I am not a "bar person", but my fiancé's son lives near here and it's his local hang out so we go here when we're in town. It's kind of "Cheers" meets New Orleans! Everyone knows everyone and if you are a "newbie" you won't be a stranger for long, Even if you walk in dressed like you belong in the Garden District, everyone still makes you welcome. You WILL see what you came to New Orleans to see-every strange, odd, or unique personality that you can imagine.
This is a very small, cramped place and the building looks as old as New Orleans itself, but if you enjoy the bar scene-loud, crowds, music, laughter- this is a place you don't want to miss when you visit New Orleans~
Conveniently located next to Surrey's, which is BYOB. They make a kick ass Bloody Mary and the day bartender is quite accommodating on random Fridays to help you get over massive hangovers acquired during raucous Thursday evenings on Frenchmen.
I get the feeling it's a pretty great place to be during Mardi Gras or St. Patty's too, being smack dab in the middle of Magazine and all. Check it out!
Came here with a local on a Sunday night during a recent vacation, and had my best experience of the trip. It seemed a little seedy at first--and given that I was an Asianish looking dude dressed in a sweater and tie, I was the picture of "sticking out like a sore thumb"--but after a few drinks, I'd met most of the other patrons, who were more than happy to expound upon their local knowledge. And what a cast of characters they were: as I told my writer friend (who just moved to NOLA), "If you can't get inspired to write by this bar and its denizens, you're in the wrong profession." It was a quiet Sunday night, so no bands in the back, but a terrific roots/bluegrass guitar and fiddle duo up front. Wish more people acknowledged them--they were awesome.
Kelly B hit the nail on the head: "My experience at Le Bon Temps Roule was straight out of a movie (or book). I can't even put it into words."
Live music dance-floor in the back, pool tables juke box in the front. Â Cheap drinks, good bartender service... Â Locals spot.
Place gives off a good vibe. Â Gets real crowded, then it dies off, then it gets crowded again.
This is a cool place to go to get away from your typical tourist traps in the FQ.
Old school.
This place never disappoints! Â As long as you can get over the floor that's about to cave in at some points. Always great music and great drinks... And tons of drunken people to provide non-stop entertainment. Â A fun, divey, hole-in-the-wall kinda place with a super diverse crowd. #lassiezbontempsrouler
Review Source:Fresh off the plane during a trip in 2012, I made my way to Les Bon Temps Roule to catch Soul Rebels. DEFINITELY make it on Thursday nights if you can. They KILL it and there's $5 ciroc. Doesn't get any better.
My experience at Les Bon Temps Roule was straight out of a movie. I can't even put it into words.
My favorite bar in the city. Great staff, great customers (most of them are right from the neighborhood and are always great to talk to), and a decent choice of beers and mixed drinks. Oh yeah, and they almost always have some kind of band playing here on any given day which makes the place even more delightful. Perfect neighborhood dive bar.
Review Source:In my book, it don't get much better than a night of Soul Rebels at Le Bon Temps. Â I hadn't been since I graduated from Tulane 7 (?!*%!) years ago. Â I didn't remember there being a cover so that was a bit annoying. Â Was still worth it tho, wish I was there right now! Â If you don't like being shoulder to shoulder with a motley crue of characters from all walks of life, go home!!!
Review Source:Bon Temps goes down a star for me since they closed their kitchen.
The band space is "intimate" so that can be amazing or awful depending on the band.
And maybe the crowd has changed or maybe I have, but this is no longer a place that I am comfortable hanging out for hours on end.
*I have been informed that their kitchen is open randomly...OK that's odd.
I can't believe I have never visited this historic neighborhood dive before. I have driven past this establishment an untold number of times on my way to much worse places. Why someone didn't tell me about this bar is beyond me. Maybe I need better friends.
Le Bon Ton is historic. You can sit at the bar where Lee Harvey Oswald sat when he lived just a few blocks away. Hopefully you don't turn into a communist and become haunted by visions of Carcano Model 91/38 rifles, but you get the point. Bars with crazy history are cool.
The bartenders here are awesome. In particular, Todd was great. He made sure our drinks were never empty, and he was a great conversationalist. In this time of mixolgy being so popular, it is nice to know there are still real bartenders left around. I don't care if you can peel a potato and distill it into vodka. The true test of a bartender is if they can pour me the perfect draft and laugh at my dumb jokes.
There is live music in the rear of this bar, but I suggest staying up front, sitting at the historic marker, and drinking beer. If you do and don't have fun, there is something wrong with you.
I went to Le Bon Temps Roule around noon on a Sunday, which is - if the reviews are any indication - not the peak time for regulars. Â That said: the bar was packed with a fine ratio of men to women of (rough eyeball here) 80:20. Â So, y'know, if hungover men in bars on a weekend morning are your thing...hasten here.
Nah, nah, I'm not meaning to poke fun at the clientele. Â Afterall, I was in the bar to get a PBR to go in a plastic cup. Â FOR TWO DOLLARS (unheard of where I'm from). Â The patrons at the bar kindly parted to let me hustle up to the bar: I paid, left a tip, and boot-skoot-boogie-d out of there.
I'd love to come back at a busy time, listen to some music (the bar seems to have a reputation for great live shows) and drink beer *in a real glass*. Â This feels like a classic dive, in the best of ways.
Yelp note: I've forgotten that you can still smoke in bars in some places. Â NOLA - and Le Bon Temps Roule in particular - is one of those places. Â Good to remember to keep me from stepping onto future homeward-bound planes smelling like smoke and covered in beignet sugar.
An absolute classic. Â It is like somebody set a cigarette bonfire in here. Â
The bartenders are usually good looking and one hilarious trivia night my drunk friend and I got to make up the following week's category for losing so miserably. Â They didn't honor our request, which seemed really funny at the time.
"No, no, no, I got it man. Â I got it...get this...Cougars I would Do-gars!" Â
Nobody else thought it was funny but we were on the piss.
Soul Rebels play here every Thursday night or, rather, Friday morning. Â If you want to ruin your Friday work day, do take friends and relatives here and stay until the end of the show. Â You will get home in time to shave and put on your work clothes.
I have fallen asleep outside on a bench and instead of getting mugged had groups of people send me photos they had taken of me asleep with their arms around me and bunny ears, etc. Â
My awesome friends gave them my facebook account info.
A Magazine treat! Â Let the good times roule!
Le Bon Temps Roule is known for their live shows, but beware in the summer time, when it's hotter than Hell. It's starts to smell like sweat and urine around there. Â For serious music fans only (i.e. NOLA peeps).
I like to bring in friend's from out of town though, to get a feel for your typical oddness of a New Orleanian crowds. Once, before moving back to New Orleans, I had a drink with a pirate with pink hair and his little dog.
Another time, when I brought a friend over from out of town, some drunk guy was at the bar being obnoxious, bothering us, and the nice bartendress waived our tap because she felt bad (we had to leave because of him). We still tipped, but just comes to show.
I had my first gig with my band Gravy Flavored Kisses (feel free to look us up: <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.gravyflavoredkisses.com&s=16ec9a90dc715b7f741549fab3b17b96f45c2d74f100738b1d05f501c48741c8" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://www.gravyflavored…</a> or look for Gravy Flavored Kisses on Facebook) here last night. I had such a great night. Let me just tell you that I came home at 7 am. I should be able to leave it at that, right? :)
Anyway, this place was the perfect venue for a first gig. It's a very intimate setting with a rather small stage, which resulted in me and the other vocalist standing in front of the stage at the same level as the audience. I have been a stage performer since the age of 3 and I love interacting with the audience. Of course, I was a tad bit nervous last night since it was my first time performing with these guys and I was afraid of forgetting lyrics that I've learned in the past three weeks, so I stayed in my spot most of the duration of the show, but I'll be less shy next time!
The bartender was super friendly and either actually enjoyed our music a lot or at least made us think so. As for the patrons, there is such an interesting mix of people that gather at Bon Temps.
Also, they're open super late. We stumbled back in here before going home at 6 something am and they were definitely still goin.
You'd think New Orleans tour guides would offer a Lee Harvey Oswald tour. However until some enterprising entrepreneur jumps on the idea, mystery-hunters will just have to sleuth out the addresses on their own. It is a most interesting adventure, doable in an afternoon.
Many interesting sites can be found along Magazine and St. Charles streets stretching from the Crescent City Garage address in the 600 block out through the Garden District to the 6000 block vicinity where the U.S. Public Health Service Hospital sits next to the levee near Audubon Park.
The Le Bon Temps Rouler, at 4801 Magazine St., is  good place to start. Parking is easy and the corner door opens to the street. At first,  we didn't see the plaque attached to the corner of the bar counter, but the pleasant bartender pointed it out. The patron who was sitting in front of it kindly got up so we could get a closer look, and another fellow suggested how to best angle the camera so that the flash bouncing off the shiny metal would not blur the words: "Lee Harvey Oswald Sat Here."
Just down the block at 4905 Magazine is the apartment house that Oswald shared with his wife, Marina, in the summer of 1963. The yard still holds large shrubbery, and an iron fence separates it from the sidewalk. We snapped a photo from the street.
Take a left turn on Marengo and see the house at 1032 Marengo where Judyth Vary Baker says she lived and was frequently visited by Oswald in the summer of '63 while she was an assistant for research scientist Dr. Mary Sherman and the infamous David Ferrie.
Nearby at 3101 St. Charles near the Elms Mansion is the upscale apartment complex where Dr. Sherman's incinerated body was found in the summer of 1964.
Around the corner, at 3225 Louisiana Avenue Parkway is a narrow three-story house where writer Ed Haslam believes Ferrie kept mice and conducted his cancer experiments, with assistance from Oswald and Baker, in a plot to kill Castro. The story is told in Haslam's book, "Dr. Mary's Monkey," which is an excellent guide for this tour because it contains addresses, street maps, aerial photos as well as modern-day and 1960s-era photos of the sites.
On the opposite side of the street a block up, Ferrie's former residence at 3330 is a two-story duplex with bright walls and an inviting porch. The friendly couple on the porch had never heard of David Ferrie and were interested to learn of the link to Oswald. But they were creeped-out to see the photo of their house in Haslam's book. Not only did Ferrie live there but he also died there in 1967, less than a week after the news broke that New Orleans District Attorney Jim Garrison was investigating New Orleans links to the JFK assassination.
The U.S. Public Health Sciences Building, now owned by LSU, is almost at the end of Magazine. Take a left on State Street and go six blocks toward the river. At the levee, a tall brick wall surrounds the property. A guard at the gate asked what was our business there. "Tourism... just seeing the sites" was not the right answer.
Outside the wall again, we took a left around the back to an unattended locked gate. Even from the street, it was possible to compare the buildings with the photo in the book and identify the building where Haslam believes Dr. Sherman, truly met her death while experimenting with radiation in a clandestine attempt to find a cure for cancers inflicted on the public via contaminated polio vaccinations.
After checking out these sites, head back to the Le Bon Temps Rouler to debate the mysteries over a cold beer. If walls, old houses, porches and bar counters could talk, the murder of Dr. Mary Sherman and the deeds of Lee Harvey Oswald, David Ferrie and many others would no longer be mysteries. But, of course, a half century later, all they can do is exist for people to see and wonder.
Don't even think you'll avoid day drinking here. We landed at Le Bon Temps the afternoon after Christmas Day with the best intentions (bloodies!) and immediately received a free shot and a Merry Christmas from the awesome bartendress.
And then there was Mary. I watched as the bartendress dressed her up like a spicy lil tomato on dollar day. Never before had I witnessed such primping and flair! My Bloody Mary arrived decorated with no less than five different kinds of garnish: olives, celery, okra, green beans, lemon/lime and I'm sure I'm forgetting something. Talk about exceeding ones daily recommended servings of vegetables! Ah, nutrition New Orleans-style.
I suppose one might thoughtlessly call Les Bon Temps a "dive bar" but that would be kinda lazy. It's so much more! Besides, I daresay that in New Orleans there are no mere "dive bars" as you know 'em. I'm going to think on this one because it deserves a new classification.
Les Bon Temps is a cool place to check out live shows or just go and hang out with friends. Â It's a small place, so if you want access to the pool table, you have to get there early. Â Brass bands and other bands put on shows in the back, which is always a lot of fun. Â
Be aware: the floor in the back is brick and uneven, which makes dancing difficult, especially if you are in heels.
I go to Le Bon Temps often and they have some good music. Â They also have FREE oysters on Fridays but they go quick so you need to get there early! Â The kitchen serves food til pretty late and I don't even know when they close it down so that is an option to keep in mind. Â The bar is divided into 2 main areas with the front being full of pool tables and the back where the bands play. Â This is usually a really fun bar to watch music until the point that it gets too crowded, which is way too often, but you always have the front area of the bar to escape to. Â
The back area, where the bands play, can just get miserably crowded especially on Thursday nights when Soul Rebels play (it also is a bad "tradition" that the Soul Rebels NEVER start on time so it is like 12:30 or 1am before they start usually so if you have to work the next day that really is a challenge). Â There are also some people that take their pool games WAY too seriously in here and I've seen a few fights break out over a stupid game so don't get in those folks way. Â Parking can sometimes be a bit of a challenge but if you get far enough away you can always find a spot. Â Â
They usually have pretty quick bar service and I usually prefer the front bar when there is music as it is quicker to get served than fighting the often formidable crowd in the back. Â There is always an interesting crowd here and there is a special plaque on the bar involving a historical person that I will let you discover yourself. Â There always seems to be something going on here when it seems nothing else is anywhere else in the area.
I love that there is always live music and never has a cover. You can choose to play pool and hang out in in the front or dance to live music in the back. You can guess where I hang out.
To me, this is a New Orleans staple, and I love to see the local bands that run through this place. The beer selection isn't too bad either. I can usually find something to quench my thirst while I shake it.
**FUN DIVE BAR IN UPTOWN**
We celebrated a friend's birthday here and reserved a table booth at the front.
No cover charge. Awesome.
Friendly and fun crowd.
Outgoing atmosphere.
Drinks (mostly shots) were $5-$8 average.
2 pool tables.
Casual peeps.
There was an adjoining room where a live band performed and an area to move around and dance.
I received tons of free drinks from the boys there. THANKS!
RECOMMEND for free music, solid drinks, and fun atmosphere in Uptown.
Since Le Bon Temps is Uptown -- i.e. on the other side of the world -- it's not somewhere I end up very often. However, I'm definitely a fan of this bar, and highly recommend it if you're looking to hear some music. The Soul Rebels Brass Band plays here regularly, can't remember what night, and it's *always* packed. At least, that's been the case in my experience. Packed to the point that you really can't even dance because you're squished between so many other people, also trying to dance.
Something that's kind of cool about Le Bon Temps is the fact that it's almost two entirely separate bars. Out front you've got pool tables, a bar, a jukebox, and a couple of booths. You can't hear the music that's going on in the back, even if it's in full swing. There's this dark, narrow hallway you have to go down to get to the part of the bar where the band plays and the dance floor is boogied-upon. (It's also the way to get to the bathrooms, of which there are two.) There's another bar in the back, so if you can't get a drink at one, try the other.
Made it out to see Johnny Angel the other night. When I arrived about 10:30 the place was already pretty busy and everyone there, well they were inebriated... they were intoxicated... they were just plain drunk. (Well alright then!)
Despite the crowd I quickly found a spot at the bar and didn't have to wait long before bartender Todd had a gin and tonic sitting in front of me.
In the back as showtime approached the people started to fill up the area. Turned out not to be as much of a dancing crowd as I had hoped but all was not lost. I was surprised to see a bachelorette party this far from Bourbon St.
So back to the show, it's probably good there weren't many dancers, between the crowd and Johnny's 5 piece band there wasn't a lot of room for more than 3 or three couples. Any more would have been a painful reminder of the bruised shins suffered at the red room when it got busy.
I was able to get a couple dances with a couple of the bachelorette party girls thanks to alcohol and, thank god, there wasn't any collateral damage.
Before going on, I want to take a second and talk about Todd. I noticed several other reviews extolling his virtues, and I want to echo that. Efficient, friendly, keeps up with the crowd, and makes bartending look easy. Â He's good people.
Overall it was a fun night at a place with a lot of charm that ended with me *ahem* "singing" (for lack of a better term) 'Just a Gigolo' with Johnny just like old times. I look forward to the next time I can make my way down here.
I love this club, but have a big problem with the no cover charge club system here in NOLA. The bands get 20% of the bar, and the tip jar. Now at Tipitina's down the block, where there is a cover charge, the band usually makes serious money.
What's the difference? A license! Tips has a music license, and Bon Ton doesn't.
Now established bands like Soul Rebels have a huge draw and 20% of the bar is MONEY. Â
My point is overall, more clubs should be allowed licenses to charge minimal covers so the bands can depend on a contractual deal that pays their expenses.
I came in here one Saturday night with a group of friends. It isn't the prettiest bar in New Orleans, but it does have that local, historic, flavor to it. What is lacks in looks, it makes up with personality. The people inside where mostly males and the vibe I was getting wasn't the most welcoming. Maybe because I came in with a bunch of cute girls, maybe because I've never been in the bar before and didn't have my "local" badge on. It doesn't matter though, I had a great time hanging out with my friends and dancing to some great local music.
The front of the bar has two pool tables, a bar with stools, and some small tables around the walls. The back room is where bands come to play their shows. It too has a full service bar.
Overall, I like this place and I will be going there again.
A trip to NOLA is not complete until I get to stop by for a few lazy hours at Bon Temps Roule.
If i were a local, you KNOW this would be my hangout. Its an old school, unpretentious neighbourhood joint with a great beer selection and a laid back attitude.
The clientele are pretty friendly and they dont make you feel like you're "another f'n tourist" hittin up their bar.
There's a reason they made sure they filmed in this joint for Treme.... Cant wait to get back to my seat at the bar.
Oh how I miss New Orleans! Thursday nights @ Les Bon Temps (which came after getting tore down @ Miss Mae's up the block) were a regular on my weekly rooster. I gladly dragged into work hungover, legs sore Friday morns from dancing all night from the music Soul Rebels provided.
If you visit New Orleans, make sure you hit Les Bon Temps up!
Probably would've given this bar 4 stars, except they had the wrong band listed when we stopped in for a night cap to end our trip on Sunday 4/26. They still had the band listed from Saturday night, which wouldn've made for quite a crowded show.
Even still, this seemed like the kind of place I'd enjoy, and we had a few drinks and chatted with the nice bartender in the back room.
It's nice and divey, just what you like in a good Nawlins bar.
If you like great music, lots of drinks, and a fun crowd, this is a great place to go. Â Went here with my buddy who lives in Uptown and it was one of the many highlights of our weekend. Â Lots of locals that go here, and a pretty good selection of beers (first time I ever had Abita draft, good stuff!). Â
As for the place itself, the front room of the bar is very chill with pool tables and quiet enough to hold a conversation without yelling. Â The back room is where the bands play, and it gets packed in there. Â We sat back there for hours ripping shots and dancing like crazy to the band. Â It's $5 cover, but the bands are so much better than anything you'll hear on Bourbon St so the cover is worth it. Â Do yourself a favor and make this a must-go destination!
If I could do one thing for the rest of my life, I would dance the night away with a feather in my hair and all the crazy kids I went to college with for free Soul Rebel Thursdays at LAYBONTOM. Â This divey old neighborhood bar heats up as soon as those gentlemen pick up the brass.
Do yourself a favor: Â get out of the Quarter and come to Uptown to hang with the locals. Â You will dance, sweat and love every second of it. Â Laissez Bon Temps Rouler!
I am so happy that we stumbled upon this place. It was a long walk up Magazine Street from the hotel in the French Quarter, but by the time we found it, it was like a little oasis on the corner.
The drinks are decently priced. The atmosphere is dark and dusty (all of my favorite places are dark). Check out the gorgeous metal cranes that adorn the front doors.
The bartender was sweet and quick to serve us after we had guzzled down our drinks. I was sad that we didn't have enough time to come back. A definite 'local's type place' when you are sick of tourist traps.
2009 update: My enthusiasm for this place is a little less now that they've moved the oyster/piano thing to the front area. Instead of a cozy friendly atmosphere in the back, everyone is now shmushed in the front, where it's loud, smoky and crowded. Sometimes you can't even get a seat, and just getting the oysters is a real pain. Also they're charging $5 for a decent draft beer, which seems high.
2008: A great divey place to go to get a drink or see music. Someone else mentions the oysters but didn't go into details so here goes: On Fridays evenings from about 7 to 9:30 they have free oysters in the back room while Joe Krown, a talented pianist who plays in the Professor Longhair/James Booker style, performs. (If Joe can't make it then they'll have someone else who will probably equally worth checking out.) Oysters and New Orleans piano are a perfect combination. You might think it would be packed but surprisingly it's not. It does get more crowded at night for the larger bands.
Yeah dude! Â Definitely check out Thursday nights for Soul Rebels Brass Band! Â It's going off, you're packing in a small room with a small stage full of guys playing large brass instruments, dancing it up, sweating from head to toe, with lots of escapes as well. Â The other room feels like a completely different bar with pool tables and a jukebox, lots more oxygen on Thursday nights! Â A bar in each room to fit your style and a great outdoor area with benches and almost as great of an experience out there as indoors! Â Still not used to the being able to drink outside thing, it's totally awesome. Â And did i forget to mention that the shows are free! Â Very strict on age, though.
This is a great place, very highly recommended! Go now!
hot damn in a frying pan. Â LAYBONTOM! Â simple, yet delightfully insane. Â yet another solid establishment on magazine street dishing out great food without any pretense. Â tiny area in back for bands means the crowd gets bumping and the heat is on. Â packed in so tight you can almost feel the surge of music swelling through the shaking butts. Â plan on a late night and don't bother trying to remember anything other than that you must go back.
JCTSFR: 0.22
Pepper Keenan of Corosion of Conformity bought this bar a few years ago. Â It's cozy, and some great music plays here throughout the week. Â Kitchen in the back. Â Good prices.
UPDATE
the kitchen in the back is now called Cafe Roule, and they deliver until 3am. Â Any locals lamenting the loss of Moonlight will be glad to know.
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