This is a must-see when in the French Quarter. Â Located in the historic Monteleone hotel, the carousel bar has an old-time bar feel with a mixture of business travelers, Â locals and tourists. The bar itself is a rotating carousel (duh). You must grab a seat for at least one go-round. The bartenders are a little on the older side (think, professional bartender), and they are suited up well, but the drink making skills are lacking. Â I imagine it is because they do not have the better bar ingredients, but we ordered an old fashioned and a moscow mule and were very underimpressed with how the drinks were thrown together. Â If the bar manager would up their game and step into the art of mixology that bars are bringing, this place would be a winner. I give a 3 star because of the history and tourism only, because I do believe it is a must-see in French Quarter NOLA.
Review Source:Espresso cocktails in the morning!
There is a poem by Sharmagne Leland-St. John  that states,
I said coffee
I didn't say,
"would you
like to
run your tongue
along my neck
just below
my left ear-lobe?"
============================
Cocktail enriched coffee can lead to interesting turns in events. *grin* Â Another Tales check-in at the Carousel Bar. Â Great morning, or anytime really, setting. Â You have of course the carousel bar in continual motion orbiting the tenders. Â The more socially active patrons usually sit there. Â There is another bar toward the back of the room near the piano. Â This week from 8:30am-10:30am there is free coffee and espresso!! Â (with or without alcohol.
A Rotating Bar!!!! def lives  up to its name :D love it so much.
This is one of my favorite bars in NOLA. Only thing that sucks it's so popular, finding a seat at the carousel bar is a challenge on a busy night. First night in nola I went here on a wednesday and the seats were full and had live  music in the back. I was only there for few minutes but that was my favorite jazz band I heard throughout my 5 days in nola.
Another night we went back to the bar but it was still full so we left.
Friday during the day I found a seat and the couple next to us was nice enough to move over so my bf could sit next to me. The couple timed the bar to see how long it'll take for us to go all the way around (about 16min).
The drinks were pricey but delicious. Bartender was nice.
When doing New Orleans, this is a must stop, so you can go home and say "I went to the carousel bar" Â It's usually full, just stand behind someone that looks like they are about done. Â People usually stay for only 1 or 2 drinks. Â NO ONE stays all night! Â Take a picture of yourself in the mirror on top of the bar :)
Review Source:A definite go to spot when me and my girlfriends want a chill night out. It is a touristy area, but that's the fun part. It's a great place to go to take you away from the craziness in bourbon. The bar/lounge has literally a bar like a carousel. The seats slowly rotate around the bartender. Eventually with enough drinks it'll seem like a "Dizzy" bar instead. Usually the seats there are filled up, but there are plenty of other seats and tables by other regular bars.
I like how they have live music playing, which gives you that nola feel with all that jazz. A classy and relaxing place to eat or drink or just hang out.
Good experience and unique atmosphere!
Visiting New Orleans, we stumbled upon Carousel Bar because it was near where we were staying. Â Nonetheless it ended up being one of the top bars we've been to on our vacation. Â The circular bar area and seats actually slowly rotate around in circle like a carousel which we found amusing. Â The bartenders serve exceptionally well made cocktails including the Ramos Fizz which was one of the top on our list. Â The food was also amazing. Â I would recommend getting the crab beignets!
Definitely worth coming back!
This is a great place to go to get out of the hustle of bourbon. We had a lonnnng night the night before and this was a great first bar to start our night off.
The carousel bar is gorgeous as expected. The chandeliers and lighting on the interior are mod and vibrant. It's a lot of 40 somethings schmoozing and men in their 60's chasing the younger ladies. It was fun to watch while we posted at the bar. After a while I was bored and ready to move on to something more exciting.
If you want the New Orleans experience this probably won't be on the top of your list. But everyone should pop in to see it at least once to check out the rotating bar. This is a great spot for the struggling and hungover Nola casualties.
I was struggling. Â The build up of nights left me with one just right night, followed by I should have stopped three bars back kind of night. Â This was the next morning. Â We roamed the streets looking for seats and someone thought it would be a good idea to stop here, an incredibly nice bar, LOUNGE even, in our condition.
A hotel bar that serves slightly dumbed down versions of the classics (in the expensive-for-New-Orleans range of $9), probably to appease the tourists that aren't quite yet accustomed to what they will encounter in the slanted streets of this town, still offers just enough gimmick to make up for it. Â Vegas-type decor and a slowly rotating Carousel slash bar are your setting for your nice cocktail to class it up a bit, before your night slowly descends into deeper, darker and decidedly divier haunts...
I was standing in the bathroom when a man sporting what appeared to be clothes and a mohawk that were mostly black with hits of neon green looked over at me and asked, "Hanging in there?"
Jesus, I thought, even mohawk guy is calling me out. Â Time to move on.
Really cool bar in the French Quarter. Â We were lucky enough to get three seats at the rotating bar. Â If you get seats, you are immediately a magnet for all of the observers on the outside. Â Everyone wants to stand next to you and take a ride around the bar. Â Its a great conversation starter. Â The drinks were good but a little bit on the pricey side. Â But that is what you get for a bar with a gimmick. Â We stayed for 4 or 5 rotations which takes about 10-12 minutes per trip around. Â I would definitely come back for the atmosphere, but not necessarily for the drinks themselves. Â Give it a try if you are in the area.
Review Source:If you have visions of yourself riding a white pony around a spinning carousel while sipping a gin and tonic from a highball glass you will be mistaken. Â Carousel bar does spin around but very, very s-l-o-w-l-y. Â And no ponies. Â Just a swanky, classy New Orleans bar in the lobby of a fancy hotel. Â
The nice parts of this are the massive crystal chandelier and the lady singing jazz tunes to a live piano player. Â Images of famous Southern authors writing their novels while sipping a ciggie from a slimline holder may come to mind.
There is no price of admission to do this here except for the premium on the cost of the drinks as they are NYC sticker shock: Â $14 is not uncommon for a nice cocktail. Â Go cheap and drink a beer if you need to as that will be more around $8.
If you want to actually sit at the spinning bar seating will be limited. Â You may have to wait. Â Still, a worthy place to come and take in a classic, NOLA vibe.
This is a must stop when visiting or staying in the Quarter for any reason. The Bar has been expanded and there is so much more room to lounge around and sip enjoyable prepared drinks in a very relaxed and New Orleans atmosphere.
Our recent visit to celebrate the place of our engagement and plans for marriage that were made here a year ago was fantastic. Although we did not have seats at the carousel the table service with a window view of the pedestrian traffic on Royal St. was most enjoyable.
We went in for one drink and stayed for three. Service was very good and professional without being overbearing. This is a great place. Guess if we got seats at the revolving bar this would be a five star review. Maybe next time.
This is a very unique bar that gets very busy. I tried to stop in here twice before and there were no seats. It is very popular with the 60+ crowd. I came here today around 11am and it was empty. Only one other person was in here. I ordered a corpse reviver #2. Didn't really care for it, but it was worth the experience. Loved the rotating bar.
Review Source:Don't go here just for the carousel bar, cause you'll most likely be underwhelmed. Not that it's bad, but the service and drinks are more to remember. Â The carousel does move but at a snails pace which is probably good, because even with the slower movement, it took me and my stomach about 10 minutes to get comfortable with drinking while moving. In the end we had a nice time, but didn't feel like the night was complete after there, we wanted to go somewhere else. That said, we will go back.
Review Source:I love this bar. The main bar not only looks like a carousel, but also slowly rotates the seats so the people drinking at the bar are literally riding a carousel while drinking. Lucky, it moves extremely slowly so you don't need to worry about the combination of alcohol and motion sickness.
In the back they have a bunch of different seating areas with eclectic chairs and sofas. The drinks were made with good ingredients and well proportioned. I especially like the Sazerac. The service was friendly and pretty fast.
Carousel Bar is worth one visit or two if you're a tourist or business traveler. Try and go early in the day or on a weeknight. if you're lucky enough to snag a seat at the revolving bar, cool. If not, you can grab a seat and watch.
There's cocktail servers throughout the bar, and service goes at a decent pace.
As for drinks, there's an entire cocktail menu, and everyone knows they're know for the Sazerac. Do NOT get the Ramos Gin Fizz. It was all kinds of wrong. It was runny and white, not fluffy, foamy and with that light green glow. It tasted (and looked) like a glass of citrusy milk. If you want the best RGF, check out Anvil in Houston, Texas - then we'll talk.
Other info:
Bar bites 11am-9pm.
Live music: <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Fhotelmonteleone.com%2Fblog%2Fcarouselbarentertainment&s=2b4960c69c5892f5c1f00ca8920662c7a28866ba03860366f435b2bdc89819f5" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://hotelmonteleone.c…</a>
Thank you Yelpers for helping me find this awesome bar! Â We hit this up before heading out to Vaughn's Lounge to see Kermit Ruffins perform and found two drinks that are now on our fav's list: Dieux Carre and Ramos Gin Fizz. Â Made the unfortunate mistake of ordering too many Dieux Carre's... seriously, one is all you need but still had a great night!
Review Source:So good, we went twice while in town!
First time was during the Mardi Gras period, where we downed Pimms Cups and Sazeracs with the crazy folk sitting around the Carousel swapping beads and telling us tales of their previous Fat Tuesday adventures. The Pimms Cups were gorgeous and refreshing while the Sazeracs were absolutely vicious.
We went back on Valentines Day for some pre dinner Chocolate Raspberry Truffletinis. A whole different kind of experience, but an equally fun one and those cocktails truly were delicious.
Great bar staff, great atmosphere, great patrons and truly great cocktails. Drop in and get yourself a seat on the ride!
Want to get a drink where Capote, Ferber, and that Ya-Ya Sisterhood lady went when things got slow for them writing in the Hotel Monteleone? Carousel Bar is that place! There's an actual Carousel that spins, and although it's fun, it also seemed a little dated and dusty.
We came here to get a Sazerac, and it was good. Service seemed terse the Sunday night we were there, and although it wasn't that late, we got shooed out at 12:30am and had to finish our Sazeracs in plastic cups. I know, classy, right?!
Shout out to Chicago Yelper Caroline M. for popping in with her sister and crew to say hi when they saw our check-in! I would definitely stop in to Carousel again, maybe just a little bit earlier next time!
I came in for a cup of coffee after a fabulous dinner in the French Quarter. We didn't actually sit at the bar but at a side booth which had a perfect view of the the bar that revolved full circle every 15 minutes.
The detail was impressive from design of the back of the chairs to the detail on the canopy mask. They just added another bar in addition to the Carousel but I definitely preferred the classic Bar from 1949.
The service was friendly from my waitress and the Carousel Bar is definitely worth checking out when visiting NOLA.
Such fun! The bar is located inside the gorgeous Monteleone hotel. It's pretty much exactly what it sounds like; the bar is a carousel! Seats about thirty people, you revolve slowly while the bartenders in the middle remain stationary (don't worry, they were great at remembering who ordered what). Takes about 15 mins for a complete revolution.
The bar has more seating than at just the carousel, so if you can't get a seat at the bar, you can hang out and wait for one to open up. The drinks are a little pricey, but the bartenders are great, and the experience is just too fun. A must see!
From the first time I walked into this place about 5 years ago, I fell in love and that love continues today. Its the perfect blend of tourists and locals with great music, great drinks, great bartenders. A classy hotel bar without being too stuffy that provides a REAL Sazerac - take note Sazerac Bar.
My only nitpick is that they used to have this AMAZING bar snack with peanuts and Tony's and other addictive, unhealthy salty seasonings and they don't anymore, allegedly because too many people were allergic to peanuts. They do give you Gardetto's now, but its not the same. That aside, this is my favorite bar in New Orleans without question.
Came to New Orleans looking to find some real Sazeracs and this place definitely made the best! Â Yum. Â
Excellent lobby, very classy scene. Â Great place to start your night off before things get a little sloppy. Â Drinks were a little expensive, but expected in a swanky joint and definitely worth the price. Â So well made. Â
We did sit at the carousel bar, and I guess that was cool? Â A little disorienting more than charming for me to be slowly rotating for too long. Â Especially after a few of those drinks haha. Â But an excellent place to stop for a drink.
Carousel is a unique and novel bar in that it's main attraction, as its name suggests, is its rotating carousel bar. Â The two dozen or so bar seats slowly revolve around the carousel themed bar. Â This place can get fairly crowded, so getting a rotating seat at the actual bar can be challenging, especially if you intend to come with a large group.
Never fear, there is lounge seating through out the bar and live music when I visited. Â The menu is filled with a myriad cocktails, from whiskey to vodka, bourbon to gin. Â There's something for everyone.
I was in a whiskey kind of mood, so i opted for the Monteleone Cocktail and Sazerac. Â Both were good and packed a punch.
Overall a great place to drop in to enjoy a drink or two in a more subdued and refined setting than that of the -ish show that you will encounter on bourbon street.
If you're sick of the craziness on Bourbon street, come here.
Classy lounge with older, more business-like patrons.
I didn't get to sit on the rotating bar but there were an ample amount of comfortably cushy chairs and couches.
Had some of the best drinks ever. Chilcano was served in a LARGEEEE glass (the equivalent of a medium soda at a fast food place) that was more than worth the money. I usually hate dairy mixed with alcohol but their gin fizz was a delightful light milk with a slight kick from the alcohol.
I'm also not sure whether they make their own Chex mix but it had a slight spice, and I couldn't stop eating the pretzels. :x
Two words:
CRAWFISH BEIGNETS.
[drools]
Those are reason enough to move to Nola.
Good drinks and munchies and service. Most drunks probably disagree, but I wish the carousel went just a little faster. I also wish the chairs were animals. ... I'm just saying, riding a tiger at the bar would make me oh-so-happy.
This is a must-visit in New Orleans.
My friends and I just came for a drink, but we loved it. The ambiance is fun, dressy-casual, and elegant. There wasn't a dress code, but we did feel a little underdressed compared to the other patrons. Probably didn't help that half the bar was part of a wedding party.
As the other reviews suggest, the Carousel Bar is aptly named for the carousel featured in and around the bar. If you are sitting at the bar, you will spin. A word of advice, if you get sick in car rides or on boats easily, do not sit at the bar and have someone else grab your drinks.
While most people's reviews focus on the Carousel in the bar as the focus, this one will not. I'm not going to lie, I had no idea there was even a Carousel in the lounge! All I knew is that after spending 8hours (yes 8) in the Superdome watching my favourite team, the Baltimore Ravens win the Superbowl, I needed a drink: A good one, and it needed to be somewhere nice. It's an odd thing being at the Superbowl and seeing your team win: You want to celebrate and scream through the roof with joy, but you are emotionally (and a bit physically) exhausted and need to recharged. Well, I could not have found a better place then the Carousel Lounge at the Hotel Monteleone!
The staff is extremely attentive, the back bar may not be a carousel but it is utterly gorgeous as is all of the seating areas. The drinks are well priced, the wine selection decent (I love a good Coppola!) and perhaps the best part... Everyone sitting at the bar was so friendly, everyone is chatting with everyone and it is just a super fun, grownup style New Orleans environment! This place has history, a presence that you can truly feel when you walk in the beautiful gilded door. After 2 hours in this lovely lounge I was energized and ready to take on NOLA at night!
Fun fact: It takes approximately 15 minutes for one complete rotation of the namesake carousel in the center of this bar. In a city that seems to suck away all of my self-control, a good way to make sure you aren't just slamming fancy cocktails is to have one drink for every two rotations!
I was told by a number of people of different walks of life that I simply had to check out Carousel Bar, and judging by the crowds, so was everybody else. This place was quite busy. Sure, I could have sat right away at any regular table in the space, but I was not about to trek all the way here and NOT drink drinks while slowly rotating in a circle. So I took my time, stalked the bar and after about 20 minutes we scored seats. I was quite glad we did.
Even though the rotation is obviously slow, it's definitely an experience to constantly have a new view of the bar and establishment as a whole. I found the disorientation to be pretty fun, as there are strategically placed mirrors and such.
The level of service was good, although a touch slow. We had to wait for a cocktail menu, as others were reading them. I think a place of this stature could have more menus, but that's not a huge deal. Also, the bar staff are trapped behind the bar, and have to jump over to get in and out. Kind of annoying if you're the one that has to move, but I guess that's par for the course in a rotating bar.
Our cocktails were quite good! Nothing is too far out of the box, as they focus on classic cocktails rather than their own creations. All were good, at a price point I found surprisingly low. Less than I've paid for comparable cocktails back home in Kansas City, which was nice to discover.
Finally, the people there all seemed quite friendly. It seems everybody in New Orleans wants to talk and be friends, even if they're not from there. It must be in the air! We had some good conversation and laughs with total strangers. I appreciated the experience.
I don't know that I need to rush back here, but I would certainly recommend a visit to Carousel Bar to anybody taking a vacation to New Orleans!
Hotel bars can be a bit cheesy. Â Normally, Â they're filled with passerbys with empty faces. Â Bartenders are passive and the drinks they serve are about the same. Â The difference is, Â I'm in New Orleans and everything in New Orleans is never what you might expect.
Carousel Bar is located in the famous Hotel Monteleone. Â Where Hemmingway and Tennessee Williams once rested their liquored up heads and tortured souls. Â You can't help but feel the history of this hotel as you sit down and order a French 75 trying to cure yourself of the debauchery from the night before. Â You might find yourself a bit afraid of the slowly rotating bar thinking, "This is gonna make me hurl". Â But, in actuality, after the 3rd French 75, you forget you're going round and round and realize you're gonna need another round. Â
A very casual bar with a rich literary history that should not be passed up.
Best bloody bull ever.
There is no better place in the city of New Orleans to grab your first drink of the day. Â They make the best bloody bulls (or Mary's if that's your pick) and the people watching in the hotel and the street is pure entertainment. Â No need to turn your head, let the carousel bar do the work for you. Â It is our tradition to kick off our day here, and many times we have ended it here as well, listening to the lounge music.
This was the perfect spot for after dinner cocktails. We intended to get one drink and move on but this bar is too darn enticing. We stayed for hours, enjoyed multiple drinks and a live band, and made new friends.
The bartenders working the night we were there were friendly and mixed up absolutely delicious drinks. They were also quite dizzy. (We asked.) My honey and I both started with sazeracs which, if you like classic cocktails, is a must order while in New Orleans. I later enjoyed a sidecar while we chatted with the couple next to us. The prices of the cocktails are very reasonable with many under $10.
We bid adieu to our (I-lost-count-of-how-many) journeys around the bar with beers to go. If you tend to get motion sickness, there are lots of non-carousel seating options so you can still enjoy the drinks and live music, sans nausea.
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