I have always loved this authentic Bywater dive bar. Beers are so cheap and the music cover is around $20. Don't want to pay, or prefer less noise? Then get your drink and hang out on the front porch, the acoustics are great and you can hear the music perfectly. The bands are often local, some of whom have found success outside NOLA but still come back to their local audiences. Don't forget the free rice and beans served around midnight. The local crowds are enthusiastic, you feel like you are at a local house party. read more

Vaughan's is one of the coolest dive bars in the US. It's a ramshackle, cash-only pit that looks like it escapes condemnation through black magic. It's incredibly cheap (import bottles at happy hour were $4, and cocktails looked dangerously large and strong) and popular among the locals who avoid the French Quarter and its tourist-centric economy. I was there on a Thursday for a local jazz band, and it was...packed full of people having a great time for a free (!) band playing hours of insanely energetic and technically proficient tunes. This will be a destination for me if and when I'm ever back in NOLA. read more

Vaughan's Lounge - Dive Bars Near Me - New Orleans, Louisiana

Nice little dive bar / neighborhood bar - lots of beer options for a dive bar, which I like. Including Pacifico in glass bottles. They also have Guinness (not on draft). I do enjoy coming here when there's an event, but it can get crowded! Not a super big place, but that's okay because the vibes a great! Attentive/friendly bartenders (not creepy) with manners (they say please & thank you.) I haven't spent too many nights here, but I do usually stop by when I'm in the area. It's usually pretty chill on regular days. All in all a decent spot. Lots of outdoor seating. Cash only! (they have an ATM though.) read more

Vaughan's Lounge - Dive Bars Near Me - New Orleans, Louisiana

White woman owner needs to learn how to respect and talk to people. Bartenders were mad cool, good music on too but you can't get in my face and demand a $20 cover charge at 11PM on t-giving night after I spent 2 hours spending money in the bar. So rude and shitty at a human level. At least ask/request and not make demands on people white lady. read more

This Ninth Ward bar is a treasure. An old building with a dark and cool inviting interior. When it's slow, the bartenders are funny and attentive. When busy you never have to remind them of your drink order. There is sometimes food, but I can't seem to glean a schedule. Nonetheless, the bbq or gumbo is good when you get it! read more

It is what it is! Great jazz on Thursday goof jazz on Wednesday. CASH ONLY! Don't expect much but walk away with a lot! read more

Vaughan's Lounge - Dive Bars Near Me - New Orleans, Louisiana

Friendly neighborhood bar with mixed tunes playing. Dogs are welcome, so bring your furry bestie along for a night time pick me up. read more

Vaughan's Lounge - French 75 w/ Cognac - Dive Bars Near Me - New Orleans, Louisiana

Highly recommend you go Thursday night all the local musicians come in and jam after they get off work starts around 10 PM

I was turned on to Vaunghan's lounge About 10 years ago I was a road manager for a band and was taking their buy some local musicians. Wow wow wow what a place that's where all the local musicians hang out and you're liable to hear and see some amazing amazing musicians. The food is good. The atmosphere is even better. Keep it on the down low shirt with only true friends. read more

The day before LIX. Too crowded everywhere, but an easy roll to Vaughan's. Sat outside, almost too hot in the unseasonably warm snap. Enjoyed a few nice drinks, for an hour or so. Pleasant service inside. Needed that. read more

Dive bar in the midst of Bywater - that caters to those who want live music and drinks. There's minimal fuss and no cover charge. You can grab a couple of drinks at the bar and head outside for some live music. We went on a Friday night to hear the Treme Brass Band. There's no where other than New Orleans - where you can drink, dance and party on the sidewalk. Definitely have to experience it, if you're in the city! read more

Vaughan's Lounge - Treme Brass Band - Dive Bars Near Me - New Orleans, Louisiana

This bar is one of my favorites in New Orleans. If you have an opportunity to go here to watch a Saints game, I strongly recommend it! Great neighborhood bar!! read more

Vaughan's Lounge - Front patio! - Dive Bars Near Me - New Orleans, Louisiana

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The service was awesome and the ambiance was even better. Everyone at the bar was friendly and welcoming. Definitely a great way to end our first night in town. read more

This is the most sketchy looking dive bar I've ever been from the outside. But you'd be amazed by the Thursday night live music. Incredible vibe and feels like a private party. read more

Vaughan's Lounge - Outdoor - Dive Bars Near Me - New Orleans, Louisiana

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Super chill neighborhood dive bar w/ live music. We walked over from Bacchanal's after dinner. Can be a bit of a sketchy neighborhood in spots. When we walked up, they were grilling up fresh plates of food that sounded amazing. Great band was playing, but was $20 cover, and we only wanted to stay for one drink, so we hung out outside w/ some of the other folks, and the bartender came out and took our drink order. Met some colorful locals, then took Lyft back to French Quarter. Cool experience. read more

Vaughan's Lounge - Cool music spot - Dive Bars Near Me - New Orleans, Louisiana

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If no stars was an option I'd give it that definitely not a tourist spot it's in the 9th ward so beware. Horrible suggestion. Vey unsafe.

One of the great neighborhood dive bars turned music houses in the city. The venerable Vaughans has been thriving in the back of the Bywater for years and continues to rock under its new ownership. There is often food given away and the bar is cash only but you cant beat the New Orleans vibe of this place. read more

Stopped in here shortly after they opened on a Monday and were welcomed in by the bartender Crinkle. Had wonderful conversation over a few beers and really enjoyed hearing about the history of the bar and NOLA in general. We had a genuinely great time and were the only 2 people in the bar - so I can just imagine the energy on a Thursday night or weekend. Stop in, say hi, and grab some drinks. This is a great establishment. read more

A great little neighborhood bar. Everyone's welcome and there is no pretension. True NOLA vibes.

Horns and Booze Excellent bar off the beaten path. Any day is a good day to have some fun at Vaughan's Lounge, but should you pick a day, let it be a Thursday, where Kermit Ruffins plays with his band, and boy is he good with that trumpet. Don't let the looks of the neighborhood keep you from visiting this gem of the Crescent City, take a cab from the French Quarter, (the meter should stop somewhere south of $10.00, assuming the cab driver doesn't decide to give you a tour of the city), and you take another one on your way back. Cheap drinks, (really cheap), and the perfect atmosphere created by people of all ages, a lot of people I should mention, having a great time. Real New Orleans! Thanks read more

There was a live band performing for 11pm, we were asked if we'd like to pay a cover charge for the band when we arrived about 10pm, I replied "no, we're having a few rounds & will be gone beforehand!!" My watch read 10:40pm, the lady waved me down from the entrance & tapped her watch... As if hint hint, it's time to get up!! I didn't want to cause a scene, so I picked up our cocktails while my man was in the restroom, approached her saying, "there's still 20min til 11pm, but we'll depart now just for you!!" She didn't even say thank you, she responds with, "the tables are for ppl to see the band!!" I said, "right, which starts @ 11, but they're more than welcomed to have my table after I had already purchased drinks before the show even started!!" "U have a lovely night & I won't be returning!!" read more

Great, friendly dive bar in the heart of the Bywater. Highly recommend. Cash only, but there's an ATM.

Before I visited New Orleans I asked my friend, who's a local, for some of the dive-y-est bars that they knew of. They gave me a list of a number of bar that fit this description and after my wife and I had dinner we set out to find these locations. Our first stop was Vaughan's Lounge and I couldn't be happier. This is a dive bar through and through!! First off it o my accepts cash and has an ATM on sight with a three dollar fee. The registrar looks like it was stolen from an early 1900s conscience store and it boasts pictures of famous people to pass through on the walls. The menu is written in pen and set inside a display board on the bar. There were six other people at the bar besides us, four were talking to themselves, and a couple who we discovered were also tourists. We chopped it up with the tourists, each had a beer, and called it a night. This was EXACTLY what I was looking for. It's a dive bar, it's got a fun atmosphere, and the drinks are cold. It was wonderful!!! read more

Vaughan's Lounge - Step to the bar - Dive Bars Near Me - New Orleans, Louisiana

Spent our first night out in NOLA here and it was a refreshing departure from Bourbon Street-great music, fun dancing, and free rice and beans that were delicious! We heard a great brass band play and when we left at 1:30 the party was still going strong (I think the second set had just started)! Drinks aren't anything to write home about but they are cheap. The crowd leans white/hipster but the music is soulful and fun to dance to (the night we went, there was a great DJ). The best part was actually the free rice and beans which were some of the best I've ever had. $10 cover for great music and hearty food is worth it. Definitely would recommend if you're in NOLA! read more

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Would be better if I could give it zero stars. The atmosphere was a cool neighborhood vibe but sadly, one bad apple ruined it all. First, very nice lady came by and asked if my friend and I were staying to watch the band. We weren't sure so I asked what was going on. She said "we are collecting $5 per person for the band". No further explanation. I said, can we think about it a minute and if we are staying, I'll be happy to pay. Keep in mind she never explained what the $5 was for but ok, I like to support local music. About 5 minutes passed and another lady approached us and this is the convo verbatim. Lady: Are you staying for the band? Me: We might, can we finish this drink and decide before they start? Lady in hostile tone: Well, it's $10 per person and the band is arriving and we've put out the food so either you pay or you leave. Well, since they doubled the price, gave zero explanation and were so incredibly rude ... we of course left. Not to mention, I ordered a Captain and diet. I don't know what was in that Captain bottle but I can assure it was not Captain Morgan. I'm a local here in NOLA and I will NEVER go back. read more

Stumbled in this place sort of on accident. We were trying to go to a much more popular wine bar around the corner, but ended up here because the wait was so bad. Ended up being a good choice; the bartenders and local patrons were extremely nice and fun to talk to, and mixed drinks were good. read more

Vaughan's Lounge - Dive Bars Near Me - New Orleans, Louisiana

Came here on a Thursday night after our host recommended it as a good jazz place and we loved it. It's very charming and the crowd seem to be neighborhood regulars who give it a very homey feeling. They offer free rice and beans, which I didn't taste because I had just had dinner but others seemed to go cray cray for it. The Jazz band, too, were wonderful. They kind of make the $10 entrance fee worth it, even though for the life of me I still can't imagine why they charge so much, or at all. The place is fairly small so the loud speakers should be reconsidered. Overall though, we loved it. read more

Under the heading "Dive bar", Webster's should just have a picture of the outside this place. Come to think about it, it'd work for "Party" or "Dance party" too. Corey Henry and the Tremé Funktet lay it down on Thursday nights, and the joint really jumps. It looks like a Mardi Gras float exploded inside, and the walls are lined with photos of local and national celebrities that have played there. There are a few tables along the walls, but the majority of the crowd will be on their feet, either dancing or milling around outside. Behind the main room is another one where they serve some damn fine red beans and rice, included in whatever cover you paid. The beer selection includes some local brews and the mixed drinks are strong, and patrons are all potential friends you haven't met yet. Don't miss it! read more

Vaughan's Lounge - The calm before the fun. - Dive Bars Near Me - New Orleans, Louisiana

Great little neighborhood dive bar! Cash only with an ATM inside. Friendly service. We stopped by in the late afternoon and it wasn't busy at all. Worth stopping by and grabbing a drink. read more

Vaughan's Lounge - The outside - Dive Bars Near Me - New Orleans, Louisiana

I'm not gonna lie. I've been dying to check this place out because I'm a huge Treme fan and would have done so sooner if I didn't live on the complete opposite end of town. So, when Yelptern, Emily A suggested I check out the recent Twelfth Night bash with her this past Friday night, I was like, oh hells yeah! Now, I didn't go on a Kermit Ruffins night, obviously, but the band that was playing was fantastic and got *this*chica on zee dance floor. In fact, I didn't see anyone in there not dancing up a storm at one point or another. It's infectuous. It's crowded (but not to the point where I got the willies) and it's a fucking good time. The crowd spills out to the street, which affords more breathing room, so don't be put off if you're crowd phobic like Yours, Truly. Friday night there was no cover (when there's no cover, be sure and drop some $ into the tip jar! The band deserves it!). The drinks are fairly cheap, considering it's a live music joint. Friendly, local crowd (at least on the night I went). Visiting peeps, do venture out here to witness a great music and party scene! read more

Stumbled upon this joint at 12:30am on a Monday nite while driving through the by-water. My friend (who used to live here) drove past and started freaking out in excitement "Oh my god, is that Vaughan's?! We have to stop here! I used to come here all the time!" So, we stopped. Apparently this place was made famous (and more tourist-y) because of the HBO series, Treme. Luckily, when we came there weren't too many people and it wasn't crowded at all. We had a ton of fun grabbing a drink and talking (mostly listening) to our friends share stories of their adventures here many moons ago. Really cool to see all of the artwork from Treme and posters of Kermit. Also there is a jukebox and bartender was super nice. Got four drinks for 20 bucks. Can't beat that! read more

Just an update to my review of 2013, it's still a great neighborhood Bywater dive bar, but Kermit Ruffins no longer plays here on thursday nights. For sure its a place to meet interesting characters and the last time I was in there I met a couple from London, England on a USA tour, how they found their way there was a mystery. Not a frat boy hang out, it has a nice neighbors vibe to the place. read more

It's real simple...Vaughan's is a jumping dive! No need to get fancy and definitely want to wear comfortable shoes. This place gets packed and you're going to mingle with strangers from all over the world. At times there's free food. The red beans and rice are outstanding so trust me you want to get on line early. We arrived the day we visited this place and it was a great sneak peek into what was to come. It was my first trip to New Orleans. Now I'm planning my 4th trip to The Big Easy. This is a great city, food, music and southern hospitality at its finest. The city is also rich in history so make sure you learn about it while you're there. read more

Came in from out of town for the Jazzfest back in 2010. Dragged a friend from Metairie there - a place in town he would never go - and got there about 7PM. Sparse crowd, then but by 9PM it was packed. We were sitting at the bar, Kermit Ruffins was setting up, and a gentleman pushed in and almost crushed me. Turns out it was Clarke Peters, Chief Lambroux from Tremé. He said sorry and I told him, I blame this on you. Why? he asked and I said, ever since you featured Kermit in the opening episode, tourists like me been crowding in here. He joked, to play the part you have to live it. Finally gave up and took my beer out to the street where about 100 of us enjoyed the music. Left around midnight. One of the best nights I ever spent in New Orleans. read more

Great venue and some great jazz music. We drank danced and hung out with family and friends. It was a great place with a mix of all ages of people. Not just kids. Great hangout ! read more

Vaughan's Lounge - Vaughn's for a great get together with family and friends! What a blast! - Dive Bars Near Me - New Orleans, Louisiana

We had been told to check out Vaughan's Lounge for the trumpet solo stylings of Kermit Ruffins. When we got there... I was 100% sure it wasn't the place. The building looked like it needed to be condemned! We had just toured the tsumani damages to the lower ninth ward prior to showing up since it was only a 2 minute drive from this area... and this area didn't look too much better. And... get this... there was a sign posted on the outside that read "No Cat Selling" and "No Crack Selling". I'm serious... I uploaded the photo! Check it out! When we confirmed that it was the place.... we planned to eat there but they weren't serving food for whatever reason. We went to 'The Joint' bbq across the street and rated that place 5 stars for food! Amazing! We returned later and found it difficult to figure out what time the show was starting. The $10 cover was steep; however, this has apparently been in effect since Kermit's debut on television, which has attracted many tourists. Anyway, as a collector of musical instruments through my travels, I had actually just bought a trumpet that day. I met Kermit and also bought his CD before his show and talked to him a little bit as well. He was very friendly. The club filled up... I've never seen so many classy people in such a dingy place. The ladies were dressed as if going out to a dance club! The decor was pretty cool... I liked the colourful flags on the ceiling. The music was interesting... but a little underwhelming considering all the hype. And the show started quite late... I think it was 11pm... Tip: Check out Irvin Mayfield's playhouse where you can see one of the greats... for free!!! read more

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This was by far my most memorable night visiting New Orleans. I first encountered Kermit on the HBO series Treme, and was incredibly excited to find out I could see him perform live at Vaughan's. We headed down on a Thursday night at 10 (the cab ride was a little sketchy as the driver had no idea where the place was and drove us up and down roads through Treme at night, but we were relieved when we got to the bar and discovered it was on a well lit corner in a busy neighbourhood area). The very small bar was already packed to the gills, and Kermit played DJ for an hour or so, getting everyone up and dancing ("we paaaarrrttyin!") before he started his set. Once he and his band started up, the place went wild and the sweat started to drip. The most amazing sounds I've heard come out of an instrument in all my days. Get down to Vaughan's, grab an Abita beer or 5 ($3) or a very strong rum and (splash) of coke, courtesy of the great barstaff, and have a blast. So glad I experienced this and got away from the tourist traps for at least one night during my stay. read more

Vaughan's Lounge - Kermit! - Dive Bars Near Me - New Orleans, Louisiana

I think I got one of my 1st under age drinks here in the late seventies. One of the best kinds of old New Orleans neighborhood lounge. Occasionaly there is live music combo sometimes there's food, it's almost always a good time. read more

The bartenders were attentive and friendly, the music and ambiance was terrific, but two drinks into our night at Vaughan's an older woman came over to our table and extremely rudely badgered us for money for the music that was starting later in the night. She told us it was $5 per person. When I told her that we didn't know about the music and we needed to think about our plan, she told that we were sitting at one of the best tables in the house and we had 3 minutes to pay her the money. Mind you we had just gotten a round of drinks a couple of minutes before. The woman then proceeded to go around to a couple of other tables and delivered her same charm and they each immediately stood up and walked out of the bar. A couple of minutes later I went to the restroom and when I came out the woman again aggressively asked me to pay up ("Where's the V on your hand? You haven't paid us.") At this point, we decided to leave our drinks and head over to BJs. I have zero issue with paying for and supporting live, local music. But coming at already paying customers with that kind of callous aggression and attitude is uncalled for. I see a few other reviewers have had the same experiences with the Thursday hen crew and I hope the owner takes the reviews to heart (though they're probably all Cindy's friends). After leaving Vaughan's, we went over to BJs and the other two tables from Vaughan's were there. We were all strangers to each other, but we all commiserated/fumed over the treatment we received at Vaughan's vowed to never go back -- though I probably would, just never again on a Thursday. read more

Amazing!! Such a great time! Good music! $10 cover for brass band on Thursday night started at 11:00 read more

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