Pirates Alley Cafe

A nice reprieve from Bourbon Street chaos, this tiny bar is at the end of a dead-​end alley. Go here if you’re serious about absinthe. They have some other drinks, but the selection of absinthe is the start of the show.
We also tried the Toxic Baby which was very sweet, almost like grape juice, but leaves a warm tingling sensation in your throat afterward. But we didn’t get a free plastic baby… maybe they stopped doing that?
Service was ok, not the friendliest I have ever encountered, but not terrible either.
Cash only.

The go to choice for absinthe after you find jesus.

I was happy to stop by here! I had been holed up in the neighboring Faulkner House Books as the pouring rain in the thunderstorm took over the streets.
As I stepped out of the shop, I saw this place and its absinthe offerings. I ordered a glass of absinthe. It was perfect. It is made in its traditional way, with water slowly dripping into the glass of absinthe until it gets cloudy.
Thank you for this afternoon experience.

Bartender was the ONLY truly unpleasant experience we had the entire time we were in the French Quarter. Heavy set lady with long curly hair dressed like a pirate– too busy sitting on the table outside talking to her friend. She was so freakin unfriendly– no wonder we were the only ones in there. She was so rushed to hurry back to her conversation, that she spilled absinthe all over the glass and almost missed the target on the sugar cube placement. We paid $ 12 for the pleasure. You’re lucky I love my husband. Avoid like the plague!

Really cool absinthe bar tucked in Pirates Alley off Jackson Square. The bartenders are costumed as pirates and know how to entertain the crowd. They have absinthe cocktails as well as others. One in particular is odd in a good way, called the Brain Hemorrhage (or something like that). There is limited indoor and outdoor seating.

Fun themed spot. Drinks were a bit pricey, but the drinks were really good. The mystery baby shot is quite interesting, but why not try a $ 3 a shot? Great service by a pirate as well!

Very small place. And cash only!
It’s the kind of place that gets better the longer you’re there. The bartender seemed to be having a hard night so service was quick but not friendly.

I’m not sure why you would come here and get anything other than absinthe. There are other drinks there but nothing special. The absinthes are the reason to be here, and they alone are a good enough reason to come here.
Besides the absinthe, it’s a moderately quiet, small bar. The bartenders dress as pirates. The clientele on a non-​Mardi Gras night seems to be people interested in a good drink and a conversation.
Oddly, most people at this bar wear hats. Not something crazy, just a hat that’s classy and low key, like the bar. I recommend that, it adds subtly to the experience.

In a dark alley that usually has homeless sleeping in it, on your left is the beautiful St Louis Cathedral and on the right is a dark row of buildings. Almost to the end is the Pirates Alley Café. Guys and gals dressed the part always hanging out. My most recent visit, one was bumming beers, so that is annoying. It is awesome, and some nights you score because the visitors don’t want to get off Bourbon Street, and the locals haven’t come out, so there is not much of a crowd.
French Quarter memories can be a bit hazy, so I am sure that I have frequented this café more than I have realized. Life can be like that sometimes. So, if your looking for a small place in the Quarter, but off Bourbon, come here. You will be pleasantly surprised to see the Cathedral in the evening and to enjoy a cool bar. Bring cash, as cards are not accepted.
ARRRRRRRGH matey!

Cool little hidden gem off the beaten path. The bartender is an absinthe wiz… she knew everything about it and they make it the traditional way with a water drip. For me I prefer the absinthe in the champagne since I am not a big licorice fan.
This is a little hole in the wall bar, no food and a small menu of beers/​cocktails. Loved it.

Our bar stop since this was right next to our ghostbusters tour guide for New Orleans. I decided to get the French Absinthe which was their specialty. It was presented very uniquely and it took time to have it done so don’t get this if your in a hurry. French Absinthe tastes like black liquorish. It was served in a glass and it was pretty damn strong! It’s suppose to be 110% alcohol proof. Yikes but then the buzz only lasted an hour! The bartender gave me a plastic cup if I needed to leave. She was nice and friendly. This was a pretty small bar and didn’t seem to get crowded as its in the middle of an alley by St Louis Cathedral. If you want to try this and served the old fashion way, come here!

Their take on a sazerac was dreadful (topped with soda– very watered-​down).
Not the friendliest service.
Only saving graces– absinthe fountain (I wasn’t having absinthe at 12:30 in the afternoon however)
and
great location in Pirate’s Alley.

Great for drinks as you’re waiting for the ghost tour to begin. The bartender was very knowledgeable when it came down to the rum.

Absinthe woo hooo hooo! it’s all about the experience here. Very relaxing and fun atmosphere, bartender was great. We ordered the basic french absinthe, it was fun watching the whole process with the sugar cube and how the drink turned a cool mint green color. The drink smelled of strong licorice but it tasted very mild. We had fun people watching. Prices very good, just $ 20 for two glasses of absinthe. I like this place better than the absinthe house for sure.

Awesome corner bar in the French corner serving up a delicious assortment of absinthe… Creamy licorice in a glass with a classy sugar cube presentation… It’s the real deal in NOLA! P. S. The «toxic baby»
Is hilarious and fun!

Want to black out, wake up 12 hours later and wonder how you got back to your hotel room?
Get the absinthe.

After a very disappointing experience at the other more famous absinthe bar in town, we tried again at Pirates Alley. The atmosphere was relaxed, the bartender was friendly & knowledgeable and the absinthe was delicious. Loved the added touch of the light under the glass to give it a green glow.
More of a place to hang out for a drink or two than somewhere to spend an evening but if you want to have a taste of the Green Fairy while in NOLA, this is were I’d recommend you do it.

This place was recommended by a friend who traveled to NOLA a few years ago. The bartender went through the whole absinthe process with the sugar cube and dripping water, which was a cool experience to see. The absinthe was pretty good but the bartender was not. She was not friendly at all and came off very judgmental and pretentious — rolling her eyes, condescending remarks, etc, but was very friendly when it came time to pay. My group of friends are not obnoxious by all means — 3 out of 8 of us were not drinking since we were hungover. We were asking her questions about the absinthe to get a little background information, but it seemed like she didn’t want to be bothered by us. The bar wasn’t even busy. We came the day after Mardi Gras, so maybe she was disgruntled and jaded by all the tourists. Also, she commented on how she enjoys taking money from drunk people to her friends. She must really think she is a pirate.
The bar had a good vibe, but the bartender was the worst (she had black hair and left sleeve tattoo). After our visit, we saw that there were similar complaints. We aren’t taking it personally. Enter at your own risk. The service was bad enough that we wouldn’t go back nor recommend to a friend.

Walking into Pirate’s Alley Café is like being at Johnny Depp’s favorite hangout. The bar is filled with pirate decorations, costumes and memorabilia. It’s just outside Jackson Square and can be easily missed, so be on the look out!
Never really been a fan of the green fairy so I steered clear, but there is a big Absinthe drip at the bar. I had what must have been the Pirate version of the Pimps Cup — because it was strong as hell (not complaining)!
The TOXIC BABY Shot! It’s a mystery shot of… something…with a plastic baby on the rim. Sure, why not?
Downfall: Cash only

So I randomly ran into my aunt and uncle (and their friends) on Halloween as they were heading to one of my uncle’s favorite bars in the FQ. Of course, they couldn’t miss me as I was the one in the enormous Mad Hatter hat.
Who knew my Ohio (but Louisiana born) uncle loved this place? And why? Because he likes their absinthe service… which was a bit off (plastic cups) on Halloween night but still. I have no idea what sort of absinthe was served as I am not a fan. But if you’re looking to drink the formerly forbidden drink in the shadow of the cathedral than this is the place for you.
It’s a great location and off the beaten path a bit. Sitting outside and watching and commenting on everyone’s costumes was a great end to my Halloween festivities. My favorite costume? A girl who was the travel gnome and her costume was mostly yarn and posterboard. Supercreative.
I think the last time I stopped in a this place, it was more of a restaurant… or maybe that was because it was during the day. Sometimes FQ memories can be a bit hazy, y’know.