"The Elysian Bar, located in the Marigny, is one of the coziest and most romantic bars in New Orleans. The 19th-century Creole cottage-style dining parlor has beautiful high ceilings, but the place you want to be is the “jewel box” bar located in the atrium. The room is very yellow and it feels like you’ve stumbled upon somebody’s secret study where an old-timey baron might smoke a pipe and entertain some friends. Come for an early evening cocktail, like the citrusy and Negroni-adjacent Il Sorpasso, and snack on small bites like focaccia with honey butter and marinated olives." - megan braden perry, zella palmer