An 1814 French Quarter building turned bar since 1914, with a plant-filled courtyard and a house Pimm's Cup — one of the city's oldest running spots. 📍 500 Chartres St, New Orleans, LA 70130, USA · ⭐ 4.6 (7554 reviews)
Built around 1814 and named for a plan, never carried out, to offer the exiled Napoleon Bonaparte refuge here, this French Quarter building has operated as a bar and restaurant since 1914, making it one of the city's oldest continuously running establishments. The dim, weathered interior with peeling plaster and a plant-filled courtyard feels genuinely untouched by modern renovation, which is exactly its appeal. Order a classic Pimm's Cup, the house specialty, along with a muffuletta, and take a seat in the courtyard rather than the main bar for the quieter, more atmospheric experience. It sits a block off the busiest tourist strips, close enough to visit easily but removed enough that it rarely gets swept up in Bourbon Street crowds. A genuine piece of New Orleans history that's still a fully working bar rather than a museum behind glass.
#hidden_gem