The Spotted Cat Music Club

I guess everybody knows about this place, so one more 5-​star review won’t really have any effect. But, this is definitely where you want to go in N.O. for an excellent musical night. Their bands aren’t the crusty old pros playing the Disneyland-​version of what tourists expect «New Orleans» music to be… instead they’re the crusty young pros playing the Disneyland-​version of what tourists expect «New Orleans» music to be. But, especially if you’re just briefly visiting town, is that a bad thing?

BEST. JAZZ. BAR.
Hands down, twas the best jazz bar I went to in New Orleans. Located on Frenchmen St where there’s plenty of jazz to go around twice, it’s small and intimate but by no means tame. We arrived around 9:30PM and it was pretty dead — the band wasn’t really playing yet; bartender told me that it should start in 30 min. 30 min later, still nothing… my friends were tempted to leave (who wants to wait around when there are so many other jazz bars to see?) but I insisted we stay a little longer. JUST as we were about to head out the door (and my friends lost their coveted seats), the band started playing INSANELY. It was unlike anything I’ve ever heard before — and as a piano player I can assure you the pianist was a genius. Every single one of them was!
There’s a 1 drink minimum policy that was definitely not enforced.
We were there for 2 hours and it went by like 10 min. If I had more nights in NOLA, I would’ve come back. Make sure to tip them — it’s well deserved (for once!)
Don’t miss out on the best jazz bar in town!

Great performers do not require a swanky club! The Spotted Cat is a no frills bar that brings in excellent performers that had people chilling, dancing, and enjoying the scene. The bar is tiny so there really is not a bad seat /​view in the house. Service was quick. There was no cover, and there was a good crowd of people for a Sunday early evening.

Toller Laden. Superfreundliche Bedienung. Dazu Meschiya Lake & The Little Big Horns. Perfekt!!!

Yup, Spotted Cat is pretty damn good. Great for live Jazz and great dancing. If you like Jazz and drinking this is a must stop for any trip to NOLA.

My visit to the Spotted Cat was much too short.
On a warm January afternoon, my friend and I stopped in while browsing Frenchmen Street. We found seats and listened to a jazz duo play a few songs. It was really relaxing, but the only open seat while we were there was next to a trash can. I didn’t make it too long before I needed to snag some fresh air.
This club was much friendlier and welcoming than some of the others on Frenchmen Street, and keep in mind that it’s crazy close to Dat Dog if you’re in need of a hot dog fix.
Gotta go back sometime for the full experience!

A smaller, more intimate (but by no means quiet!) hole-​in-​the-​wall type of place on Frenchmen Street. We came on a weekend night in January and the place was packed (for good reason!)…there’s a smallish bar towards the back, with the majority of people hanging out, listening to the music. The group we listened to was a raucous, high-​energy jazz group, with a tap dancer/​singer. The crowd was roarin’ — I had a blast!
Cheap drinks, good time, even better music. Highly recommend!

I love this club. Please visit here for good music and a different scene. New Orleans is FULL of talent and this club has great performers. I went on a Sunday night and again on Monday and both times were great. No cover, one drink minimum that’s not really enforced.
Please tip the band!!!

Great music but the place is kind of cramped. Hard to linger long because there wasn’t really anyplace to sit.

Whiskey and some Jazz. If you want either of these, I’d come here, but make it early (We got there at 8pm)) because it gets packed very easily and quickly. It’s dive-​ish, has cheap drinks and the bartenders are attentive. 1 drink minumum!

Visited on Christmas Eve with my mom at 4pm to see Sarah McCoy’s Oopsie Daisies. We were worried about it being very crowded, so we made sure to get there exactly at 4pm. We had no trouble getting a seat at the bar at 4pm, but the place did fill up slowly but surely. Sarah and her 1-​man band were awesome and the sound was good in The Spotted Cat. I think she said she usually has more of a band but just one tonight. This place has a charm only its own and is very memorable. This has made my list of «must-​visit» places in New Orleans.

Perhaps the smallest, grittiest, and most authentic New Orleans music hall in Frenchmen’s Street area.
Rarely a cover, often packed, and always exuding engaging music, vibe, and verve.
Find a spot to sit (if you are so inclined) or stand, sway, and dance in place; simply no bad spot in the intimate space. Even when bands are listed on the calendar, there is a delightful spontaneity among the artists and fluid line-​ups laying down the tunes. Be sure to contribute to the tips bucket when it passes and do not miss out on the opportunity to purchase a local CD, if available.

One of the best things (and probably the only thing) to do on Frenchmen St. We stumbled into this joint while touring the strip and I was SO happy we did. You could hear the amazing saxophone playing down the street — there was no way I wasn’t going to check this place out. Shotgun Jazz Band was playing when we walked in. They played about 5 – 6 songs per set and killed it every time.
The space is pretty small but open, which can also make it difficult to find a spot to stand and get a nice view of the stage. We ended up snagging seats at the bar and sipped on some strong and tasty hurricanes while enjoying the show. Our bartender was a delight and even let me charge my phone behind the bar.
The overall vibe of this place was just so chill. We could’ve stood there for hours listening to music and drinking til my liver hated me.

Cool place to listen to music. I guess the Spotted Cat appears in several NoLa guide books so there are tourists.
Nevertheless, cool place to hangout, good live music, nice setting, interesting beers, can be challenging to find a place to sit, but be patient.

Great jazz, cheap drinks and lively environment.
Many other bars down Frenchman St, but this old institution is a place everyone has to visit.
It gets packed very early so you’ll likely find yourself standing most of the night. It gets annoying getting stuck in traffic jams every direction you walk but that’s just the atmosphere.
Never appreciated jazz but NOLA changed my entire perspective on it and now I’m a fan.

If I come back here this is the first place you’ll find me at. Probably at the back near the bar dancing my tooty off by myself.
Music here was seriously so amazing. I have never seen live jazz played so hyped like that in my LIFE! THIS PLACE IS LIT FAM. Okay but seriously. It is small and gets crowded easily.
Cash only and after a certain there is a cover but totally worth it. Plus if you are a cool cat and accidentally show up matching the bouncer he’ll give you a discount! Lullllzzzzz

This place is my favorite place to see live jazz in New Orleans! There are very few chairs, so it’s pretty much standing room only, but the drinks are reasonable and the music is always great! If you venture just a couple of blocks outside the French Quarter to Frenchman street you will not be disappointed!

The Spotted Cat is the first bar in NOLA to ever card me! AWWW YEAHHHH!
With that said, this is a pretty cool place to grab a drink and listen to some tunes. It’s small and narrow inside but honestly that makes you feel that much closer to the amazing jazz artists that play here. The bartenders are fast and friendly and the drinks are cheap. There’s plenty of seating even though the space itself is tiny.
Also…I mean… This is the whole reason I’m giving them such a high rating… There’s a piano in the effin’ bathroom. Pretty awesome.

Probably one of my top favorite clubs we visited on the trip to NOLA. It’s located right by the art walk. The band was so lively and sang some songs that I recognized! I think there were 3 – 4 members of the band, and like most jazz clubs on Frenchmen street, can be viewed from the windows and heard from the streets. On Thursday night there’s no cover but when you go on a Friday (and likely Saturday too) it’s way more crowded and there’s a $ 5 cover also. It’s a small place so it does get packed but somehow we managed to form a mini impromptu dance floor in front of the band.
Such a fun place and I think it’s a must see on Frenchmen Street!

~~~~~~Frenchmen Street~~~~~~
~~~The Local’s Hang Out~~~
~~~Finest Jazz Musicians~~~
This joint’s no secret. We were packed like sardines. We came here to listen to live performances by great local musicians and that we did! No cover at the door, at least the night we went. Fyi, CASH ONLY Bar. I’ve read there’s a one drink minimum but come on, that’s pretty much expected when you hit up a bar, right?
We squeezed our way to the bar, ordered what the locals drank, got lucky with two barstools, and enjoyed the show. The band performing that night played a few tunes we recognized so we sang along, tapped our feet, and swayed the night away. Good Times!

Unlike Bourbon St., there are no outside drinks and you have to buy at least one drink for each set the band plays. Outside of the one obviously drunk guy trying to get everyone to buy him a beer, I think the bartender cut him off, we had a good time listening to the band that played.
They did a set every 45 minutes (15 min. break in between) and they were scheduled for 4 hours. We arrived right before the start of the 3^rd set. We only stayed for the one set. It was getting really crowded and we weren’t feeling it at that point.

Un gran club para escuchar jazz en vivo en Nueva Orleans.
Ubicado en Frenchman street, una de las mejores zonas clubes de la ciudad, justo al lado del French Quarter, es un pequeño local donde cada noche actúan dos o tres bandas locales. La música es bastante auténtica, lejos del «mainstream» comercial de los clubes de Bourbon st.
La entrada es gratuíta pero debes tomar al menos una consumición. Eso sí, se pone hasta arriba cada noche, así que procura no ir muy tarde y disfruta de un poco de Jazz de N. Orleans con una cerveza local en la mano

I loved this place. Great atmosphere, reasonable prices and awesome music. It gets pretty packed so it’s difficult to find a seat, but it is not difficult to get in if you arrive during one of the breaks.

Mein absolutes Highlight ist dieser Jazzclub. Weg von den grölenden Touristen auf der Bourbon konzentriert man sich hier ganz auf Bier und Jazz. zu den zwei Sets am Abend (kein Cover, ein Drink pro Set Minimum) finden sich Darbieter und Liebhaber von Jazz in all seinen Facetten zusammen. Ich war beide Male ganz hingerissen, obwohl ich diese Musikrichtung nicht zu meinen Lieblingsgenres zählen würde. Aber die Stimmung dort reißt einfach mit.