Le Bon Temps Roule

Chelsea is the best bartender of all time and her hair is made of golden Pegasus wings.

Soul Rebels Thursdays. A gotta go. Terrific music by Brass-​a-​Holics!!! Serious fun. Any band that can weave Big Butts, Nirvana, and jazz standards (among others) into 2.5 hours of non-​stop live heaven (before taking their first break!) deserves some groovin on the dance floor. The bar is a real neighborhood grit joint. Get your drink on and get funky.

Good local bar, great Bloody Mary’s!
Busy place with a lively crowd. Alsoa good place to wait for a table at Surrey’s.

The band started later than we are willing to wait. Don’t expect them to give you any cover back even if you’ve waited for the band to start for two hours. They don’t care. We were literally packed in like sardines for a solid hour and there was no band to be found. I should’ve expected less.

What sort of dive bar serves incredible craft beer, Belgian ales, excellent liquors, has pool tables, creatures coming our of the ceiling, and some of the best live music in NoLa? Le Bön Temps Roule. This has to be the ultimate of ultimate dive bars. It is a dive and yet it isn’t. It has the atmosphere of a true neighborhood joint (and far away from the tourist traps of the French Quarter), yet serves some of the best drinks around, as well providing its patrons with some exceptionally good live music. The space itself is something to experience with sculptures that come out of the ceiling!!! See my photo if you’re curious. And perhaps in a great nod to what kind of city NoLa is, they’re open 24 hours a day. So, you can get your drink on in this amazing place whenever you want!!! If you’re in the area it is not to be missed!!! Let the good times roll indeed!!!

One of my favorite bars in town. There’s a bar in the front where the main entrance is located and another bar in the back where bands play. Best nights are Thursday and Friday. Soul Rebels play every Thursday with a 15 dollar cover, and free oysters and music Friday nights. Front bar is pretty chill – you can sit at the bar or at a table and eat oysters or play some pool while you wait for the band to set up in the back. And if you aren’t down for live music, you can hang at the front bar and barely even notice a band is playing in the back. The back is grungy and small, great vibe. I’ve never had a bad time at Le Bön Temps!

One of my favorite bars in New Orleans. Le Bön Temps is always a good idea. Order the Bloody Mary and you won’t be disappointed!

This place is a must for anyone in town! Definitely popular with the locals and hopefully you are fortunate enough to have one show you around or to stumble in here during one of the live music performances. At first glance, Le Bön Temps is unassuming, with a standard bar and a few pool tables. The back room is where the music and magic happens.
The staff adds to the atmosphere by being super friendly, outgoing, and ensuring you have a good time. The crowd gets into the show, which is often an intimate setting where you can certainly see, hear, and feel the energy. Don’t be surprised if the band dances through the crowd or invites your group on stage. If you are lucky enough, try to catch a show with the Soul Rebels, as they will blow your mind!
Drinks are inexpensive, atmosphere was great (although we were called out for not being locals), and you definitely get a neighborhood feel. It’s worth heading off of the beaten path for this place!

I visited this place during my trip to New Orleans. Beware. Its not a touristy place at all. Its a place where locals hangout. Its a nice bar with homely feeling. There are two pool tables. Live piano musician was playing on Friday. Also on Friday there are free oysters. I am a vegetarian but my friends were super happy to find free oysters. I like the nice homely vibes of this place and will surely come again.

I was charged $ 15 for a well vodka tonic. I will absolutely never be coming back here. If I wanted to pay that much I would have sought out the most touristy bar on Bourbon, and even there prices would likely be more reasonable.

This bar is always in my rotation when I’m
Bored or have out of towners with me.
Why?
It’s amazing. The patrons are a fine mix of locals and on the occasion a decent handful of tourists but they are usually accompanied by locals. It’s not off the beaten path or anything but I never see it on must visit lists like Maes or Snake and Jakes. Which I’m okay with.
They have two pool tables and a juke box. Cheap drinks. Friendly bartenders. The back room hosts some great local music on a given night. I believe they also do oysters on Fridays

The place I found for lunch was closed on Sunday, so I started walking up the road to find something else, when I located a bar called: Le Bön Temps Roule. I discovered they were renovating their kitchen but told me that I can get food from Rainbow’s corner store one block south, and bring it back if I’d like. Got my food, and went back to the bar to have myself a margarita. I also tried the woodchuck ciders — pear was delicious — so I had a few of those. The bartender was friendly, but after finishing by margarita, it was difficult to gain her attention away from the local crowd. Several of the locals struck up a brief conversation — most were watching the football game. There is a pool table in the front bar, the restroom is only one stall and it is tiny. The back bar appears to be open for bands and dancing. My bar tap was only $ 8.

LOVE IT! My favorite dive bar EVER!
We came exclusively for the free oysters on Friday night. They don’t lie. Free from 7pm until they run out. Yum!
The bartender was so nice. This definitely is a local spot. I know they have music on a stage in back but we weren’t there when it was.
We hung out here for a couple of hours just soaking in the scene. 4 Abitas one Knob Creek shot and 24 oysters, $ 30 including a good tip… Best deal around!

The things I’d do to quit my job, become a gypsy, grow a beard and groupie along side the Soul Rebels at Le Bön Temps… I really think this was one of the most unexpectedly amazing nights of my life — I love a good dive bar, and this bar dives so deep, well beyond the swamp ‘gators and crawfish — so deep it’s knocking on hell’s door.
The toilet is missing and replaced by a bucket, there are more neon lights than functioning ones and the floor doesn’t work. The back room is so tiny your ears will be ringing for days from the roar of the French horns — but it’s all worth it.
It’s an experience like no other — it’s 300 years of bayou heat, creole spiced and smeared all over the flooded walls — this bar for me is the heart and soul of New Orleans, and I wish it was my gypsy home.

There’s no better way to spend a Thursday night in New Orleans.
Cheap drinks and great music will make for a sweaty good time! Thank god the smoking ban took effect, because this used to be one dank place and I always came home reeking of cigarettes. Definitely swing by and see the Soul Rebels at a reliably fun Nola institution.

Awesome. Awesome. AWESOME. Must go on Thursday nights — probably closer to 10:30/11. I got there at 9 and that was a little early though I did get some good time at the Pool Table. Destroyed some locals too haha.
Drinks are cheap as all hell and the music is good. Really good experience — don’t leave without visiting.

This is a NOLA institution. Drinks are always reasonable, music is always good, and the crowd is always appropriate. The tilted floor is normal, as is the alligator themed artwork throughout the back room. A locals bar with a tourist flair. The college kids know about it, so it will never be considered a hole in the wall…
Dog friendly, which is fabulous!
Great for pool when they’re not crazy packed (think off nights and early or super late).
Smoking friendly, so be prepared to reek by the end of the night. Oh well, it’s a reasonable price to pay for such a great bar.

The memories of this place go back to the early, post-​katrina days for me. This place was the mark of New Orleans coming back to itself after the storm when I discovered it and the brass band playing every Thursday night and the massive crowds that gathered and packed themselves (or ourselves) into that tiny back room. It was the place to be uptown for the longest and it still carries that spirit, but I haven’t been on a Thursday night in many moons.
This spot is tastefully New Orleans. It’s got that aged look and feel without feeling grimy or like a wrong move and a tile from the ceiling will knock you out. There’s nice, outdoor benches for these lovely Nola Fall days, a couple cozy booths inside and a couple pool tables for cracking off a game or two.
I haven’t frequented like I used to, but during the last couple visits I had the same bartender and she was just super nice both times around. Good to see they’ve keep with the great service I’ve known them for. Certainly fair drink prices, this place won’t break the bank, but it’ll certainly fill your tank.
Stop in for some good drinks and spirits, there’s also TV’s from every angle in the bar area, great for catching some games.

It seems to be your average pub, small and smoky. The games have been on when we’re there. The music is too loud, but the staff is friendly and they make a very garnished Bloody Mary. I have a new love of pickled okra!

Le Bön Ton is one of my favorite places to see music in NOLA. I may be biased towards far-​Uptown places since I live in the Black Pearl, but their lineup also helps their cause. I love seeing the Soul Rebels here since it’s like their «home» bar (a la Rebirth with the Maple Leaf), and they put on a great show every time. As far as crowds go, this one tends to be pretty great: It’s a small and intimate space, so you’ll be bumping into friends and strangers alike; and people do tend to actually dance here rather than just stand around and take pictures, so it’s a lot more fun.
This is also a great place to just grab a drink or four and socialize, or watch whatever sport is on TV (I believe I’ve also seen random movies on here, but that can be neither confirmed nor denied by clear memories since it was closer to that four-​drink point of the night). Bartenders have always been friendly here. There’s also one lady bartender who is basically the only real-​life chick who’s made me question my sexuality.
Bars in the front and back make it easy to fill ‘er up, woo woo!
I highly recommend this place for any type of experience, but most especially for a little local flavor!