The Dungeon — Restaurant in New Orleans

The Dungeon,This will be a very retro review of how THE DUNGEON was in the 1970's. I just graduated high school. And I was looking for a bartender job. Someplace not of the norm. Always going to The Dungeon after midnight and having a key to the private bar and BETTER MUSIC UPSTAIRS. I met the owner an old hippie named Howard Clark. I was upstairs with friends screaming over the GREAT REEL to REEL music. Prez Johnson,a waist length blonde haired manager with a ring of keys bigger than his head, we had talked many nights. I had just graduated high school, but still was 17. IHe knew I wanted a job, and he asked if I would want to work upstairs from midnight until 8:00 am. I said sure. So after ducking to get behind the small bar with only 4 stools, and the reel to reel. They had no ice machine but a hole cut in the floor when I needed ice ,I put a bucket on a nail, and Dickie the downstairs bartender put the ice and I would fill the bin up. There was a smallroom VOID of furniture except in the far left corner an old wicker swing. I was lucky to work up there. I had customers like Lou Reed the New York Dolls, and one night Robert Plant and Jimmy Page had a four way on the floor. Myself, still 17 was blow away!! I saw buts and that was all, I just played as cool as a 17 year old surrounded by 20 somethings could.Three nights the New York Dolls played at a club on Dauphine, for $4.00 and two shows a night for three days. After the second show they came upstairs. We got to know each other. They had a small window that I kept open, which led to a small rickety Tickety balcony. I was standing with Sylvain Sylvain, and David Johansen and the floor of the balcony you could feel the shakiness. But even now so many years gone by, The Dungeon was my favorite and most corrupt able bar. I can still remember the reel to reel that Prez recorded, the song Suffragette City by Bowie, then.....( Prez voice)... GOD GOOD EVENING FOLKS...WELCOME TO THE DUNGEON. ITS A SHAME ABOUT THE UPSTAIRS, BECAUSE IF YOU HAVEN'T BEEN THERE, YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THE SOUL OF THAT...

I spent a week in the french quarter with my partner and the Dungeon was by far the best spot in the whole city. Monday and Tuesday there was a bartender who could work on her people skills. I understand the gimmick of teasing patrons but she just wasn’t very friendly and was turning customers away by how she was speaking to them. She was slurring her words and it made the experience of sitting at the bar kind of disappointing.

The reason we kept coming back was the door man, Kyle. He was kind and helpful and recommended another bar to go to where we could wait till the dungeon opened. He offered me a phone charger when my phone was dying. And returned my medication to me that I lost on the outside patio. Honestly he saved our entire trip by finding it. Anyone else finding it wouldn’t have returned it and Kyle did. If i was a Nola local that would 100% be the spot we would frequent. We were there almost every day of our trip He had us coming back for the live performance on Wednesday and excited to be there.

The jukebox had a pretty good selection of songs. Wednesday we came back and met the bartender Aliah and she was amazing as well. She gave us a run down on the building’s history and how things have changed in the french quarter since she’s lived here. She was super personable. She made me a really yummy drink. Definitely an industry professional and i would come again for just her and Kyle. We asked them for a late night spot to get french fries nearby and helped us get there and back with clear directions. If you’re considering stopping by the dungeon just do it you won’t regret. We will be returning next time we’re...

The Dungeon is kind of funny. It's a must do at least once. It's easy to miss. A narrow medieval door leading through an ally between two buildings, lit by an old gas light. The bar itself is part medieval, part horror movie, part heavy medal. They have monster memorabilia and cobwebs and haunted house kitsch for décor. Lots of dark nooks and crannies. One could expect to find people being "intimate" in these dark spots.

The restrooms are a crowded mess with a typical waiting line. These are halfway disguised as secret passageways behind bookshelves. The drinks are nothing special. Typical just-off Bourbon street booze. Like $5 per plastic Dixie cup of well drink jolly. Loud heavy metal music and the fun part is... The Dungeon. You see there are rules in The Dungeon.

They have a big list posted of rules. Which is hilarious. Everyone is getting drinking and loud music is playing and people yell because you can't hear yourself think in that place but there is no jumping, dancing, yelling or taking photographs in The Dungeon. Just remember that. I went there with a crowd from the Houston Roller Derby and we didn't last more than an hour before we were kicked out in bulk.

So if you're a bunch of want to be biker tourists who want to raise hell in the Dungeon you could get kicked out taking a picture... despite the fact that this place has an atmosphere designed to feel like Frankenstein and the Wolf man hired AC/DC to play...