The John

We found this bar by chance while seeking shelter from the rain. It has a quirky theme centered around toilets, which adds a fun touch. Keep in mind, they only accept cash. The drinks here are big and pack a punch, starting at around $6 for basic options. Expect to mingle with a local crowd.

Local classic. Worth a stop by if in the neighborhood. Awesome staff. Great music. Vax card required. Cash only. *Now 30+ (guess the kids have been acting up). No entrance to anyone under 30. I love this.

This is such a great place with great and strong drinks for a great price! Found this place 3 years ago and every time I come back to New Orleans I must go back! If you like a hole in the wall with cheap drinks you must go!!! Cash only!

Perfect dive bar. Drinks for great prices. Dim lighting. A pool table and a juke box. Tldr: Great dive bar.

A local fav. The drinks were stong and on the cheaper side. Value for money 100% . Its a nice place to get buzzed... and it is not trying to be anything it is not!

This place is amazing, the drinks and the atmosphere are awesome. We are definitely coming back

The John is a large bar that is extremely dark and gloomy. The bartender was very professional and engaged and did a great job with the beverages. It is not a very clean bar and seems like clearing the tables are not a priority. Unfortunately. I do like that it is a 25 and older bar though. It helps with the crowds.

One of my favorite dive bars in New Orleans. The pours are great and the bartenders are laid back. Security guard at the door is a bit of a stiff but he's only doing his job really, specially since the age to enter is 25. Once you're inside the bar itself it's dark with a "divey" feel but if you take the time to check it out; you realize that there's some cool art on the walls and there's humor in its name with a few toilet themed seats against the wall. There is a jukebox that is always rolling and the back room features a pingpong table.

Love a good dive bar and who wouldn't want to be sipping a drink while literally on a toilet. Not only does it make for a great photo op, but the prices are cheap and the pours are strong. Don't overlook The John, because your night won't be clogged up and is rather a place where you want to flush your dollars! This space is quite massive btw, so plenty of room to enjoy the night.

A great dive bar. The security is serious and cards everyone. No card, no entry. Be aware this bar is cash only. I looked to come here to get a strong drink. You're better off just ordering your drink straight lol. You can get a mixed drink if you want but it will have a lot of kicks. The bartenders here have a heavy hand and I love it. There's a ping pong table and a pacman arcade games in the back. There is also a TouchTones juke box so the music is always good.

So years back this used to be a hole in the wall I could enjoy stopping in and having beer and maybe watching a game but not any more. Lately the clientele has taken over the streets on the weekend parking on the cars and jeeps ON the sidewalks and drag racing jeeps and 3 wheelers and motorcycles. Drugs being sold and prostitution going on. It's unsafe.

Strong drinks. Large shots. You have to be either 25 or 30 to enter, depending on the night and there is an armed security guard outside frisking all the males for weapons. No other bar in the neighborhood does this. This should tell you all you need to know. The bar does not fit in the otherwise quiet, respectable neighborhood. On weekends patrons smoke weed all night long out in the open and they drag race every Sunday night with the rap music blaring so loudly it shakes the pictures on my living room walls. On the plus side, they clean up the sidewalks reasonably well and like I said, strong, cheap and large drinks.

The John is a place I've enjoyed with friends, sent tourists too because of the Good drinks that are reasonably priced. However, I will never return! See this establishment didnt choose to post that disclaimer to explain or hope you understood their reasoning why.... they simply DID NOT CARE! They said GO SOMEWHERE ELSE! They knew how it would be perceived and they give zero F%*$!! Go where we are celebrated, not tolerated! Keep in mind, the security and safety of the staff and neighborhood did not constitute a change in hours for any holiday or event prior to essence, nor will it be that way after our people leave the city! Smh #racism #aliveandwell #fuckThejohn #ourblackisbeautiful

My boyfriend and I were wandering around the area early one morning while visiting New Orleans (and by early, I mean like 10 am. People don't get up early in NOLA!). I ended up having to use a restroom and The John was basically the only place that was open that early (they're open 24/7). We stopped in for a drink (hey, it was vacation, in New Orleans) so I could use the bathroom. We ended up staying far longer than I had expected, chatting with an awesome bartender! He was super friendly and kind, and told us all about living in the area and how the city has changed over the years. He gave us some great recommendations for fun local spots to check out for our next visit. It was really nice to just sit and talk and hear about his experiences living in such a vibrant and joyful city. We even got to chat with the owner of the bar for a bit. The bar is large and has a ping pong table. They have an age minimum of 25 years old which I thought was interesting. Since we were the only people there, it didn't matter! The restroom was a bit dingy and not the best but it got the job done. I would definitely come back to this bar in the future to see what it's like at night.

It was so crowded that I was uncomfortable. I'm sure the fire marshal would've shut the place down if they were called. The place is cash only. It's 2022, come on. I used to come to The John in college and it was always a chill, relaxed place. It was never overcrowded. I'm not sure when the dynamics changed. I'm sure I won't be back.

Great local / neighborhood bar. Discovered by accident, touring the area on a very hot & very humid July Tuesday. Walked in & it was quite cool & dark, just what we were looking for. Met Curtis (bartender) & he proceeded to serve ice cold beers & give a brief, yet detailed, history of the establishment and the Marigny neighborhood / section of New Orleans. Planned on having one & stayed for four (downpour helped). Positive visit & highly recommend.

Strong and nicely priced drinks. Calm relaxing afternoons. Busier at night. Curtis was in Belize, but we will find him next visit. 30plus to enter lol.

Nice Dive atmosphere. Drinks were strong and worth the price. Place could really push into the name harder with more toilets around the joint.

The only place I visited twice this trip. Cool crowd and cheap drinks. Curtis knows how to make a cocktail. Stop by and have a Ferrari with him sometime. You won't be disappointed.

Amazing dive bar close to our rental home. Totally worth the visit. Great pours and cheap prices. Must visit if you're in the area!

Great R&B. Old school and today. Great vibe. Good people just chilling. Serving gumbo and food for purchase tonight. We should have eaten here versus Gus.

This is the we never close spot. Drinks are reasonable. Park in this area, get yourself a couple of drinks and walk less than five blocks and you are on Frenchman.

If a restaurant or bar adjusts its hours during a Black festival weekend, then they aren't deserving of your dollars or patronage any other time of the year. Support businesses that are welcoming and inclusive of the entire city and its tourists; not those who weaponize "safety" as a reason to modify hours during a festival weekend that brings Black communities to the city. FYI crowds are bigger during Jazz Fest, French Quarter Feat than Essence, but somehow safety is an issue when Black people are trying to live their life in peace and joy.

I came here to sit on a John while having a drink and I did. This is a Cash only bar but there is an ATM inside if you don't have cash. Also, there isn't any specialty drink because it's a Dive bar. I recommend for the New Orleans interesting places to and/or if you just into seating on a John instead of a seat/chair!

This spot used to be a go to low key spot but not anymore! Lol Let this be your FIRST stop before you hit Frenchman! It's in my top 3 pre-game bars before jumping into a night out! Heavy pours and inexpensive!! It's known for it seats as toilets, hence the name! It's a dim and good music is played from a modern day hike box. Not much seating available, so if it's packed, it's standing room only. There's a ping pong table in the back that people play. As far as service goes, theres one regular bar tender who could be a bit more friendly. I like bartenders who engage their patrons! She barely cracks a smile.. You may find your self just waiting to be served... Other than that, I love The John.

Strong drinks for a great price . Loved this local bar ! They have a game room as well with ping pong and other arcade games

This hidden gym was a remarkable find. It doesn't get more low key than this and while I was there the bartender played a special tune selection for me. Off the path of the nearby hustle and bustle, spacious and a very unique venue vibe.

Awesome dive bar off Frenchmen Street. The bartender was extremely friendly and fun to talk to. Great music was playing. Prices are cheap and the hard liquor pours are very strong. We ordered two bud lights and a Tito's and soda water and the tab was only $14. I'll definitely return next time I'm in town.

The drinks are cheap . It is a Chill spot to hang with friends. The bartender are super friendly and helpful if have any questions about any of the drinks. There are good at remembering your drink of choice for the night.

Let me just say this...I'm definitely coming back. The drinks are really really great and very very affordable. The music is cool too. There's a television and surprisingly a spot for a Band to play on the floor shockingly! The high tables are toilet seat toppers a d there's also some toilets to sit on while vibin with the environment. Very dark and laid back. Its a nice little bar to chill at.

The John gets 5 stars, but please recognize that they've completely ruined my price-to-"drink strength" expectations for everywhere else in NOLA. These people are heavy-handed, but over there charging 1985 prices. You'll have to legit pace yourself. Example 1: a Grand Marnier, with limited ice, is like $6. These aren't those tiny plastic shot cups either. I really don't understand how they turn a profit. On average, only the first hour's worth of memory has a clear recall the next morning. I have a drinking problem?! Don't judge my life. I'm just laying out the facts as I know them. The John is the Bermuda's Triangle of dive bars. I sh!t you not (see what I did there...the "John"...sh!t...). The bartenders are all cool. Example 2: They don't have any rap music in the digital jukebox thing. It's a random oddity. But I mentioned to one of the bartenders that I saw Snoop Dog's gospel rap while browsing thru it. Dude laughed hysterically, then gave ME a dollar to play some of the songs. Wtf?! Even the guys at the door are cool. Or maybe I go way too much, cause they know me by name and don't bother asking for my ID anymore. (I don't have a problem. I can stop going to The John whenever I want.) Bottomline, this place is a gem. They have a few nonfunctioning toilets for seats (hence, "The John"). There's usually some random movie or live sports playing on one of the 2 TVs. A couple old school arcade machines and a ping pong table too. It's not usually crowded either. But look...mostly black folks are in there. Now don't freak out or turn your nose up if you aren't black. We're not trying to bother you. Just be cool, don't look all shifty-eyed, and it's all love.

This bar is a must stop in Nola!!' Drinks are cheap and with heavy pours! Be prepared to feel the buzz fast. The bartender Vanish was very friendly and an awesome bartender. Thanks for the local tips, great conversation and delicious drinks!

After leaving a nearby restaurant. We anted to grab something quick to sip, while walking. The bartender or owner was super welcoming and poured us the biggest shot. Lol. This is the place to stop for a drink. You get your money's worth.

Cheap drinks Friendly bartender Toilet chairs My only complaints are that the whole bathroom toilet theme was not strongly represented. Half of the bar followed it and the other half just looked like a regular old dive bar. This place also seems to be a locals only type of place. My girlfriend and I were so uncomfortable from all the looks and stares we were receiving that we felt like we had to leave after just one drink. I will probably never return, I did not feel safe there.

This place is awesome nice mellow dive bar. Big reason that is is because it 25 years or older. Will always come here. You can tell by the under 25 persons post on this page why they are better off with the over 25 rule. Love this place

Chhheeeaaapppp drinks lol. LOL yea, cheap drinks. This is my first time at this bar. I've heard of this place before but I have never been here. The drinks are cheap and they are drowned in liquor. There is a pinhg pong table but other then that, it's just drinks. The spot has limited seating but it's a large area.

Morbid curiosity is what brought me here. I had passed this place tons of times and constantly wondered what it was all about. I had definitely asked myself more than once, "Why would a bar choose to have a toilet theme?" Well, I still don't know the answer to that question, but I finally made it here. The place is a lot bigger than I expected and on this particular night the place was packed. Even though there were a ton of people here, the bartender was fast and friendly. There's a large space so there were people dancing and others just sitting at the bar chatting. This is a cool little chill spot. I don't know if I'll be back. I feel like my question has been answered about this place, but I'm glad that I went once.

Dan is the man! The concept of a bar being called The John is funny in itself but once inside and you use the creative use toilet bowls you'll giggle. Cash Only but hey they two ATM machines. Totally dive bar, full of locals, random conversation, and great cocktails = a winner to me!

Very weird vibe neighborhood dive bar that has since been taken over by my brothers and sisters especially on the weekend. What is the attraction I do not know, its really a big space that has a big long bar and juke box music. The place would be a great dance bar with all the space but they play little dance music atleast on the nights that I have been there. The drink prices are fair but I found the place pretty boring with no vibe.

Cheap pours and obnoxious door Man. Go somewhere else So many better places in the area

My friend and I walked all the way from Harrah's Casino to the John so we could get some drinks as well as some great pictures at this locally recommend bar, specifically for the different atmosphere. When we got there we found out it was only 25 years old and up allowed and given no explanation as to why. Last time I checked legal age was 21 years old. As I asked why all the man at the door said was "move aside" and then pointed at a sign on the door. We looked up this bar online before we went and no where did it say it was an age restricted bar.

Cheap drinks! Nice open space and a great location. There is a ping pong table in the rear of the spot and limit chairs. The bar has lots of choices and the bartender is great. The place was empty at 6pm but at 10pm the crowd came.

For a long time, I avoided this place because it looked scary and I heard rumors about groups of crackheads congregating here. Fortunately, however, I eventually wound up inside and discovered that they have a PING PONG TABLE. In fact, they have a separate room dedicated to a ping pong table. Unlike most bars with a ping pong table, this one is well-maintained and looked after by the staff. Only once out of the many times I've been here was there a problem with the table--over the course of Mardi Gras someone had broken the net. It was replaced within a few days, though, and there hasn't been a problem since. An added bonus, The John serves super-cheap drinks (in a mason jar!) and it's open 24/7. It's never crowded, the bartenders are friendly, and it's usually not hard to get the ping pong table. It's a great place to meet up with a group of friends for a few games. Until everyone's too drunk to hit the ball. At which point you can wander down Frenchmen Street to listen to music and dance. When you sober up, go back for more ping pong! This is a great place any night of the week.

The John is one of those hideaways that I hold near and dear. It isn't everyone's cup of tea (bowl of water - get it), but for me it is kind of a signature stop during any night out. Here are my top 7 reasons why - A dive bar near all the business of Frenchman. Cheap prices for drinks and heavy hands pouring them. Ping pong table and old school video games in the back. It is always open - like always. A decent selection of music always seems to be playing. This is a locals pre and post party hangout. People are welcoming but not too friendly. And of course - it has a toilet theme. It is a fun game to see if you and your friends can count all of the toilets in the establishment (functional and decoration).

Randomly walking around and discovered this bar. Way off the usual bourbon street/French Quarter area. We were initially intrigued by the sign on the door "over 25 only ". What? Anyway we were ready for a break from walking so decided to give it a shot. Early afternoon (or late morning? New Orleans Lol) Not at all crowded. Clean and comfortable. Bartender very nice and chatty. Our daughter order a double vodka and bartender said they don't do doubles because regular pour is so generous. Lol. She was right! 2 beers and 1 mixed drink-$14. Deal.

Best dive bar around. All the way near end of Frenchmen Street. Cheap drinks, heavy pours, and a local hangout spot. Thank you Uber driver for the recommendation. This is the spot to start before you go to more pricey places down the street.

The best drinks and bartenders in the city! I love Vanish and the other bartenders that take care of me. It's a real chill atmosphere! I love that they don't serve your drink in those little bitty cups!

Cool spot, cheap drinks and relaxed atmosphere in a Friday morning. Street parking, locals spot. Recommend

The John is a great bar. It's a little out of the way, but worth it. Great drinks for a great price. Definitely check it out if you're on Frenchmen.

Watch out for their home wrecker drinks! My friends and I always stop by The John when there are parades or events in the Quarter. Huge bar and tolerable bathrooms. Very divey, lots of friendly people, often smelly, but always a good time!

Strong drinks, cheap price, fun vibe. The drinks are half the price as most of the places on Frenchman street so we just kept coming back!

I first heard of this bar a couple of weeks before my trip to New Orleans via a post and photo on divebarshirt.com. I saw the photos of the gold toilets in the bar area and since I was going to town anyway I thought I needed to try it. Parking is challenging. There isn't a lot so you need to find a place on the street. I found one right up front and went inside. The bar is very dark. Everyone was gathered around the bar and it was not too crowded. It seemed that everyone there were regulars as the bartender knew everyone and stopped to talk to each of them. I looked at the beer options and not much stood out. The bartender told me most people generally get a PBR. It's $2. I asked what others they had and she pointed me to a small collection of bottles down at the other end of the bar. She said that's what we have - some of them I can't even pronounce! I returned to my seat and had the PBR. I checked out the restroom and it was a bit scary. Beside the sink was a cup of pink runny liquid (see photo). I didn't know if that was soap or if someone left their drink. I saw a large ping-pong table in the other room, but it was too dark to take a photo. I did like the albums handing from the wall above the toilets in the bar area. It was a descent experience. The regulars all seemed to love it and the bartender enjoyed talking to each of them. It was a bit chilly and dark in there, but that's maybe part of the charm. I wish I would have taken a picture of myself there...

Great local joint. Having been here in the day and night, for a 24 hour joint, the reviews should be better. Both times here, the staff have been attentive and friendly. Drinks are great. The place is huge, and I mean huge with one of the longest bar areas ever featuring a back area with a pool table and arcade machines. Toilet seats as decor, why not? The wall decorations of blues records and music postings works well together. The A.C. in this place is amazing! The only downside, in this massive space, you need to offer 'Food' to go with the strong drinks. Plus the bathroom needs a better setup. Great local spot in the Marigny.

You gotta love a bar that doesn't close. And then it's got a bathroom theme. I have a nice, chill, laid back time every time i visit the John and when you think about it.... Shouldn't every visit to the john be enjoyable? My friends seem to like the golden toilets though i prefer to sit at the bar. I think my favorite thing about this place (aside from the low cost and the heavy pouring) is that they're open when i get off work. Whenever i get off work. In their defense, I've never been to a dive bar with an acceptably clean restroom. This is a thing I've unfortunately come to terms with as part of the dive bar experience. Is not ok, but is the way it happens. Anywho. They're just far enough off the beaten path that you can't really ask people on the street if you're walking in the right direction. 3 different ppl directed us to bathrooms in other bars. We managed to make it anyway.

I owned a kid in ping-pong who was running shit for about an hour while I listened to the "Ooos" and "Aaaas" from my stool at the bar. After a few PBR/Whiskey shot combos I felt ready to try my luck. I grew up with a table and obviously so did this kid. I unseated him with skill reminiscent of an Asian prodigy. He challenged me to a re-match, clearly unsettled and angered. At this point the whiskey kicked in and I got destroyed. For a fleeting moment...I was king.

It's hard for me to find all the proper words to stress just how horrible of an experience I had at this place. Just awful. Two of the bartenders I dealt with were slow, rude and highly unprofessional. And I don't know why, but they keep that place unusually cold. It's very uncomfortable. Perhaps they keep it that cold to inhibit the growth of bacteria that surely must be growing in the filthy bathrooms. Yeah, yuck. It's true this place is super cheap, but it's comes at the expense of less than desirable service and an offensively unclean environment. There are too many other places just as cheap and a lot more friendly and clean. Big. Fat. Fail.

After having dinner in the Marigny, I searched Yelp for "cheap drinks," figuring we could do a dive bar tour and get drunk fairly cheaply. The first stop was The John. Interesting decor, cheap, cheap, cheap drinks (most premium drinks at $6, everything else is even less), and a friendly bartender. If it weren't for the smoke, we might have stayed there all night. However, I eventually needed to go for a walk and breathe. The John may have worked its way into our regular rotation for baby-free nights of alcohol consumption.

Pros: +Extremely cheap drinks +Drinks served in mason jar +Slightly off the beaten path, so not as crowded as other places on Frenchmen +Close to The New Movement, if you're waiting for a comedy show like I was the other night +Ping pong table +Large clean bathrooms +Air conditioning +Bartender just might give you credits for the jukebox +Toilets for seats at one of the tables +Awesome t-shirt design; I need one ASAP once they reorder some smaller sizes! +Awesome friendly bartender whose "singles" are any other bar's "doubles" - you get drunk for cheaper1 Cons: +Meg's comment disturbs me, but I myself have experienced no cons