Napoleon’s Itch

After wandering around the Quarter for hours, my feet were tired and I was gross and sweaty. I wanted to sit down for a bit. There were two tables with chairs available next to this bar, and I finally got to sit, much to my relief. One of the workers comes out and looks at me and my friend and tells me we need to buy a drink or leave. She came out again with a bouncer who was eyeing us down. Fine, I’ll go in and see about buying a drink to get them off my tail. I start examining their drink menu. The bartender was friendly but didn’t know how to make a single drink on his own. Had to pause, go to look at his «cheat sheet,» then tell me what’s in each drink. I ordered a drink and I guess he made the assumption that my friend wanted one too, even though she never stated that she did. He poured us both shots and it tasted like I was drinking water. Disgusting. And each shot was $ 8, so he ended up charging me $ 16 for two shots, which made me livid. I don’t know if that’s the «regular fare» around the Quarter, but since the shots were disgusting and tiny, I feel that I was completely ripped off. To get my money’s worth, I used their bathroom, which you only get access to after buying a drink. All in all, $ 18 to not be harassed by the bouncer for sitting on a chair outside of the bar, drink a watery shot, and use a bathroom. Rip off, avoid.

Decadence 2013: Yep! There’s a new bar on the corner of Bourbon and St. Anne. Wow! I wonder what it’s like.
Decadence 2014: Yep! It’s still there. Maybe we should go in for a cocktail and check it out? Nahhhh, let’s just head on up the street.
Decadence 2015: Alright now. We really should check this out …
We wandered by on a Friday evening and were intercepted by a smoking-​hot muscular man in a jockstrap, knee pads, and a minimum of Baseball gear. He posed for a couple of scandalous photos and we were on our way.
We were back the next evening and stopped in for a cocktail.
We discovered that it’s a really small space. There is a small bar on the ground floor, with a small space for seating. There is a bar upstairs with a bit more seating but it’s nothing special. The bartender upstairs seemed more interested in talking to his friends than he was in making cocktails for his paying customers.
You should know that there is no access to the balcony on the corner via the bar. That’s all part of the Bourbon Orleans Hotel and can only be accessed through the rooms of the hotel’s guests. You’ll see Sister Roma of the SF chapter of Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence up there with porn stars during Decadence, but there is no way for us plebeians to join them … unless we are invited.
Decadence 2016: Been there, done that, over it.
Next!

I came here 5 times in 2 days for Mojito’s. They are made to order, have a ton of booze, and taste fantastic. I have no idea anything else about this plus except the Mojito is awesome.
Oh yeah what kind of rum were you using? I hadn’t seen it before and it was smoooooooth

We stopped in for a bathroom break and bought some beers. Bar at street level is pretty small but bartender was friendly. I remember some lounge seating as well. I read later about the craft cocktails so I will make this a stop next time I am in town.

We enjoyed hanging out at this bar last night. They had great Bloody Mary’s and fun 80s music. Didn’t realize it was considered a gay bar until we were leaving but it didn’t matter a bit… enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere which is a welcome change from the chaos of Bourbon Street!

Loved this bar! The bartenders were very friendly and their mojitos are to die for!

I wasn’t here long enough to give it a thorough review, so take the 4 stars as you will, but I was here, I did drink, but then I left with my drink.
We came here because my girlfriend loves mojitos and they had a sign advertising best mojitos in the quarter. We stopped in the middle of the afternoon — she got a regular mojito, and I got a strawberry mojito (listen, my man card was shredded years ago, so you have nothing you can do to me about ordering a strawberry mojito). Anyway, bartender was good — had a few customers, but seemed to be entertaining them all, he was friendly, and made a killer drink.
The mojitos were, obviously, great. Fresh strawberries, right amount of sweet, good rum. Very enjoyable; maybe not the best ever, but a good drink nonetheless.
The inside was pleasant enough — a bit small, but they were open to the outside, had some couches and comfy chairs off to the side. Music playing in the background, and apparently, a DJ in the evening, though it is a bit small, so I don’t know how good it is for dancing.
Still, if you like mojitos, grab one here. You won’t be disappointed.

Super disappointed with this place. I’ve been a big fan and a huge supporter until they charged me $ 70.00 for 4 drinks last night. Mardis Gras or not that’s ridiculous ! I won’t be going back. How dare you take advantage of locals!!!

Late post only because I thought I already posted this lol
Stayed in New Orleans for an entire week in September of 2013 and found ourselves here every night. We’re not really into the crazy loud dance scene, so to come to a more quiet & calm place was refreshing. PLUS their restrooms are actually clean lol
It is technically a gay bar, however many straight couples come in for a great drink. Unless it is a special event or weekend, there isn’t a huge crowd.
The owners are Julian & Chuck and they are simply the sweetest men you’ll ever meet in your life. The 2 main bartenders are Joseph and Pikkie. They make the best mojitos I’ve ever had in my life! They are super friendly and polite, and they have actually grown on me & my gf. We added them on Facebook & keep in touch with them.
We are looking forward to having another vacation & seeing the boys again.

Napoleon’s Itch sounds like some sort of Cajun STD… but it’s actually my favorite bar in New Orleans.
The reason is the quality of the drinks. Bourbon St isn’t exactly a craft cocktail hub — the area is known more for cheap-​ass hurricanes or vodka cocktails poured with even cheaper-​ass mixers. Napoleon’s Itch, on the other hand, prides itself on top-​shelf ingredients mixed with fresh-​squeezed juices and other mixers that *don’t* come from fluorescent bottles.
That means you can drink here and end up with *slightly* less bad of a hangover the next day. That’s something to be proud of.
The specialty of the house are the mojitos. You simply have to try the mojitos. They come in all flavors — I recommend the cucumber. I lost count of how many of those I had, and they were absolutely delicious. They were a good social lubricant while chatting with some of the other bar-​flies, who skew slightly older and less tragic than the folks visiting other Bourbon St bars.
My bartender was Joseph, who’s the friendliest and chattiest bartender in town. Even though I was just a tourist, he made me feel right at home. When I came back two days after my first visit, he remembered exactly what I ordered and had another one ready to go, stat.
Yep… next time I’m in New Orleans, this is where I’m downing my cocktails!

Infused vodkas (cucumber, chili, orange, pineapple) and specialty mojitos (Pikkie makes a killer Strawberry Mojito!). Good upbeat dance music. Nice ambiance… bar and lounge chairs and dance floor.

We ducked into this little bar mainly because we needed a bathroom. And I gotta tell you, I would do it again in a heartbeat. Not only was the bathroom one of the best I’d seen in the quarter, but the service was friendly, the drinks were good, and the atmosphere was very laid-​back and comfortable. I don’t know what the late night crowd is like, but next time I’m in the quarter and need a little break from the noise, this is where I’ll head!

Absolutely loved this place!
Yes, it’s a gay bar and you may see a gay dancer enticing the crowd to stop in, but there is a diverse crowd and all are welcome.
Ishmael & Wes were super fun & personable, not to mention made fabulous mojitos!
Cash only but they do have an ATM on site. Lots of great drink specials during the week too.
I’ll definately be stopping in to say hi on my next visit and have a yummy mojito or two!

I like this place: good drinks, nice servers, upscale atmosphere & décor. Maybe it’s a gay bar but there are usually ⁵⁰⁄₅₀ guys/​girls. Smoking is allowed but it’s not smokey. Whenever I’m out strolling Bourbon Street, I always stop by and say hi to David, Ismael, Wes, & others.
It’s cash-​only, which I don’t like but I plan for these things, so…

Very lively. It was the loudest place on bourbon street when we were walking the crowd was a lot older when my sister and brother in law went. The people there were karoking and they sure know how to have a good time. We had a bloody Mary and a mojito. The mojito was delicious and so was the bloody Mary according to my sister and brother in law. I’m not a fan of the bloody Mary though.

Coffee house vibe, clean bathrooms, best hurricane! Ignore the fact that it’s a gay bar. My husband had no idea it was until I told him. Love this place. Great place to take a load off while wandering the Quarter!

Expensive for what you get. Each round of drinks for 2 was 20+.
Apparently it *was* a non-​smoking bar but guess it couldn’t hack it as such as now they allow smoking. The bartender was good but the décor is something like a holiday inn in Paramus. It is basically a hotel bar.

Um, I loved it.
I loved the men’s.
I called it, «Bear’s on Bourbon» because that’s the 1^st impression I got after strolling in, initially only attracted to the South beach color scheme and art deco furniture.
Then I noticed there were 6 men, 5 of them gay and 1 actually a woman.
And I decided to stay here all afternoon on my last afternoon in New Orleans.
They have a fantastic martini menu. The bartender took his time, with each and every drink — a true mixologist. Best martini’s I’ve had in looong loong time. Bravo!
Then we talked about all the fantastic gay bars in Denver, and the Bear’s (in from Dallas) told birthday stories.
Great daytime bar to have GREAT drinks and enjoy the street sights walking by.
Local clientele, and their little dogs also added to the ambiance.

Best Mojitos I’ve ever had! (I recommend the mojito w/​cherries) The bartenders are really awesome and made us feel like regulars as soon as we walked in.
My sisters and I had a great time and would recommend Napoleons Itch to anyone looking for some bourbon street fun with out all the bourbon street bull shit

This is one of the newest gay bars on Bourbon Street, and it’s located right on Bourbon and St. Anne on the gay corner– across the street from Oz and catty-​corner from The Pub. «New» as in, I think it opened in 2007.
It’s different as a NOLA gay bar in several ways: it’s smaller, more modern looking, and cleaner. And it’s SMOKE FREE SMOKE FREE SMOKE FREE. Can I emphasize that enough? A smoke free bar in New Orleans? Love it.
They have some good seating areas, and some strong-​ass drinks. They tout themselves as having the «most extensive martini and wine list» on Bourbon Street. I’ve had many cocktails here and they’re always quite strong. Honestly, it reminds me of one of my favorite Philly gay bars, Bump, for its modern looking atmosphere and really strong drinks. That’s a good thing.
Typical gay bar music: Europop set to weird videos that no one ever sees unless they’re in a gay bar. The one thing that I don’t like is that they sometimes play their gay club music SO LOUDLY that I fear my brain will explode inside my head.