Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop

Doesn't Recommend

zacharyh

Joined 6 years ago

Destroy the Jukebox!!. I'm sure this place was magical at some point, but now it's really as obvious and conventional as any other schmo bar. Mainly this is due to the horrendous jukebox that now occupies the main room. I kid you not, I heard selections from Candlebox, Ugly Kid Joe, and Puddle of Mudd. This drowns out the piano player, who is now sequestered in the back room, and it creates the feeling of "bad Frat bar." Added to this is the fact that they lie about the history of the place. It has clearly been renovated, with careful attention to making it "appear" old, yet everyone, including local tour guides, keep peddling the myth that this is the original real deal. My advice for the owners - ditch the jukebox and let the place get nice and ugly again.

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adwgeo

Joined 6 years ago

Best bar atmosphere,. bar none. Dimly lit, beer tastes better, piano crowd in the back, forget the outside world. Hey, is that Aragorn sitting over there in the corner?

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bone_daddy

Joined 7 years ago

270 odd years and the people are still the best!. If you don't dig this as one of the finest local bars in any city in America you just don't know how to enjoy yourself! Bone Daddy spent a few days there in August '06 as part of a cross country trip. N.O. is the best and Lafitte's was the high point. "Attorneys at the round table" near the fireplace were the friendliest ambassadors N.O. has to offer. Locals make you feel like a local. Bartender was attentive and friendly. Drinks were never empty and price was very fair. Dark smokey Piano bar in back was as amiable and sinister as you'd expect. Easy, easy place to kick back and enjoy bein' alive (if you are).

If this place doesn't do it for you....you're deader than Bone Daddy........be nice or leave.

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jimmyk64

Joined 11 years ago

No Local Color Here. What a disappointment. Lafitte's is billed all over the 'net and in the press as a destination for a romantic interlude. We gave this bar two chances on our recent visit to NO, it failed the romance test both times. I don't know what's happened to this hideaway in the past year, but it's become little more than a tourist trap in my eyes.

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Contributor

Joined 10 years ago

Piano music and a nod to history in a cozy setting.. The Scene
Legend has it that the pirate brothers Jean and Pierre Lafitte used this location as a blacksmith shop, which served as a front for more lucrative, extra-legal pursuits (including the trafficking of slaves). It's also rumored to be the oldest building still standing in the entire Mississippi Valley. Since the '40s, however, it's served as a watering hole for locals, tourists and celebrities such as Tennessee Williams.

The Draw
Sparsely decorated and lit--just barely--by candles, Lafitte's is a small, dark and cozy cavern, a place where many local nightcrawlers like to wind up an evening of bar hopping. Traces of its old identity remain, most notably in the form of the central fireplace. It also has something of a reputation as a place where locals lose their inhibitions; many a late-night hookup has occurred between these historic walls.

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sjwukc

Joined 10 years ago

Excellent. Great place -- one of the must visit bars in NO. Fantastic atmosphere and good drinks. Worth the price.

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mary_mutschler

Joined 10 years ago

Cool Place!!. Great little place to hang and have a drink!! It seems different at night only because its so dark but its cool night or day! You gotta stop in for a hurricane, they are really good there.

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psychocatman

Joined 11 years ago

I Recommend It To Everyone. Being from Louisiana, I go to New Orleans at least once a year. I always wanted to stop at Lafitte's every time I went and finally worked up the courage this year. It was the best decision I had made in a long time. No wonder it was named the "Most Romantic Bar" in New Orleans. I won't tell you more because you have to experience it yourself. ENJOY!