On Saturday, 2/14/2026 (Valentine's Day), my wife and I paid $400.00 to spend 6:00 pm 11:59 pm at the Bourbon Vieux. The price included an open buffet, open bar and controlled balcony access. Unfortunately, we had to leave early after being physically threatened by two, very intoxicated, 22year old white males. My wife had not had a single alcoholic beverage and at this point I had only consumed two beers. We were simply trying to navigate the balcony to the corner area that was empty. One of the men was sitting on top of a table with his feet resting on the balcony opposite the table which was completely blocking passage. My wife was ahead of me and when she tried to pass, the young man blocking passage just looked at her with a very blank stare. My wife is East Indian, 5'0', 96 pounds and immediately felt threated. She moved back to me and said "What should we do?". I moved past her to the man's legs and pointed to the area we were headed. He just looked at me blankly. I turned back and thought of going through the inside, but there was a LOT of traffic. I turned again and looked at him and then just pushed through with just enough force for him to drop his legs and allow passage. We went to the open area at the corner where we were heading and were immediately confronted by the young man that had been blocking passage along with his friend. Both white males. They got to within inches of me and my wife and began telling us how bad we "F'd Up" and they were about to kick both of our !@@#@. My wife was terrified. The were both VERY intoxicated and wobbling while trying to simply stand in front of us. We told them we didn't want any trouble and had simply been trying to get by. This turned into an argument and I felt like they would begin throwing punches any second. I pushed my wife behind me. There was no other people around us. It was just me, my wife and these two young/very drunk men. The Bourbon Vieux staff came and began trying to get the two young men back to the area they had been. This went on for at least five minutes as they continued very threatening language. They finally walked back over, but continued to stare at us. Not just the two white males, them and now several others. I spoke to one of the staff members that had intervened, Monica, and told her we still felt very threatened. I told her that kind of behavior and those two men didn't belong and didn't promate a safe environment. She advised me she agreed and was in the process of escalating the incident to have them removed. For the next 30-45 minutes, we moved around the Bourbon Vieux property, but always within eyesight of this group that seemed determined to either scare us or inflict physical harm. We went to the front desk staff, explained we would not feel comfortable if that group remained and requested a refund. The front desk staff told us they would take care of the situation. They then summoned the same staff member Monica and the Man that had also been previously involved that was part of security (he refused to give his name). They told us they couldn't give us a refund and the group, by law, "Could Not Be Removed". So this was a first. I don't think I've heard of a bar that was not legally allowed to remove patrons who were drunk and disorderly. Monica advised us she could not make them leave. Monica told us she could only notify the Sheriff. I looked it up online and could not find anything to verify this. If this is true, it's just crazy. If one city in the country needs bouncers, it's New Orleans. So, we left. My wife was extremely intimidated and scared. I told the man that had come with security that my wife was intimidated and afraid they were going to beat the !@##$ out of us. He smiled and said "Did they beat the !@#$ out of you?" He thought it was funny. Needless to say, we had a terrible night and felt both violated and ripped off. $400! In my opinion, this kind of customer service is criminal! read more

See all

5 of us bought tickets for the balcony Mardi Gras festivities on Saturday March 2 from 11-5. Price included a buffet and open bar and a great wrap around balcony to watch all the people. Food was good, bartenders were excellent. They gave different colored wrist bands and they swapped people out every hour I think so everyone got a chance to go outside. We left and walked around and came back twice. It was nice to have bathrooms and bar and AC. My only complaint was the light in the hallway to ladies room was so dark you almost had to be on top of the door to see it. The coffee was not so good but everything else was tasty. It is a great place to enjoy to day and people watch and to be able to walk around and come back. I would recommend to anyone who is looking for a Mardi Gras experience next year. Just know not a on a parade route it is the Bourbon street experience. read more

Bourbon Vieux - Watching the crowds grow - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - New Orleans, Louisiana

See all

Since there was not an event going on here, we got to eat at THE BEST SPOT on Bourbon Street on a Friday night. The food came from Le Bayou Restaurant and Oyster Bar (downstairs). We got the corner spot on the balcony. My muffuletta was SOOO FREAKIN GOOD! The cook was not stingy with the meat or olives...the bread was not the traditional flat bread but still soo good! What a great spot to unwind with good food, friends/family and drinks. :) read more

WOOP! Bourbon Vieux is definitely a great venue if you are looking to rent a private space for a party of celebration. One of the companies we've worked with hosted a conference party at Bourbon Vieux, and let me tell you I had a blast here. The venue is pretty big, I thought the music that was playing was awesome, and the best part is, you get an exclusive BALCONY on one of the hottest streets in New Orleans. Especially on a Friday night, you'll get a front row seat of all the action that happens in the Big Easy. Another great thing is that the venue is in the middle of the French Quarter. It's very accessible by foot. Just make sure you don't drive, otherwise you'll never get here. I give this venue an "omg, I'd travel 2 hours" for this. If I had the money, I'll definitely host my own party here. Have fun and prosper, read more

Came with a group of friends for a balcony party during Mardi Gras. Location was great and having access to the balcony was perfect. Food was good and there was plenty of it. Great service too! read more

This place! I reached out to the venue and didn't know what to expect. I had about 45 days to plan my wedding and I wanted help, but I also wanted to have some say in how it would turn out. I could not have been more pleased in their response, their care for us once we arrived, and the closing process. If I had it to do again I would choose this venue. Thank you Courtney! :) Random stuff... They made sure the wedding flowed well. They coordinated directly with the outside vendors to allow them access to the space. They (somehow) anticipated the overage we had and were able to provide food and drinks for all. They ensured the bride and groom were well taken care of throughout the night. read more

When looking for a wedding venue a few years ago, we found Bourbon Vieux. At that time, they seemed a bit unorganized and I also experienced the "run around" with trying to get in and see someone about renting the place. In the end, we opted for another place. Fast forward three years and I'm in town with friends for New Years Eve and the Bourbon Vieux came up as one of many places hosting NYE parties. For 165 bucks, they were offering a open bar and all you can eat buffet from 8PM to 1AM. Pros: Great Location Clean restrooms They poured some good top shelf liquors The food was really good. The staff was all very friendly The 165 price seemed to weed out any of the "undesirables" that can ruin things like this. They didn't pack the place. The bar lines were never too long, the food was easy to access and although a bit more difficult, a place on the balcony was usually able to be found. Cons: *They had assigned seating, and could not accommodate our group of 6 at one table. We were one of the last people to buy tickets, so I assume this would not be the case if I booked earlier. To be fair, they did disclose this before we purchased. *The check in was a bit slow. We waited in line 20-30 minutes *The liquor selection was great, the beer selection was limited to abita amber (from the can). disappointing considering they are owned by bayou burger downstairs that has one of the most impressive selections of beer in the French Quarter. *they closed the doors promptly at 1am... Way too early for Bourbon Street on New Years Eve.... In all, I feel they did a great job on this NYE party... we all had a great time.... If I wasn't fortunate enough to have a private balcony at one of the hotels, I would go back here again for a NYE or Mardi Gras Party read more

I had my wedding here the last weekend of July.. let me tell you, if I could do it again and again every year I would! This venue was not only spacious but the team and staff made it amazingly beautiful! I couldn't be happier with how the entire experience went. Courtney Shinn was awesome and so easy to deal with.. And the staff at the venue couldn't have been better. Jamie and Shannon especially. No one ever waited for a drink and everyone ate whenever they chose to. The food!! Omg, the food was so amazing! Being from out of town I put my trust into a place blindly without a tasting..(I've never had a bad meal all the times I've visited Nola) so I wasn't too worried, but they went above and beyond my expectations. All of our guests raved about how good the food was!!! The display was beautiful... they put all of the apps that weren't passed on a big piano while the rest of the stations were in plain sight for everyone to enjoy. If you are looking for a venue for your event or wedding I would highly recommend working with Bourbon Vieux.. it will be your best and easiest decision! And if anyone from Bourbon Vieux view is reading this... thank you so so much for making all of our wedding expectations and visions a reality and so much more! We appreciate everything you have done for us. Thank you for making our memories ones that will last a lifetime! read more

See all

Mardi Gras 2012 - Summing it up....WOW!!! I am happy to say that this was the BEST ONE YET for me and Bourbonvieux was a huge part of that!!! The staff was incredible at communication on the details before & during the 3 nights I had booked so I knew exactly what to expect. For the price you pay, (about $140 per person) you get 7 hours of absolute FUN including all you can eat food, premium drinks and access to the baclony overlooking a PRIME PART of Bourbon Street. They are very dilligent about making sure everyone gets a chance at the rail at the balcony so you can get some good prime-time bead throwing and the traffic on Bourbon Street will not disappoint. Doing this next year you ask? ABSOLUTELY!!! I am even going to check into some of the daytime slots as it was that much fun and bringing friends along as well Thanks again for making this Mardi Gras an incredible experience and I am already planning for next year :-) read more

Happy New Year!!! Party, Food, Drinks and music were great. Venue was awesome. Subtracted 1 star for the multiple rude secuity guards at the end of the night. I understand the night was over and they were closing up, but to be flat ass rude and tell us to get out is unacceptable. This is a high priced party with a bad ass balcony, but I expected better in the end. read more

See all

Mardi Gras 2011 Review This is the place to be on Bourbon Street if you want to be on a balcony. There are a few balconies you can get to on Bourbon street that do not charge cover, but if you want a location with lots of foot traffic, this is it. It's about 5 blocks from the beginning of where Bourbon street begins which is good because when people first enter the madness that is Bourbon street, they aren't quite ready to reveal themselves (use your imagination). But five blocks in, and this is a very long street, people tend to let their inhibitions go. The other place I saw that sold balcony access online was called The Cat's Meow, but that location didn't have as much traffic so I'm glad we didn't pay for that. I started looking for balcony rentals online a few days before our trip and I didn't realize Bourbon Vieux would fill up so fast. By the the time I booked, Friday and Saturday were sold out, which were the cheapest of the nights. The prices for the balcony rental during Mardi Gras went like this (price is per person): Friday 6pm to 1am $80 Saturday 6pm to 1am $80 Sunday 6pm to 1am $140 Monday 6pm to 1am $140 Fat Tuesday 12 noon to 11pm $250 We almost went for the Fat Tuesday rental but I'm glad we didn't because we were pretty burnt out by Tuesday from the previous 4 nights of partying (fri, sat, sun, and mon). We ended up booking the place for Monday night which actually worked out really well. Of the four nights we spent on Bourbon Street, it ended up being our best night of partying due to the comfort of being above the madness (on a balcony), having a clean bathroom to use all night, and having a table to sit at all night when we weren't on the balcony. So what did our $140/person get us? - All you can drink "premium" alcohol (Absolut vodka, Jack Daniels, etc.) - Buffet all night with pretty good food for a buffet (3 to 3.5 stars for food) - alternating use of the balcony every other hour (250 ppl split into two groups so that everyone has a chance to use it to throw beads at people) - clean bathrooms - tables to sit at (come early if you want a good table however) Was it worth it? Totally. After walking on Bourbon street for the previous 3 nights we were getting tired of having people push us around to get by, having beads hit us everywhere, trying to find bathrooms to use, stepping in vomit, etc. If you plan to come to Mardi Gras and you're not sure if you should book a night at this balcony, just do it. Go for one of the nights earlier in the week(end) like Friday or Saturday if they're not already booked by then. I don't think it would be worth the $250 they were charging on Fat Tuesday. Fat Tuesday for my group ended up being pretty anti-climactic after the previous 4 nights of partying. We couldn't even drink anymore because we were so hung over from all the previous nights. Here are some tips if you decide to book at Bourbon Vieux, or just tips for visiting Mardi Gras and specifically Bourbon Street: 1. Don't wear nice shoes. They will get trashed by the end of the week and you'll want to throw them away. 2. Don't buy cheap throw beads because you can get them free from the parade floats, and the throw beads are everywhere. No one does much for those beads. 3. Before going to Mardi Gras, stock up on premium, large ball beads (we got ours at MardiGrasOutlet.com which had great prices), specialty beads (ones that light up), glow necklaces/bracelets (the ones you break and they light up for a few hours), and feather boas ($25 each on Bourbon Street!) if you can find them. 4. Bring a megaphone if you don't want to keep screaming from the Balcony. All the Radio Shacks in New Orleans sold out. 5. Get to Bourbon Vieux earlier if you want to get a good table. We got there at 8pm, 2 hours after it started at 6pm, and we were too late. Fortunately we found a group that allowed us to share their table when they were on the balcony (you get use of the balcony for 1 hour, every other hour.) 6. You don't really need a car in the French Quarters, everything is walking distance and parking is impossible/expensive. 7. Random note, there was this small guy on the street who tried to instigate fights with people on the balcony by throwing beads at the people on the balcony and hitting us in the face from below. I actually got pretty worked up about it, but didn't go down to do anything. But one of the people on the balcony actually went down there to give him a piece of his mind but ended up getting jumped by 4 additional people from the street. Apparently it was a trap set up by a bunch of punks, where they used the smallest guy to instigate a fight. The police ended shutting our part of the street down for a while, but after about 20 minutes, the partying resumed and all was well again on Bourbon Street. Summary: Balcony: 5 stars Alcohol selection: 4 stars Food: 3 to 3.5 stars Cleanliness: 4.5 stars Overall: 4 solid stars read more

I got married here on Halloween night. Absolutely amazing venue and food and Courtney is a dream to work with. Highly recommended.

PERFECT BOURBON EXPERIENCE! OK. I am still in New Orleans as I am typing this, and I must admit, I created this account on yelp for ONE reason ONLY, which was to review this place. WE HAD AN AMAZING TIME! If you are looking to be on Bourbon Street during Mardi Gras and you want to feel like a celebrity, then this is it! I came to Mardi Gras 6 years ago. In the beginning, we did NOT have access to a balcony...and, Yes- I had a great time. But the entire time I was looking up at the balconies thinking...-* What in the heck do I have to do- to get up where all of the cool people are!?*- Before we left to go home we were "lucky" enough to get invited up to a crappy dirty balcony for about two hours and it was OK, but it was NOT the amazing experience I had fantasized about. Fast Forward to Mardi Gras 2012, I found out about this place from a friend, I just decided to trust her and book the tickets, (Clearly she is a genius) Mardi Gras is the most fun that an adult can have...BUT! if you are lucky enough to be on a balcony at the Bourbon Vieux, trust me you will NOT BE DISAPPOINTED! The Bourbon Vieux is an unexpected secret CLEAN, drunken OASIS in the middle of all of the Bourbon Street madness, with the best view of the insanity and fun of Mardi Gras. Oh, and did I mention the amazing food they served (never ending buffet) and the open bar (All you can drink, -woohoo!!) are INCLUDED in the ticket price (uh, yes I am serious!) I made new friends, the balcony was ridiculous, the experience was unforgettable! I WILL BE BACK!!!! THANK YOU!!!!!!! read more

Some of the best food I've ever had. The chefs and wait staff are amazing, you can tell they care about quality

Hands down the best balcony to be at for Mardi gras. Yes the cover is a bit expensive but you have open bar and buffet for the entire time you're there. They alternate the people from the balcony every hour as well so everyone has more than enough time to get a good spot and a couple of hours of fun time before giving other people a chance. It's a good way to drink a ton and have fun during Mardi gras. read more

I attended a private party here a month ago and had a great experience. The food was ok, the drinks were ok and the entertainment was good. The best part about this place is the balcony overlooking Bourbon Street. read more

Started calling BV for appt. to view venue 11 months before date. Told on 3-4 occasions the caterer was not available. Now 9 months before date showed up to ask to see venue. Caterer still not available but was shown venue. Decided we would like to speak with caterer to discuss menu. CATERER STILL NOT AVILABLE. Now 6 months from date, other venues are booked. FINALLY caterer available. DATE IS BOOKED. I would not take a chance booking a venue where the only person available to discuss dates, menu and prices is on vacation more than she works. If a problem arises no one is available to speak with. read more

Bourbon Vieux is one of the best kept secrets for wedding reception venues in New Orleans. If you're planning a smaller, more intimate wedding, under 75 people, Bourbon Vieux is perfect. Its located right in the heart and center of Bourbon Street. I planned a destination wedding in Nola with 50 guests and choose the Bourbon Vieux because of its proximity to all of the action of Bourbon St. I was skeptical because I was planning from afar and I wasn't finding many reviews / pictures of the room setup during a wedding but I couldn't be happier for choosing the Bourbon Vieux . Our guests were wowed by the abundance of food, decor and balcony this place had to offer. Also, Taylor and Steffanie could not have been more helpful. They answered all of my emails and calls immediately. Thanks, ladies! read more

I give them 1 star simply based off of the price they value the venue in accordance with the lack of premium service they offer. The wait staff and bartenders were great and deserve more stars, but the managements lack of knowledge for their venue is subpar. Here's our experience if you feel like reading all the way through: I just wanted to reach about my experience with your restaurants while in town for my wedding weekend. I was married the weekend of June 5-7 in New Orleans. It was an amazing weekend and we sort of laughed on Sunday when we realized that we had spent just about every meal with Creole Cuisine restaurants. We did our rehearsal dinner at Bourbon Vieux with 50-60 people, I did my groomsman lunch at my local favorite (Pierre Maspero's) 20 people, and we did my mother in laws birthday brunch at Broussard's with around 40 people. Tony at Maspero's was absolutely amazing. He was extremely helpful and had our table waiting for us when we arrived on Saturday, June 6th. Broussard's was equally as accommodating as we were a little more unsure of the exact number, but since there were more than we expected the staff made room and the food was excellent as always. As for our experience with Bourbon Vieux, I will say that the food and the service staff was amazing. I do question the level of accommodation from Monica who was specifically designated to our event for our rehearsal dinner at Bourbon Vieux. From the beginning of our communication about this event we were in contact with Stephanie. On the night of our event we met Monica, who mentioned she would be our point of contact for the evening. I showed up early to double check that my slide show would work. It was a good thing that I did because prior that week Stephanie mentioned all I would need was a computer to hook it up. Once on site Monica showed me a completely different adapter that wasn't previously mentioned the week prior. I went on a wild goose chase for an hour to find the adapter so that I could play this slide show that I spent hours putting together. They were also very unknowledgeable about how to get the sound to work. If it weren't for the tech savvy bartender we may not have figured it out. Seems to me if I was the person in charge of running the venue I would know the in's and out's of my location. By the time we figured this out I literally had to run down Bourbon St. to my hotel where my guests were already in the lobby in suits & dresses while I was sweating and in shorts. Due to this situation it was completely my fault that my wife & I were 30 minutes late to the event. The night went well, but at the very end (8:20 which was 20 minutes over our contract) Monica mentioned to my wife, that we owed for an additional plate. Which was incorrect and then mentioned that she was going to charge us for the 30 minutes we went over (10 minutes prior & 20 minutes post). I am unsure if this is how your company teaches its managers or staff to run their business, but seems to me if I was at fault for the hour and half of wasting another persons time that I would be a little more accommodating. Not even pointing out that it was extremely unprofessional to approach my wife who had zero to do with the payment of the event and as we all know brides can be a little emotional. My wife handled it well and brushed it off. Three weeks went by and we didn't hear a word so we figured that they in fact realized that they equally were unaccommodating and wasted my time so maybe they didn't charge us. Only to find out that without even sending an email or receipt or any type of communication they just charged our card for a petty $434.61 compared to the $6,000+ we spent. I am not as concerned about the $400 as much as I feel that the actions of specifically Monica does not exemplify any of the other interactions we have had no limited to just our times during this weekend. I frequent Maspero's & Broussard's when back home as my entire family still lives in New Orleans. Our only negative experience the entire weekend was with working with Monica at Bourbon Vieux and the way business was handled. Prior to sending this I wanted to see what they had to say about the charges and Stephanie mentioned that our guests showed up 10 minutes early. I think with a little common courtesy and common sense as the host, if Monica would have told them that it is not open or ready until 5pm that my guests would have gladly paid cash for a cocktail at Bayou Burger until 5pm read more