back room that runs DJs, brass.
TipCash bar, no card minimum. Saturday's Mod Dance Party runs from 22:00; the front bar opens at 16:00 weekdays.
Pal's Lounge in Mid-City is the pin-up themed neighbourhood dive on Rendon, around since 2002 in a building that's been a bar since the 1920s.
TipOpen 15:00-03:00 every day. Play the jukebox; the back patio is dog friendly and runs popup pizza most weekends.
Twelve Mile Limit on Telemachus runs a Mid-City corner dive where the cocktails come out at proper craft level, the back room hosts trivia and karaoke.
TipTrivia Tuesdays from 20:00; food pop-ups posted on Instagram. Cash and card; the Telemachus side patio is the quieter seat.
Kajun's Pub on St Claude runs karaoke open to close every day of the week, a state-of-the-art light and sound rig, and a back patio that bleeds.
TipKaraoke from open until close. Friday and Saturday run to 03:00; cash bar, no cover, 21+ after 20:00.
Vaughan's Lounge sits on a Bywater residential corner, a 60-year neighbourhood dive that ran Kermit Ruffins' Thursday residency for two decades and still.
TipSide-door buzzer entry. Thursday brass sets start around 20:30 with a second set near 23:00; free red beans and rice on Thursday nights.
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