Hermes Bar

First off , our bartender / server Shi … with an I , she was amazing. Exceptional service, even brought us warmed wet hand towels after i mentioned that we just took the trolley across town. The drinks were well crafted and balanced , especially the pear martini. Oysters Rockefeller were good for the first time , nice light and smooth blended topping , baked but not scalding hot , served on a bed of rock salt.

Enjoy the classics of the restaurant next door without the pomp and circumstance. The bartenders here are excellent, they make solid drinks and are super friendly. I’ve been having a sazerac everywhere I go, and this bar made the best one I’ve had anywhere in the city so far. Food was great too. My highlights were the oysters and the potatoes. Tried the 2-2-2 oyster plate which features cooked oysters with various preparations and toppings. The soufflé potatoes are also a must.

The bartender Garrett makes the experience delightful ! Came for the happy hour and the pear martini did not disappoint. Highly recommend coming here!

Classic New Orleans bar located in the French Quarter. Andrew, Garrett, and Micheal are great bartenders. They are friendly, knowledgeable, and fun. They have great cocktails. Beautifully decorated. Friendly bartenders. Great happy hour Monday to Friday.

On a rainy Monday afternoon in NOLA, we ducked into Hermes Bar at Antoine’s and spent a lovely hour with Shi, the bartender. She made the best Sazerac! Highly recommend.

The Hermes bar is part of Antoine’s and we stopped in for a cocktail before our dinner reservations. We sat at the bar and perused the menu as well as started up a conversation with the bartenders. The bar itself probably seats around 10 people however the room is large and has numerous tables in it. The bar itself has a old New Orleans decadent feel, and the walls have displays about various events during Mardi Gras over the years. Lots of cool pictures and memorabilia. Being in New Orleans I decided to order a Vieux Carre one of the historic drinks of New Orleans. My wife ordered an old-fashioned. Both drinks were very good and the conversation with the bartender informative as we were looking for additional places to explore while we were in the city for a few days. Not all bars are created equal, this one had the ambience the great drinks and the great wait staff. I highly recommend it.

Had a quick drink before parades last night. Got the king cake martini it was SO GOOD - thanks Hermes Bar!

This was a great spot for a bottle of wine and some good food. Randall at the bar took great care of my friend and I as we tried a few appetizers and some Pompano. The Chargrilled Oysters were delicious and the Pompano was light and well prepared. The soufflé potatoes- those were a miss, no seasoning and served with what I think was a butter that had some parsley but no seasoning. Overall a great find and the oldest family owned restaurant in the country as it is attached to Antoine’s.

Walked in and were told we had 30 mins before their brunch ended and we kept waiting to order. We were asked drinks and nothing else. Finally just asked for the check because it was obvious no one was going to take our order, even after asking someone to get our server to order. They did apologize as we were asking to leave and get our drinks to go, so there's that I guess. Also drinks were just ok.

The Pim's Cup is the best I've had in New Orleans. My family enjoyed the Oysters Rockefeller and the Oysters Ronquille. Not liking oysters myself, I had the cordon bleu sliders which were DELICIOUS. The service was fantastic, especially with Shy. She was so friendly. We will definitely be back here!

Classy, elegant, and gourmet bar that offers a great selection of oysters! We got the 2-2-2 oysters which included the Oysters Rockefeller, the Charbroiled Oysters, and Oysters Bay Ronquille- I'd recommend this as it offers a diverse taste of their selection. Our server& bartender Alexis was incredibly sweet and welcoming, we leaned on her recommendations and they were the best choices, such as the La Vie en Rose and Pimm's Cup. Great experience.

Went here for dessert and coffee after stuffing ourselves at another establishment. Love that about The Big Easy where you can restaurant/ bar hop all you want because they have late hours and are always friendly. (Makes it very easy to gain weight and get tipsy.) My cousin likes this place because unlike its fancy older brother Antoine which is just next door, Hermes does not require a dinner jacket or long pants. He wanted us to experience one of the big 3 French restaurants so we gladly obliged! We went for the bread pudding. I'm not even that big of a bread pudding fan, but I'm definitely a fan of theirs! It had a nice presentation and consistency, firm and smooth so your fork glides through, not like soggy bread in cream sauce that flops around. The baked Alaska was pretty good and comes with a generous cup of chocolate sauce so you can decide whether to drizzle or drown it but didn't wow me like the bread pudding. Actually the chocolate sauce was good on the bread pudding! Darn I forgot our server's name but he was young and friendly and gave us great leads on where to listen to jazz. Another great NOLA experience!

Everything went well. The food and the cocktails were superb. You have to go here. Their version of the Frencb75 is wonderful. What an historical adventurous experience to be at this astonishing place. You have to go!! You just have to.

Tried out the happy hour here on a recent trip to NOLA. We arrived just after 4 pm, when happy hour started, and the bar was packed. Luckily, we found a couple seats available at the bar. Service was great, despite the packed bar. Drinks were good and the appetizers were on point. Loved all appetizers we had, which included: shrimp remoulade, onion petals, andouille sausage, and one chicken cordon bleu slider. The food was well seasoned and delicious. We were also served complimentary bread/a baguette, that was delicious. Definitely made this into a nice meal for us, and a less expensive option than dining at Antoine's. Recommend the happy hour for your NOLA adventures!

Normally love the Hermes bar but not this time. Waited forever for service, wasn't given the full menu even though it was available. Ordered the flatbread from the bar menu and it arrived burned. Iced tea was $4 and in a small glass - no refills were offered and no sweetener, although I could have asked for those if I could find a server. Puff potatoes tasted like old grease. Husband's oysters and Bloody Mary were great.

Stopped in for a drink before dinner and had a wonderful experience! Nicole was great!

We stopped in this beautiful bar on a girl's trip to NOLA. BEST DECISION OF THE NIGHT. The drinks were amazing. Quiet enough for us to visit and have some laughs. Randall, Megan and EJ were amazingly attentive and had great drink suggestions....do yourself a favor and try their French Martini! This is a great little sophisticated bar!

Love stopping by Hermès Bar. Bartender is lovely and service was excellent. We had a glass of champagne and a vieux carré cocktail - both were delicious. Bartender recommended we order the 2-2-2 oysters off the menu and include 2 Rockefeller, 2 Chargrilled and 2 Bienville. Such a great way to try 3 different kinds! Always happy to stop by Hermès Bar!

Have been here on many occasions as I work nearby. Stopped in recently for a cocktail and quick bite. Had the Mardi Martini and the cheese gougeres. The cocktails are okay, the food is a bit pricey. Service can be a bit uneven. The real draw of this place is the location and cool Mardi Gras memorabilia everywhere. When the weather cooperates and they can have the doors to the street open, the people watching is fantastic.

The food was ok, the ambiance was meh and the service was not great. The neighboring restaurant is touted as a must visit in the French quarter. I visited Antoine's but they weren't accepting walk ins. Hermes bar has much of the same menu. I walked in and was promptly seated at the bar. The bar was consistently wet with water the entire duration of my trip (don't know why the staff didn't dry up the water!). I ordered the charbroiled oysters, the gumbo, and the pompano. The oysters were too salty, the gumbo was good, and the pompano was cooked well but very under seasoned. Most importantly the servers were just scurrying around and not attentive at all. It was Monday evening, the place wasn't even too crowded.

Just really great food. It takes simple Cajun food and moves it to a higher plane. Our server, Caroline, was incredibly knowledgeable, interesting, and sweet. She made my experience at Hermes memorable. Thank you!

Popped in for some drinks before the pride parade as it was on the route path. The bartenders were very friendly and made excellent drinks. I had the Pimm's Cup which was very refreshing and my wife had a margarita with Grand Marnier. The vibe of the place was relaxed with a touch of New Orleans elegance due to Antoine's, the restaurant the bar is attached to.

Hermes is the cocktail bar at Antoine's. It's located right off of St. Louis, and they open early on weekends, so it's the perfect spot for day drinking. I was here on a Saturday with a friend and I requested a pretty well-known local cocktail and the bartender was baffled. She had never heard of it. I explained the ingredients and she whipped it up with no problem. Prices here are a little steeper than a lot of other bars in the area, but it's a nice spot with good atmosphere and a crowd that isn't crazy. Also, you can order Antonine's "snacks" to the bar, so that's a plus.

Hermes is an annex off of Antoine's restaurant. We were here a few years ago and this time, we stayed right up the road at The Omni. Our bartender on June 13 was fabulous. I wish I recalled his name so we could mention him directly. Great atmosphere, food, drinks and service.

I was really excited to visit this bar again since it is somewhat historic. The Hermes Bar is the cocktail side bar of Antoine's Restaurant. It has a very quaint, speakeasy style to it which I love. Of course I had to have a Sazerac, America's first cocktail, in the birthplace of the Sazerac (Antoine's). I also ordered a glass of Prosecco and the Escargots à la Bordelaise to nosh on since I've always wanted to try snail. The Sazerac was perfectly balanced and I liked the red wine, garlic, and cheese crust of the Escargots. The bartender was very friendly and all in all, this bar had a great vibe!

Had the chance to enjoy Hermes Bar for some small bites and a few cocktails. This bar has a few tv's to enjoy the games and there seemed to be a bit of seating available although it was a Friday evening around 6/7pm so still fairly young into the night. Staff was super friendly and everything came out in a time manner. If I'm in the area, I definitely wouldn't mind coming back in for an hour or so.

If you can't get a table in Antoines, come here instead. It's a pretty great substitute! It's not listed on the bar menu but you can order their famous Rockefeller Oysters here. Pretty certain the bar food comes from the exact same kitchen as Antoines since they're attached. You also share the same bathrooms with Antoines customers. So a very close experience for a fraction of the cost.

What a classic joint filled with casual Nola chic characters just outside the elegant dining room of Antoine's restaurant. I had a pre-meal cocktail and small plate just soaking up the atmosphere. In a classic bar like this I settled for a 1920-1930's Sidecar expertly made and some local Louisiana Andouille sausage with a spiced creole mustard. I watched all the going's on around me as tables roared with laughter as everyone was having a grand time. A perfect pit stop on my way for more culinary madness ahead.

Absolutely amazing! Upscale what down to earth staff. Carrie was my bartender and she was just spot on. The most affordable happy hour for to 6 PM five dollar and six dollar and four dollar beer specials.

I thought that this was the worst place in all of New Orleans I could not believe that we couldn't even get a seat inside the restaurant we had to deal with this place the food was absolutely terrible and so overpriced I ordered this appetizer sampler and the crab cocktail was basically crab lumped with a bunch of chopped onion I thought I was going to die We had a waitress and a weirdo working simultaneously our waiter was a nice young attractive guy and I ordered this blossom martini we ordered two of them and all of a sudden I basically got a Mojito instead and then when the food came I had to order something on top so the waitress said that we should get chicken and mushrooms and I told her about my onion allergy when the food came I have outside and passed out there was a ton of green onion inside of the rice underneath chicken But you couldn't see it because it was smothered in sauce I couldn't believe my eyes when I got $120 bill for two drinks and appetizer and one dinner The witches apologized and took off one of the chickens I didn't realize we were both charged when we were obviously sharing I thought they split it for us I definitely wouldn't come back to this place Too many better restaurants The servers were nice though

This is the bar attached to Antoine's Restaurant. It has its own entrance if you are not eating at Antoine's, and also has its own bar menu with different offerings than Antoine's fancier menu. We stopped in (as I think a lot of people do) for a couple of drinks waiting on our reservation at Antoine's. I did not eat but the menu looked good, with a lot of local NOLA favorites that were less fancy than Antoine's cuisine. They have a small beer list but it is mostly populated by local brews, which is a good thing. Unfortunately, my first choice was out, so onto number 2. Prices are very reasonable considering this bar is attached to one of the most famous French Quarter restaurants. I do not recall specifically, but I am pretty sure that no beer was more than $7 and we may have paid $5 for one. We had some issues with service, for several minutes bartenders would disappear and there would be no one behind the bar. I am guessing they were working on orders or drinks for the restaurant, but it created a situation where we just gave up and got our tab and left. One of our drinks was not even served, so that was more than a little frustrating. The bartenders and servers were friendly, but there just weren't enough of them to satisfy the demand.

Chocolate martini at its finest. Highly recommend if you like chocolate. Nice bartenders.

I've walked by this place many, many times but finally walked in after an invite to Happy Hour by my co-workers....yes, my favorite words....Happy Hour. It has since become an after work favorite, just around the corner from my job. So convenient, so fantastic! Situated in the front of Antoine's Restaurant, the Hermes Bar has a rich feel, lots of wood, beautiful bar area and is decorated with some fascinating old Hermes parade memorabilia. Edit: Happy Hour IS from 4-7 daily with $4 glasses of wine, champagne and well drinks. $2.50 domestic beers and $3 imports. Also, I forgot to add that you can order food from Antoine's right at the bar!!

Tried the oysters rockafeller and a signature cocktail it was decent but over rated. The bar was crowded due to the location near Burbon St. One time visit was covered it for me

For my 400th review, I am so happy to share Antoine's with you! (pronounced Antwon's) The Hermés bar. (Bar of restaurant has their own yelp to review also connected to the restaurant & serves same food.) Steve born & raised ten generations of N'awlins, our bartender, bar manager, miracle worker at the Hermes Bar! I had heartburn from a previous event & he knew the remedy, ginger beer & Louisiana bitters. Ordered the mouthwatering, delish half dozen trio of Huîtres en Coquille à la Rockefeller, Thermidor & Bienville, in other words Oysters, two Rockefeller, Bienville & Thermidor. All very different, tasty & filling for two. We shared the Cotellettes d'Agneau Grillées w/ Pommes de Terre au Gratin. The most tender & perfectly cooked Lamb Chops w/ Mint Jelly, which I'm not a fan of, it was all delish! The Potatoes au Gratin were not like the usual, thinly sliced potato casserole. I thought it was very good just know that it's chunks of potato. Last & best of all the Meringue Glacée au Chocolate! A MUST & the best Chocolate Fudge Sundae ever! Lick the plate good. Lovely decor, Hermes Bar & a fantastic restaurant. We can't wait to come back & see Steve as well who made our dinner into an experience. Best in NOLA for: Chocolate Fudge Sundae Lamb Chops

Overdue review but wanted to add. I stopped in when I made a quick stop in the French Quarters traveling to Gulfport. This bar would be a great spot to meet friends or for a date night. Adjacent to the main Antoine's restaurant, famous for French-Creole dining. The bar area offers many high top tables with plenty of cocktails to chose from many New Orleans inspired. I had a Abita beer with my lunch. If you want to have a taste of New Orleans history without the expense of dining at Antoine's, then stop by Hermes Bar.

Our encounter with Hermes Bar started with a desire to find some good, cheap ice cream. Just to give you an idea we left a place where it was $6 for a cup. With a quick yelp search I saw that Hermes Bar might have the elusive Baked Alaska; a dish I've always wanted to try but could never seem to get my hands on. When we arrived at Hermes we were welcomed to sit anywhere we preferred. I asked, "Do you guys have Baked Alaska?" The host bee lined to my side, grabbed my elbow and assured me that baked Alaska would be served around 5:30 with the dinner menu. Another host (I assumed) quickly joined us and said he would go back to the kitchen to check to see if the dessert could be made now. We were welcomed to sit, have a drink, and wait for an answer. We happily obliged with two glasses of water. Two sips into the tasty water the second host and a band of waiters strolled out from the kitchen with a football sized dessert, two plates, and chocolate sauce. Before we knew it the spoon fell like a guillotine chopping the dessert in half and sealing out fate before we could even ask for a price. Shocked, awed even, we watched as "Jimmy Chocolate" drizzled the hot sauce over the cold dish. As quickly as they had appeared the wait staff left us with threats to finish it all and our colossal half mountain of Baked Alaska for two. Panic immediately set in when my male companion (who was relatively neglected through this experience with the exception of his own elbow play) assured me there was no way this dish was under $20. Heck it was so fancy it might even be $100. No $1000!! Too nervous to take another bite I inquired the price to find a $20.85 check in my immediate future. With that, we ate all we could while trying to save room for our McDonalds reservation later in the evening. The Baked Alaska was delicious and terrifying. Though to be completely honest we came for dessert but stayed for the water. Because honestly no one tells you New Orleans the water tastes like the streets smell. Highly recommend.

One of the best nights we had on our last visit chatting it up with a seasoned native bartender. We visited just a few days after it opened last year. Cost to worth it rating: 3 Return worthiness: yes Highlights: - Bartender: the most educational older guy who has lived in New Orleans all his life. He poured us classic cocktails and told us all about the history of them and the city. It was invaluable chatting with him about about his life, Katrina, cocktails (including variations of sazeracs), food, Antoine's, and other restaurants. It was marvelous having a different type of laid back, conversational New Orleans nightlife experience. - French 75: never had one and loved it. Gin, lemon juice, sparkling, and sugar. - History: the locale itself has so much history being the oldest restaurant. On a walking tour earlier we learned about all of its back rooms to entertain VIPs and Mardi Gras royalty, etc as well as what went on during prohibition. Lowlights: - Since it's a restaurant bar, doesn't stay open as late as the other spots so we had to move on Thoroughly enjoyed our time here and will be back.

Loved the appetizers we got! We got a tour of the restaurant and WOW- so much history! It's absolutely beautiful! Will definitely be back!

A new favorite to visit! The bartenders were so friendly and gracious. I am a Sazerac cocktail enthusiast and enjoy trying the different variations found in the Big Easy and I must say the bartenders at Hermes impressed me. Their crafted cocktail game is strong! Thoroughly enjoyed not only chatting with the bartenders but the ambience and classic style of Hermes.

Hermes bar we went in for a Ramos gin fizz. It was around 1 pm bar was empty. A Ramos is a drink made with gin and egg whites the bar tender if they know how to make it right will shake for approximately 10 minutes- most good bar tenders will sell you a drink to drink while you are waiting. Ours took less then 2 minutes needless to say it was not very good. The foam was not all the way through we didn't finish it. Place was dark but decorated with things from Hermes parade which was cool. Bathroom was very clean.

HOW CAN A CLASSIC COCKTAIL BE SO BLAND? The worst Sazerac and worst French 75 I've ever had have been at the Hermes Bar. Having been a bartender it puzzles me how both can be so flavorless. INFO NOT ON THE WEBSITE: - happy hour is daily from 4:00 to 7:00PM. - BUT the kitchen doesn't open until 5:30. So don't expect to munch on soufflé potatoes or oysters while imbibing early. And they won't be discounted! - and not so great accessibility, almost every seat is a high-rise uncomfortable bar stool.

Hermes Bar is the newly created bar (from the old Hermes dining room) at Antoine's Restaurant, est.1840. I think it's a long overdue move for this old line establishment to create a space for drinkers right off the street. The bar is fancy looking, but welcoming and there are a many pub style tables as well as the bar itself. The night I was there (with a dozen of my friends and friends of friends), fire was roaring in the fireplace (can't believe it actually functions!) which was very welcome on a chilly and damp NOLA night. The drinks were well made (with 1 exception) and I was pleased to see you can order ANYTHING from the regular menu at the bar. So some of my friends ordered cherries jubilee and we got to see the entire flaming dessert routine from our pub tables. Fun! The only issue of the evening seemed to be one server who had difficulty keeping the assortment of tabs open (we had at least 6 running from our group), but a more experienced person stepped in and the bills all worked out. Definitely a great way to sample the traditional Antoine's fare without committing to the full meal.

If you stop here for cocktails, do your tastebuds a favor and get the pecan bread pudding a la mode. I am a New Orleans native, and this is one of the best versions of that dessert that I've ever had. The only downside is the cocktail tours that come through. In addition to making your visit feel touristy/gimmicky, the tour group staff clearly have the run of the place. Yesterday, a woman leading one of these tour groups kept screaming across the bar/restaurant to the wait staff, completely disregarding the patrons around her. A few folks around us mentioned how her behavior ruined the atmosphere. Reclaim your space, Hermes!

It's in a prime location and has a great atmosphere. The bartenders were friendly and made excellent drinks

This review may have to be revisited and updated, because I find it hard to believe that such an established, and famous restaurant could have such poor experience. When I met my coworkers for pre dinner cocktails, everyone had ordered and were waiting on drinks-except the beer drinker, who had her beverage much longer than anyone else. The wait for drinks was substantial, even with two bartenders working. The server brought the first round over, two at a time, by hand, without a tray. We were a group of 7. When that round was finished, we sat for awhile with empty glasses. Again, our less than attentive server bussed glasses, two at a time. Did they not have a bar tray in the while building? Hoping it was just a fluke, may try again-just not during the holidays.

Had drinks with friends before going to dinner. Our server was attentive and friendly. Drinks were good I had my favorite dark and stormy with goslings rum and ginger beer with lime. Delish!

My boyfriend and I stopped in here after French Quarter Fest. We spent the day with people who can't hold their liquor on Bourbon Street and wanted to get away from that. Started walking south and noticed the open doors and FULL bar from across the street. Granted this is spitting distance from the craziness of Bourbon St., this feels a world apart. The wood decor is warm and inviting with a touch of class. The pricing of drinks keeps the pukers away, but keeps me pulled up to the bar for a bourbon and whiskey history lesson from the bar keep. That being said, the pricing is not outrageous ($8-$12) and the drinks are well made. We stopped for just a quick cocktail and in turn had friendly staff, great environment, and stayed much longer than our intended "one quick cocktail". We had the St. Germain cocktail, Ramos Gin Fizz, Pimm's Cup and 9th Ward. All well made, fairly priced, and delicious.

Walked by this spot on the way to Bourbon street to get a Lucky Dog. We were on a mission to eat a little bite of all our fav dishes. This bar is part of the famous Antoine's restaurant. The cold A/C beckoned us in, but the superior service kept us around. First of all, they were celebrating Nat'l Bourbon Heritage Month so those drinks were FREE - yes, you heard me - free! Our waitress was a doll who even volunteered to take our picture, & she knew what she was doing! Then we got to talking to Vinny, one of the managers, and when he found out we had never been to Antoine's before, he brought us an order of Soufflé Potatoes with a glorious dipping sauce - o the house! He was a delight! Those potatoes were delish! Next time we are in NOLA you can bet the first place we make a reservation will be Antoine's. They know how to treat people - made us feel very special!

While finishing up a wonderful lunch at the adjoining Antoine's Restaurant, our waiter told us about this little gem of a bar connected. The decor is very grand and ambiance is beautiful. They have a huge selection of drinks and cocktails, but I will warn that the service is awfully slow. Granted, we were here during peak Mardi Gras season on a Saturday, we just did not feel very noticed by the bartenders or staff. It was an EXTREMELY different experience from the 30 minutes before being waited on at Antoines. I would still recommend giving this place a chance if you're in the area!

Great cocktails and service with a smile. Some servers are a bit slow but Ms Muffin rocks! Of course the French 75's are, by far, the best in the area. The Sidecars and other cocktails are also yummy. You can order Antoine's delicious food and eat it in the casual atmosphere at the bar. It's a geat place to get a great drink and some exquisite food in the quarters.

When a server questions your order at a bar/restaurant, it's probably with good reason. Such was the case at Heremes Bar, which was once part of Antoine's dining room (but has now been converted into its own space) in the French Quarter. Yes, I'm partial to this joint, not only for its rich history but the fact that it's located on St. Louis Street. Back to the questionable order. I dragged my +1 here to have a martini and pre-dinner snack of oysters Rockefeller. We ordered a half dozen without hesitation, but thankfully our server said to us "Is there any reason why you want the Rockefeller?" On the menu is says specifically that Antoine himself created the OG dish over 100 years ago. When in Rome, right? Wrong. We were told that it might not be what we're expecting, and it was suggested that we order a sampler platter with two of each kind of fancy oyster. Thankfully, we obliged. Here's what was served: Two Huitres en coquille a la Rockefeller (oysters Rockefeller) Two Huitres Thermidor (bacon and tomato sauce) Two Huitres Bienville (white wine sauce w/onions, pimentos, peppers) The winner? Huitres Bienville - quite lovely. Rockefeller was OK, but definitely not the dish we were expecting. Thank you, lovely lady, for guiding us in the right direction. Drinks at Hermes Bar are strong. Come here for lunch and they're 25 cents! Beyond the food and drink, my favorite part of this experience was the wall of Heremes Mardi Gras crew queens, dating back many generations. Oh, to be a wealthy debutante in another time... If you're a sucker for rich food *and* history, Antoine's/Hermes Bar is the place to get the NOLA party started.

We had read about souffle potatoes from Antoine's while researching for our trip but ultimately decided it was not worth wasting a stop/meal on to try. But when we walked by the bar and had time to kill, we stopped in for a drink. Probably our least favorite experience on vacation... Happy hour is a pretty great deal, actually, and we got there early enough to get a seat by the window to people watch. Our server was nice, too. The food and drink we had were really meh though. We had happy hour champagne - it was pretty meh champagne, but for like $5 a glass who can complain? I just hope they don't sell their happy hour champagne at a higher price because that'd be a rip off. The happy hour red tasted really old, like it was opened 5 days ago and tasted pretty bad. That really shouldn't be the point of happy hour, to get rid of wine that's too old to sell... Foodwise, the souffle potatoes were both soggy and overfried, like they'd been fried too long and then reheated. Disappointing. Our server also suggested the 2-2-2 oyster app when I inquired about raw oysters (they don't have raw). We tried that, and it was basically 2 of each of 3 different kinds of broiled oysters, including the Oyster Rockefeller that were invented there. Too much turd-shape piping of the topping of all 3 kinds, and they were all too heavy and covered the oyster, and underseasoned and bad. Really bad. We were such tourist suckers :( The bathroom was really clean though. Otherwise, our experience ranged from average to below average. Would not recommend... For better happy hour, we liked Compere Lapin in the CBD. For better old-school fancy bar atmosphere and good drinks, we preferred French 75 not too far away.

Memorable / Best Cocktails I've Ever Had We were here on a slow (dead) night in January on the recommendation of 2 other New Orleans bartenders. Mike made us a number of deftly executed wonderful tasting cocktails. He's also a living encyclopedia of the American cocktail. He made me a variation on an old-fashioned that was originated at a bar in Chicago. It is now my favorite. As we sat for a while and it became clear that we were interested in his craft, he made some great suggestions and made some AMAZING cocktails. They were made with "simple" ingredients. They weren't flashy but they were wonderful. One of my coworkers had something with gin, muddle cucumber and some other stuff. Beautiful and well balanced. Like many truly great restaurants, this bar is elegant in its simplicity. It's so good that you wonder why other places aren't this good. The service was perfectly executed. Gracious, attentive and well executed. You'd be treated well if you wanted to order an apple martini or discuss the merits of the different types of absinthe (This great service and cocktail was in stark contrast to the Sazerac Bar which was shockingly poor.) =========== Mike also gave us some great suggestions for other bars - some to see because they have wood bars from the 1800s from Saint Louis. Some because they are open 24 hours. Some because they make their own tonic wataer. He also took us in back and left us to look at their "collection" of wine/spirits in the way back where all the private rooms are. These are also worth seeing. The rooms and hallways are covered with memorabilia that are actually interesting.

This is the bar of Antoine's and they offer their own menu (with some limited offerings from Antoine's). This is a great space and they make great drinks. I've always enjoyed myself here and it is a great place for a quick lunch (or a long one). My only complaint would be they are a bit haphazard with what you can and can't order off of the Antoine's menu. If you want to sample some of Antoine's food without the full formal dining experience (but that is a big part of the experience!!!) then this will be a good introduction. This is a great place for couples and groups.

What a wonderful twist of fate....when our afternoon plans changed abruptly, we decided to finally see what the legendary Hermes Bar was all about. Having earlier in the day spied some very fetching cups and saucers at Antoine's gift shop with flaming devils adorning them, we inquired. Turns out one of their signature drinks--the cafe brulot diabolique--was served in them, and we decided to go for it. Brandy, coffee, cinnamon, cloves, lemon zest...the ingredients seemed perfect on this unusually cool and blustery day. But it turns out true real star attraction was the tableside preparation. Our game and very sweet waitress was joined by (clearly) one of the restaurant's brulot specialists, and together they put on a performance that was part bartending wizardry and part magic show. Flames leapt high into the air, sparks flew, as an amazing alchemy created a sumptuous brew that we will long remember--and certainly come back for again and again. p.s. i'll add photos soon!

This is a great little upscale bar which is part of Antoine's so you can order either off the limited bar menu or even off the full Antoine's menu if you want. The food is traditional and great - the gumbo is one of the best in the city and you can't go too wrong with most of the oyster preparations, including of course Rockefeller which was created by Antoine's many, many years ago. They have happy hour every day from 4-7pm which includes house wine and cocktails plus there's good music later on most Fridays and Saturdays. And the real reason to come to Hermes Bar is the cocktails which are truly some of the best in New Orleans. They're not necessarily the most cutting edge but the bartenders are fantastic - and much acclaimed. Get off Bourbon Street and go to Hermes Bar instead, jacket & tie are not required like they are at Antoine's but most people are dressed on the nicer side. It's just that kind of place.