The Best Wine Bars in New Orleans

Doris Metropolitan

★★★★☆ 4.4 (856) • $$$

"Doris Metropolitan has been on my radar for quite some time, so mom and I stopped in for a drink at the bar. This Mediterranean inspired steakhouse is known for its high-quality meats, but you can also get premium seafood and high-end caviar service as well. The ambience is classy & elegant and you will receive a friendly welcome when you arrive. We sat at the bar and the lovely Jaz took care of us. Two Grey Goose Martini's dry - one with Blue Cheese stuffed olives for me and regular olives for mom. We ordered the Truffle Fries to share, and Jaz asked if we wanted some bread. I was initially going to say no, but I'm so glad I said yes because the bread was amazing! There were three types - Jalapeno Cheddar, Onion, & Sesame Brioche. They were fresh & hot out of the oven and were served with three different butters and a tomato confit with olive oil & balsamic. Each one was delicious, and it was obvious that the bread is baked in house. The truffle fries were also very good, and our martinis were excellent.Based on the exceptional service and the life changing bread platter, I will definitely come back for a sit-down meal here. I'll may even have to splurge on the caviar! Happy Hour Tues - Thurs 5 - 6:30 pm"

Chophouse New Orleans

★★★★☆ 4.2 (777) • $$$$

"Great location, awesome little away from the madness, in an old building with great ambiance.Service is top notch as expected in a restaurant as nice as this.Appetizer seafood assortment was excellent and came with their thick-cut bacon. Delish.Filet was cooked perfectly and no sauce was needed. The way it should be.Would return."

The Pelican Club

★★★★☆ 4.1 (632) • $$$

"We went there with a group of seven. We had a wonderful table, and the service was very fast and friendly. We all did the prix fixe menu. We tried a wide range of dishes, including seafood, beef, and chicken. The desserts were amazing. The price was really, not bad for a restaurant of this high quality. If you're looking for a place for a special celebration, definitely consider this one."

The Italian Barrel

★★★★☆ 3.8 (653) • $$$

"We came for a special birthday celebration for my friend during our epic Halloween vacation and we were not disappointed. Our meals were absolutely fantastic and the service was impeccable. The decor was simple, tasteful and elegant. I cannot wait to return!"

Pascal's Manale

★★★★☆ 3.6 (681) • $$$

"My father really encouraged us to come here. He had lived here for many years and advised us this was the place. In the maze of rooms we were seated in a smaller room in front, which was nice. It never felt crowded or noisy. Our server Susie eventually came around and was prompt to ask us if we wanted drinks and appetizers and the promise of warm bread. Ultimately their warm bread is bread in a white paper bag. It wasn't warm enough to melt butter. Each table was delivered the same white bag of bread. It really is wasteful to use so many bags when a traditional presentation of warm bread in. basket is more effective. We decided on cocktails and the Combination Remoulade, advertised as crab meat and shrimp topped with golden remoulade sauce and a ring of spicy cocktail sauce. For dinner I gave into the calling for Original Pascal's Barbeque Shrimp, the specialty of the house prepared in a spicy and tangy sauce. My wife had the special, red fish stuffed with crab and shrimp with a spicy cream sauce. It came with steamed veggies. The Combination Remoulade wasn't as promised. It was shrimp and crabmeat on lettuce with their version of remoulade. On the side a plastic dressing container with seafood sauce that wasn't spicy but rather tasted like they had opened a jar and poured it in. My wife liked the remoulade a lot. I thought it was pickle forward and tasted a lot like tartar sauce, which she likes as well. The biggest detractor for this was that the shrimp were not cleaned, the telltale black line down the back of each was still obvious. My wife's fish was nice, and a nice mix of flavors. The spicy element was jalapeño that appeared in small chunks in the cream sauce. Easy for her to avoid, but that telltale grassy taste was evident. On the side she had plain, unseasoned steamed vegetables. Clearly an afterthought since the literally like came out of the steamer and on to the plate without any thought to flavor. For my entree, the flavor of the shrimp sauce was delicious, but tangy is not a word I would use, and absolutely not spicy. Even my wife, a verified spice wimp, would not use the word spicy. The huge bummer here is that they charge you $28 for a plate of shrimp, offer you a bib and a pile of napkins, and bring you a bowl/plate of unprepared shrimp in liquid. Yeah, I knew what I was signing up for and ordered it anyway. I have peeled a lot of shrimp and crawfish in my life and none were this soupy or difficult. Peeling and deveining them all made my meal unappetizing and not worth it. It was tempting to sop up the sauce with bread, but there were so many legs and antenna and, like the remoulade, bits of shell. The thought of carrying that to my mouth on the bread made that much less temptingSo, we have done it. We can check it off the list. We had bbq shrimp at Pascal's Menale. Happy to say I will leave tables for others in the future, I don't need to go back."

The Delachaise

★★★★☆ 3.8 (473) • $$

"I happened into this restaurant/bar last night. It proclaims itself to be a wine bar. I asked for a glass of Merlot and was told, "we don't have that." I then asked for a glass of Pinot Noir and the bartender begrudgingly shoved it at me across the bar. I asked if i could order from the menu. He handed me a menu and told me to order from him and someone would bring me the food when it was ready. I ordered the herbsaint oysters. It was okay...not worth the $20 price tag. I then ordered the prime rib meatballs as that sounded interesting. When those arrived, the sauce was piping hot, but the meatballs were cold in the center. (I guess they did not microwave them long enough.) Anyway, for a city so forward leaning re: alcohol, this place should try to keep up with their peers."

Criollo Restaurant

★★★★☆ 4.2 (383) • $$

"Another delightful lunch at Criollo. Not cheap but not nuts either. And it's so good, so nicely served, with so many genteel little extras, in such pleasant surroundings. OK so what extras--a little coat/umbrella rack delivered to the table as we removed our garments and bags. An ice bucket for my sparkling water. Not with any pretension, just a natural hospitality. The menu has the standard things you'd expect in a hotel; and the "New Orleans" things you'd expect here are done with their own twist and they're really good: gumbo, crab cakes, beignets. On the beignets: theirs are nothing like the lovely fried dough pillows you'll get at Café du Monde; Criollo's are about an inch in diameter and packed with creamy crab and corn. Super rich, but a treat. So the food: all great, or I'd never have bothered writing this. Besides the beignets we shared the shrimp crab avocado stack, a wedge salad and the crab cakes. The crab cakes were probably the best of the lot, but not by much. The blue cheese dressing on the salad was much remarked for its smoothness. Lastly the staff. New Orleans is a tourist town and sometimes staff are out to impress. At Criollo they all just seemed like nice friendly people, with very good manners, who wanted to offer us a lovely meal. Just a pleasure. I don't know anything about the leadership of the Monteleone Hotel, where Criollo is located. But from our experiences at Criollo I think they must be something special."

Hot Tin

★★★★☆ 4.1 (324) • $$$

"Met some friends here on a hot summer Sunday and it was a cool vibe. Luckily it was not too crowded. I've been on other days where it was a much larger crowd and almost shoulder to shoulder and that's no fun! My bartender was Abe and his service and bartending skills are top notch!"

WINO Wine Institute of New Orleans

★★★★☆ 4.3 (258) • $$

"Absolutely love WINO! The service is always great & they always answer any questions I may have. It's a wine down & chat atmosphere which I like. It's a great place to explore different wines that you wouldn't normally pick up. If you find a favorite wine there you can buy a bottle! Recommend 1000/10!"

Silk Road

★★★★☆ 4.1 (233) • $$

"I really enjoyed this restaurant. First, the beer. I loved the Irish Channel Stout. Second, the food. I got a lovely Lemongrass and Crab Bisque which had large chunks of crab and was so nice and flavorful. It had a little bit but was so good. I also got a cracker which was excellent and very crabby. I loved it. And then there was a nice and friendly bartender. This was a nice experience."

Bayou Wine Garden

★★★★☆ 4.2 (189) • $$

"Champagne sangria. Say no more. I lied. I'll say more. I swear BWG has become my #1 drinking destination and I don't even live in Mid-City (but I have considered moving walking distance). In warm weather, not hot, I like sitting outside. When it's very hot or too cold to sit out on the porch or by the fountain, I find myself sitting at the large, oval bar that takes up the majority of the main room before heading to the gardens that surround it. There are friendly regulars and just the kind of neighborhood bar that I can tolerate.Bayou Wine Garden is a magical place where you are amazed at the reasonable prices and the wine and cocktail selection, but also where you find that Champagne sangria is perfect no matter the weather outside.I still wish I could at least have a snack whilst on the sip. I implore you to at least offer up a plant-based app or two... nuts? Taralli? Chips?"

Charlie's Steak House

★★★★☆ 3.7 (228) • $$$

"I've been a customer of Charlie's Steak House for about 30 years now. It always has been and always will be one of my all-time favorite restaurants in the city. We visited recently to celebrate my brother's birthday. It was wonderful. We reminisced and told stories of previous visits. They have a new owner as of the last couple of years and even so, it's for sure still as I remember. They do have a couple of new menu items and I do believe they are great additions to the menu. One of the new items is the crabmeat au gratin, and it's very good with lots of fresh crab meat. The ribeye steak I had this visit was one of the best I've ever had here. While I do miss the days of old and the rowdiness of the restaurant and the pay phone across from the bar that customers got to answer when it was really busy, it's for sure still Charlie's and will always hold a special place in my heart from 30 wonderful years of making memories here. If you're local or just in town for a visit, make a stop at Charlie's because I know you will love it too."

Bouligny Tavern

★★★★☆ 3.9 (204) • $$

"First time here for a private event. Not my usual side of town, nor haunt as I totally missed it and had to circle back to find it. The staff was EXCELLENT. Friendly and super accommodating to a large group of wine laden women, they were approachable and kept our glasses refreshed. The space was nice-felt vintage like a swanky cocktail lounge with group seating or banquet seating. The lights flickered a lot, maybe a ghost-or just uptown but I really enjoyed my time feeling elegant for an evening!"

French Market Bistro

★★★★☆ 4.2 (162) • $$$

"Make a reservation.Met our friends for a midweek dinner on the way to New Orleans. This place was packed! Lucky to find a parking spot. So glad that they were able to book a reservation a couple of days earlier. Surprised at how warm and cozy the French Market Bistro feels even though it occupies a large part of a strip shopping center. Our friends are regulars here and I can see why. Great service. Delicious food. So cute and cozy.Started with the warm house bread and the fried asparagus. The bread was crispy on the outside and warm and soft on the inside. So good. Dip the asparagus in the homemade blue cheese dressing. Yum!! I was in the mood for duck after reading the reviews. The Duck Michael served with a blackberry sauce was delicious. Actually needed an extra side of the blackberry sauce it was that good. Traded the garlic mashed potatoes for a side of Parmesan grits which paired nicely with the duck.My hubby had the roasted vegetable pizza. It must have been good because he polished off the whole pie!! Our friends had the choice cut filet mignon with Fleur-de-sel butter and the sea bass special with a side of asparagus. Great choice for dinner in Baton Rouge, but make sure to make a reservation."

Chais Delachaise

★★★★☆ 4.2 (157) • $$

"Great vibe of this place. Perfect for a date night. They had one of my fave wines-gruner. I've been searching for mussels that I liked in New Orleans and finally found a place! I would come back for the mussels and wine. The mussels were the perfect spice level! It is a thicker tomato sauce where I usually like more brothy but it was sooo good still! I wish there were more!Steak board was just ok!! Fries were pretty yummy. Service was great! I would sit at a regular table next time bc the bar top was kinda small. Will def be back."

Oak & Ale

★★★★☆ 3.9 (138) • $$

"This place was such a vibe! We came on a Wednesday night and they had half off bottles of wine! That already deserves 5 stars on its own lol. But it's a cute spot to hang out with the girls and just sip and be cute. Definitely will be back. Also, Matthew at the bar is always so sweet and nice!"

Jacmel Inn

★★★★☆ 4 (106) • $$

"Still our favorite restaurant in Hammond. Beautiful inside and out, with excellent service, music and lighting at the right level, and top flight food and drink. On this occasion we had the grilled oyster and andouille appetizers and the drum and ribeye entrees, and they were delicious, as were the Salty Duck and Brown Butter Old Fashioned cocktails. We will be back soon."

The Chimes

★★★★☆ 4.3 (89) • $$

"Our server Trey was great, very knowledgeable and attentive. The food was good! Nice portion sizes, especially for the seafood lasagna. It's huge, I had a full serving to take home and reheat after eating at the restaurant. Also, love the sauce on the crawfish fries."

Blend

★★★★☆ 4.3 (82) • $$

"My boyfriend and I are new to town and we have been trying all the local spots. Tonight we came to Blend for a quick drink. The FUQUA SMASH -- ( bourbon, blackberry, raspberry, lemon) was so refreshing and had perfectly balanced flavors. Ill definitely be back for another. We left after our drinks. Well, a few hours later we were in the mood for something sweet, and we had saw a great dessert on their menu- so we decided to head on back to blend. When we arrived we were informed that the kitchen was unfortunately closed for the evening. Just as we were leaving to go home- the chef ( who was off work mind you) got off her barstool and said she would go make me some dessert!!!!!! I mean, she didn't have to do that, i was just speechless. How awesome is that!?!!! I didn't catch her name, but I wish I did because I want to say THANK YOU and express my gratitude. The Gelato was phenomenal. It was more than just Gelato- Blueberry Gelato with Brown Butter Cake and Hazelnut Crumble. To die for. Thank you so much Joey and the super sweet chef for accommodating us! You have made loyal customers of us and we will be back!!!!"

Nuvolari's Ristorante

★★★★☆ 3.5 (114) • $$$

"This is our go to for dinner on Sunday evenings as a lot of restaurants are closed on Sunday's around Mandeville and Covington. Nuvolari's never disappoints, it's a crowd favorite too. Whenever family is in town, we make sure to eat here and everyone we bring leaves satisfied with fond memories, the prices are very reasonable as well."

Pizza Art Wine

★★★★☆ 4.3 (73)

"My friends and I had a blast! We went for Galentine's! We ordered the meatballs, salad and Brussels Sprouts! When I tell you the Brussels sprouts were amazing!!! 10//0 must try!! We tried several pizzas and the seafood pasta!! Also amazing! Blueberry lemon drop to accompany ! They have a patio where you can sit and listen to music and the inside was very nice with a bar and beautiful artwork hanging everywhere!! You can see where they make the pizza as well. Our server was very attentive and gave great recommendations! Service was excellent! Will be back!"

Marcello's Restaurant & Wine Bar

★★★★★ 4.6 (59)

"LOVE LOVE LOVE this amazing little place in downtown Covington! Amazing wine and the espresso martini was delightful! Everything was fantastic: the service, ambiance, FOOD!!! I ordered the lasagna and it was exquisite!! Highly recommend this gem in downtown Covington! We came here after our trip to Italy and were not disappointed!"

Parish Biscuit

★★★★☆ 4.2 (62) • $$

"In from out of town, and I love me some homemade biscuits.. we started with bloody Mary's. Each loaded with a celery spear, pickled okra and green bean. Made with Tony C's mix and it was good! We sat at the bar so full service at our fingertips. I could tell this place gets busy so we went early at 9am!I needed a salad so I got the fried green tomatoes topped with jumbo lump crab and remoulade nestled on spring mix! Very very good! My hubby got the Catahoula, a fried chicken on a fluffy biscuit, and the crawfish cornbread! It was as good as I could hope for! The remoulade was light, tangy with plenty of lemon. Perfectly dressed for the salad greens. The cornbread with crawfish etouffee was also a standout.. Go there. Get some. Life is too short for boring food!"

Pedro's Taco & Tequila Bar

★★★☆☆ 3.2 (96)

"I know I just may have not found the perfect spot in Cali for Mexican food but I'm Slidell I hit the jackpot. Pedro's was amazing. From the customer service to the entertainment. We sat outside like the three amigos and enjoyed great margaritas, conversation and great food. The waitress was polite and took very good care of us. The food topped all other Mexican I've had this year and when I finally get back home I will be visiting here again. I had the nachos and it was huge serving enough for two easily. The flavor was a dance party in my mouth."

Sidebar Nola

★★★★★ 4.6 (28) • $$

"I love Ana! She makes bomb drinks. And this place has bonded whiskey for $9 a shot. So. Good."

Assunta's

★★★★☆ 3.9 (34) • $$$

"I'm going to have to come back as I was completely underwhelmed by the food and I only hear great things about this place. The fried calamari was rather soft definitely needed to be cooked longer. The mussels and sea scallops both had plenty of garlic but no garlic flavor so I am chalking this up to they had a bad batch of ingredients and definitely going to try again. The ambiance and service are both great."

Southern Char Steakhouse

★★★☆☆ 3.3 (38) • $$

"This place does not disappoint. My second time here. This time was even better than the last. The steak was great!! The burger was just as good maybe better. But you can't beat a steak. Service was good. Food was even better!!Will definitely be coming back! :-)"

Dominique's Wine Boutique & Bistro

★★★★★ 4.9 (7)

"What a fantastic gem! In Houma, no less!There is nothing that I can't rave about for this wonderful little lunch spot. The atmosphere is perfect. Very comfortable, inviting, clean, and is a little upscale without being pretentious. The patio seating on the bayou is perfect on a nice day. One of my favorite things might be the most simple. Dominique's offers infused water, in addition to plain. Each day, they pick different refreshing flavors to infuse. . . mint, berry, lavender, cucumber, YUM! The food is phenomenal. High quality ingredients, properly prepared, and presented beautifully. Everything on the menu makes sense. The staff has always been very friendly, polite, and professional. Top notch!I guess if I MUST complain, it's that the hours make it hard to visit if you're a 9-5'er and don't work nearby. Without weekend hours, you're pretty much out of luck. What is pretty amazing, though, is that Dominique's now has a "Dinner Delivery" program. I haven't tried this offering myself yet, but here's what I know. For $45, you get an entree and two sides for four people delivered to your door. You can order the offered entree or a whole roasted chicken. There is also a soup of the day, a dessert, and wine options to add on. For the quality of food you get, this is an absolute steal!!! The only thing to be aware of is you might not be able to do a same-day request, so make sure you plan to place your order a day ahead. If I lived within the delivery zone, I would be hitting this up at least once a week. . . Okay, maybe three times. Or four."

Bacchanal Fine Wine & Spirits

★★★★☆ 4.4 • $$

"We have only been on warm sunny days and sat outside quaffing wine and listening to music and enjoying conversation. Pick out your food and wine and sit back. Like being in your backyard but without the hard work of entertaining. the only place we have ever been that servers Sardines on Toast, one of Pablo's favorites.Of the beaten track. Take an Uber or enjoy a long stroll."