Carrollton New Orleans Bar Crawl

Snake & Jake's is reason enough to venture west from familiar Bourbon Street confines.

Tracing the bends in the Mississippi River away from the tourist-crazy French Quarter can yield great benefits during a trip to New Orleans. The Irish Channel, the Garden District, the Bywater in the opposite direction, these are all neighborhoods meandering away from the tourist magnet in the center of the city, affording more local and less crowded experiences. At the border of the Uptown district lies Carrollton, itself an outpost along the Mississippi where the street cars start to end and the city starts to transform.

And that kind of extended distance away from the French Quarter has meant that countless bars and the buildings they inhabit have been allowed to develop untouched, timeless institutions built to serve the residential areas they’re embedded within. There may be no better example, and perhaps no better dive bar in America, than Snake & Jake’s Christmas Club Lounge, the dive bar I would choose if I had to pick one bar within New Orleans to call home.

But there is diversity here too, Carrollton’s proximity to Tulane drawing a younger crowd and a New Orleans-style version of a classic college bar, like Redd’s Uptilly Tavern. These are parts of the city that filter out most of the accidental visitors, instead creating the feeling of truly local drinking at these enduringly local establishments.

509 S Carrollton Ave, New Orleans, LA 70118

Just getting to Cooter Brown’s is an experience, the neighborhoods changing as the bend in the Mississippi curves more sharply. This area at the bottom of Uptown can feel almost industrial at times, owing to the shipping activity along the river, and that carries over to a small oasis at the end of the area that holds Cooter Brown’s. Inside, beyond the Wild West murals, a series of sculptures line the bar featuring celebrities of days gone past holding vintage beer bottles. And if you’ve ever wondered what it would like for Mother Theresa to take a swig, this is your chance.

8100 St Charles Ave, New Orleans, LA 70118

The presence of chains in the Scoundrel’s Field Guide universe is a generally frowned-upon phenomenon, but a slight exception has been made here for New Orleans Original Daquiris, just a few feet from Cooter Brown’s front door. Launched in 1983, the chain can be found throughout Louisiana, but this far away from Bourbon Street, and in this old of a building, chain exceptions can be made. This particular location opened in 1984, one of the oldest in the network.

626 S Carrollton Ave, New Orleans, LA 70118

Did we mention the longevity of Carrollton institutions? The Camellia Grill opened in 1946, a heritage obvious by the enduring devotion inside to the classic diner experience. We’re talking bow ties, we’re talking po boys, we’re talking grits, we’re talking omelets served all day. Counter seating is the recommended move if a spot can be found as the interplay between cooks and servers alone can make the trip worth it.

7601 Maple St, New Orleans, LA 70118

Spillover from nearby Tulane has resulted in small pockets of college-like dive bars throughout Carrollton. And I say college-like because these are college bars with a very New Orleans twist, embedded into ancient neighborhoods and more often than not housed in timeless buildings allowed to shine. Redd’s Uptilly Tavern is one fine example, an open and relaxed atmosphere in a corner building among a handful of like-minded bars.

7612 Oak St, New Orleans, LA 70118

No trip to New Orleans is complete without visiting the dive bar capital of certainly the city and perhaps the country. Housed in a tiny, corrugated metal roofed shack, Snake & Jake’s is the kind of place that may affect your eye sight for a few days after visiting, the red hue from the Christmas lights inside burned into your retinas. The ceiling is low, the bar dog is friendly and the outdoor patio feels a world away from the city outside. And take your time, Snake & Jake’s is open every day 7 PM to 7 AM (not a typo).

8140 Willow St, New Orleans, LA 70118

If you see a green awning reading “Strohs” and “Coors Light” then I don’t have to tell you that you’re probably in the right place. Another classic corner, neighborhood dive bar where the drinking can and does spill out into the street as the locals start to congregate. There are also a couple of hidden gems within as well, including a beautiful (and mercifully shaded) back patio and a sneaky good food menu with diversity that can include everything from Frito’s to jalapeno Rangoon.

Better drinking lies just around the bend.

Authenticity among the tourists is attainable.