The Best Outdoor Drinking in New Orleans

This bar's structure dates back to the mid-18th century, and has a large second floor balcony that overlooks passersby and Mardi Gras parades come February. Avenue Pub boasts the city’s largest collection of beers—local, oddball, classic—and a very large list of whiskies. Recently smoke-free and open 24 hours, it's an ideal place to jump-start or round-out your evening with a craft brew.    

New Orleans’ famous backyard party began as much as a haven for budding wine geeks as a live music, under-the-radar bacchanalia. Prices reflect the DIY experience (the “list” is literally a retail shop where you pull your own from the shelf) with a mix of good values and allocated treasures for the savvy drinker. Rosé reigns supreme here, and their pink selection is easily the largest and best in town.

The Delachaise’s tiny patio on St. Charles Avenue doesn’t seem like much at first glance, but its ability to catalyze a night of liquor-fueled merriment is legendary. (No wonder it’s always packed.) The restaurant’s wine selection leans on France, and a menu full of duck fat fries and hangar steaks make for the perfect drinking food.    

Most of the Hurricane’s origin stories point to Pat O’Brien’s in the 1940s, an while there's some evidence to refute the claim, it's still the drink's spiritual home, for better or worse. Today, the legendary French Quarter bar is routinely packed with belligerently drunk tourists sipping overly sweet versions of the classic tiki drink. Still, there's no denying that there is something charming about relaxing in Pat O’s massive French Quarter courtyard, sipping something red and sweet next to the famous “flaming fountain."

Bars full of polo shirts and sports gear aren’t usually promising places to drink, but there’s more to The Rusty Nail—a little wood-sided bar tucked almost directly under the interstate in the Lower Garden District—than originally meets the eye. The bar’s owner is a scotch fanatic and the bar is stocked with a solid collection of craft beer and a giant outdoor space. It's also New Orleans unofficial Alabama bar, so come Saturdays, it's "roll tide" or bust.

St. Joe's is rife with not-so-subtle religious overtones, with brightly painted church pews making up a good deal of seating in the ample outdoor drinking space. Inside, overhead are a dozen glowing red paper lanterns, under which you can order St. Joe's famous Mojitos (blueberry, in particular) or one of a strangely expansive selection of ciders and ales. The bar is named for the Sicilian saint venerated by the city's late-19th-century Sicilian immigrants, and whose lore is deeply ingrained in New Orleanean superstition.

A stately mansion that largely resembles Tara from Gone with the Wind, the Columns Hotel is where frat guys bring their parents to brunch and first dates to drink. The massive front patio lined with wrought-iron chairs attracts people looking for a spot to experience a bit of old New Orleans charm, watching the streetcar roll by under the shade of live oaks.

Tulane Avenue is a bold location for a restaurant opening, but trailblazer Treo has been fearless in commitment to their new home. It plays as a restaurant, but is actually more a cocktail bar with a range of small plates to accompany the excellent drinks. In addition to an upstairs gallery space and sizeable menu of Irish-inspired small plates, Treo has one of the biggest secret courtyards in the city.