Cancel

    Open app

    Search

    The R Bar

    4.3 (189 reviews)
    InexpensiveBars
    Open • 3:00 pm - 3:00 am (Next day)

    The R Bar Photos

    THE R BAR ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Juke Box
    Divey
    Classy
    Moderate noise

    You might also consider

    Recommended Reviews - The R Bar

    Your trust is our priority, so businesses can't pay to alter or remove their reviews. Learn more about reviews.
    Yelp app icon
    Browse more easily on the app
    Review Feed Illustration

    Reviews With Photos

    Watching the game, with sound
    Melissa S.

    When the Saints are out of town this is the perfect neighborhood bar to watch the game at. They have one large tv inside and a out door screen for those wanting to be outside. Outside they also had a food vendor that we got some cheese stick appetizers at. Inside the TV volume was turned up so you could not only watch the game, but you can hear it too. This is unlike most sports bars. In most sports bars they have multiple screens and no sound. I loved that it had sound. My football loving husband said this was the best place he's been to, to watch a home game. It was a great vibe. Soda was $3 and Beer was also $3. It was a steal. They also had to self serve water stations. And deals on a bucket of beers. It was 5 beers for $15. I highly reccomend coming here to watch an away game for the Saints. There was plenty of seating and we felt welcomed at the corner bar for locals.

    Mark C.

    On my recent trip to New Orleans with my Dad, I asked him if there was anything that he really wanted to see. He gave me the answers I expected but the one I did not expect was The R Bar. Frankly, I had never heard of it. Dad told me that the outside was used in NCIS: New Orleans and he just wanted to see it. I had no idea what to expect. My mind painted a picture of this fancy bar with polished brass railings, fancy mirrors behind the bar, custom padded bar stools, etc. What we discovered was something far better than that. Where I'm from, those Hollywood type bars are for stuck up rich jerks who look down their noses at people like me. The R Bar was definitely my kind of joint. Dad and I went inside after a long and hot day of sightseeing and walking around Saint Louis Cemetery #1 and Louis Armstrong Park. The R Bar was exactly what we needed to take a load off and cool down with a cold drink. The people there were very kind and it is pet friendly, which is even better. It's also obvious that it's a true local joint, as well as a tourist bar. Perfect mix of everything us commoners look for in a bar. Highly recommend!!! A note about my New Orlean's review: Back in December of 2024, my family lost the most loving and selfless woman you could ever imagine. My mom passed away after many years of suffering with botched scoliosis surgeries, crippling rheumatoid arthritis, and multiple stomach ulcer surgeries brought on by all the medications. My entire family, especially my Dad, have been crushed by her loss. My Dad builds street rods and he and my mom used to travel to all the car shows everywhere they could once they became empty nesters and dad retired. One of the shows they used to go to was in Biloxi, MS. Every year they went, my dad would talk about how they wanted to go to New Orleans. Unfortunately, every time they went, something would happen to prevent them from going. I promised my Dad that I would get him to New Orleans to see the city and visit the WWII Museum. The trip was memorable, and I got to spend priceless time with the man who made me who I am today. New Orleans did not disappoint, and I am forever thankful for the city of New Orleans!

    Cool atmosphere and decor
    Matthew G.

    New discovery for me in the French Quarter, and it instantly became one of my favorite bars in New Orleans: Chill, hip vibe; great lighting, music, and decor; good drinks at good prices; lively and vibrant while not being overcrowded or chaotic. What's not to like??

    Glenda R.

    We stopped in while walking around NOLA. It was on the list of where NCIS shots were filmed. Friendly staff, large interior, lots of seating and tons of drink specials.

    Pineapple mojito
    Johnathan R.

    Just a cute little dive bar that has been here so long I forget it exists from time to time, but here it always is . The bartender this trip was fantastic, so sweet and attentive. The perfect little New Orleans hangout for an afternoon of unwinding.

    Drink Wall
    Tiffany F.

    This bar is the bar that my husband absolutely loves to come to any chance that he gets. So now I have to come A LOT lol. One of the good things about this bar is that it is very safe and the surrounding area is very safe and literally across the street from the start of the French Quarter. So if you have visitors in town that want to go to the French Quarter, it's nice to start here and then walk across the street and start getting a taste of The French quarter. The prices here are amazing, as there are other bars that want to charge tourist prices. This place does not do that. You get a lot for your money and the bartenders here are super sweet and welcoming. Especially our favorite bartender, LeighAnn. She is one of the most friendliest, funniest bartenders I've ever met who has now become a friend. She knows how to make every drink and can also create a drink - If you just tell her what you're looking for. We come here for all of the Mardi Gras parades. They have a DJ here every Saturday night and we have become friends with the neighborhood patrons. This place is awesome and it's always on our list of things to do when we are out and about.

    Ted G.

    No sign of Duane Pride wasn't in the house, nor any NOLA NCIS agents. What would be called the "Tru Tone bar" on TV is a much different picture in real life. This primarily local's hangout is still quite an impressive view from the street, the wrap around balcony really brings the facade to life here. Being situated in a residential area I would have expected to at least find an open table for a couple drinks, I can clearly understand why they call themselves a community center. Bring your quarters for the jukebox, you won't find any live music at the R Bar, but on Monday evenings you can get a haircut and a shot, just make sure it's not the barber joining you for a shot. Unlike Dr. Who's tardis, this bar is definitely bigger on the outside, maybe it was the impression I got from TV, I was not expecting it to be that small which is why I waited for seating to open up outside. This place is also home to the Royal Street Inn on the second floor, and although I had not seen it in person, the photos online make the suites look very impressive. I am a fan of the local hangouts when I travel, this is one of them I would stop back into when I am in NOLA next. Cheers!

    Pimms Cup and Peach Bubbly
    Meri L.

    Came here for a nightcap. My boyfriend and Pimm's Cup and I had a peach bubbly. Both delish and not heavy. Very refreshing. They were both $8. Bartender was friendly and made drinks fast. Drink menu had lots of options for whatever your preference is.

    Entry
    Mckenzie P.

    First time ever noticing the bar & I fell in love. The ambience is everything. Red lights, good music, good vibes. I can't speak about the price of the drinks, but pretty sure they were cheap. Definitely will be backs There's an outdoor courtyard as well.

    Let's drink!!!!

    See all

    17 days ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    2 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    4 months ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    6 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 3
    Thanks 2
    Love this 3
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 1
    Love this 2
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 2
    Love this 2
    Oh no 0

    8 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 1

    2 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 1
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 4
    Thanks 3
    Love this 2
    Oh no 0

    4 years ago

    Helpful 20
    Thanks 1
    Love this 23
    Oh no 0

    6 months ago

    Friendly bartenders and great drinks that are reasonably priced. It's a cool local hangout.

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Ted G.
    5000
    651
    2592

    4 years ago

    Helpful 21
    Thanks 1
    Love this 20
    Oh no 1
    Photo of Owen G.
    392
    19
    11

    8 months ago

    Service was great, bathrooms nice, great drinks! Atmosphere was positive. Definitely will be going back!

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 1
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Meri L.
    1020
    1874
    5868

    5 years ago

    Helpful 7
    Thanks 0
    Love this 5
    Oh no 0

    11 months ago

    Best spot for locals to chill after work untill the sun comes up. not too many tourists finding this bar.

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Kimberly P.
    764
    113
    83

    2 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 2
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Great service, good prices fun environment . Away from the craziness but fun staff and ambiance

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    4 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Business owner information

    Photo of Bailey S.

    Bailey S.

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 2
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    3 years ago

    Helpful 3
    Thanks 1
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    5 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 1
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    5 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Greg M.
    2038
    1051
    2700

    5 years ago

    Helpful 25
    Thanks 0
    Love this 21
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Lucy M.
    202
    2017
    5800

    7 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Beth M.
    45
    16
    2

    3 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 1
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Eve B.
    447
    285
    1262

    5 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 2
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    5 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Audrey H.
    17
    403
    267

    3 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 1
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    5 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    5 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    7 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    15 years ago

    Helpful 9
    Thanks 1
    Love this 7
    Oh no 0

    8 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    16 years ago

    Helpful 4
    Thanks 0
    Love this 2
    Oh no 0

    3 years ago

    This place is a home away from home for me. Staff and management is amazing always a great experience.

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    4 years ago

    Very low key and exactly as described. Loving the ambiance of my city. Frenchman and Esplanade

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    8 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    Page 1 of 5

    Ask the Community - The R Bar

    Review Highlights - The R Bar

    “We stayed off of Frenchman Street awhile back and saw this place while walking around one morning.”

    Mentioned in 8 reviews

    Read more highlights

    You might also consider

    The Carousel Bar & Lounge - Weeee!

    The Carousel Bar & Lounge

    4.2(1.9k reviews)
    0.9 mi•French Quarter
    •$$

    Food: Went to sit at the bar and have drinks and they were delicious…read more Service: Excellent Ambiance: cool vibe Noteworthy: i went again, a couple days later for a private event. Drinks and food were great and they had live music, fun ambiance

    Had the worst experience here at the carousel bar. We tried…read moreto go another day but there were no available seats at the spinning carousel so we tried our luck the next day right when they opened. We got there at 10:55am and there was a little line. When the doors opened, Oddly enough, there was a party of 5 sitting inside already?!?? Our bartender W took a while to come get our drink order and took longer to get, one of us never even got our beer. I pointed at someone's drink and told W I wanted that, the martini special. How is he gonna make me the drink minus the Baileys?!? I pointed to the drink I wanted, simple. My bf ordered a Abita, guess what 45 mins passed and he NEVER got his beer. We asked for the check and W said "oh your beer". Bro just give us the check and take off the beer. Worst service I've ever experienced. How you going to forget about someone's drink who's sitting right in front of you drink-less plus make a drink wrong. The carousel sits about 25 people and there's 2 bartenders?!? This isn't a club where drinks are getting shouted out. The only thing they have going for them is the rotating carousel bar if the SD one didn't close, I'd say pass and go to that one instead. One and done for me. Good luck if you get W as your bartender! And sir, no I'm not coming back after the game for you to make it right, make it right the first time!

    Photos
    The Carousel Bar & Lounge - The Sazarac

    The Sazarac

    The Carousel Bar & Lounge - Lemon drop martini and old fashioned

    Lemon drop martini and old fashioned

    The Carousel Bar & Lounge - Second bar

    See all

    Second bar

    The Spotted Cat Music Club - band getting ready

    The Spotted Cat Music Club

    4.4(1.1k reviews)
    0.1 mi•Marigny
    •$$

    What a great music venue. We paid the $5 cover charge and grabbed a drink. Then we watched some…read moreamazing jazz music. The band was very talented and it was the best jazz experience we had in New Orleans. Great bar service, amazing jazz! Wow!

    Before I start, this is my review based on my experience. I've noticed some people complain about…read morethe music, paying the cover charge, seating or the size of the venue. I'm not here to argue any of those points. I will say this: expecting live musicians to perform for free until you decide whether they're worth paying is ridiculous. The cover is usually only $5...$10 max. If that's a dealbreaker, this probably isn't your place. Stay home and stream Spotify. Now... I have some friends in town, and whenever that happens, a Monday night trip to the Spotted Cat is basically mandatory. I've been coming here for years and years. Yes, it's super touristy now, but it still gives me the warm fuzzies every time I walk through those doors. So I'm presenting the "compliment sandwich" review. Never heard of it? You start with a compliment, slip in some constructive-ish criticism, then end with another compliment. Supposedly people receive feedback better that way. Let's see. First, the music. Outstanding. Chris Christy wasn't what I thought I wanted to hear until I actually heard him. I felt completely transported. Man, can that guy play the guitar. It felt kinda like gypsy music. Then came the Frenchmen Street Allstars. The last time I saw them, they had a different lead singer and, honestly, they kind of felt like a completely different band, aside from the phenomenal drummer. This version did not disappoint. It was a great mix of jazz and New Orleans standards. Both bands were great! **Now a note to management.** Great music isn't enough. The bar should be every bit as memorable as the stage. Forgive me, I didn't get the bartenders' names, so I have to describe them by physical traits. The first bartender, the guy with the mountain of curly hair, was friendly enough and made decent drinks. Later, another bartender with a short haircut took over and made the best drinks of the night. Then there was the bartender with the black and hot pink hair. She looked like she'd rather be anywhere else. She rarely smiled, her demeanor felt unwelcoming, and it almost came across as hostile. On top of that, the drinks she made were so weak I genuinely wondered if there was any alcohol in them. Seriously. They were that bad. Here's my philosophy: if you're going to be grumpy, aloof, or have some other off-putting trait, you'd better make a mean drink. Years and years ago there was a bartender named Curtis who wasn't exactly sunshine and rainbows, but that man could make a cocktail. I didn't need him to smile because the drink did all the talking. If the drink is mostly soda, though, friendliness becomes a lot more important. Unfriendly and bad bartending is a double whammy. She must be somebody's child or partner because I can't think of any other reason to employ a bad bartender. I hate to belabor the point, but the drinks aren't cheap. Cheap and bad I can take. For another comparison, there's another bartender there, I'm pretty sure her name is Chris. She's been there for years. She's all business. Maybe a little surly. Who am I kidding? A lot surly. But she's a character. More importantly, she makes a great drink. That's the kind of personality that somehow fits the Spotted Cat perfectly. Now let me end with the final piece of "bread" on my compliment sandwich. The doorman deserves his own review. That gravelly-voiced "Welcome to the Spotted Cat!" is part of the experience. Then he absolutely hammers that stamp onto your wrist. Somehow you don't even mind because you know what's waiting on the other side: incredible music, a fun room, and one of the best nights you can have on Frenchmen Street. Just don't let the bartender with the pink and black hair make your drink.

    Photos
    The Spotted Cat Music Club - High seats by the door

    High seats by the door

    The Spotted Cat Music Club - Spotted Cat

    Spotted Cat

    The Spotted Cat Music Club

    See all

    Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop Bar - "The purple drink"

    Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop Bar

    4.1(1.9k reviews)
    0.3 mi•French Quarter
    •$$

    The final stop on our ghost tour…read more This bar has truly legendary status when it comes to bars in the French Quarter. This building predates the United States, some saying it being built in the early 1770s. Some say it's the oldest bar in America but that's more legend than based on historical fact. This bar probably has the coolest story on the ghost tours as Jean Lafitte was a true character in New Orleans lore dating back to the 1700s. As far as what it's like today, you walk in and it's dark and eerie and is mostly illuminated by candlelight. This is a full service bar with both a pretty good sized bar area and also a section with tabletops and tables for patrons to enjoy along with countertops outside the bar for those who want to enjoy their drinks outside. Also in the back of this bar is a piano area where a piano player plays live music for the patrons multiple times a week in the evenings. As far as drinks go this place is definitely a tourist attraction and the drink prices do reflect that. They are famous for their "purple drink" and their "hurricanes". I ended up just having another local beer and I was just about tapped out on drinks by the end of this ghost tour. Overall this place is pretty awesome, especially if you take the time to learn the backstory and lore of this bar-some say it's haunted. A true must-visit.

    I have an emergency in New Orleans... The emergency is a Purple Drank from Lafitte's Blacksmith…read moreShop Bar! It is known to be 1 of the oldest bars in the US! Stop by and grab your some purple stuff while in New Orleans, it definitely packs a punch Im unsure if food is offered so We grabbed a po boy sandwich from a place across the street

    Photos
    Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop Bar - Cute place

    Cute place

    Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop Bar
    Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop Bar

    See all

    Mahogany Jazz Hall - They were very good

    Mahogany Jazz Hall

    4.6(282 reviews)
    0.9 mi•Central Business District
    •$$

    THIS IS A MUST SEE/DO THING IN NEW ORLEANS!! We were recommended to go here from some friends. It…read morewas our favorite thing we did in Nee Orleans. It feels like culture. The music is fantastic! There's a vibe to the musicians where they feel that they all know one another. We saw two different groups perform. The cocktails were delicious and craft! Really really loved! Wish we could come here every weekend! For others trying to understand how it all works, you don't have to purchase tickets to go. You can't make reservations. You just show up and grab a seat. It's a tiny little space but truly amazing. GO!

    We were looking for a place to grab a cocktail before out dinner reservation elsewhere and we…read morestopped in here. Getting here right after they opened for the evening, before the live jazz started, we were able to chat with the staff (which we love to do) and they were very engaging and chatty. I also noticed they do a proper absinth service here and they offered one of the largest Absinth menus I've ever seen, so I had to try something interesting and different and went with the Texas made Opal Absinthe. Before selecting it, I asked the young lady who was handling the bar and she gave me her description, which I have to say was spot-on to what I ended up drinking. Another drink we got was great as well, and made with fresh juices. The vibe and venue is great here... I love jazz and I would love to return sometime to listen to the live jazz while enjoying their amazing adult beverages!

    Photos
    Mahogany Jazz Hall - Local band

    Local band

    Mahogany Jazz Hall - Mahogany Hall Swingers featuring Roderick Paulin

    Mahogany Hall Swingers featuring Roderick Paulin

    Mahogany Jazz Hall - Framed artwork in ladies bathroom

    See all

    Framed artwork in ladies bathroom

    The R Bar - bars - Updated September 2026

    Loading...
    Loading...
    Loading...