Pete’s Out In The Cold

Kevin wouldn’t want us talking about his bar on the internet but this bar is a special place. If you like history, places that don’t change for a century, and interesting bartenders, this is a wonderful place to have drinks. My favorite bar we have been to in New Orleans and we come here quite a bit.

Totally underground and cooler than anything downtown or warehouse district. CASH only! But that’s what makes it awsome

Kevin is the best! Awesome bar with a neighborhood vibe. Good beers and friendly people all around. Don’t miss it.

For a bar in this area, the place is very clean. It’s small but if that’s what you’re looking for the bar is very nice. Seems like it would be a good place to catch a game. 4 $ Crown singles are a good price after you’ve been somewhere that charges 7 $ for the same drink. Great service! BTW they don’t take credit card which is a negative but if you have cash it’s a good local place to enjoy.

So killing time, perusing Unilocal reviews one day I saw a review for Pete’s. I venture to the Irish Channel often and had never heard of this joint! So with two friends in tow we went on an adventure to this neighborhood bar.
Just like everyone says, an unsuspecting local spot where if you weren’t paying attention you would miss it. Small bar with a few TVs and a couple of video poker machines. The juke box is legit! Played some Beatles, Boston, and Steve Miller. The bartender, who I assume was also the owner, even told us he would turn it up for us (no music was playing until we got there). Beers are cheap enough…2.50 for a bottled Abita Amber, can’t complain about that. A low key spot, perfect if you aren’t into crowds and just want to sit and sip a cold beer with no one bothering you.

I drove past this neighborhood dive joint for years but as it has no visible sign on the outside, other than some neon beer signs in the curtained windows, I had just assumed it was somebody’s house. Well what do you know this is actually a deep cover bar that has a focus on firefighter regalia as the current owner was a fireman. They have a jukebox and card tables along with some televisions that are usually playing sports channels. You have to get buzzed in to enter and this is a place that tourists rarely will venture and I’ve never seen more than a handful of people in here. The drink prices are a great value and the only downsides are it can be smokey and they often close early by NOLA standards.

«Some girl came in here and now we’re on Unilocal!»
That’s what the bartender said to me when I told her that I had recently heard about this dive through a friend of mine. That friend and the girl who put Pete’s on Unilocal are one in the same. I have Holly G. to thank for this latest discovery.
What an awesome place! Totally unassuming bar located in the middle of a neighborhood. So unassuming, in fact, that one of the people I went with once lived 2 blocks away on the same street and had no idea it was there. It’s like a secret clubhouse! It doesn’t even have a sign!
Really cool people and the bartender is really nice and friendly. Loved the jukebox. Got in there and played a little Beatles and Elvis. Yeah, it was that kind of night. There weren’t a lot of people in there and it wasn’t super smoky so that’s also a big plus.
Hours vary depending on the crowd. The bartender said sometimes they will close at midnight and sometimes they will close later depending on how many people are in there. I will definitely be back!

I moved in a few blocks away and at first was terrified to go into this bar. After finally venturing down I realized it’s awesome! It’s beyond divey and the clientel is definitely local and regular.

The name of this place is either Pete’s or Out in the Cold. I think they use both depending on the mood so I just put both in the name.
We found this place on a Sunday of exploring bars we’d never been to. We were in the Milan Lounge and their bartender told us about Pete’s and how, like the Milan, you need to ring a doorbell to get in. So we went.
They don’t make bars like this anymore. The outside is nothing, I thought we had pulled up at somebody’s house. We walked up to the door and got buzzed in. Kevin, the bartender/​owner used to be a fireman and his hats were hanging up behind the bar. The rest of the patrons were older straight-​up locals, just chillin’ and watching basketball on one of the TV’s. There are a couple of card tables and a jukebox but it wasn’t playing at the time.
Kevin started telling us about the history of Pete’s (It opened in the 30’s) and how he bought the bar from Pete just before he died. Kevin’s dog (I forget the name) hangs out at the bar and would come out from the back every so often.
They serve frozen pizzas if you’re hungry and there’s a window at the end of the bar that kids can knock on and buy candy for $ 0.50 (I know, right???). The big kids can buy beer.
Pete’s is CHEAP! I got a mixed drink and my husband got a beer and it was ~ $ 8. They don’t skimp on the liquor, either. That drink was strong. The bar is beautiful — old, dark wood everywhere and simple décor. It looked like a few of the pubs we’d visited when we went to Ireland a few years ago. There’s also some video poker machines.
I loved Pete’s. It’s totally legit. Nothing fancy, just laid back, local, authentic. I can’t wait to go back.