The Corner Pocket

The Corner Pocket on St Louis Street occupies a specific niche in the New Orleans gay bar ecology — the strip bar and entertainment venue that runs on a format evolved from the city's long tradition of adult entertainment in the French Quarter. The bar is long and narrow, as many French Quarter bars are, with seating along the bar and a performance area where the strip acts work throughout the evening. The performers are predominantly gay-for-pay and gay men; the crowd is a mix of gay male visitors and regulars who appreciate the specific entertainment value of the format. The Corner Pocket is not a nightclub in the Oz and Bourbon Pub sense — it is a bar with performances, and the distinction matters. The energy is more casual and the drinks are cold. For visitors who want to experience the full range of the French Quarter's gay entertainment options beyond the dance clubs, The Corner Pocket offers a register that is distinctively New Orleans in its combination of French Quarter architecture, unhurried service, and entertainment that would be unusual in most other American cities.