The Abbey

I’ve only been a NOLA resident for a little over two months, but so far, this dive is my favorite drinking establishment in the French Quarter. Why? Well for one they have great music on the jukebox. Everything from Merle Haggard to Ministry to the Kinks to Hank Williams. Everyone here seems really cool and if they aren’t they tend to leave right away once they discover this isn’t a Bourbon Street layover.
But one of the best things about this place is they have a $ 5 shot and a beer offer running ²⁴⁄₇. Perfect way to drink, in my mind. Have a shot, then nurse a beer!
Again this place isn’t for everybody but that’s what’s great about it! Those who it’s not for will generally take their drink and LEAVE, which is awesome that the French Quarter in New Orleans gives them that opportunity.
If you like the Abbey, then great, stick around and listen to some good tunes and have a few drinks. If not, then F_​CK off and have a nice day, there are plenty of other places on Bourbon Street that will cater to your pedestrian musical tastes!

Excellent dive bar in the quarter. The music in the jukebox is great — punk and metal! Drink prices are great too! My husband got a shot and a beer for $ 5 and I got a mixed drink for $ 5. Easy and cheap compared to some of the fancier joints. Plus we fit right in. ;)

This is one of the dark little bars that is located at the end of Lower Decatur.
Abbey isn’t one of my favorite spots, but it’s a nice haunt where you can stop and grab a beer or a mixed drink for pretty cheap. One thing I really do like about this spot are the booths where you can sit and chat away from the hustle and bustle of the bar itself. They have a jukebox with some pretty interesting tunes, and I like that’s it not one of those internet jukeboxes so many places have these days.
In general, the crowd is friendly here, but I have encountered a few salty types once or twice. The bartender I have dealt with the last two times I’ve visited was really funny with a great personality and was open to providing some good conversation.
I wouldn’t go out of my way to return, but I’d gladly duck in, if I find myself in the area.

This was a part of a personal quarter pub crawl. This was on the list for some of the best dive bars. I have no clue how they earned that title. We entered into the dark bar and met with a crust cast of regulars that stared a hole in my head as I ordered a beer. The bartender was nice enough as we ordered and settled up because we had a feeling this wasn’t going to be a place to linger and open a tab. The place is old, I understand, it is in the quarter, I get that, but can someone maybe dust once in a decade? Maybe change a light bulb? Meh, I’ve drank in worse places. We sat at the sticky booth along the wall. I decided it would lighten the mood if I made a selection from the jukebox. As I perused their impressive selection of death metal and punk, the machine began skipping and changing songs rapidly. I was then booed and yelled at by customers and the bar staff. «I didn’t put money in and haven’t touched anything!» I said as it landed on what I assume was the only country album they owned. With every song change I heard, «That must’ve been the song that guy chose.» The bartender took out a remote for the jukebox and changed to something more their liking. We finished our drinks and decided that this place wasn’t really for us. I can tell they have their regulars and they like this place, but when we walk by other bars nearby and hear «fun» coming from inside while this one seemed morose, it makes one want to compare.

Awesome dive bar!

Curtis is awesome! Super nice and knowledgeable. He’s got great history tidbits and fun city recommendations!

Used to hang out in the Abbey in the 70’s .Glad to see it’s still there. Even back then a lot of Bartenders in the Quarter were stuffed shirts. But the people I met in these places are what make the memories that make me a wealthy soul.

The Abbey is hands down the best bR in the French Quarter. They beer and a shot for $ 5 makes them one of the most affordable as well. It’s the best sort of dive bar frequented by the best sort of dive bar people.
The bartenders are all awesome and the jukebox has an amazing variety of music and they don’t do Bob Marley, which is a nice reprieve from the rest of the French Quarter. They also sell Cheetos now, which is pretty cool.

This place is a dive and runs like one. My main complaint is that the establishment is very ‘clicky’ if you know what I mean. If the bartender knows you or likes you, you’re likely to have a great time. If you’re a new face or if you don’t look like something that just crawled out of the nearest gutter, you’re likely to be treated like a second class customer.
I’ve had good times in there, but I’ve had one too many encounters with rude staff to consider this place a spot to recommend.
I guess if you just want to get drunk for cheap, and don’t mind sitting among the gutter punks, give it a try.
Pirate’s Alley though is near by and much better, so really, just go there and leave the «Scabby» to the gutter crowd.

Good cheap local watering hole. Love this place and everyone that works there is amazing!
I came across this bar for the first time while traveling across country with my boyfriend during the summer of 2013. We were in town for about a week and stopped in there almost at least once every day during the trip. Instantly felt at home here. And now here we are living in New Orleans as of this past summer. So this has become our go to spot and we know everyone that works there. A good safe spot with the grimey feel to it and no one ever cares what you’re doing/​saying as long as you’re not harming others or being an ass.
$ 5 beer and shot special is definitely a selling point too. And yummy irish coffees for those rough mornings.

Dark and cheap with a great bartender (hi curtis!) And an even better music selection. If I lived in new orleans I’d be here at least once a week. They also have a shot + beer special for $ 5 which includes jim beam and pbr.

Went there Jan 12… had a blast with my girls from Baltimore… they had a great little band from Alaska there… love them, forget the name… sorry I was buzzed off the beer and shot for five bucks deal they had… you can smoke inside… open till four?.. and I met Charlie Murphy, the black lab that was chilling in a prime bar spot listening to the band… it gets no better than that… love this place… xoxox Miss Cairo…

Pretty great place to end your night, no matter what time your night ends. I’ve came here for a night-​cap on many a velvet morning after a night of debauchery. Interesting story: One time about 10 or 12 years ago, right after they passed the «rave act» in New Orleans (an act making it unlawful for nightclubs to allow the use of ecstasy-​related paraphanalia) I decided to show up at the Abbey around 4: AM with a few friends. We were on the dance-​floor when the bartender JUMPED over the bar and grabbed me by the shirt and told me I had to get the hell out of the bar because I had a Vick’s inhaler. It was then that I had to explain to him that the Vick’s inhaler wasn’t being used for any rave related hijinks but was actually filled with cocaine. He sincerely apologized and we continued our revelry straight into the next day.
Remember, kids, the best cure for a hangover is to never sober up.

Wondering Frenchman, and feeling disappointed at all the wannabe class, I sat on a stoop and asked a pizza-​face-​tattooed cook on break where I oughtta be. He said The Abbey!
Place was Dead.
Rude bartender (just the way I like it.)
Routy jukebox tunes.
Punk bar for locals. Must see!

A dive, a dump, a dingy, smoky hole filled with tattooed, toothless souls. Okay, only a couple were toothless. This is a great dive bar for the locals, and friendly to tourists brave enough to like this kind of thing, with a good jukebox selection. You can’t close it down, as they are open 24 hours. Jackass was playing on one TV, and Storage Wars on the other.

I moved to New Orleans in the fall of 2011. I knew no one. Stumbled into the Abbey that Christmas Eve after attending midnight mass at the cathedral. It was kind of a mopey night — knowing no one, my closest family about 900 miles away… The bar was dead, save for one or two professional drinkers and a bartender named Trina. Celebrated Christmas Eve in true New Orleans fashion that night — have been coming back ever since.
Fast forward to the present. I know every staff member by name and actually consider them among my personal friends. I can’t walk into that bar without 80% of the patrons giving me hugs, high fives, and saying hi. Yeah, the abbey is ROUGH. It’s dark, a bit dirty, and there’s the occasional brawl… But it’s a fucking dive. That’s where the charm comes from. It’s a modern day take on old New Orleans; working class fools, street musicians, worn down bourbon street service industry, and down on their luck old bastards. It’s the kind of place where you can find the most motley collection of hard drinking New Orleanians with the best stories and the most questionable hygiene. The Abbey is a real jewel of a dive… The last true pirate bar of the crescent city.
Do NOT miss this place.

I went to several bars on a recent trip to NOLA, but The Abbey was my favorite of them all. A dingy dive bar with cheap drinks and a great jukebox, it’s the coolest spot in the French Quarter. My biggest regret is that I only went there once, but I’ll definitely be back.
Oh, and it’s open 24 hours. I miss New Orleans.

I have only been to the Abbey at 5, 6, or 7am. I wander over here when Molly’s closes, I still have cash, and I’m not *quite* ready to head back home. Something amazing could still happen, right? Right. Rachel is an attentive bartender and they stock my favorite tequila. What more could a girl want at 7am. It’s dark inside and before you know it you’ll forget the sun has been up for a few hours. Only the sounds of the garbage trucks and street cleaners outside remind you.
You can keep to yourself or converse with a character or two. You might even find an unknown phone number scribbled on a napkin in your purse later. Rumor has it that back in the day this guy Max Clevenger (?) owned the Abbey and signed it over to Jim Monaghan on a bar napkin at 5 in the morning. ON A BAR NAPKIN. Just like that unknown phone number. Coinkidink? I think not.
CASH ONLY

The Abbey. Old Reliable.
So dependably open during Hurricane Isaac (with seats, no less, though it wasn’t empty by any stretch). For that, they get three stars easy. Some of the best Bloody Marys, courtesy of the very cool Katie May who made them with extra care and attention, despite the bar filled with regulars demanding her attention (rightfully so) gets them another star. This *made* the eve of my first hurricane in New Orleans.
Just what the doctor ordered.
Not sure if this would be my first stop with Pravda and Molly’s right near by, but definitely up there for a return visit for a Bloody Mary crawl.
Plus, I got to hear about all the history associated with this place. Who knew it’s been here since the early 70s? Come on, tell me…

Wow, what a dive.
On a recent tour of Nola bars, I ended up at the Abbey. I think my friend and I were trying to walk somewhere else when we were drawn in by the diveyness oozing from the front door.
As we walked in I was actually a bit surprised. The bar was nearly empty. Most dives are packed with professional drunks, but other than us, there was only one other patron. Of course he decided he needed to talk to us, which is occasionally entertaining. In this case it was more irritating so we stayed for a drink and left.
During our brief stint here, the bouncer nearly got into a fight with his coworker. It was quite heated with yelling and whatnot, but no blows were actually exchanged. Hell, I assume he was the bouncer, but he could have been some random dude. Either way, it was quite entertaining.
While I do love dives, the Abbey failed to impress.