Blue Nile

Arguably one of the best nights out I’ve ever had in any town took place primarily at the Blue Nile. I arrived to town one night earlier than the rest of my traveling party and decided to check out Frenchman St.
Downstairs is your standard/​awesome New Orleans live Jazz/​2^nd Line/​Whatever with all the horns and shit. People coming in straight off the street with their trombones in tow, jumping up on stage and playing whatever song was going on. It was raucous without being too rough around the edges. Upstairs is where it goes into mythical status. I thought I liked partying to 2 Chainz music before the Blue Nile — it’s like I was playing in the minor leagues. Smoke from wall to wall, DJ on point, banger after banger, awesome balcony overlooking the street below.
The contrast between what’s available upstairs and downstairs is what I really loved. Don’t know if that’s every night or if I just got lucky (I think I remember paying a small cover?)

If you are in NOLA then you need to hit up Blue Nile! It’s in the Frenchman Street Corridor.
We actually came here twice while in NOLA for the weekend. They don’t charge a cover, have plenty of space, and live music. Most of the area was standing room, however there were a few tables spaced out that were first come, first serve. No table service, at least late night. (FYI)
Sunday night was by far the best music we saw the entire 3 days were were in NOLA. They took top hits from various genres and decades and played them to the New Orleans tune. They were very engaging with the crowd and packed the place with spectators and dancers!
This was one of my favorite spots we visited. It appears that they have live music every night. This is absolutely a great spot!

Great venue for live music! We came on a Sunday night and were amazed by the Street Legends, a band that were great performers and entertainers who really knew how to play to the crowd and re-​made many popular songs.
Blue Nile is bigger than a lot of the hole-​in-​the-​wall joints on Frenchman. They do have a $ 5 cover, and it is more than worth it. The crowd seemed on the younger side. Drinks were cheap, service was quick, and the crowd definitely got into the performance. This place is a must for anyone in town!

This was a nice stop we made on Frenchman. They had really good live music playing with an area where people were gathered to watch away from the bar. The drinks were ok, nothing special, but most bars in the area are the same. The vibe was great and everyone was having a good time. Definitely a place to check out if you are on Frenchman.

The drinks are fairly priced (especially in comparison with the other bars). We were there for the cover-​free 7 p.m. Show with Washboard Trio. They were awesome! Business started out slow as people trickled in from the street, but Chaz was entertaining and there was excellent audience interaction given the large space of scattered people.
I would love to return sometime to experience a packed room. It very much reminded me of the music venues I frequented in college, and this place kinda just felt like home. I would highly recommend it.

Make this your first stop on Frenchman and it could be your last stop. You won’t want to leave. Good job for two nights in a row.

Another fun place for music on Frenchmen. Wide open stage and dance floor in front of the stage. When we were here there was a guy dubbed «Dancing Man» leading people out to the floor and at one point leading a line dance. I’m not sure if he is a regular at this bar or a regular for the band who was there when we were, but he added to the experience. Great diverse group of ages and races listening to music here. Decent beer choices.

Stopped in on a Tuesday night and was blown away by the band. I love live music and the band was one of the best I’ve ever heard hands down.
It’s a little more of a trendy atmosphere compared to the other music joints on Frenchman so good if you’re heading out for a date. It was packed even on a Tuesday and the seating inside is not huge so don’t expect to be able to just sit and enjoy.
It looked like there was a nice outside area to sit as well but with the weather being a bit cooler and the band we opted to stand inside and enjoy.
I’ve hit most of the spots on Frenchman and this is the one I’d head back to again. Good bar, friendly service which was pretty fast all things considered, and amazing music. Can’t ask for more than that.
Give it a look.

If you want a real life experience of a jazz band and a great young environment I would recommend this place

Great spot.
Didn’t mind the $ 5 cover — live band is great. Drinks are reasonably priced — and crowd is anything but pretentious.
Completely different than Bourbon street — not looking to get plastered, peed on, (yup that happens), or run in to them thots haha.
def A must visit in NO.

They charge cover on Saturday night, but the balcony is open until 1 am which also has a live band and charges no cover.
The bar upstairs was a fairly small bar with well drinks, wine, and a beer selection. The band was great, but it was not crowded at all. We went to sit outside on the balcony to enjoy the fresh air and look down on Frechmen Street to people watch.

Very unprofessional service at the front desk. Would recommend café negril or spotted cat for better/​friendlier service and an overall better time.

This was our last night in New Orleans and wanted to visit Blue Nile. Didn’t have a reservation and was put on the wait list. I received a text saying they had a table. By the time we arrived six minutes later, I was told the table was given away. We left another really good venue with great music to visit Blue Nile only to hear they had given away the table. She said they only hold it for 10 minutes — it was six! So, be wary of time if you visit. For me, poor customer service. Too bad.

Love it here. We came here to chill while waiting for a table a Three Muses. Great beer selection, awesome music and lots of space with a strong air conditioning. Most of the space is for dancin so plan to stand or come early during busing nights and grad a seat at the bar. This place must have the strongest gin and tonic in the quarter!

Cool spot with no cover, cheap drinks, and decent tunes. Not much more is needed. A nice break from the crazier venues on Frenchman.

Prices are higher than I would expect, but no cover fee. It was crowded and felt dirty, but a good place to get away from Bourbon street.

This hip joint, is a must see, we came on reggae night and enjoyed the entire set, I didn’t want to leave but my feet were failing me. I wish I had came a little earlier, because when the songtress started to belt out some Lauryn Hill, I almost lost it. Next time, I’ll sit down earlier and just sit back and enjoy the show. Or I could leave the heels at home.

What a cool little spot this turned out to be.
Wandering around Frenchmen Street, our foursome decided to stop in here for a drink after being told it was «the spot» by people in the know. They weren’t wrong. Inside, it was a bit dead-​ish, though the crowd was held in rapt attention by the sultry singer leading a jazz band. The night was still young, and the crowd only swelled as the evening progressed.
I grabbed myself a Brooklyn brewed pumpkin ale (love those fall seasonal selections) and stood near the back, soaking up all the atmosphere and tunes. This band belted out some KILLER jazzy covers of songs from Bob Marley to Britney Spears, all of which sounded incredible. Personally, as a big fan of Screamin’ Jay Hawkins I loved their rendition of «I Put a Spell on You». The stage is situated up high, so everyone had a perfect view of the band doing their thing.
Rumor is at night the air gets a bit… purple, if you catch my drift. None of that business while we were there, though. Everyone was fixated on the gorgeous girl singing her head off on stage.

I really used to like Blue Nile upstairs. But then they started charging $ 5 at the door. I am all for supporting musicians and such, but as somebody who has been around since before they started charging, I am not trying to pay a few bucks without knowing if it’s gonna be a good time or if I’m just gonna be harassed by a strange old man that can’t control his spit when he talks.
Last night was the latter. I really should have stayed at the BMC with Lagniappe.
The bouncer hit on me but wouldn’t let us go in without the cover. OK, whatever. Hopefully the DJ spins some good tunes.
As soon as we get up there and to the bar, this dude spots me and starts yelling across the bar. I tried to ignore him but he didn’t get the clue and came over to me and my friend and proceeded to talk to us about some TV show we don’t care about, his spit getting into our drinks and all. He reeeeeally wanted a photo so we finally posed for him and thought that would be it.
My friend C started walking toward the balcony and I followed. He FOLLOWED me outside, talking about my ass as he creepily walks up behind me. Then he kept on trying to talk to us before he finally left us alone.
He went back in the bar and I didn’t even feel like dancing because I didn’t want to go back into the same space as him and give him any excuse to harass me again. So we left.
C told the bouncer about the guy and apparently he’s a cousin of somebody who works there.
After last night I really don’t think I’ll be going back here. It’s a shame.

Blue Nile is my favorite venue on Frenchmen and one of my favorite in the city. I have to admit that the 4 or 5 times I’ve been there were for specific bands that I already knew and loved, so that was bound to make me like the place more than average, but I think this location in particular made the experience even better.
The service here is good to great. For one show I attended, I arrived nice and early (just before 10 so I wouldn’t have to pay cover) and stayed through 2 awesome bands, coming to at least 3 hours. By halfway through the night, the bartender knew me and I just had to give her a nod and a fresh brew came my way. This was especially awesome since there were always a bunch of irritating young kids (err…not really that young, just hipster-​y) waiting at the bar and I got to pass them up. Thanks for recognizing me, awesome bartender!
Speaking of drinks, I’d say prices are reasonable for beer, high for liquor. Good thing I’m a cold-​and-​carbonated type of girl!
I’ve also had good luck with the crowd here, a little more focused on dancing and enjoying the music rather than taking pictures of the band to post on… you know… whatever social media site «them youngins» are using now-​a-​days. This review is moving dangerously close to, «Hey kids, get offa my lawn» territory.
Main problem to me is that the bathrooms are TINY! Microscopic. If you try to go at any time that’s actually convenient, the line takes forever and a half. If you go when it’s inconvenient, it only takes forever.