The Avenue Pub

The Avenue PubThe Avenue Pub
The Avenue PubThe Avenue Pub
Bar, Eatery, Beer-to-go

1732 Saint Charles Ave
New Orleans, Louisiana, 70130-5224
United States

(504) 586-9243 | map
avenuepub.com
PLACE STATS
Average:
4.51
Reviews:
102
Ratings:
186
pDev:
9.31%
View: Place Reviews
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by Boone757:
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Rated by Boone757 from Virginia

4.23/5  rDev -6.2%
vibe: 4.25 | quality: 4.25 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4

Sep 23, 2022
More User Ratings:
Photo of flagmantho
Reviewed by flagmantho from Washington

4.33/5  rDev -4%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.25 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.75
My wife and I had dinner one day at the Avenue Pub while in New Orleans a little while back. We just stumbled upon it while wandering down St. Charles, and boy was I pleased with the find!

They had 41 taps, with lots of local stuff but also German, Belgian, and other interesting beers. Very cozy and welcoming pub atmosphere with a full bar and a couple TVs. Tiffany chandeliers and a little streetcar circling the pub lend a very funky and cozy atmosphere.

The food is excellent: I had a shrimp sandwich, my wife had spicy chicken, and we also tried the boudin balls. Everything was outstanding. The staff were a little brusque, but efficient and nice enough.
Jun 14, 2023
Photo of Redrover
Reviewed by Redrover from Wisconsin

4.4/5  rDev -2.4%
vibe: 4.25 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.25 | selection: 4.5
Fantastic spot right off the St Charles Street car line. We actually walked here from the CBD to take advantage of the great weather. We had to stop to "rehydrate" , so why not stop here??

We entered and were immediately greeted by a friendly bartender and a wall of taps. Fantastic selection of beer that varies by style, brewer, country of origin, etc.

We were there at 10:30 a.m. and there was already a decent crowd. I bet it is a lot of fun later in the day.

TVs were playing Premier League games and some fans were in attendance to watch their teams.

Next time I am in town, I will make this a destination stop and stay for several hours.
Apr 10, 2023
 
Rated: 4.24 by eluvah from New York

Jun 07, 2022
 
Rated: 5 by jordanginsberg from Louisiana

May 22, 2022
 
Rated: 4 by slasich from Pennsylvania

May 16, 2020
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Reviewed by slander from New York

4.4/5  rDev -2.4%
vibe: 4.25 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4.75
As this was to be the New Orleans last hurrah, we might as well double down, am I right? Dropped in, had a beer, and got out. It had been a long day. Returned for a beer or three today, to scribble some, and take in the scene. Surprisingly, Phil was crying about it; even after I reminded him to shut the fuck up. Pa-lease. This is where I want to be. I mean, they’re considered up to snuff enough to be dealt a Zwanze day, I’m thinking that needs to be looked in on when in market…

Old time corner joint out in I don’t know where. We’ll enter in and cop a seat while Phil get his many smokes on. Ancient varnished worn wood straight bar with a lip, dark panel base, & a brass foot rail to the left with 8 of those lightweight loud as shit aluminum chairs & stools. On barback centerish, 43 taps in a row high & low alternating with handwritten labels on generic handles. The drip pan bar below the taps is all crooked & hinky, I presume it to have been hung by someone with one leg longer than the other. Slight swag displayed above the taps; shirts, hats, & coozies, and glassware shelved below on cooler boxes. Tiered booze to both sides with stemware dangling above and more glassware below shelf boxed vertically. A few boards atop saying stuff of no great importance just now. Bottle cooler off to the left in the front corner with all the Lambic love. TV perched above showing a later season episode of ‘Alice’, sorely lacking the sass that only Flo could deliver. And Kitchen space to the right down past the bar.

1’ block red tiled floors up front transitioning to white & gray honeycomb tilings and then small red ones again further to the rear, and a pressed tin ceiling with crown moldings & center spinny fans. Dark vertical wood slat walls with mounted lanterns & stained glass pieces over narrow shuttered windows that look like they could open. Random pieces riddle about; a Founders neon, a Coors Light mirror, a New Castle something or other, a NOLA board, and some press clippings mounted. A large brick pillar sits in the center of the room with a bar counter spur on it below a large framed mirror where one generally sees a reflected image, and framed archways to both sides. Up front, 5 small raised roundies off the bar stooled about and another flatscreen for the looking at. More of the same on the back side albethey 5 shorty tables and a Cantillon Zwanze Day chalkboard drawing on the wall.

Went on walkabout as I do and found a small backyard area with like a ½ dozen tables. And then through the colorful muralled stairwell and upstairs hallway to find a nicely done space across 3 rooms. The main room holds a few tables and access to the wraparound balcony with umbrella’d tables and box planters over the avenue. Into the middle room, an ‘L’ shaped corner ‘service bar’ there (meaning no seating, get your drink and go away). 3 cylinder tap trios on the bar (these 9 beers are in addition to the 43 downstairs) and shelf over shelf behind the bar of bourbon running the wall. Oh, brown liquor, how I love you so. And out the back side to the rear room; a bunch more tables here and the quintessential Cantillon prints (and the nicest bathrooms I’ve ever seen). Probably a dozen tables in all between the 2 rooms.

Draft menu is 4 pages carved out by style. 10 of the 50ish beers, ciders, & meads up are from LA or MS (Parish, NOLA, Great Raft, Gnarly Barley, Tin Roof, Crying Eagle, Southern Prohibition), denoted by being highlighted. I started with a Southern Prohibition Lemon Ice Box Gose, moved to the Freigeist Salzpeicher (Cherry Sour Porter), and then had a Boon Oude Kriek to wind down the night because, yeah. Did I mention the Cantillon Vigneronne, Struise Black Damnation, & Tilquin Quetsche are all on tap upstairs (where they tap the secret cool stuff)? Damn, I’m wanting on that Vigneronne but not for $12 for a 6oz pour (don’t get me wrong. That may very well may be completely reasonable pricing, I’m just not used to having to pay that as I’m, you know, much cooler than you).

And there’s an extensive bottle list. Belgian & Belgian style. Trappist beers. Traditional Lambic, Gueuze, & Krieks. Flanders Reds & Oude Bruins. Sours. Saisons, Biere de Gardes, & Farmhouse. Funk & Brett. Wits, Wheats, & Hefeweizens. German Styles. Fruit, Nut & Spice. IPAs & DIPAs. Stouts & Porters. Barleywines, Wheat Ales, Old Ales, & Strong Ales. Ciders. Wines. Many of these differentiate between chilled & cellared. Jesus! Someone knows what they’re doing here. (Lovely) Orval runs $13 for a freshie. They’ve also got a 2012 for $15.

The beers I had here were in great shape. Wandered around, took in the place. Talked about Zwanze & importer distribution with the folks here, as I tend to do. Old of school and yet, they don’t really have the years in. It smells of the kitchenings throughout and is kind of off-divey, but very goddamn cool. Crybags beware, this is where I’ll be doing my time when in town.
Apr 21, 2020
 
Rated: 4.1 by PhineasMcClintock from Massachusetts

Oct 30, 2018
 
Rated: 4.93 by Mdez from Virginia

Oct 19, 2018
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Reviewed by Knapp85 from Pennsylvania

4.14/5  rDev -8.2%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.25 | service: 3.75 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4
Stopped here because it seemed like every place we had gone to in NOLA mentioned it to us. We made it a point to head over there for some late night food. The building is old for sure, the vibe is kind of dive-y. The service was ok, but didn't really strike up much conversation or anything. The food we had was good. The selection of beers on tap was pretty impressive. All in all it's a cool place but probably a little over hyped in my opinion.
Oct 01, 2018
 
Rated: 4.51 by Rubezahl from Pennsylvania

Jul 30, 2018
 
Rated: 4 by socon67 from New York

Mar 10, 2018
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Reviewed by BalancingBrooms from California

3.94/5  rDev -12.6%
vibe: 3.75 | quality: 3.75 | service: 3.75 | selection: 4.5 | food: 3.75
Ok so i know I'm gonna catch some flack for this one, just know I'm probably the exception. The beer selection is legendary with frequent draft takeovers, rare beers available, cellar lists, and is a location for Zwanze Day. However I'm not a fan of the vibe and service. Its usually very crowded and thus hard to get great service, and it can be super loud with the music blaring and all the people. Seating is kind of limited but not terrible with 2 floors, a balcony, and a patio. Food is decent with the burger being a favorite. I feel that the beers and food are kind of expensive but i get that im paying for the selection.

Overall id recommend you visit The Avenue Pub, its a NOLA classic, and the tap list is usually rocking. Just not my cup of tea most days.
Feb 21, 2018
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Reviewed by Sabtos from Ohio

4.21/5  rDev -6.7%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.25 | service: 3.75 | selection: 5 | food: 3.5
In my lusty search for the best cocktail in the city, I've stupidly ignored this pub for far too long, and I'm pretty sure I paid a dear price for it, considering when I first started coming to the city, Cantillon was far less coveted in the US.

That's not to say that you'll get your hands on any Cantillon outside of special events or secret drops, but the taplist is ever-changing, and the bottle list is massive and wildly impressive compared not only to the rest of the city--which isn't all that hip on beer--but even many other bars in the country.

This is one hell of an old school bar, with 10 or so taps downstairs, and 10 or so more unique taps upstairs. The bottle list is in the hundreds, and almost all of them are otherwise minimally available to the general public outside of here. Some listings can get quite pricey, but it's not called the rare and cellared list for nothing.

They also have a full kitchen offering a ton of filling food options. Service is attentive, even though it mostly requires you to walk up to the bar and place your order. The bartenders are prompt, knowledgeable, and can answer most any question you throw at them. They serve beers in the proper vessels, even going so far as to basket your aged lambics.

Rock-a-bye-baby!
Feb 01, 2018
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Reviewed by Rifugium from North Dakota

3.68/5  rDev -18.4%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 3.75 | service: 3 | selection: 4 | food: 3.5
Time to tick off another bucket list bar. My opinion of the place is kind of all over. As far as atmosphere goes, yeah this place is very nice and right up my alley. The bar is dark and somewhat grungy, the building has old bones and I'm sure the flies on the walls have many stories to tell. The downstairs has a somewhat small bar, seating maybe only 10 people, and there's some table space. Upstairs has an even smaller bar, seemingly catering to the booze drinkers. Then there's the upstairs outside balcony, which is really nice and seemed to be the big draw of the place. My place is at the bar, so that's where I situated myself.

Now they have a lot of tap handles and a big book of beer, but after my first drink, the next 3 beers I tried to order were either not on tap yet, or "not ready yet," which is what I was told and I still don't understand what that meant. It's on the list and in the draught line so...what's not ready? Well eventually I settled for something else, I don't know, maybe it's a scheme to get rid of their older kegs or something. They also have a large list of bottles and cans, including some lambics and "higher end" bottles, but the prices on these just make them impractical. Service was pretty sub-par. The bartender I had was basically in a world of her own, spending about half the time on her smart phone and rarely glancing in my direction. No offer of water, no offer of food, no offer of a free or at least discounted beer to make up for the 3 beers I wanted that were on the list but not on tap...etc. Just standard things that make for great bar service in a simple way. Another guy was slamming stuff around and acting like he was pissed off at the world.

For food, I guess you have to order at the kitchen, I don't know I didn't really understand what's difference between that and ordering from the bartender who's two steps away from the kitchen. But oh well, that's what I did. Menu wasn't huge and the food wasn't tremendous, but it was satisfactory.

I guess one of the biggest draws of this place is that it's open 24 hours, although with the service I experienced on an average night, I can't imagine how surly they must be at 6am. I probably won't ever be in NOLA again in my life, but if I do find myself there, honestly, I'd pass this place over. The vibe is great, and the tap list is maybe sometimes better than others, especially if the menu is updated, but otherwise, I just wasn't feeling it. There are many other places to go in the city, and I just wish I had more time to explore them.
Dec 20, 2017
 
Rated: 4.95 by markartis from New York

Apr 24, 2017
 
Rated: 4.64 by Montanabeerz from Montana

Mar 25, 2017
 
Rated: 4.29 by Dharmelink from Wisconsin

Mar 18, 2017
 
Rated: 4.34 by Toynk from Illinois

Jan 19, 2017
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Reviewed by Taybeh from Minnesota

4.24/5  rDev -6%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 3.75 | selection: 4.5 | food: 3.75
This is just a really cool place with a cool vibe, though the space is kind of chopped up in a way that is a little less than perfect. Selection was great and it wasn't too busy. It was a suprisingly cold January evening and the window panes weren't entirely sealed, though, so...I don't know, character?
Jan 15, 2017
 
Rated: 4.56 by KensWorld from Florida

Dec 16, 2016
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Reviewed by Sludgeman from District of Columbia

4.06/5  rDev -10%
vibe: 4 | quality: 3.75 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5
I've been to New Orleans plenty and I agree with many who say this is the best place to get craft beer in town. A twenty minute walk off the quarter in the lower Garden District. Worth the visit.

Visited on a Monday afternoon as I was on my 4-mile loop of a run. It was slow.

V - A rather small cramped place, worn, low lighting but plenty of windows. All the taps on squeezed into a very small area. 4

Q - Nothing seemed dirty, but I only saw beers poured into shaker pints. 3.75

Ser - Decent, but this is one of those places where being a regular or a local helps (IMO). Friendly, helpful but not pushy. 4

Sel - Plenty of choices, lots of locals, something for everyone, even those looking for something special or slightly rare. 4.5
Dec 07, 2016
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Reviewed by Barnoloid from Illinois

4.57/5  rDev +1.3%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.75
Terrific beer bar in New Orleans, definitely a little out of the craziness of Bourbon St and the French Quarter, which makes this a place worth seeking out. Friendly and knowledgeable staff were able to provide good recommendations on the taplist. About that taplist......just brilliant - a fine selection of local and semi local brews along with some well picked gems from elsewhere. Pretty chilled out for a saturday afternoon. Would go back next time in NOLA without a doubt.
Nov 19, 2016
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Rated by Himself from Massachusetts

4.8/5  rDev +6.4%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.25
Awesome spot!!! Walked there through the rain.... great local and national selection... upstairs has a bar with over 200 whiskies!! Great burger!
Nov 11, 2016
 
Rated: 4.3 by wisegreensoul from Idaho

Oct 16, 2016
 
Rated: 4.59 by Roybert from Texas

Aug 20, 2016
 
Rated: 4.29 by Spreetaper from New York

Jul 31, 2016
 
Rated: 4.33 by cadaugherty from Illinois

May 12, 2016
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Rated by Intlpostman from California

4.43/5  rDev -1.8%
vibe: 4.25 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4
Tremendous tap and bottle selection. Also a huge bourbon and whisky selection.
Apr 11, 2016
 
Rated: 4.83 by spark3148857 from Ohio

Mar 20, 2016
 
Rated: 4.86 by ohearns from Louisiana

Mar 20, 2016
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Reviewed by tobelerone from New Jersey

3.98/5  rDev -11.8%
vibe: 3.75 | quality: 4.25 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4.25
Cool place, weird place. Downstairs is a typical bar with joker poker machines in the back, dark and dingy and a little scuzzy overall. An enormous cockroach almost ran onto my wife's shoulder. Upstairs is a much more sophisticated room with a carefully curated list of excellent and limited beers and an extremely impressive whiskey selection, as well as artfully prepared cocktails. Didn't try any food. Nice upstairs patio for outside drinking with a view of St. Charles and the passing streetcars (and drunkards).

Found the bartenders to b e a bit cold in the hipster mold, which seems to be the natural state in NOLA if you're not in a Bourbon st. shitshow bar. I guess people assume you're another frat boy or bridesmaid's party automatically since that is what they see the majority of the time. Still not a fan of the aloof service, particularly when ordering some rare berliner or top shelf single malt. It felt like the bartender would quickly warm up to you if you were a regular but I didn't have time for the thaw. If I lived nearby I'd be in here all the time though. I liked the fact that they had 10 and 16oz pour options so I could try a few different things as well.
Mar 08, 2016
 
Rated: 3.98 by kingjohnh from New Mexico

Feb 27, 2016
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Reviewed by Kevinpitts from Illinois

4.6/5  rDev +2%
vibe: 4 | quality: 5 | service: 4 | selection: 5
One if the best bars I've ever been in. Beer selection is incredible. Bartenders were very knowledgeable and serve beers at proper temperature. Best bar in New Orleans area for beer for sure.
Jan 29, 2016
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Reviewed by senglish7 from Mississippi

4.93/5  rDev +9.3%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 4.75 | selection: 5
Best beer bar in Louisiana and perhaps the entire southeast. Knowledgeable staff. Great ambience. Selection is absolutely killer. I want to go back for more!!
Jan 25, 2016
 
Rated: 4.25 by jschott75 from Illinois

Dec 22, 2015
 
Rated: 4.5 by BMMillsy from Florida

Dec 04, 2015
 
Rated: 4.54 by Piglet_rulz_da_yard from California

Nov 03, 2015
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Reviewed by teromous from Virginia

4.9/5  rDev +8.6%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | food: 4
The place has a great selection of beers on tap and a large bottle selection. The beer menu is well organized and it even lists whether a bottle is kept chilled or if it is at cellar temperature. Beer is served in proper glassware by knowledgeable and friendly staff. I was impressed to see beers from Drie Fonteinen and others on the list. The food selection is pretty small but what you can get is tasty. It's the type of place you could just sit and hang out for hours at a time enjoying good beer and lose track of the time. It's also the type of place you could keep coming back to and always try something new.
Oct 18, 2015
 
Rated: 4.48 by Ajlvt from Washington

Sep 01, 2015
The Avenue Pub in New Orleans, LA
Place rating: 4.51 out of 5 with 186 ratings