Melius Bar & Cafe

This is a cool bar that has a lot of great specials and offers some good service industry deals. They have a decent sized menu and also do breakfast items. They offer pool, darts and some other entertainment options that should please most folks. There is a large "L" shaped bar here that has quite a bit of seating and then a large central space which has plenty of tables and chairs. I sampled their interesting sounding "Bayou Black Burger" which has garlic and green onion mixed into the burger meat. It was a nasty rainy day with flooding when I visited so the cook wasn't able to get into work that day so the lady bartending was brave enough to try making my food for me and she did a good job at getting my burger prepared for me. Overall this is a very cool bar with a nice ambiance to it and it is probably the best bar in the Bucktown area.

A buddy and I found this nice little nugget during the pandemic, when in Orleans parish everyone had to have a proof of vaccination card to go almost anywhere, especially bars and restaurants, plus the fact its so nice to be able to smoke inside. Lively crowds on weekends, never a dull moment, and the bartender was never hard to flag down for a drink even though she was very busy.

Two things my mother taught me: 1) you can make a killer meatloaf, without bothering to chop an onion, by using a packet of French Onion Soup mix, and 2) find the bar where the local waitstaff and bartenders go after work. Drinks are cheap, people are friendly, and it's the best place around to unwind. Cheap drinks? How does $1.75 Bloody Mary's all weekend sound?! I'm not talking a tomato juice variant of a Screwdriver, compadre. Nah, I'm talking full garnish of pickled green beans, onions, olives and lemons and limes squeezed into a perfectly balanced level of spice. The reason God made tomatoes. How about $2 Martinis on Mondays? I get mine dirty... I'm talking fake blonde, pole dancing, truck stop dirty. Jewls pours them into a chilled martini glass like a Bond villain. Chilled glass for a $2 cocktail!? I'm personally a Gin & Tonic man, mostly. Keep the malaria away. But, being a regular here I've strayed from my standard fluid options.Friendly people? When regulars at the video poker machines offer to buy you drinks, you know you've done right in this world (nickel and penny denominations, btw, rare to find in bars). Applause for each song at karaoke on Fridays (Joey draws some fierce regulars to his karaoke queue). Bartenders not only glad to see you, but regaling others about stories of your accomplishments in life. Like, Jewls will gladly tell you about this one time I sat on ice that was put on my chair. Seriously, stop telling that story, Jewls... And don't put ice on people's chairs! Where was I? Hugs! Hugs from people when they see you walk in... I mean, I've got the physique of Santa Claus, so I get that a lot anyway, but still. You'll feel like Norm at Cheers.What's left? Best place to unwind? Dawg, what did you just read above?!?! I'm a professional lounge lizard. I moved to New Orleans three years ago and have been to 172 bars since (yeah, nerd alert, I have a Google map of each with notes and ratings). Take old Jobester's recommendation of said establishment to heart... this is your new jam.Meli-you?! Nah, bruh, Meli-us!Seriously, though, French Onion Soup Mix ($1 for a box of 3 at the Dollar Tree) instead of onions and seasonings. That's some solid life hacking of ground meat! Thanks, Nana.

The absolute best $1.75 Bloody Mary I've ever EVER had!! Onions, olives, green bean .. YOWZA

Do not go here. The bartenders here acted as if it was a burden to serve me drinks. Keep in mind, myself and my friend were the only people in the entire bar. The two women on staff couldn't even manage to smile at us. Despite the service from the first time I went, I came back, wondering if I just caught them on a bad day. However, again the bartender was so rude to me. I bought two drinks for myself and my friend and drew a line through the tip line because of the bad attitude she gave me. She proceeded to shake her head at me and rolled her eyes as I did this. I'm generally a great tipper but these women behind the bar are so rude. She did not deserve a tip. We sat down at a table but the woman behind the bar kept starring at us and talking about us that we felt so uncomfortable that we then threw away our drink and walked out the door. For a place that should thrive on customer service, they completely fail in that department.

The garlic and green onion burger was super yum, doused the fries with blue plate and Crystal; loved it.

This place is a MUCH better sketchy, hole in the wall local bar than the place I've been frequenting. It's less smokey and it's bigger, which is nice because it's hard to play pool and/or darts in small spaces. The lighting is also kept at the perfect balance- not so dark you can't see five feet in front of you, but not so light you need sunglasses, either. Drinks are reasonably priced and service is friendly. Plus, it doesn't seem to be too crowded ever, which is always nice.

We recently moved to lakeview and have been eyeing this place as we drove down lake daily. It definitely has dive energy but is undeniably clean. You can smoke at the bar, which might be a dealbreaker for some. But was a bonus for us. There's all the usual bar games, and app based jukebox for entertainment. We could tell most of the folks sitting around us were regulars but they welcomed us like we had been coming here for years. Bartenders were also chatty and attentive. We got some burgers to go which were delicious. Where as the menu is not going to impress, the kitchen staff obviously care about what they are putting out. And food prices are more than reasonable. Overall, if you are looking for an unassuming, laidback, generally cool place to decompress after a work week. This little bucktown gem is definitely worth a visit.

I honestly am concerned about the individual rating this place five stars who's "been to over 150 bars" or something. Must be seriously throwing back the booze to see this place as anything other than the pile of trash it is.Bartender informed me that she "didn't know how to make" half of what I asked for, and despite my relentless positive energy, I was met with an "are you done yet" negative attitude from her.Place smells awful... it's a serious dive.

The bartender Nick (with bun in his hair) was very confrontational, dishonest on drink prices and unprofessional as a server. He is a very unpleasant person to deal with!!! I would not recommend patronizing this place with him as employee. However, the other bartender Jules seem to like her position as a server and is a pleasant bartender.