These Are New Orleans’s Essential Dive Bars

Markey’s Bar. | John Brasted/Eater NOLA

Dim lighting, cheap drinks, and friendly regulars

Not one for the often abysmal Valentine’s Day restaurant scene? While there are certainly plenty of ultra-romantic restaurants around town to choose from, another route is to avoid the nonsense altogether and spend the evening getting lost in one of New Orleans’s best dives.

Here are Eater’s picks for New Orleans’s best dive bars — those personal, intimate spaces that offer a respite from reality and a break from $16 cocktails. Dive bars are places to escape or make a friend, to grab a cheap after-work drink or round off a night of hard partying, and offer none of the pretenses of an upscale watering hole. While the list could likely climb into the 50s, we’ve narrowed it down to 22 spots.

Think we missed an essential New Orleans dive bar? Leave a comment or Let us know.