The James Beard Award-winning bar attached to Arnaud’s, the century-old Creole restaurant, is a step back in time. The space is classy, dark, and intimate, with vintage decor that evokes an upscale private club, but the vibe is decidedly welcoming. Expert bartenders can prepare classics like an Old Fashioned, Sidecar, or the famed French 75. Snack on some souffle potatoes, an Arnaud’s specialty, and make time for a visit to the eclectic Mardi Gras museum located upstairs.

This is simply the weirdest and most wonderful wine bar in the world. Enter the unassuming spot through what looks like a perfectly normal wine shop. But once you’re in, it's like stepping into an entirely different dimension. Pick up a hearty Cab or crispy Pilsner—at retail, not restaurant prices—and tote it outside into the courtyard where live music plays every night of the year. It bills itself as the city’s “backyard party,” and definitely lives up to that hype.

The Bakery Bar serves up doberge alongside creative cocktails and a standout beer and wine selection. (For the uninitiated, doberge is a classic New Orleans cake involving many layers slapped together with custard then covered in icing.) Over the years, it’s also developed a solid bar menu that’s equally worth a try—the Biscuit Board and Trash Fries look mighty tempting.

Open since 2014, Latitude 29 swaps traditional New Orleans tipples (Sazeracs, Brandy Milk Punch, Grasshoppers) for ornately festive and fruity concoctions rife with island vibes. Owner Jeff “Beachbum” Berry wanted to augment the city’s proximity to the tropics and opened this bar to cement that connection—and serve crazy-cool (and crazy strong) mixed wonders like the Navy Grog and the Suffering Bastard.