Fritzel's European Jazz Pub — Restaurant in New Orleans

This bar was the first place my husband and I popped into when we got to Bourbon St. We bought some beers and enjoyed some great jazz music. We went to venture to the rest of Bourbon St to grab some food and then come back to end a great night. It started raining, so we headed back here to wait out the storm with some great music and more drinks. We were in the pub for literally less than a minute when we were harassed by a woman with a tip jar. Everyone in Nola works on tips, but no one else was this aggressive about tipping - not even the guy on the street who sold us our beads. As we were trying to listen to the band playing, a woman came and stood between us and the band and asked for tips. We informed her that we were waiting to tip until we heard the band. She then condescendingly said, and I quote, “Well, you better find a phone or some cash, because when you’re listening to live music you HAVE to tip the band.” As musicians, this absolutely ruined the experience. We didn’t buy the drinks that we intended and gladly opted to walk back to our hotel in the rain rather than stay there. This woman made us not only want to leave the pub but also Bourbon St. all together. I hope that this is not a true reflection of the pub, because the band we saw previously had nothing like this. My husband and I are professional musicians and would immediately fire any member of our team who made the audience feel the way...

My boyfriend, sister, her boyfriend, and I were visiting New Orleans for the first time to celebrate my birthday. On the afternoon of September 4th, we stopped by Bourbon Street to enjoy some live jazz. My boyfriend, who loves jazz music, walked in first, ordered a beer, and paid. I followed behind him, and my sister and her boyfriend came in after and sat at one of the bar stool tables against the wall.

What happened next was shocking. A middle-aged blonde woman who worked behind the bar the bartender with an accent (possibly Russian or Eastern European) told my boyfriend that it was “one drink per person” in order for us to be able to sit. This was confusing and unnecessary, as the bar was completely empty and my boyfriend had already purchased a drink. When he calmly pointed out that no one else was in the bar, she snapped back at him in a very rude and dismissive tone, saying, “What does that mean?” He repeated himself politely, but her behavior only escalated.

Finally, my boyfriend asked for his money back, which she did return but not without throwing it back into his hand in a blatantly disrespectful way.

The customer service here was egregious, unprofessional, and completely unwelcoming. It was a terrible first impression, and I left feeling that her behavior carried prejudice undertones. With an establishment called “European” sadly, I am...

The seating up front is tight, the benches are about as comfortable as you'd expect at first sight, and the community tables are just wide enough for two drinks and an arm to hold them. The drinks are pricey, but about average for Bourbon St. and of much better quality than most of the bars down there. None of that matters, though, once the band starts playing. The five musicians packed onto that little stage, carrying a number of combined years of experience that would be impolite to mention, weave nothing less than magic through the packed house. Hard benches are forgotten, drink prices are suddenly a bargain against the quality of performance to which they've bought your admission. The staff are friendly and quick and wonderfully hospitable. There is a lovely patio in the back with more room to relax, but the band is inside, and that's where you'll want to be. We had a great time and the music; that New Orleans jazz played with the practiced ease and grace that comes with decades of experience... for a little while it made all the worries and troubles of the world fall away, lifting the spirit and giving it license to dance and soar on the melodies that filled the...