The Rusty Nail — Restaurant in New Orleans

In the spirit of full disclosure I have to say I honestly miss the previous bar at this location, the Mermaid (that was a super dive bar nearly on par with Snake'n Jakes for sheer shady dive awesomeness with the addition of cool live music a la Saturn Bar like). They did quite an extensive renovation of this space and it looks all very shiny, new, and Warehouse Districty like now with none of its past dive glory remaining. This is the headquarters of all things associated with the University of Alabama and they have nearly all their local events here. During college game days this place will be at least 99% Alabama folks and a whole lot of them any other time. They do have food here but I've never sampled any of it but it looked like some decent outdoor grill type fare. They have a nice outdoor patio and it is great that they are non-smoking inside. Parking can be very tight and often a pain in the area so I usually try to park farther away and walk a bit to avoid the congestion and crazy parking people do that often block other cars in. So far I've had ok times here but nothing close to the fun I used to have at the...

This place is strange in that it's hiding in plain site when passing it from the main line but a bit elusive when it comes to actually finding the street! Of course once you find it, you keep the secret 😉 It's clearly a bar for the locals. But it's very deceiving from the outside. This place is MUCH bigger than it looks. Their patio seating is quite a decent size in the back and very cozy. They have a unique selection of beers, including international selections along with all the local favorites. Their drinks range from traditional to specialty types using, at times, unique brands of liquor. The bartender spent a full 3 minutes on my drink during rush hour so their attention to detail is on point. Definitely a local favorite. My only complaint was $14 for a takeout size box of COLD crawfish... I don't think so, darlin!!! But if it's not crawfish season, you're good to go. Walking distance from the Saulet apartments. Will...

Ahhh, The Rusty Nail. This unassuming place is what every local’s bar should strive to be. Being here feels like you’re in on a little secret, a rare treasure that the people of New Orleans want to keep all to themselves. I remember celebrating my first week in town at this place and through the years, it’s still the place I go to hideaway on the weekends with my friends. We love The Rusty Nail so much, I’ve even incorporated it into my upcoming wedding!

It’s locally owned and operated, in fact owners David and Zia are two of the kindest, most gracious people I’ve ever met. The recent expansions will include more seating and - the best part - also serving FOOD!!! I guess the secret is out of the bag but that also means more people are discovering what a wonderful gem this place is. If you’ve never been, then I recommend gathering a group of friends, ordering a round of old fashioneds, and heading to the...