Some reviews here are for the Den, which is the side bar which also serves food. I'm reviewing the main venue. I want to rate the Howlin' Wolf higher, as it has to get good marks for the usually high-quality acts they book. They do some great free shows during Mardi Gras, and they have a long tradition of live music, which draws well. That said, the acoustics in the room itself aren't great, and the sound engineers often struggle with it. Add on the fact that it's a pretty dirty place with worse bathrooms than a fraternity basement, and I can't go above 3 stars. read more

Disgusting, overly-salted everything, rude, dead end. There's nothing to like about this place. The food is practically inedible with the amount of salt on the food. If you can get beyond that, it's just nasty and offensive. The "staff" is all beyond rude. They act like somebody walked into their home and bothered them to make food for free. Go basically anywhere else. read more

I think this place has a lot to offer in the way of uniqueness and proximity to the convention center. I will also say that the bacon and cheddar filled beignets were the best that I had in the entire area. The rest of the menu was really just OK but the atmosphere made up for it. read more

This is a spacious place for watching live music and other NOLA events (I also usually end up here for MOM's Halloween Ball most years). The bar has developed a clever system of using number cards that you have to show when you run a tab as it can get very loud when music is playing so that makes it easier to get your order in. I've always had great service and the crowd has always been interesting. They have adequate bathroom faculties for men but I've seen some shorter lines form outside the women's before. They are usually very good about stamping you and letting you go in and out as you please. The have a "set" behind the stage that has several "houses" giving it the look of a New Orleans neighborhood so that gives it a unique NOLA spin. As with many things in the area it can be challenging to find parking at times so plan accordingly. read more

Great little corner bar/restaurant! Thanks to other great reviews I found it! Had the Cuban sandwich...awesome! If it wasn't so big, I'd order another one!! Friendly staff, too! read more

In the short time I've been in New Orleans this is my favorite bar I've been to. They have an excellent beer selection and awesome music. Highly recommended. read more

The Howlin' Wolf - Music Venues Near Me - New Orleans, Louisiana

Fun place. The bartender, had a wonderful infectious laugh that made me feel at home. She was on top of it and great!!

Chicken quesadilla? fire. Fried pickles? fire. Bacon and cheese beignets? fire. 10/10 experience from your fellow Floridian

I've been here a few times... usually to show my love and support to my friends in bands. I like the fact that there's a lot of space. It's hard to get bumped and knocked around here. I HATE being bumped into... so if I want a "take-it-easy" night out with music, this is a cool place. read more

Nice, small, and cozy place. Decently priced food and drinks. Quick service. read more

The Howlin' Wolf - Brisket sandwich and Fresh Hand Cut Cheese Beef French Fries! - Music Venues Near Me - New Orleans, Louisiana

Great as a music venue and bar. Hot 8 Brass Band killed it and the beer selection was decent. We didn't try the food.

Amazing local bar with DELICIOUS food! Highly recommend if you're a local looking for a new spot or a visitor looking to make friends and listen to great music while eating bacon cheddar beignets. That's right, bacon cheddar beignets. 10/10 service and amazing crowd. read more

This is a divey bar that is not very far at all from the convention center. We went there to have a mid afternoon lunch, and the pulled pork sandwich was excellent. Was quiet and so fairly fast service. A small amount of outdoor seating. Good beer choices. read more

Good beer selection, with a descent amount of drafts and more available in bottles or cans. This is your stereotypical hole-in-the-wall, being small, hot and dark. Disappointed there wasn't any music the night I was here. read more

This just happened 10 mins ago on 6/30/17. The chef drop my food on the floor, ( short drunk guy sweaty bearded look) then picked the food up in attempted to serve it to me!! I quickly went to the manager explained to her what happened and she return my money. With no apology no compensation nothing just $12 back on my credit card. Because I watched a chef try to serve the only African-American person in the whole establishment food he just dropped on the floor of a bar I will never come back to this establishment again avoid at all cost...... if you ever come to essence festival never come to this restaurant/bar. read more

If you are looking for good food, cheap, this is the place. Funky and fun, but definitely not fancy! Local beer on tap, infused vodka, local bands. A little bit divey, but great food. read more

The Howlin' Wolf - Local brews - Music Venues Near Me - New Orleans, Louisiana

I was more than a little wary considering the look of the place, but don't let that deter you. We got back to our hotel close to midnight and I volunteered to walk over and get takeout rather than wait forever to get a pizza delivered. The cook and the bartender were initially indifferent to my presence, surprising since it wasn't that busy, but they turned out to be friendly. I ordered a Cuban, a pulled pork, and blackened fish tacos, the cook fired up the grill and it was all ready by the time I finished a beer. Everything was legitimately good, not just 'bar food' good. read more

Total crap attitude. Ask what the most popular item was and got a very snarky I don't understand f*$!# popular. I just cook it. Walked out. Stay away from this high attitude restaurant. read more

This place is walking distance from the convention center which is convince,we stopped for lunch. If you see a line at the bar to order food don't stop keep walking. The bartender lady was rude and the cook as well. When you walk in it doesn't really state to order at the bar and then sit down to call out your name for food. They need a better ordering system. I will say this I did order the BBQ pulled pork sandwich and that was delicious! My friend Order the jambalaya said it was delicious as well. It to bad the service wasn't as great as the food. read more

Awesome burger. You won't leave hungry. Atmosphere is fun and staff are friendly. Nice neighborhood place.

#minneapolismiracle !!!! Jess, Nicole, Country! They are all super fun! Personality makes a bar... these guys have it!

Comfort foods. Amazing and friendly staff! Hole in the wall feel with good comfort food. Jambalaya and debris fries were amazing!!

Best jambalaya ever. Bartender not the nicest but the jambalaya makes it worth it. Fresh and delicious. Thanks Howie

This was probably the best experience in New Orleans. The food is awesome but the character and personality of the staff is amazing. Shout out to bartenders Julie and Madison who keep everyone happy - they are the best! You won't be disappointed. We will definitely be back read more

I like the venue, low key bar and burger vibe with rustic atmosphere. I came for lunch during a conference break. Waited an hour for 2 tacos while the one cook took his time SLOWLY turning out orders. A second cook showed up at 2 pm, too little, too late. The chicken tacos were OK read more

Perfect local experience. This is the kind of corner bar that everyone should wander into in every place she visits.

Good bar food! Not pricey. They have a good selection of beer and a ton of local beer. Laid back atmosphere. read more

The Howlin' Wolf - Fried Pickles - Music Venues Near Me - New Orleans, Louisiana

Good beer selection, great live music. A long way from fancy, but not far from just right. On the second visit, I've decided to up my rating to five stars because this is really my second favorite dive bar in the world. My first is a little hole in the wall joint in Kathmandu, so I'd have to go a long way to find someplace that masters the genre as well as this place does. Bartender has been awesome both times, beer selection is solid, music is good, vibe is right. read more

We were in town for a trade show, and this pub was across the street from the hotel. We all ended up really enjoying the place, and it has quickly risen as one of my favorites in New Orleans. Food is typically very good, beer selection on tap is typically very good, atmosphere is nice, The Den venue in back offers an eclectic array of entertainment, the staff are helpful and friendly and look like they enjoy working there. Only shortcoming is the bar is often shorthanded, so it can take awhile sometimes to place your order. I mean if the cook is in the back waiting for an order, any reason they can't be helping out at the bar in between food orders? Other than that the place is great. (Howlin' Wolf - please consider adding options for a fired egg and mushrooms on your Bad Ass Burger. We also really enjoyed your tacos :) read more

Went there during a convention. The line was outside the door. When I finally placed my order after waiting 20 minute had to wait an additional 45 minutes for my food to be ready. The food was nothing to brag about, service was poor, atmosphere non-existent. The place is so filthy that I had pick up a soft drink elsewhere to cleanse my palette. Never again!! read more

Great selection of local beers and friendly, low-key atmosphere which totally hit the spot as we were deciding where to go to dinner later in the evening read more

Fun spot to hang out. Didn't have music the night I was there, but seemed like a good funky venue.

Jess was killing it behind the bar on 11.7.19. Good pour, great service, and outdoor seating. Did not try the food but it sure did smell good. read more

I visited this bar at the start of my New Orleans Ghost Tour. They run a perpetual special of 2-for-1 Hurricanes for tour guests; $12 buys you 2 cups of the pre-mixed beverage. My wife looked at me and said "The only thing this drink is going to do is make me pee." It tasted like non-alcoholic Kool-Ade. I have to wonder if the special is not a special, but rather some way of tricking people into a two drink minimum. I live in the Cincinnati area and if one of our bars served swill of this low quality, they would soon shut down from the lack of customers. They do however score a point for a great run-down theme: exposed brickwork, cracked plaster, well aged wood throughout. But with no alcohol in the special, why should I return after the tour? read more

Went here during the day on a weekend and had a great time. Not too much of a crowd at the time we went, fun bartenders, etc. Would recommend. I think I would put 4 stars for this place, but I put 5 since I had to laugh at the fact that one poor review on here is some chick fussing because she's 31 and got carded. Really? I'm 30 and get carded all of the time. This is New Orleans. They get hefty fines and shut down for a week or more if they serve someone underage. Don't have ID, don't drink. If you're going to NOLA, plan better. read more

A great stop on my way back to my hotel.drinks were tall and the bartender Nicole is not only adorable, she has an awesome and infectious laugh. I will be going back to get more of her positive vibes when ever I get back to town. Good job guys! read more

Last year in September, I was invited to a concert at Howlin' Wolf on a first date. The event was with someone I had known for some time but we never decided to take a leap into the dating realm together. When I had first met her over a year ago, her body was of excellent conditioning and her attire absolutely flawless. This time however, and forgive me to stating this so forwardly, she had let herself fall into a state of despair without relief that rivaled the Ninth Ward during Hurricane Katrina. What the hell happened?! She looked like a fullback for the Green Bay Packers squeezed into a tiny pair of pumps! Her hair was frizzy and wild like she'd been jabbing hot electrical outlets with a fork and was wearing an extremely tight floral dress that accentuated her new girth and wrapped her up like an ancient Egyptian mummy. There wasn't enough bourbon in Kentucky that was going to minimize that eyesore but I made the best of it and accompanied her to the event. Since the venue had not yet opened to the public and a large line had formed outside, we grabbed a drink at the nearby bar. Now, I am definitely someone who can hold their alcohol but this warrior of a woman was something else altogether. I think she cut through her drink in about three swigs. I sat on my barstool watching her guzzle booze in amazement like a child at a circus watching death-defying acts, thinking to myself "it's not possible! No way! The human body cannot do that!" The way she was knocking them back, it was like throwing drinks down a well! Thank the good Lord that shortly after we sat down, the venue opened their doors and we were allowed inside. As we entered, my date grabbed my hand and made a mad dash to the bar for more drinks. While she was pulling me along, I felt my hand within hers and it was horrifying, to say the least. It felt like I was holding a large ham. I don't mind public displays of affection but when a girl feels like she's got the strength to kill an angry lion with her bare hands, it's a bit abrasive on one's nerves. Drink after drink she continued to pave her way through, leaving nothing behind, not even the ice, which she continued to chew so loudly, her face sounded like a rock polisher. I was excited once the music began so that my attention could be turned toward something else instead of my Viking date. Seriously, I was surprised she wasn't drinking out of a horn! I wish I could say that the musician was good but alas, the performance fell faster than Herman Cain's bid for the presidency. To top it off, I found myself surrounded within a haze of bong smoke. I kid you not, some young college students had brought an actual bong to the concert and were passing it through the crowd like a pizza at a Super Bowl party. Struggling to watch the hippy on stage moan and howl about how the world lacks tree huggers and drum circles, my date decided to make her move. I suddenly felt her arm snaking around my upper back. At first, I said nothing and remained motionless, which is the correct procedure when one encounters a dangerous creature. She proceeded to move her hand down towards my lower back and attempted to move inside my shirt. I immediately began ducking and dodging like a prize fighter but eventually, she caught me, flung her arms around the back of my head and hung onto my neck. Trying to support her while staying upright made me feel like I was competing in a World's Strongest Man competition. I had to come up with an excuse to escape. I explained to her that I needed to use the restroom and I shot away from the scene as if I had been ejected from a cannon. Inside the venue's bathroom was a grisly scene! There were drunk college students stumbling to and fro; one guy apparently passed out while standing against a urinal. I made a dash for an empty stall and once inside, realized quickly why it was empty. The toilet bowl was filled to the brim with feces, which seeped over the edges like French onion soup. Also, the stall's door had no working lock and appeared as if someone had chewed it off from the inside. Apparently, the water board had turned off the city's water supply earlier in the evening for fear of contamination from a previous event, which caused none of the venue's toilets to flush. I struggled to relieve myself as drunks continually stumbled into the door behind me, which I held steadfastly closed with my one free hand. Toilets had overflowed to my left and right which caused me to dance in place like Fred Astaire to avoid ruining my shoes. When I finally exited the bathroom, my date grabbed me again, pulled me close to her and proceeded to attempt reaching into the front of my pants to throttle me, as if she were a Formula 1 racer, rapidly working her stick shift through the gearbox! It was one of the worst venues I had ever attended and quite possibly the worst date I have ever experienced. read more

This bar is super low key; really awesome menu and great taps!!! The bartender was smart and cool - we had a fun time at the high top by the open-air doors and smoked a cig at the outdoor picnic table. Great location and great local spot for a happy drink. read more

Great bar food, the Cuban is the sh@t. Awesome Saturday bartender!! All in all, a great experience.

First time in New Orleans and our first stop was The Howlin' Wolf. We really enjoy the atmosphere and the people working there were really friendly and helpful!!! read more