The Dungeon

It’s a nice change of scene from all the typical bars if you are there for Bourbon street. As I get older (now late 20s) I enjoy the fancier bars but every time I come to New Orleans I have to stop in.
The good– the witches brew is an amazing drink. It has a sweet but cinnamon taste.
The confusing– they warn you about not taking videos or pictures which is confusing because the city is full of hundreds of things I’d rather take a picture or video of.

Still coolish. I get the whole no picture thing, but don’t hassle me when phone is on my lap. There is a difference between waiving my phone around and simply using it. It was annoying. At least now I know to pretend like I’m taking a pic so someone will come take my drink order.

For a tourist trap this place rocks! Great environment, it’s portrays exactly what the name would suggest. Prices as expected for a barely off bourbon street experience. I greatly enjoyed this place. Will return. Lots of rock music as one might expect. Mannequins in bondage and very dark. Enter and follow the path u til you can’t go any longer. Very popular and equally populated.

«THE DUNGEON!» Just the name of the bar alone evokes images of a dark, sinister club with leather-​clad, glassy-​eyed patrons indulging in all manners of debauchery and naughtiness to the sound of distorted guitars and throbbing beats. What I experienced instead seemed to be more of a tourist-​trap dive with «Spencer Gifts» plastic skulls and lighting. While this place would have seemed «scary» and «bad-​assed» to me as a teenager growing up in the 90’s would now only have that effect on tourists from Des Moines who somehow thing The Dungeon is the epitome of New Orleans extreme counterculture.
So me and my buddy arrived there around 10 PM, early in our night of bar crawling Marigny and the French Quarter. We crawled through the tight entrance into the courtyard area and were promptly let in by the perpetually scowling bouncer. (I suppose that is part of his shtick as bouncer to THE DUNGEON!) We came in and sat at the bar where a young lady with black hair and fishnets asked us what we wanted to drink. Two double Makers on the rocks set us back a whopping $ 28! Kind of steep, but a small price to pay for the experience of drinking at THE DUNGEON!
As we sipped our whiskeys I noticed a guy in at the jukebox with a shaved head popping dollar bills into the jukebox, headbanging away as his tunes played. By the time Pantera came on he was whipped into full frenzy mode, thrashing his head and playing air guitar like no one was watching. For the most part I was extremely disappointed in the music that was playing on the jukebox. Most of it was really bad 2000’s era nu-​metal where the singer «raps» the verse and «screams» the chorus. It really took away from the «bad-​ass» vibe the place was trying to create, as I could think of dozens of bands and songs that are way more dark and extreme than the juvenile bullshit I heard at THE DUNGEON.
There was a couple in the back behind Jukebox Thrasher who where getting close and lightly making out. They decided they would capture the moment in a «selfie» or two. Two selfies in and perpetually scowling doorman LEAPS off his seat and screams «NO PHOTOGRAPHY ALLOWED!» taking his resting scowl-​face into all kinds of twisted contortions. Now okay, I get it if this place doesn’t want to allow photography than fine, but you should tell your patrons that when they walk in the door, otherwise don’t scream at them like they are vermin when they innocently try and take a photo. I don’t know, it seems to me that they have the «no photography» policy to keep up the mystique of the place, but they just come off as dicks when they try to enforce it with such rabid, hostile enforcement. Maybe they are afraid if too many people are able to take photos that it will reveal just how mediocre the establishment is!
So soon after Scowling Doorman goes on his No-​Photo rampage a group of dorks in their late 40’s from (what I’m guessing is) the Midwest come in with their flip-​flops and summer shorts and seem to be truly «wowed» by how dark and gritty of an establishment the place is! «You just don’t see shit like this in Des Moines, do ya’ Dave?» They proceed to order a round of beer and the young lady bartender in the fishnets offers them the most expensive beer in the house, the $ 10 a bottle «Trooper» IRON MAIDEN beer, which they accept with gleeful jubilation. I can just hear their stories now that they will tell their friends about how they were served IRON MAIDEN beer at a «crazy-​ass» place in New Orleans by a «hot goth babe bartender!»
About that time my friend and I were about done with our drinks and we had had enough. While my friend took a whizz I went upstairs to check out the dancefloor. It was very small, but seemed like a potential cool space, provided it had the right music and the right people. Unfortunately, at least at that time, it provided neither. Maybe at 2AM things get wild and crazy there and it’s worth a visit, but with steep drink prices and I surly staff I kind of doubt it.
So, my advice is, if this kind of place piques your curiosity, if fits your music and visual aesthetics, then go to THE DUNGEON at least once, if nothing else for shits and giggles. Otherwise there are plenty of other places you can go to in the FQ for cheaper drinks, better company, and better music.

SO MUCH METAL YOU NEED TWO HANDS
— heavy metal? Check
— goblets of icy purple death? Check
— dim lighting which favors my damaged pupils (due to a lifetime of heavy bath salts smoking and pounding everclear, I am nearly blind)? Check
— double ply cocktail napkins with which to stuff one’s codpiece to hide a shockingly tiny penis? Check
As you can see, if you’re Smoky B, this place is heaven. Even if you’re not Smoky B, this place is still pretty rad.

This is my favorite place in New Orleans. Dark atmosphere, metal music blaring, great dance floor, amazing art, and my favorite part: blacklights that make my gin and tonic glow in the dark. What’s not to love?

Went here after the whole rave about it and how your time on your hone will change. Well it didn’t happen to either me or anyone I was with. The bar tender was a total bitch! We weren’t drunk or obnoxious for her to even come off that way. Not a welcoming vibe from the bar tender at all or any of the employees.
The bar itself is pretty unique, spooky, dark, goth. Pretty much like a «dungeon». I would of given it a 2 or 3 because of the atmosphere but the employees were HORRIBLE.
I would say go in and walk through it if you are interested but don’t even waste your time sitting there.
This place has a history of murder stories. Look it up, it’s interesting but not worth me saying there and having a drink.

I mean, the idea of this place is pretty cool. And I appreciated the uniqueness of the place. But the staff there is just a bunch of bitches, so I can’t possibly give them more stars.
I’m confused about the Unilocal listed times, because I’m pretty sure it opens at midnight. Which was pretty cool in itself. It’s this creepy, (dungeony), dark place that you have to go down a poorly lit alley to get to. No pictures allowed (oh trust me, they will rudely tell you not to– not complaining about the rule, just the attitude).
We ordered a drink, made it a double, and the bartender said something implying that my friend couldn’t afford a drink there. Uhh what? Shut your fucking mouth, and just give us the drink, you bitch. Just made me more determined to snap at least one photo. I don’t know if that’s like supposed to be part of the vibe there or what… But, ugh. We left immediately after our first round, because that’s an attitude I could do without on my NOLA trip.

Guy at front door is rude and inconsiderate. Tell him I’m from Lowell, NC and tells me, «Cool! I’m from Asheville, NC». He continues to ask me about my ID since NC just reformatted their IDs and I agree they do feel flimsy but that’s what the state makes us do. I continue to tell him my zipcode, yet he still questions my ID… smh.
Please understand that States are making new license to become more economical and update the old ones.
They need to understand this and learn from their mistakes.
This place is just like any other bar, only its called «The Dungeon» and located down a dark alley… Big Woop!

We almost didn’t go in, because the entrance is via a narrow alley with a sign that just says «The Dungeon.» We didn’t know it was a bar, we were just intrigued enough by the sign. Incredibly friendly staff and strong drinks. It was my favorite bar we visited in the French Quarter, hands down.

We walked in to check out this bar. It seemed interesting from the outside. It’s very small. There was only one bar tender working and it wasn’t busy. She didn’t provide a drink menu but asked what we wanted to drink. When I asked what kind of beer the have she replied «We don’t have Stella or PBR». I asked again, «OK, what kind of beer do you have?», she replied «All sorts of beer». Haha, I guess she didn’t know. She asked «Do you like dark beer? We have Shock top.» Haha, shock top isn’t even dark beer, moron. Who says that? Haha. Anyway, I guess she thought we were hipsters. Or she doesn’t know what beer is. We ordered Makers on the rocks and Jameson on the rocks. It tasted watered down. The bartender is miserable and shops at Hot Topic, makes assumptions about customers and doesn’t know what beer they offer. There’s plenty of other places to go to in the French Quarter.

Since photos are not allowed inside, so I thought you might appreciate picturing how it looks like once you enter the haunted bar:
— First and foremost, this kickass rocking bar is not for everyone. Once you enter the Dungeon, via the damp narrow alley, don’t be such a scaredy cat.
— You get a warm welcome from the door man. Remember, it is a dungeon.
— It is goth, it is dark, and it is black inside. You will feel like you are in, well, a dungeon!
— Spooky décor.
— Cages, skulls and coffins.
— Mirrored dance floor upstairs.
— High– energy music. Heavy metal and rock music mainly.
Four Unilocal

Without a friend’s recommendation, I probably would have skipped right over the Dungeon. Literally. It’s located on Toulouse off of Bourbon and you need to walk down an alley to get in.
The vibe is dark and ominous. No photos allowed. No outside drinks allowed. I don’t recommend chugging your grenade for the obvious reason of having to chug a grenade then needing to throw out your souvenir glass.
Once I learned the rules, this bar skyrocketed to the top of the bars I went to on my recent NOLA trip.
My friend and I sat at the front bar near the fish tank. They don’t have a menu so we took our bartender suggestion on beverages. We went with the Witches Brew which was amaretto based and tasted like candy. They went down nice and easy, but left you feeling good.
A break from the selfies and pop music was nice. We got to enjoy chatting with the bartender and bouncer. I don’t listen to a lot of heavy metal music, but it really was a nice change of pace from the other jams on Bourbon.
Pro-​tip, if you like fish, sit by the fish tank. They add an extra layer of entertainment.
Sadly, we were hungry and needed to leave, but were directed to their sister establishment Yo Mama’s.
If you are looking for something a little different, the Dungeon needs to be on your NOLA list of places to visit.

I have never in my life spent so much time staring at a fish while seated at a bar.
Through this experience, I’ve come to believe that all bars should have fish tanks — especially with suckerfish, because they are terrifying and awesome and ugly and fun all at once.
Please pause to Google photos of suckerfish. Thanks.
Anyway, so we had a pretty stellar time here. We each ordered the Witches Brew cocktail… twice and even tried a sample of bartender Erica’s rum concoction. It was really good!
We spent most of our time at the dark bar chatting with the staff… mostly about the fish. And South Park. They also had a fantastic set-​list of metal tunes playing, and it made me quite happy. [Because obviously that happiness had nothing to do with the cocktails.]
Only ehh thing that I should mention: Be careful with the downstairs bathroom. No lock!
I didn’t visit the upstairs — or feel the need to transverse the place past the bar seats near the door. Next to the fish. Great visit all-​around!

We used to love this place but they clearly changed bar staff as we went in and she seemed more interested in chatting to her friends than serving customers so after 10 minutes we left because we could not get served and it was not even busy … Won’t come back until you get your staff to realize it’s the customers who pay the bills !!

This place is one of those places that I never miss an opportunity to visit multiple nights on my yearly trip to NOLA. The best spot for metal goth and industrial music.

I liked the uniqueness of this place. Honestly, I tried to contact this place before I got here but I could not find their phone number or website or email. NOTHING! When I got there, I told the guy at the door this and he smiled. Yep!
I let him know that we had about 40 people behind me in Superheroes costumes and he welcomed us in.
The place is EXTREMELY loud but you have to check it out at least once. The bartenders were friendly and overall it was easy to get a drink.
The place is a bit small so some may issues with that (some of my friends felt claustrophobic inside). Go in, check it out.

This place was a trip.
Tucked away enough that you might miss it, and I like that. If you are in to the type of music that they are playing, it’s awesome. The décor is pretty legit.
I will admit that two strange things happened. One is that we saw a nicely dressed couple get to third base in one of the cage areas on the second level. People just walked by an openly watched. So if that is your thing… you know where to go.
The other weird thing is that we kept noticing this guy sprinting around. We thought he was just a tweaker until we realized that he was stopping people from taking pictures. This guy had a tough job because he would hang in a corner, and then sprint to enforce the no pictures rule when he saw someone pull out their phone.
So to recap – getting freaky is acceptable and pictures are a no no. Go with an open mind and just roll with it.

I ended up coming here twice while in NOLA, and the first time was complete accident. Me and the boy passed by a dark, red, narrow alleyway and went down it.
The front area right outside the bar is actually nice in a soothing way, little ponds of water, rocks, a bench. The bar has an upstairs which wasn’t open either time I went, and it was also really empty both times (late on a Monday, early on a Thursday). The downstairs bar is small but really big on ambiance. Red lights, a fish tank, bondage themed artwork. Bathroom was surprisingly clean.
Jukebox is excellent, full of heavy metal. I remember hearing Dio, possibly Metallica and Manson, and Asian Hooker by Steel Panther. There’s a small dance floor.
Drinks are sometimes made seriously strong. My friends rum and coke was almost clear.
Three stars was really because of the service. The first night I was there both the bartender and the bouncer seemed to just hate their jobs. Deadpan stares and voices, silence in response to friendliness or even any extra words besides «another beer». Whatever man.
For some reason the second time around they also took our takeout food bags and held them in a separate room outside the bar, not sure why but it wasn’t a big deal, we got everything back when we left.
The no photo rule has to do with the bar being a former swingers bar, and if you look around at the art you definitely see the place is fetish friendly. I took a bunch of photos before anyone even noticed and told me they weren’t allowed, I actually think it’s a great rule. Who needs photographic evidence of your inebriation anyway?

This is one of the most unique bars in the Quarter — Opens at 9 (or later), you go down a tight alley and enter. It is a smaller space with a downstairs bar, upstairs bar, small dance floor. The music is great — drinks are strong… and upstairs there are some jail cells that you can sit in with your small group.
They do not allow any photos inside, which makes it even more of a mystery.

I’ve never felt more unwelcome at a bar in my life. Pros:
The ambiance was awesome
Cons:
The bartender hated life. It was exhausting for her to tell us what beers they had and making a hurricane was «too much work.» Lots of eye rolling.
Got yelled at for trying to take a photo.
Clearly for «regulars» and not for «tourists,» feel free to check it out if you enjoy getting treated like shit. Plenty of other bars here willing to take your dough.

A-​okay bar, off of bourbon street. Doesn’t make it quieter, though! Good metal music playing inside. Dark and «spooky» inside. Not crowded. I drank a Chastity Belt – tasted like a tequila sunrise – not bad. would I come back? Eh, maybe. There are just too many places to explore!

My 3 star rating is the middle ground between the 5 star metal dive bar it USED to be and the 2 star mediocre bar it is now.
Sorry, guys. I’ve been hanging out at The Dungeon for 15+ years and it has really changed that much.
I can’t even really bring myself to type up a review other than a rating. It’s too depressing. In addition, when we hang out in the quarter for the night or whatever, I can’t even really bring myself to spend much time in there anymore for the same reason.
Tourists who like metal and want to mingle with the locals, go ahead and check it out. You might like it.

Do I look like I listen to heavy metal?
I didn’t really know what I was getting into when my boyfriend had this on his «must do list» while in New Orleans. Plus, I was still feeling the effects of drinking from the day before and not super excited about listening to loud heavy metal music in a dungeon.
If your into checking out unique places, then I definitely recommend you at least stop in for a drink and take a walk through. The entire place is a dungeon, with different rooms on separate floors (and decorated, ha). It’s dark, has a kinda sketchy feel and you really feel like your in a dungeon. We were there on a not busy night, or at least it wasn’t busy yet. Sat upstairs for awhile and then sat downstairs at the bar.
Apparently, pictures are discouraged but we grabbed one at the entrance for his «momento.» I’m sure we’ll be back the next time we are in town.

What a random place right off of Bourbon Street! We randomly found this place so just wandered in to check it out. Very cool/​interesting in terms of how it looks and the atmosphere. Drinks were reasonably priced and had a fairly large beer selection.
The music is insanely loud so it’s not really a place to talk with your group, etc. But, still fun to visit for a drink.

Am I old? You can tell me, it won’t hurt my feelings.
I have no idea how I ended up at the newest incarnation of The Dungeon. A friend of mine suggested it and it sounded like a good idea at the time. Walking up to the place, I thought this might be a mistake. Going in, I was convinced it was a mistake.
Look, I used to like this place. It was a neat little metal bar with interesting characters. Now it just seems that this place has taken a turn for the «yikes». We were hanging upstairs and there’s a big bar in the very back that people crowd around it gets super packed in that back section. You are forced to the front, where the other bar is, and where people are trying to dance. Back in the day, when I came here more than I do now, they had a guy working upstairs just to tell people NOT to jump on the floor. Now people jump and I am terrified that the floor is going to cave in or something. I got outta there quick, so as to avoid being on the news for dying in a washed up metal bar (what a way to go!).
It’s not terrible for what it is, just go in knowing that the «cheese» factor is high. And stay downstairs. And sit near the door in case you have to make a quick escape. Just my suggestion.