719 Toulouse St

24 Best Bars in New Orleans

"For many years, this spot on one of the less frenetic streets of the historic French Quarter was the well-liked Longway Tavern. The LeBlanc + Smith restaurant group took time to recalibrate the concept and revamp the property into a focus on wines and cocktails in a ‘French Quarter lobby’ with Murphy tables around the counter, a refurbished L-shaped bar, and an evolution of the tavern-style decor—and there’s a lovely courtyard as befits a downtown New Orleans watering hole. There’s certainly a much more discerning clientele than the lurid neon havoc on nearby Bourbon Street, and a young-skewed crowd who want to socialize over smaller plates and well-crafted drinks take up tables in the various new nooks and crannies of the building. The globally-diverse wine list has prices that allow for adventure while remaining solidly in mid-double figures for a bottle, while local classics are of course well-represented on the cocktail menu; it wouldn’t be a serious New Orleans bar without at least one well-made classic daiquiri and sazerac. The specials keep things relatively simple and include a fun pickletini, as well as a frozen selection that's a real winner given the tropical weather in these parts." - Paul Oswell, Andrew Parks