The Rendezvous Tavern

We used the Rendezvous as a meeting place for a three day bar crawl. We had 35 people meet us here and hung out for an hour and half. The star was awesome and fun. They never once panicked when our group started rolling in. They just made us drinks k=like it was no big deal.
Really an awesome spot and so much fun.

Seriously another great magazine dive I’ve never written a review for? Why am I so bad at living here? Anyway this spot is great do industry folk after 12 any day of the week. The juke box is usually a war zone so if you don’t want to wait an hour for your playlist just download the app and skip. Cheap booze and friendly bartenders.

Listed as a dive bar, but in my estimation more of a NOLA locals bar. There’s nothing fancy going on here, but there’s nothing too bad going on, either. You’ll get a lot of folks with dogs, and maybe some crusties out front, but nothing too bad. Put another way: a tourist bar? Not so much.
But I like this bar a lot. It has what a drinker needs: alcohol, servers, and decent tunes (last one’s optional, but they have Touch Tunes). If you live in the area and are looking for a place to wet your whistle and are feeling OK with a bit of dust in the corners, thus is your place.

Their bar back is an asshat. Tried to ask him to switch the game on a vacant tv and he made a spectacle of it.

I have a little bit of bad news for the recently converted AmEx carrying hipsters of DC: Your «dive bars» in DC are not dive bars. As a matter of fact, if you set one foot into a true dive like Rendezvous Tavern in New Orleans, you will be so appalled, not only at the non-​9-​dollar beer selection, but at the brazen service, the «Mos Eisley» Cantina crowd, and the lack of any serious provisions that you will probably storm out in a massive tantrum. Oh well.
Otherwise, I really enjoyed Rendezvous Tavern. I mean if you love cheap drinks, cool conversations, weird people, bitchy waiters, cigarette smoke flying all around, and the smell of stale beer look nowhere else. It’s a great meet up spot for day drinking, conversation, and even pre-​gaming before setting off to some of the more hotter spots. There is no pretending here — just plain and simple realities on the ground and being who you are. Legendary.

Free Nirvana on Sundays. Buy a $ 2 highlife, and ask for a plate and fork. That is the only winning element of this place. During crawfish season, you can buy a few pounds down the street at Big Fisherman, and are allowed to eat it out front. Some nights of the week, food trucks stay out front, too. This symbiotic relation has definitely done well to increase their popularity, but doesn’t enhance the interior experience. Despite having no unique elements that would separate it from a bar in anywhere else on the planet, the bar is really long, a good height, and has a foot rail; this gives it the feel of western tavern or saloon.
While spacious with plenty of seating, it has always had the scent of a urinal cake coated in menthols, though they don’t allow cigars (probably in response to the cigar shop across the street). The air filtration system looks straight out of a looney toons movie from the 1950s. Also, the art work is really tacky, the memorabilia denigrates patrons who drank too much, everything is a bit dusty, and they let you play the same song on the jukebox on repeat at full blast when nobody is in the bar. The last statement might not be a bad thing to some people. But nobody likes George Michaels «Careless Whispers.» Nobody. Not at full volume. Not in an empty bar. But it is a really sweet juke box, and you can request and charge songs from your phone, too.
I’ve had amazing service from Ferrel over the past few years. She’s way cool. But this bar is just a passerby on Magazine st. Hit it up for cheap drinks, play a round of billiards, but move along to better times. It’s pretty much a local only stopping ground, especially for the hardcore service industry folk who reside in the surrounding neighborhoods. Good place to grab a drink/​pregame while you plan out your night on the town, or just catch up on sports news.

The clientele was kind of annoying but a decent enough place to watch a game if you’re in the area. No point in getting a draft beer as premium alcohol is really cheap, and they pour a stiff bourbon on the rocks.

The bathrooms were gross. The bar was cold. And by cold I mean freezing. The bartender was the drunkest person in the bar and had the worst customer service I have ever experienced. This area of town is so fun, so I would consider this bar the armpit of this area of town.

Solid neighborhood bar. I don’t know about the dive thing though… maybe because I remember what this place used to be before it was renovated. Oh well. I don’t stop in often and I don’t usually stay long so that sort of says it all.
Bonus points because La Cocinata is outside often.

The Rendezvous Tavern is my go-​to bar. I am proud to say that I am a regular here. Great selection of beer at a good price, good specials, and friendly atmosphere.
Day drinking on a Saturday afternoon? Perfect. Starting the weekend off on a Friday night? Even better. Also you can catch the La Cocinita taco truck often right outside on Friday and Saturday nights.
The Rendezvous is the perfect «classy» dive bar. My favorite in the entire city.

So after spending some time in the Garden District of NOLA, and consulting Unilocal for some good places to grab a happy hour drink, I came across the Rendezvous Tavern on Magazine Street.
The place was relatively calm, as it was still mid-​afternoon when I arrived on a Monday. There were some patrons along the bar and a couple people playing billiards. There were plenty of TVs set to sports or news, so it kept people visiting from out of town, like myself, somewhat connected to what’s going on with their own sports teams back home.
The happy hour prices were awesome. Their domestics, like High Life and Bud, were only about $ 2.50. Most people there had it in front of them along with a shot of Jagermeister (as per local tradition, I assumed). Looking to capitalize on the fact that beers here actually are cheap during a happy hour (unlike back home in Los Angeles) I proceeded to order beers I actually liked, like Purple Haze and UFO White. Those beers on tap were only $ 0.50 off for HH, but whatever, I was on vacation and willing to splurge a bit. (Be aware, however, there’s no food here, so eat ahead of time, or take your beer to go, if you’re hungry. There’s just a bag of chips, which can run you a buck and do little to tide over a massive appetite).
I don’t know what it is about locals drinking in New Orleans, but during my entire visit there last week, I couldn’t find anyone with the capacity of downing their beverages to the same level that I was accustomed to back in Los Angeles. It made me a bit self-​conscious, until I finally finished my third beer… then I just figured there was some underlying socio-​economic issue and left it at that.
I could tell there were some questions burning deep inside the one bartender working that evening. Using my powers of telekinesis and in reading her face, I was able to make out the big one in the forefront of her mind…
She may have been wondering where I was from, since I was, well, frankly (1) not Caucasian and totally cool with my surroundings (everyone else there was), (2) dressed differently (read, slightly more formal), and (3) spoke with the «accentless accent» that native Southern Californians have (I definitely didn’t have a Southern or country accent). So, to drive the conversation there, I found a way for her to slip in that question as we made small talk. I basically indicated that I was visiting a friend of mine and that the beer specials they had here were totally awesome from what I was used to.
She took the opportunity, «So where are you from?» Just like that. I was about to answer «L.A.,» but I realized that I was in the only other place in the country where they may actually call their home state also «LA.» I paused and had to actually iterate the whole thing, «Los Angeles.»
Her eyes lit up. It answered so many questions, I’m sure. I came from really far. I immediately deduced from her nod and smile that not too many Angelinos come by here or travel this far on a non-​Mardi Gras week.
Before you knew it, I was asking for recommendations and we were taking shots. I apparently was the only one doing so with her, since most people around me were still on their first beers after nearly an hour and a half in. Eyes from around the bar were starting to focus on us in a sense of surprise, but I didn’t mind. I was simply passing by. After all, I also had to leave a good impression on behalf of the people of L.A. (L.A. is not LA, as locals and numerous bumper stickers will tell you in the area) and show that we’re not all a group of shallow, selfish airheads, as the media makes us out to be. (Half of us, maybe, but definitely not all of us).

I have been to Rendezvous a bunch of times, but it seems that I am never there for long. Most of my experience has been during St. Patrick’s parade time or when leisurely shopping along Magazine. It is a good place to get a beer and use the bathroom, but I have yet to spend several hours there.
The bar does have a definite divey quality to it. It is dark and seems that it hasn’t been updated in a really long time. But unlike many other local dives, it is fairly large inside. That makes for a weird divey/​neighborhood bar feel.
I am sure that I will eventually spend more time here, and once I do, I will update my review.

I’m a girl who enjoys a good dive bar every now and again. And Rendezvous Tavern is just that. .. a dive bar.
We «needed» a drink. Well, we probably didn’t need one but it had been a least an hour since our last one so when we looked up– we found ourselves in front of the Rendezvous. Dog friendly, we had to climb over a couple of the beasts to get up to the bar, but once we did the bartender was accommodating and friendly,
The drink special of the day was a raspberry vodka limeade. Yowza ! This thing packed a wallop as it was mostly vodka. Even waiting for the ice to melt barely made a dent!
We took our drinks out to sit at the tables on the sidewalk and watch the people walk by. So entertaining– at least an hour went by before we were able to move on.
I doubt I would spend much time indoors as it smells like smoke and is VERY dark– but for a drink to go in this neck of the woods– a good choice!

YAY! Rendezvous was a great stop! In the tradition of New Orleans hospitality, they have some food out on Sunday morning for the Sunday morning alcoholics.
A Pleasure to be in such good company at this bar. Everyone working was friendly. All the patrons were relaxed. Went there as a tourist and made a few friends, shared some good stories, and downed some great beer. What more could you want as a vagrant traveler?
Pool tables, juke box, regulars, the works! I’ll be back next time life brings me down to NOLA!

A really good alternative to the Bulldog if funds are running low. There is plenty of draft beer to pull from and the bottled selection is fair as well. Especially if you have a picky, but beautiful sister in law that only drinks Woodchucks or ciders.
Did I mention the prices are low? Not Brothers 3 low but close.
Nice big booths to spread out in and have a chance to talk to your friends. Alot of stook seating around. Dart boards and a pool table.
Very roomy. Has a internet jukebox with all the standards and a little bit of outside seating.
I havent been here on a sports night yet so I cant tell ya if this is a Saints bar or a Steelers bar, but I do try and pass by here when im in the area.
I’ll make sure to take more pics next chance I get

Not exactly my pick of a bar, i prefer my Mid-​City places but it’s cool, my roomate works downtown and all of his service industry co-​workers like to frequent this place. I always have a good time kicking it with them here, but ya kno. not my vibe.
Reasonably priced drinks, as is much of most bars outside of the French Quarter in Orleans parish, there’s a pool table, darts, jukebox, not a horrible spot to stop in if you’re in the neighborhood and looking for a drink.

I love to day drink here while I am out shopping on Magazine. The staff is friendly, the drinks are cheap and strong, there’s a good jukebox and the people are generally cool.

I’ve never been a big fan of sports bars, possibly due to my complete lack of concern over professional sports, but I can’t resist a dive. Sure, there are several TVs showcasing whatever team is playing at the moment, and yes there is the requisite pool table and dart boards, but this place is more than that. It’s a great local hang out where you’re bound to run into a neighbor or friend (or make a new friend at that). They have a decent beer and liquor selection and the prices are great.
If it gets a bit too smoky inside (and there are plenty of open windows to circulate the air), you can grab a table on the sidewalk and watch the people stroll by. As a tourist, that is always one of my favourite things to do and I always love going where locals go instead of limiting myself to typical tourist spots (though I visit many of those as well!)

Rendezvous is my second favorite Magazine St. bar.
They have a great beer selection and a great crowd and atmosphere. The place is kind of dark, which makes for a good kind of «underground» vibe. They have booths, if you don’t want to sit at the bar and they have pool tables, if you are in the mood to shoot pool. They have a fantastic internet jukebox, and video poker, if that’s your thing.
In my opinion, this place is everything that The Balcony Bar used to be.

After being told that the restaurant I was at did not serve any alcohol. I made a quick visit across the street to Rendezvous Tavern. The bartendress made a bloody mary today with 90% vodka that tasted great– with fixins’ including green beens.
The bar was dark and kinda quiet for a early afternoon but i could see locals (now me!) going there for a daily brew.