Aunt Tiki’s

Aunt Tiki’s is your proto-​typical dive bar in New Orleans. There’s no telling who you might run into at this joint – from college kids, to retirees, to gutter punks, this place has them all (though you might not see them there all at once).
Product: Drinks, drinks, and more drinks! This place is pretty cheap, though (of course) it’ll be on the low end of quality. Hey, at least they’re cold! (3 stars)
Service: Usually a single tender behind the bar. There’s no rush about the place, but there’s no long wait, either. (3 stars)
Facilities: A ramshackle old building along the Decatur/​North Peters corridor, the building definitely oozes character. Although the name points to it being a «tiki bar», that theme goes as far as the name alone. It’s dark and grimy inside, and all the furniture and the bar itself are quite well-​worn. There’s all sorts of random paraphernalia along the wall. The bathroom is grungy and a bit smelly, but not absolutely disgusting. (2 stars)
Overall: Don’t be fooled by my rating metric; you definitely want to check this place out, especially if you’re slumming for drinks in the FQ. You’ll be hard-​pressed to find cheaper drinks in the neighborhood, but you get exactly what you pay for. I highly recommend it to locals and tourists alike, just be warned that it is exactly what it is – a true dive bar, one of the last true ones in the city. It’s always a fun time in here. (3 stars)

Love this bar! Bartender, Donny, was attentive, funny, and friendly. The décor was awesome! Great dive bar! This will be my go to bar whenever I visit New Orleans!

Dive bar extraordinare. With a REAL bartendress. Old school bloody mary… Loaded.

Not impressed. Rude female bartender wasn’t helpful or attentive. She wanted to chat instead of helping customers. Asked Bar back to get a drink and got a very rude response…“you can when the bar tender comes back.” Won’t be going back. better options around.

My dear friend went there with his date, and got beat up while the bartender watched. STAY AWAY.

My friend brought me here while I was visiting. I thought it was so cozy and fun. The music was awesome and the bartender was nice. What more could you ask for?

Just got ignored by the bartender for about 15 min while he set up his shift, gossiped with friend and texted on his cell phone. We were thirsty so we left. It seemed like a really cool bar too. Bummer.

This place is a hoot! The bar tender was funny and the patrons were friendly and amazingly fun. Lots of good of all sorts here. Strong drinks!!! Great prices. Check it out!!!

This fuggin’ place…

I don’t go to NOLA without coming here. As everyone said, great juke, eclectic décor cheap drinks and awesome crowd. I’m not sure they ever close. Definitely the side of the quarter I want to be in.

Great, eclectic atmosphere. Halloween every single day. Great jukebox. Great, inexpensive drinks and Mason is incredible.

Great little dive bar with super cheap drinks. Love the theme and vibe in here — seems like a local bar and everyone was very cool and friendly. Cash-​only and you can smoke inside.

So much fun catching up with a friend at this bar. Bartender was very nice. The night was chilly so she made it so my cup wasn’t cold from the ice. She had an amazing hat on. Jukebox had an amazing selection of songs, we put some money in it and had a great soundtrack for the night. Bathroom door doesn’t lock, so knock first. They allow smoking in the bar, that’s a little strange for those of us from chicago. All in all I loved the atmosphere.

A solid choice for a basic drink in the French Quarter. Don’t go expecting to order a fancy frou-​frou cocktail and you’ll be fine.
The bartenders are speedy and personable. The décor is minimal. The jukebox is great. The bathrooms are usually clean-​ish and stocked.
I hadn’t been in several years, but then I was wandering with Betty from Cali and we ran into Joi & her krewe AND we were right by Aunt Tiki’s so it was fate, right? The company of course makes anyplace better or worse. And with these friends, it was all the fun.

My most fave bar in NOLA, hands down. ‘Love the décor, dive vibe, dim lighting, laid back, super friendly bartenders and oh, man, that AMAZING, insanely well-​stocked Goth/​New Wave jukebox! The BEST I’ve ever experienced: I felt like an angry teen with purple eyeshadow and black lipstick all over again!
The natives are another great reason to visit: a friend & I visited from NYC years ago and they couldn’t have been more charming and curious in a sweet, non-​intrusive way. We flew in late, wandered in for drink and the bartender ordered in appetizers from Fiorello’s, as a ‘welcome to NOLA!’ present. We were blown away by their generosity. Aunt Tiki’s makes me wanna live in NOLA. ‘Nuff said.

This place was a trip & when I mentioned having been there to another local bartender the next day she said «Wow, you’re lucky you didn’t get roofied.»
24 hour dive bar — check
Halloween type décor, all year round — check
Lady with a giant Dr. Seuss tattoo on her neck — check
Guy tripping on on something, making weird gestures at the bar at 8 am — check
Now, granted, I don’t have allot of room to talk as I was in there at 8 am-​ish when the last bar had closed at 7am, but wow were people in there loaded!
From what I gather, at that time of day, locals who worked the previous night shift end up in here to top off the night, so 7am to them, is our 1 am, which makes the loaded crowd more plausible.
Drinks were cheap and heavy and the patrons were amusing, to say the least.

It’s hard to find a bar that has everything these days. Usually, I’m settling for good service despite expensive drinks, bad service to get good prices, or whatever.
Aunt Tiki’s had everything I was looking for:
Great service
A fun mix of locals & visitors
Fair pours
Good prices
Cool ambience
Sweet Tshirt designs.
Lots of seating
Smart layout so you could sit, slouch, stand, gather, whatever and not be constantly in the way.
My only grip was bad tunes on the jukebox but I can’t fault the establishment for the dumb girl that put in 50 dollars worth of top 40.

Our base in the French Quarter!
Don’t get me wrong. I love some of the hustle and bustle of the French Quarter, but after a while, the pushy crowds and the tourists can get to the weary traveler. Luckily, when I’m down in NOLA, I have a nice support system of people who know where to hide out, even when in the French Quarter. Aunt Tiki’s is one of those places.
It seems like Tiki’s became the place to reconvene or wind down after a long day in the Quarter, and I can understand why. The beer was fairly cheap, and the waitstaff took care of us.
For the most part, there was plenty of room at the bar. However, it was pretty crowded on New Year’s. Tiki’s has a nice little lounge area where groups could have private conversations and feel a thousand miles away from the chaos on Decatur St.
This place is definitely not for the tourist, but if you’re looking for a bar off the path, then Aunt Tiki’s is great place to have a drink and lounge for a little while.
Everyone has to have their place in the Quarter, right?

The first time we were here was the weekend before Halloween and the streets were filled with costumed people and the bars were full of costumed people and it was crazy difficult to get drinks anywhere, madness! I wasn’t even wearing a costume myself, but luckily I tend to favor a style that often rallies, «Hey, is the circus in town?!» kind of calls, so who could possibly know the difference. Good, I wouldn’t want to come off like a dud. Anyway, we ducked into Aunt Tiki’s, escaping from the throngs.
What a great time here! What a divey kookfest. I mean that in the best of ways, you know. While there were many drinkers gathered there, a wonderful eclectic crew, somehow Aunt Tiki’s wasn’t acquiring the onslaught that was happening everywhere elsewhere. Twas a welcome break from the ballyhoo, but by no means a dull time.
Inside there were some low-​to-​the-​ground couches where we sat and enjoyed more than a few strong and cheap drinks, and made some funny friends, and spied on a blossoming May-​December romance at the bar. Or, if we’re being honest, it was more like an Mid-​September Jessica Rabbit and December Ed Asner-​esque gent in orthopedic sneaks romance. Anyway, they were a fun couple to spy on the sly. Hey, good for you, I say. Crazy kids.
Everyone in the place that night were really extra friendly, and the bartenders were great. The jukebox selections were killa but I don’t think I ever heard my songs as someone there was playing a whole lot of Ramones and Iggy Pop. I ain’t complaining. Then Lando Calrission walked in to the bar; a hilariously perfect Lando Calrissian.
So, despite the fact that I have listed here a bunch of really particular circumstances that you will almost certainly never be able to replicate for yourself in one night, I would still recommend checking out Aunt Tiki’s if you’re in the market for a fine jukebox, strong drink and interesting characters. I am and I will be back.

Another Bar with a couch review.
After the KDV parade, I went on a lengthy bar tour. Aunt Tiki’s was one of the spots I tried earlier in the night. I had never been, but I liked it.
There is a long bar with stools as you walk in. There is also an area with at least one couch against the wall. I love bars with couches. I can’t explain it, I just do. This couch was small and possibly more of a love seat, but two people could comfortably sit.
Bartenders were friendly, and service was prompt. Since I have a rule about drinking expensive beer in a dive bar, we stuck with PBR. It was cheap, cold and plentiful.
This isn’t the area of town I normally frequent, but next time I do, I will keep this place on my list.