The Friendly Bar

The Friendly Bar is exactly what its sign promises. This Marigny corner room at Chartres and Marigny streets has been a low-key queer local since the 1980s, with a pool table, a well-loved jukebox and some of the cheapest honest drinks in downtown New Orleans. There is no stage and no spectacle; the entertainment is the conversation. The crowd is queer-anchored but genuinely mixed, and solo travelers tend to leave with new acquaintances. It makes a perfect first or last stop on a Marigny crawl with Big Daddy's around the corner and the Frenchmen Street music clubs three blocks away.