The Big Easy: A Good Hotel & Bars?

[Kitchen]

My wife and I are thinking about heading down to New Orleans end of March for a long weekend to relax and just get away from it.  I have been looking at hotels in the French Quarter and noticed many have balconies and was wondering if any of these hotels (or perhaps all of them) are okay with smoking on the balcony?  Can anyone confirm that enjoying a cigar on a balcony is not frowned upon, or recommend a place that would be cigar friendly?  

Also, any must see cigar bars or jazz clubs?  I would love to find a good jazz spot to just sit back and relax at; it does not need to be cigar friendly.  

[Cayman17]

I was there for a few nights last year in March but honestly, I did not smoke. I found a few smoke shops in and around Bourbon Street but they were dumps. I am not that familiar with the area though. There are not too many jazz clubs left after hurricane Katrina. We stayed at the Roosevelt (Waldorf property) and it’s beautiful. Go to the Sazerac Bar. I would stay there or the Ritz Carlton. If you like oysters, go to Felix’s and get the grilled oysters and some alligator. 

I did not enjoy Nola that much, unfortunately. It was my first time there. I’ve heard it is vastly different (and not for the better) post-Katrina.

I believe there is a jazz band that plays at the Ritz on certain nights. They were not playing when I was there. I also read that the Polo Lounge is a cool bar but we never made it. I got dragged to the Commander’s Palace instead, which is a tourist trap. ? hey it was my birthday and that’s where my parents wanted to take me 

[Corylax18]

I spend a few days in New Orleans a couple times a year for work. I'll second the Roosevelt. Beautiful spot. I usually just walk around the quarter and smoke, or smoke at my cousins house. But the Cigar Factory New Orleans is really cool as well. They roll a few blends at 3 station in the store and there is always at least 1 person rolling every time I go. No cutting fee if you bring your own, but they ask that you make a purchase. They don't serve alcohol but about 15 places do within a 2 minute walk. Also coffee, food, etc. all close by. I believe that the general indoor smoking ban extended to 15' away from all building entrances, so balcony's are a No-Go, but some hotels may be ok with it. Especially on Bourbon, I don't recommend staying on bourbon though. There are 3 other cigar shops on/around bourbon, but none are really worth the time. 

Preservation Hall is my Favorite spot for Jazz, but it isn't exactly 'relaxing" No Food, no Drinks(you can bring your own), no AC(seriously) no chairs. Just a few benches and amazing musicians 5' away from you. If you wanna mix things up, head out to the Fairgrounds. Bet on any horse Trained by Joe Sharp. 

I spent very little time there pre Katrina, but the French Quarter and CBD are definitely not what I would call "Vacation grade" today. A lot of homeless, it smells, things are filthy, 17 CVS/Walgreens, just as many strip clubs.  Bourbon street makes Vegas look like Disney land. I still enjoy every trip though. 

https://www.cigarfactoryneworleans.com/

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Fair+Grounds+Race+Course+%26+Slots/@29.9811227,-90.0824235,1939m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x8620af51d1944b65:0x3a2f0567abf12e09!8m2!3d29.9822205!4d-90.078295

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Gumbo+Shop/@29.957757,-90.0645785,76m/data=!3m2!1e3!5s0x8620a611eec01061:0x17deec967dd230!4m5!3m4!1s0x8620a611e9502aed:0x12b0f5fecc3fe5b2!8m2!3d29.9577089!4d-90.0645131

[Lomey]

I third the Roosevelt hotel, very beautiful.  I smoked on the roof away from the pool and bar that was up there.  It rained heavily and flooded the streets so we didn't get to enjoy much in the way of eating out.  The cigars at the Cigar Factory were pretty good.  The lancero with the black label was the best imo.  

[busdriver]

Kitchen,

Smoking indoors was banned a couple of years ago (pretty’s shocking for most people), but it is still a smoking friendly city.  You can smoke in a lot of courtyards and on the street anywhere.  If you have a balcony, it’s definitely okay to smoke there.  The only cigar bar I am familiar with is Dos Jefes.  It’s Old school and an interesting crowd.  There may be other good spots, but I don’t go out to smoke often so other spots recommended above are def worth a look.

New Olreans is a unique town and worth a trip whether you love it or not.  It’s certainly not for everyone.  Don’t sweat any pre/post Katrina references since you never saw the Pre-K  New Orleans. 

To love New Orleans, even as a first time tourist, you need to embrace the underbelly as well as the decadent.  Here you experience both ends of the spectrum  from one step to another.  The underbelly is a little less exposed these days, as the city has certainly been cleaned up, but is still prevalent compared to most people’s daily lives.

My standard advice to people visiting New Orleans is; don’t come here with a specific idea of what you want to see and experience.  Instead let the city show you what it has to offer and you will be deeply rewarded.

I will DM you so you can’t text me for more details, but I have lived in New Orleans for 15 years and like most New Orleanians, love to share our city with people.  

[busdriver]

32 minutes ago, Corylax18 said:

 Bourbon street makes Vegas look like Disney land. 

Great line!   Makes me proud.

[jsd]

I was there a few weeks ago and went to Dos Jefe’s. Small selection of cigars, poor ventilation, but great drinks, great crowd, and great live music.

Also went to Good Habit Cigar Shop in Metairie. Decent selection with great company.

Walked the French Quarter during the day with a Lusitania and didn’t get the slightest bit of grief. That’s quite rare since I’m used to the California tobacco nazis.

The food was quite possibly the best I’ve ever had on any trip I’ve ever taken. Drago’s is a must, as well as Delmonico.

[Head83]

I grew up in Louisiana and have had an intimate relationship for over 30 years to the city.  I remember sneaking into my first strip bar there on a school trip lol. To be honest, not a huge difference I can tell pre and post Katrina.  The city has its own life and one that is not matched anywhere else in the US.  It’s where old money aristocrats meets urbanized poverty.  Take it for what it is and enjoy yourself.  Eat as much food as you can because that is what they do best down there. I know one person talked bad about Commanders Palace but I would recommend Brennan’s for brunch.  It’s pricey yes but well worth it IMHO.  Other places are Central Grocery for a Muffeletta, Mother’s for a Po’ Boy, make a lap around the Carousel Bar while enjoying a cocktail in the Hotel Monteleone, get a hurricane at Pat O’Brians, enjoy a shit show attempt of karaoke at the Cats Meow, go to Madame Laveau’s voodoo shop at the end of Bourbon street but go no farther...you’ll know why when you get there, then have a hand grenade from Tropical Isle to make sure all your memories are forgotten by morning.  If you have time, go check out some of the cemeteries.  Madame Levau is in Saint Louis Cemetary #2, it’s a pilgrimage spot for anyone looking for a little voodoo good fortunes.  It’s in a seedy area but safe during the day.  Also ride a trolley car down to through the garden district.  Take you some drinks for the ride and just enjoy the sights and bead covered tree limbs from the weeks prior. If your going at the end of March, the city will be in recovery mode from Mardi Gras but that time of year is also March Madness and college spring breaks so be prepared for some craziness.  The two things you go to NOLA for is the food and people watching, neither will disappoint.    

[stogieluver]

5 hours ago, Head83 said:

I grew up in Louisiana and have had an intimate relationship for over 30 years to the city.  I remember sneaking into my first strip bar there on a school trip lol. To be honest, not a huge difference I can tell pre and post Katrina.  The city has its own life and one that is not matched anywhere else in the US.  It’s where old money aristocrats meets urbanized poverty.  Take it for what it is and enjoy yourself.  Eat as much food as you can because that is what they do best down there. I know one person talked bad about Commanders Palace but I would recommend Brennan’s for brunch.  It’s pricey yes but well worth it IMHO.  Other places are Central Grocery for a Muffeletta, Mother’s for a Po’ Boy, make a lap around the Carousel Bar while enjoying a cocktail in the Hotel Monteleone, get a hurricane at Pat O’Brians, enjoy a shit show attempt of karaoke at the Cats Meow, go to Madame Laveau’s voodoo shop at the end of Bourbon street but go no farther...you’ll know why when you get there, then have a hand grenade from Tropical Isle to make sure all your memories are forgotten by morning.  If you have time, go check out some of the cemeteries.  Madame Levau is in Saint Louis Cemetary #2, it’s a pilgrimage spot for anyone looking for a little voodoo good fortunes.  It’s in a seedy area but safe during the day.  Also ride a trolley car down to through the garden district.  Take you some drinks for the ride and just enjoy the sights and bead covered tree limbs from the weeks prior. If your going at the end of March, the city will be in recovery mode from Mardi Gras but that time of year is also March Madness and college spring breaks so be prepared for some craziness.  The two things you go to NOLA for is the food and people watching, neither will disappoint.    

All of this is 10% dead on good advice.

I would emphasize the food is one of the main things to experience. Have dinner at Gallatoir’s (jacket required) & at Arnaud’s or a hundred other great places.  Red Fish Grill, Mr. B’s Bistro, and on and on. All of these places are at least somewhat touristy but the food is outstanding. 

We go over from Mobile a few times a year and most always stay at The Monteleon, a great, quintessential French Quarter hotel. One block from Bourbon Street. The Royal Sonesta is on Boubon and has balcony rooms, but be prepared for a very noisy night and no sleep unless you take ear plugs.  

Walk down Royal Street and make your way over to Jackson Square.  

There are a couple of true cigar bars around the Quarter.  The names escape me, but google it and you will find them.  Be prepared for very small very expensive cocktails, though  

Bottom line the reasons we go are to eat great food, people watch, and just soak in the very unique vibe of a great southern city.  Yeah it’s dirty and sometimes disturbing but you just have to get past all that and enjoy it for what it is. 

[Guest Nekhyludov]

I lived in NOLA for 13 years. It is - for better and for worse - my home. My experience of it is this: New Orleans is two entirely separate cities. One is just a conveyor belt of tourist detritus - the French Quarter, cemetery tours, voodoo bullshit, sugary booze, and terrible music expertly played by talented musicians who are too good to be wasting their efforts entertaining drunks but need the paycheck. Tourists love this garbage, and it makes a lot of money for a lot of people, and is essential because of that. Obviously, I find no value whatsoever in those things. But if that's what someone enjoys, more power to them; it's very easy to find. 

But every chance I get, I recommend trying to find a little piece of the other New Orleans. The one whose cultures, traditions, rituals, and routines have 300 year old roots. It's a much weirder and more interesting place that most anyone knows. @Kitchen if you'd like to find the best jazz clubs, stay out of the Quarter. Go to the Fauburg - try Snug Harbor. Ellis Marsallis still plays a Thursday night set. See some real local talent at the Spotted Cat. Once those places close, follow the musicians to Vaughn's in Treme. A lot of them hang out there to jam after hours. It's in a legitimately bad area. Don't be drunk when you go there. It's amazing. Head upriver to Oak St. and catch Charlie French at the Maple Leaf Bar. Grab some coffee at Z'Otz and hang out on their back patio for a cigar. Grab a drive-thru daiquiri and sit at the Fly in Audubon Park and watch the barges roll by. Go to Midcity. Get a poboy at Parkway Tavern. Try the BBQ shrimp at Pascale Manale's.  

But if you do decide to do the tourist conveyor belt, and some street kid in the Quarter tries to bet you that he knows where you got your shoes, tell him they're on your feet and to f*ck off  

 

[Cayman17]

18 minutes ago, Nekhyludov said:

I lived in NOLA for 13 years. It is - for better and for worse - my home. My experience of it is this: New Orleans is two entirely separate cities. One is just a conveyor belt of tourist detritus - the French Quarter, cemetery tours, voodoo bullshit, sugary booze, and terrible music expertly played by talented musicians who are too good to be wasting their efforts entertaining drunks but need the paycheck. Tourists love this garbage, and it makes a lot of money for a lot of people, and is essential because of that. Obviously, I find no value whatsoever in those things. But if that's what someone enjoys, more power to them; it's very easy to find. 

But every chance I get, I recommend trying to find a little piece of the other New Orleans. The one whose cultures, traditions, rituals, and routines have 300 year old roots. It's a much weirder and more interesting place that most anyone knows. @Kitchen if you'd like to find the best jazz clubs, stay out of the Quarter. Go to the Fauburg - try Snug Harbor. Ellis Marsallis still plays a Thursday night set. See some real local talent at the Spotted Cat. Once those places close, follow the musicians to Vaughn's in Treme. A lot of them hang out there to jam after hours. It's in a legitimately bad area. Don't be drunk when you go there. It's amazing. Head upriver to Oak St. and catch Charlie French at the Maple Leaf Bar. Grab some coffee at Z'Otz and hang out on their back patio for a cigar. Grab a drive-thru daiquiri and sit at the Fly in Audubon Park and watch the barges roll by. Go to Midcity. Get a poboy at Parkway Tavern. Try the BBQ shrimp at Pascale Manale's.  

But if you do decide to do the tourist conveyor belt, and some street kid in the Quarter tries to bet you that he knows where you got your shoes, tell him they're on your feet and to f*ck off  

 

FYI if you don’t tell the kid to get lost, you get liquid soap pumped onto your shoes for the weakest “shine” job possible  ?

[Grateful13]

Preservation Hall is a must see. I stayed at Hotel Monteleone, it’s a great hotel but not sure of their smoking policy. They do have a nice roof top pool at least. 

[Geaux]

Man, I miss NOLA.

[GotaCohiba]

 

The whole area around Bourbon street smells of piss

If we ever go back we will stay far from that area

 

[tuff]

My Wife and I love New Orleans, but we mostly go for the food. You can stop at any hole in the wall restaurant or bar in town and get great food. I don't think a restaurant can survive in that city without serving good food, cause the locals know how to eat! If you can find a place to sit it's a great city to people watch. Café' Desire Oyster Bar in the Royal Sonesta Hotel has Bourbon Street side tables and has very good food, and we always seem to run into some celebrity while there. If you live in the USA, I think if you sat on Bourbon Street long enough you would see everyone you've ever known in your life. There used to be a neat bar in the shopping mall at the end of Canal right where the cruise ships on and off load. Might be called the Tropical Bar, but it sits in the middle of everything. Let your wife shop while you sit there and get hammered, and off course people watch. The Trolley is fun. Hop off at the park and try the very nice zoo (heck even the zoo has good food). Hit Café' Du Monde at any hour for coffee and beignets.

I love the architecture in the French Quarter. If you're there look up and check out the dormers and roof lines on buildings (same thing goes for the Garden District). I've never had any trouble smoking a cigar in N.O. outdoors, so get out and walk the French Quarter with cigar in hand. If you are moving around late at night in the Quarter, say walking to Café Du Monde at 1am stay on the main streets and skip the alleys, or fall in with a larger group heading that way, or take a cab. Your spider sense should tell you what is safe.  

One other thing. Everybody should walk Bourbon street on a Friday or Saturday night once or twice in their life, but if you want a sense of the real flavor of Bourbon Street, get up at 6:30-7 AM and walk it when they get the firehoses out and clean the street. You will never forget that aroma!

Fun City...

John

 

[Kitchen]

Thanks everyone for the suggestions.  I will certainly have to go through this thread in more detail and figure out the best places to stop in.  

[LLC]

[quote post="913302" timestamp="1549677991" name="tuff" userid="One other thing. Everybody should walk Bourbon street on a Friday or Saturday night once or twice in their life, but if you want a sense of the real flavor of Bourbon Street, get up at 6:30-7 AM and walk it when they get the firehoses out and clean the street. You will never forget that aroma!
Fun City...
John
 


I was there before Katrina during Mardi Gras a couple of times because work events just happened to be then. All I can say is WOW. I’ve never seen or experienced anything else like it.


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[Fuzz]

I was in NOLA last October during Halloween. Stayed at The Westin Canal Place. Hotel was very good; modern rooms (no stupid floor AC like a lot of US hotels), fantastic shower (walk in shower with massage shower rose and good pressure), very comfy bed and great view of the river and the French Quarter. The rooms start from level 12, as all the floors below are parking lot and hotel reception. Easy walk to Bourbon St, the paddle boat cruises, grey line tour buses and a lot of other attractions.

Halloween was pretty cool. Not as wild as Mardi Gras, but I was told they start Halloween 2 weeks before and end two weeks after.

[SmokinNukie]

Try Dos Jefes. Good live jazz and smoking friendly. Suggest bringing your own as the selection isn’t that great. It’s near Tulane.


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[earthson]

Sazerac bar in the Roosevelt for some classy cocktails (I highly recommend the Sazerac made with Pierre Ferrand 1840) and Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop for late night/early morning hurricanes (made with fruit juice) by candlelight.  The Absinthe bar is also fantastic, but I am a sucker for good absinthe.  

[Fuzz]

Bourbon House is pretty good too. Had a Sazerac and Bourbon Sidecar at the bar on my last night in NOLA. Dinner menu looked pretty good too. I was there for about 30 minutes, watching meals come out, as I nursed my drinks. I would have ordered some, but I had a hankering to try some gator.