Morgan F.
Yelp
This is one of my secret (not-so-secret, anymore) spots for Mardi Gras as well as a great neighborhood bar to shoot pool with friends.
You have to get buzzed in, so there is an element of safety that I enjoy. I used to live near here, so I'd walk over to play pool on occasion. There was a very sweet bar maiden here that wore a scarf around her neck. I can't remember her name but she was always very delightful. It's cash only, but they have an ATM that I think has a $3.00 service charge on it. There is also a real live telephone ON THE WALL that you can use if your cell is dead and you've been abandoned. How many bars still have communal telephones?! Props, Mayfair. They also have a few poker machines and a brand new fancy jukebox that you can load up with your favorites while playing pool.
They have two tables and a handful of decent sticks, and enough room that you don't feel like you're asking someone to move every time you take a shot, but you're also not totally cut off from the rest of the bar.
Mayfair is clutch during Mardi Gras. They move out the pool table in the main area, and it becomes an excellent dance floor to make slo-mo videos that rival Vidal Sassoon commercials. Just sayin'. There is also a bathroom for girls, and one for boys, and I've never had a difficult problem getting a drink or using the restroom during Carnival.
Pro-tip (that I actually stole from a friend): They have a hell of a lot of stuff hanging from the ceiling, great for a rousing game of drunken iSpy!
This is a great place to take a casual date if they're okay with a little smoke, a competitive game of pool, decent drinks, and, well, iSpy. ;)