Bar in New Orleans, United States
Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop Bar
100Pearl PointsOld New Orleans atmosphere, no reservation needed.
About Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop Bar
Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop Bar is one of the oldest bar buildings in the US — a candlelit French Quarter institution worth visiting for the atmosphere and cheap, strong frozen drinks, not for the food or cocktail craft. Walk-ins only, prices are low, and a weekday afternoon visit beats the weekend crowd. Manage expectations and it delivers.
Worth a Second Visit — But For the Right Reasons
If you came to Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop Bar once and left thinking it was just another Bourbon Street stop, you missed the point. Come back on a quieter afternoon, and what you get is one of the oldest bar structures in the United States — a candlelit, crumbling-brick space that earns its reputation through atmosphere alone, not through its drinks program. That distinction matters when you're deciding whether to return.
The honest answer on food: don't come here to eat. Lafitte's is a drinking bar, and the kitchen is not the reason anyone books a cab to 941 Bourbon. If food is a priority on your French Quarter crawl, pair a visit here with a stop elsewhere, check out 2 Phat Vegans nearby for something worth ordering seriously. What Lafitte's does offer on the drinks side is the Purple Drank (also called the Purple Drink or Voodoo Daiquiri depending on who's pouring), a frozen house specialty that is cheap, strong, and exactly what the room calls for. It is not a craft cocktail. It is not trying to be.
For value-seekers, Lafitte's sits at the low end of the price spectrum on Bourbon Street, which is part of its appeal. You are paying for cold drinks in an 18th-century building with candles melted onto every surface and no music louder than the crowd itself, a genuinely rare thing on this stretch of the Quarter. In the current winter-into-spring season, the lack of air conditioning is not yet a problem, and the cooler evenings make the candlelit interior more comfortable than it will be come July.
The crowd skews toward tourists, but the regulars who anchor the bar stools in the late afternoon give it a lived-in quality that most Bourbon Street bars have lost entirely. This is not the place for a craft cocktail education, head to Jewel of the South or Cure for that. But if you want a strong, cheap drink inside a building that predates the United States itself, Lafitte's delivers that exchange honestly.
Know Before You Go
- Address: 941 Bourbon St, New Orleans, LA 70116
- Reservations: Not required, walk-in only
- Booking difficulty: Easy
- Price range: Low (cash-friendly, frozen drinks typically under $10)
- Ideal time to visit: Late afternoon on weekdays; avoids peak Bourbon Street congestion
- Food: Not a reason to visit, plan your meals elsewhere
- Seasonal note: Winter and early spring offer the most comfortable indoor conditions before summer heat and humidity set in
- More New Orleans: Full New Orleans bars guide | Restaurants | Hotels | Experiences | Wineries
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop Bar good for groups?
Yes, and it's one of the easier French Quarter options for larger groups precisely because there's no reservation system and no table minimum. The multiple rooms and courtyard-style flow give groups space to spread out. That said, on busy weekend nights the interior gets tight — groups of 6 or more should arrive before 9pm to claim a spot comfortably. For a more structured group experience with cocktail focus, Cane & Table a few blocks away offers table bookings.
Do I need a reservation at Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop Bar?
No reservation required — Lafitte's operates as a walk-in bar, which is part of its appeal. You can show up any time and order at the bar. The trade-off is that peak Bourbon Street hours (Friday and Saturday after 10pm) push crowds to uncomfortable levels. If atmosphere matters, aim for a weekday evening or early evening on weekends when the candlelit rooms are at their best.
What's the signature drink at Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop Bar?
The Purple Drank (a frozen purple drink served in a go-cup) is the item most associated with Lafitte's and the one you'll see in every tourist's hand on Bourbon Street. It's not a craft cocktail — it's a strong, sweet frozen drink that fits the venue's walk-in, walk-around format. If craft matters to you, Cure on Freret Street or Jewel of the South in the Quarter are better calls.
Is the food good at Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop Bar?
Lafitte's is a bar, not a food destination — no kitchen or food menu is documented for the venue. Plan to eat before you arrive. The French Quarter has no shortage of options nearby, but Lafitte's itself is purely a drinking stop.
Is Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop Bar good for a date?
It works as a first-drink stop, not a full date venue. The candlelit, low-ceilinged interior on a quieter weeknight creates genuine atmosphere — it's one of the few bars in the city where the setting does real work without requiring a reservation or a high spend. Skip weekend peak hours, which trade intimacy for noise. For a date with more structure and a stronger drinks program, Jewel of the South or The Carousel Bar at the Hotel Monteleone are better fits.
What's the crowd like at Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop Bar?
A mix of tourists doing Bourbon Street and locals who know the building's history and come specifically for the candlelit rooms away from the strip's louder bars. Early evenings skew calmer and more local; late nights on weekends are firmly tourist-heavy. At 941 Bourbon St, it sits deep enough into the Quarter that it draws a slightly more intentional crowd than the blocks closer to Canal Street.
Does Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop Bar have outdoor seating?
There is an outdoor area, though it functions more as an overflow space than a designed seating arrangement. The interior rooms — dark, candlelit, and housed in an 18th-century Creole cottage — are the reason to visit. If outdoor patio seating with a craft cocktail program is the priority, Cane & Table or Beachbum Berry's Latitude 29 offer more deliberate outdoor setups.
Location
941 Bourbon St, New Orleans, LA 70116
New Orleans, United States
Compare Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop Bar
| Venue | Awards | Booking Difficulty |
|---|---|---|
| Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop Bar | Easy | |
| Jewel of the South | World's 50 Best | Unknown |
| Beachbum Berry's Latitude 29 | World's 50 Best | Unknown |
| Cure | World's 50 Best | Unknown |
| Cane & Table | Unknown | |
| The Carousel Bar | Unknown |
Key differences to consider before you reserve.
Also Consider
- Jewel of the South, Notable alternative
- Beachbum Berry's Latitude 29, Notable alternative
- Cure, Notable alternative
- Cane & Table, Notable alternative
- The Carousel Bar, Notable alternative
Against New Orleans' stronger cocktail bars, Lafitte's isn't competing, and that's fine. Jewel of the South and Cure are the right choices if you want a technically serious drinks program, bartenders who can explain their decisions, and a room designed around the glass in your hand. Both require more planning and cost more per round. Lafitte's costs less, requires no reservation, and delivers something neither of those bars can: the feeling of drinking inside an 18th-century structure that has barely changed.
Beachbum Berry's Latitude 29 and Cane & Table are better choices if you want rum-forward drinks with genuine craft behind them, both outperform Lafitte's on drink quality at a comparable or slightly higher price point. The Carousel Bar at Hotel Monteleone sits in a different category entirely: it's a rotating bar with more service polish and a higher check average, better suited to a slower, occasion-style drink than a Bourbon Street crawl. For a no-fuss, low-cost stop that earns its place through history rather than hospitality innovation, Lafitte's holds its own.
The practical recommendation: treat Lafitte's as one stop on a multi-bar evening rather than a destination in itself. Pair it with Jewel of the South for balance, history and atmosphere at one end, craft and intention at the other. If you're building a wider night out and want comparison points beyond New Orleans, bars like Julep in Houston and Kumiko in Chicago show what a serious American bar program looks like at full stretch, useful context for calibrating what Lafitte's is and isn't.
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