photo by Rare Sighting Photography
Food & Drinks
16 of the Best Courtyards to Drink In, NOLA Edition
Once August passes and the sticky, hot summer turns to early autumn (AKA football season if you’re a local), New Orleans slowly comes back to life again. And with all that life comes courtyard season, patio season and all the...
photo by Rare Sighting Photography
Once August passes and the sticky, hot summer turns to early autumn (AKA football season if you’re a local), New Orleans slowly comes back to life again. And with all that life comes courtyard season, patio season and all the outdoor drinking and eating you can muster. But where should you go when you want to share a bottle of wine with friends? And which old school spot is actually worth a visit? And what about the new school of Nola bars with outdoor seating? Well, you’ve come to the right place. We’ve got all the lush, tropical, brick-clad courtyards you’ll want to add to your Crescent City crush list.
Reporter: Alyssa Brown | Location: Seaworthy
Reporter: Alyssa Brown | Location: Seaworthy
You’ll enter N7 through a small gate door that looks like you’re headed into someone’s home. Through that little door is a sprawling courtyard with an overhanging canopy of greenery, a vintage truck that’s the place’s signature detail and a restaurant that looks like it was once a home. In true New Orleans fashion, it’s not fancy — you’re sitting at picnic tables, after all — but it’s cozy, charming and a perfect perch for sipping on rosé and chatting with friends late into the night.
Lazy mornings in New Orleans are usually off to a slow start on the weekends, so picking the best brunch spot in town is crucial to getting your travel squad up and going. If seafood tickles your fancy and your friends love a spot that feels like someone’s cozy house, Seaworthy is just the place for you. And since Seaworthy is part of the Ace Hotel, you can bet it’s a pretty rad little scene in this culinary-minded town.
This French Quarter restaurant has been around for ages and it’s the gorgeous courtyard and good food that keep people coming back. If you’re after a drink and a good meal in a classic Nola setting, Café Amelie is your jam.
A favorite for locals and tourists alike, Bacchanal sits deep in the heart of the Bywater neighborhood and is a wine shop, restaurant and music venue all in one. You’ll enter through an old creole cottage, grab a bottle of wine and head straight to the courtyard where a local band will be jamming under twinkly lights.
Tucked away in a quiet corner of the Warehouse District, Cellar Door is located in an old, historic home and sprawls across multiple levels and spaces. The outdoor patio is a gorgeous, quiet spot for sipping an evening glass of bubbly or cracking open a bottle of wine with your travel squad.
A casual, eclectic Mexican restaurant on Oretha Castle Hailey, Casa Borrega is nearly always full of people eating, drinking and lettin’ the good times roll. Out back, you’ll find a colorful courtyard and there’s often a band keeping the energy level high.
If you’ve ever wanted to step foot into one of those gorgeous New Orleans Victorian mansions, this is your chance. Cavan is spread across a couple of stories of a grand old home along the famed Magazine Street corridor. Outside, you’ll find seating under umbrella-covered tables or on the big front porch. Yes, it’s more of a patio than a courtyard, but we think you’ll still get the courtyard vibe from the comfort of a fancy Uptown perch.
This old school New Orleans hotel sits right on St. Charles Avenue in the Garden District, with a front patio that provides the best seating around for watching the streetcars laze on by. Grab a mint julep or Pimm’s cup at the bar and make yourself comfortable, because you’ll probably want to stick around a while.
A local favorite, Cane & Table’s bar is fully stocked with all the Tiki cocktail ingredients you can imagine. There’s always some kind of delicious daily punch on offer and the setting is moody, with tons of candlelight and bistro lights overhead in the classic French Quarter courtyard.
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The back patio at Marjie’s is tucked away in its own little enclave of Broad Street backyards. With twinkling bistro lights, wood banquettes and lots of bistro tables, this little spot is great for sipping on playful cocktails and Southern-meets-Southeastern-Asian eats.
This little watering hole on St. Charles is another great spot where you can sit at bistro tables on the sidewalk and watch the streetcars go down the avenue. The wine selection here is top-notch, including a long list of the by-the-glass options, and they serve really good duck fat fried pommes frites.
One of the most famous cocktails of New Orleans, the Hurricane (also locally known as the Slurricane), was developed right here at Pat O’s. The courtyard in this iconic French Quarter bar is probably its biggest draw card, and the constant live music playing keeps this spot feeling lively at all hours.
Known for their craft cocktails and upscale scene, Cure is a popular Freret Street spot. The little courtyard outside has guests surrounded by lush greenery and candlelight. On a nice night, ending with a nightcap sazerac here will have you wanting to stick around New Orleans foreva-eva.
Towering walls of lush, tropical greenery enclose this teeny tiny courtyard in the French Quarter. It’s romantic, cozy and a great spot to grab a drink and a bite on date night or with a handful of your closest friends.
Connected by a meandering courtyard, Bayou Beer Garden and Bayou Wine Garden make it easy for groups of beer lover and wine aficionados to grab a drink in the same spot. A word to the wise: this place gets chaotic on a game day.
Bouligny’s courtyard is tucked into the alleyway between the bar and the neighboring restaurant, Lillette. It’s the kind of place where you feel like you’re hanging out in a cool neighbor’s backyard, sipping on fine wines and noshing on bites of burrata crostini.
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