Great game-day bars in New Orleans

With so many major sporting events in New Orleans on the schedule, foam fan fingers might just replace beads as the accessory of choice in New Orleans. For a little while, at least. The BCS National Championship game and the Allstate Sugar Bowl in January 2012, and the NCAA Men’s Final Four in March 2012 are all heavy-hitters, but these games are mere warm-ups for the mother of all events, Superbowl XLVII in 2013.

Nothing compares to a seat in the Superdome, but if you’re ticketless and looking for a place to hang, these New Orleans bars offer atmosphere for all types of fans. They’re also great places to stage a final bar victory lap.

GAME-DAY BARS IN THE FRENCH QUARTER

Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop offers historic New Orleans architecture paired with Bourbon Street ambiance for watching the game.

Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop (941 Bourbon St., (504) 593-9761)
As the oldest continuously operating bar in America, Jean Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop honors its 18th century origins by eschewing harsh electric lights in favor of the warm, Old World glow of dozens of candles throughout the bar. Of course, you don’t make it almost 300 years without knowing when it’s time to install a couple of flat-screens. If your team is losing, order the bar’s infamous “purple drink” to numb the pain.

Pat O’Brien’s (718 Saint Peter St., (504) 525-4823)
The extensive backyard in this New Orleans landmark means that you’re never too far from a bar. No matter how much space they have, though, it still manages to fill up: if you’re looking for a quiet spot, Pat O’s isn’t the place for you. Otherwise, grab a Hurricane and join the party – the bar/restaurant broadcasts the game on big-screen televisions in its Bourbon Bar, the main bar, and sets up three additional TVs in the patio bar area. Bonus: Free hot dogs and drink specials an hour before and an hour after the game.

Vacherie Bar (827 Toulouse St.) A small, homey room far enough outside the main event on Bourbon Street, the bar inside Vacherie at the Hotel St. Marie offers a little piece of quiet in the French Quarter. Watch the game on the bar’s television and enjoy good drinks, good company, and a bartender who will notice when you walk in and when your drink is low. Don’t miss the bar’s Bloody Mary spiked with house-made pickled green beans and baby carrots.

UPSCALE GAME-DAY BARS

Vitascope Hall (610 Loyola Ave.) Located inside the newly renovated and re-opened Hyatt Regency New Orleans hotel, Vitascope Hall is wallpapered with 25 flat-screen televisions. An upscale bar menu and Creole appetizers compliment the resurgent Saints. Named after the first permanent movie theater in New Orleans, the country and the world, Vitascope Hall does its best to honor the tradition of innovation by having a fully interactive entertainment system that patrons can control with their mobile devices. We recommend leaving the game on, though.

Looking for a sophisticated atmosphere to watch the game? Head to Morton's 12:21 Bar.

Morton’s The Steakhouse at Canal Place (365 Canal St., (504) 566-0221) Morton’s 12:21 bar opens at 4 p.m. on game days, and we have it on good authority that the restaurant is the best post-game place to bank on running into a Saint outside the Vatican and the Superdome. A classic Mahogany interior and solid wine selection make this a good place to go watch the business elite of the city scream themselves red over bad calls. To catch a noon game, head to the Green Bar at the Westin New Orleans Canal Place (100 Rue Iberville, (504) 566-7006).

WHERE THE LOCALS GO ON GAMEDAY

Watch the game and tap into the Bulldog Uptown's extensive beer selection.

The Bulldog (3236 Magazine St., (504) 891-1516)
A beautiful courtyard fenced in by wrought iron, an outdoor TV and an extensive beer selection make The Bulldog a great place to relax and watch Cheeseheads freeze their cheese off while it’s still 65 degrees in New Orleans. Later in the season, great burgers and waffle fries make for a classic, bar’s bar feel on the inside as well.

Cooter Brown’s (509 South Carrollton Ave., (504) 866-9104)
A mecca of sports-viewership, Cooter Brown’s makes everyone’s list of best sports bars in New Orleans – the kind of place any football town would be proud to call their own. With 40 beers on tap, 17 flat screens, two 8-foot drop-down screens, pool, a budget bar menu, Cooter Brown’s has everything a sports fan needs, plus an oddball decor that includes moldings of people like Vincent Van Gogh, Roy Orbison and Bob Marley on the walls. A close location to Tulane ensures things will be appropriately rowdy on game day.