Igor’s Checkpoint Charlie

Great jazz music. No cover. Open all day every day.
Poor guy that worked there had to clean shit off of the men’s bathroom walls — felt so bad for him that our friend bought him a shot. Who the hell smears poop all over the walls!!!
Anyways, the music was legit. I think the beers were pretty cheap too. Can’t remember if they served food, but if they do I wouldn’t recommend eating there — place is pretty smelly and dirty.

Holy shit! This place was fantastic!
We came in to live music with no cover. My lovely wife and I found 2 seats at the bar over by the grill. While we waited for the bartender to make his way over to us, a Cockroach the size of my thumb (I named him Joe Cocker) came to say hello. He then ambled off behind the bar to places unknown (probably by the ice). Once our bartender came by, I ordered and received the weakest, most dilute Gin & Tonic I have ever had the pleasure to consume. My beautiful bride of 18 years patiently consumed her watery Vodka & Cranberry while I enjoyed the ambiance. A few moments later, some young guy that had to be homeless came out of the laundromat in the bar with a box of clothes. Good to know the bums will smell good upon the ‘morrow.
As I finished my wonderfully shitty drink, Joe Cocker ’ s two kids came out and crawled all over the seasonings over the grill. They were probably about a half inch long: cute as a button. Baby roaches. Nice to know it’s a family affair over at Checkpoint’s.
As the lone female singer finished her set and thanked the crowd at «Checkpoint Charlie’s», the Bartender loudly yelled to his paid entertainment «Hey! It’s gaddamn (sic) Checkpoint ‘CHARLIE’ singular. Shit… «
Needless to say, I will be making it a point to get back there just as soon as I can, and just as soon as the legionnaires disease vaccine has cleared my system. No exaggeration. I LOVE the place and will be back!

Cheap drinks and food. Hidden treasure of a dive bar!

Omg! This place is disgusting The bathroom was so fkin disgusting I’d rather pee my pants. I don’t know how anyone could possibly eat there it’s so nasty and stinks really bad. The male bartender very unfriendly i guess he doesn’t work for tips if he does he probably lives on Ramen Noodles.

Good bar and the laundry in the back room perfect also had a snack hit the spot. Bartenders very nice

«Checkpoints» is a Dive Bar with a Capital D. At the corner of Esplanade and Decatur just off the Frenchman strip. It’s a great place to stop and get Cheap Drinks on your way to somewhere else. They have some very Interesting people watching. Sometimes you luck out and can watch a variety of Live Music for Free. It’s scuzzy and dingy and unpretentious and has CHEAP drinks and decent bar food when you probably really need some. Get the deep fried tater tots.
And for the record, I have never seen anyone do laundry here, or maybe I was too loaded to notice.

I’ve gone there several times for several reasons — one of the bartenders is either terminally exhausted or just drunk almost every time I’ve seen her, but hey, Checkpoint’s is still the best dive bar in town.

I don’t get it. Locals may love it but it smells like vomit and bartenders have the personality of a TSA agent. I love dive bars but this is a solid place to avoid with all the better bars within 2 blocks.

Dropped in while waiting to be picked up for our swamp tour. Very empty, of course it was also 10AM (don’t judge me, I was on vacation in NOLA for the first time) and I was in desperate need for hair of the dog. I ordered a double Bloody Mary, which came out to a whopping $ 6.50! No way would you see those prices in California! They make their own Bloody Mary mix there in the morning and hit has an ever so subtle hint of barbecue in it. My kinda bar, which is divey and the bartenders are friendly and would definitely get to know you. Not a must, but a neat place to check out if in the area.

Igor’s Checkpoint Charlie is a total dive. And I mean that in the best way possible. If given a choice between an upscale lounge or a dive bar, I’ll always choose dive. I went into Igor’s for a couple of afternoon Abitas and a few rounds of pool. It was the middle of the day so not crowded, music playing intermittently in the background, with prompt and friendly service. There’s nothing more you could want.

This has become a traditional one-​drink stop during my Mardi Gras forays, about half way between parking and the FQ. Conveniently located on the corner of Esplanade and Decatur, it offers ummmm… convenience.
This is a dive. A world class dive. It has no pretensions of being anything but a dive.
The bathrooms would be considered a disgrace in most 3^rd world countries. How hungry would you have to be to order food after seeing the bathrooms? And wash clothes? I can’t imagine why they would come out cleaner.
Having said that, if you close your eyes and don’t touch anything, the bar staff is always friendly, the doors are open when the weather permits, they generally have pretty good bands and you are only there for a drink.
Consider this a check of your immune system.

A dirty punk bar that smells like beer, smoke and b. o

Next to catching a parade on the corner of Elysian Fields and Royal, this might be the next great spot to see one. Has all you need, beer, food, bathrooms and lots of elbow room. There is pool tables that you can watch guys drink to much and get in a fight to the occasional tore up girl take a small stumble down the short flight of stairs. There is a stage for bands that lets you get upclose and enjoy the tunes. That close stage also gets the band to participate in the random fight that ensues after some slam dancing goes wrong or a girl spills a drink on a band member while stumbling towards the bathroom.
The drinks are a good price here and the seating on a non jam night is great. Good place to find a table next to a opening and talk and smoke and drink.
They do a very diligent job carding everyone that comes in, so the rando fights and young big boys filled with pee and vinegar is at a minimum.
It is also very close to the better parking in the French Quarter, so that makes it a great spot to get the «first» or «last» drink from the car.

This place is OK. I can stop in for about one drink. After that I get the urge to go somewhere else. The music varies, and some can be very good.

While staying with a friend in New Orleans, she asked us if we’d want to get a drink while she did laundry. Naturally, I assumed that this meant putting laundry in at a laundromat and heading to somewhere close. When we got there, I was pleasantly surprised that it encompasses both and immediately thought «genius!»
While this idea probably wouldn’t be allowed in other cities due to zoning and permitting issues, it was a cool atmosphere. Our friend tossed in her laundry and we ordered drinks at the bar. A live band was playing, who were neither offensive nor outstanding. We had a few rounds of beer, listened to the band finish out their set, grabbed the laundry and headed out. It is without a doubt the best laundry/​bar combo I’ve ever been to, even if it is the only one.

Great Dive Bar! Good Burgers, wonderful music, fantastic locale. Dog friendly bar. SENTENCE FRAGMENTS!

Great live band and energetic, local crowd. This is a step away from Frenchman street, but is lively nevertheless. We were taken here by local magician Tommee Pickles, who knows the area quite well and is a regular here. Drinks here are affordable, they have several local and regular beers on tap and bottled, and the bartenders make good drinks. What cracks me up is the coin operated laundry room in the back, which Tommee tells me is normal in Nawlins, so you can do your laundry while you enjoy a drink or listen to music. It was 11:00 at night and people were indeed doing their laundry. Now I don’t know why they don’t have these place in LA!

People LOVE this joint, but it’s not my favorite. Yes it’s kind of awesome to do your laundry and drink… BUT your wet clothes will absorb all the stinky smoke in the bar like a sponge… or at least that’s what my friends who’ve done laundry there report to me.
If there is a band playing it’s LOUD. The crowd can be interesting… the other night there was a person full on passed out on the sidewalk outside the bar which isn’t that uncommon.
I think I prefer day drinking here. And I must admit I don’t think I’ve eaten here ever… in over a decade?

I like this place for live music, but as far as the whole «laundromat» thing, well… I can’t speak to that. I’m with Jen L.; the idea of washing my clothes in a smoky bar doesn’t appeal to me at all and kind of defeats the purpose of doing laundry in the first place, in my opinion.
I haven’t been here often, but the few times I have been here have been a lot of fun. The bands are always pretty good and I have found that there is rarely any kind of cover.

Don’t start me talking. I could talk all night…
Just when you thought that I was done with my NOLA reviews, there’s still a few tricks up my sleeve.
How could I forget about Checkpoint Charlie? Located in the Marigny on beautiful Esplanade Ave, this establishment is bar, restaurant, game room, and laundry mat in one!
During our voyage to New Orleans, we had a brief encounter here, but the folklore behind this place was enough for me to be a fan, having heard much about this place prior to my first experiences in the Big Easy.
When I was a kid, there was a little laundry mat down the street, and it offered drinks and food. It didn’t make a whole lot of sense to me as a child, but as an adult, the whole concept is brilliant!
However, we weren’t there for laundry, but it doubles as a regular hangout just as well. Local musicians were playing when we came in. The drinks were cheap, and the pool tables looked like a good time.
Honestly, I would have liked more time here. It was pretty low key, and there was plenty of room to relax and just goof off. A very nice joint in the Marigny!