Having a Round With One of New Orleans’ Most Unique Bars

Suggest having a few drinks on a spinning platform, it’s likely that many of your cocktail counterparts may decline. If the rotating bar in question is in New Orleans, though, it’s a good bet that a fair amount of history will be involved and the experience will be unique.

Lazily making its way through the French Quarter, Royal Street can seem to be a world away from the chaos of the famed Bourbon Street, even though the two avenues run parallel to each other. The other-worldly feeling extends to the classy, laid-back environment of the historic Hotel Monteleone, which resides on Royal and houses The Carousel Bar & Lounge.

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First installed in 1949 and described as the only rotating bar in the Crescent City, the brightly festive and ornately-decorated 25-seat bar offers classic cocktails and takes patrons (slowly) on a circular journey, making a complete rotation over the course of 15 minutes.

While there seating is available throughout the lounge, spots in the round are premium and first come, first served, which guarantees two things: Patrons never know who may be sitting alongside them and the environment lends itself to ending up in a jovial, relaxed discussion with a complete stranger.

The Carousel Bar also comes with a built-in show of sorts. With no defined entrance to the bar itself, bartenders and bar backs get behind the bar by skillfully hopping over the seating area. For more information, including hours and menus, visit https://hotelmonteleone.com/entertainment/carousel-bar/

Recently, USA Today named The Carousel Bar as their top hotel bar in the U.S. for 2024.

Side Trip…

When visiting The Carousel Bar for the first time, here are a few tips regulars may share with you.

The early bird gets the best seats
Plan to arrive approximately 30 minutes before opening to line up for a coveted spot at the rotating bar. If you aren’t one of the lucky ones, grab a table along the edges and enjoy the show. Patrons leaving will often let people at the tables know when their seats are available.

Have a bite
Not ready to leave and head to one of New Orleans’ great restaurants? Then take advantage of The Carousel Bar’s incredible Bar Bites menu. Be sure to try the savory blue crab & corn beignets, shrimp pot stickers or the oysters Rockefeller.

Enjoy the Vieux
Be sure to order a Vieux Carre, one of several classic cocktails created by the Carousel’s bartenders.

Skip the line
The Monteleone is currently offering the Carousel Bar Experience for hotel guests, which guarantees early access to the bar, a complementary cocktail and a guided session by either long-time mixologist Marvin Allen or tour director Mike Dupree. Click here for more information.