Best Bars near Mercedes-Benz Superdome

Regulars were in shock when the old Chuck's Bar closed a while back. Thankfully the Little Bar on Gravier stepped up to the plate. A fab dive bar located on a quiet street less than a mile from the Superdome, Little Bar pours cheap, strong drinks for a mostly local clientele, including plenty of bartenders late nigh. There's a pool table and a slammin' jukebox, but don't come hungry. No chow is served but you can bring something in if you like. You won't confuse this place for the Polo Lounge at the five-star Windsor Court Hotel two blocks away, but Little Bar is a keeper.

You wouldn't guess from the spare exterior, but Bar Tonique has it going on. The Rampart Street lounge, situated on the border of the French Quarter and Treme not far from Armstrong park, offers a large U-shaped bar, some banquette seating and an extensive menu of classic and original cocktails. This isn't your PBR slinging dive. but if it's hand crafted cocktails using fresh ingredients and choice rare liquors you seek, sit a spell. The vibe is more neighborhood than hoity toity, and a daily $5 special that includes retro pours like Moscow Mule and Aviation is featured from noon to 5 pm weekdays.

Fulton Alley in the New Orleans CBD is a fun locally owned destination for bowling, contemporary Southern comfort food and curated craft cocktails. The setting is sleek and urbane, with local art adding eye-popping appeal. Executive chef Mike Nirenberg is behind the contemporary Southern-influenced menu, delivering the likes of pimento cheese on toasted brioche, crispy chicken sliders and raisin bread pudding beignets right to your lane. Cocktails from the team behind Cure bring a hip night of bowling into perfect focus. The bowling lounge recently expanded to include an array of fun games, from darts and foozball to a full on bocce court and oversized chess on the patio. A creative event staff will customize a party package for your group, including everything and anything from bowling and shoes to tasty nibbles and cocktails from the premium bar.

Gordon Biersch is a huge place, with 375 seats and a busy sports bar on Poydras Street in the heart of New Orleans. The outdoor patio is a popular spot, but on game day, it's the five plasmas at the bar that take center stage. This is the local outpost of the California-based chain, which has 35 locations in all. Take a brewery tour for before or after the game if you're a beer fan or pony up for beer samplings offered by the Brew Master and staff. At least five German style beers are made on the premises and the food menu is vast.

Situated in the ground floor of the Energy Center on Poydras, Allegro is game-central for the who dat nation when the Saints are playing at the Dome. Whether you want to grab a burger from the grill and have a few cocktails, get pumped up by with some great music, or have a great pre-game tailgating meal from the buffet, Allegro is wildly popular during home games. Generally open only for lunch and happy hour, Allegro's menu features burger and salads along with specialties like barbecue shrimp, chicken Alfredo and crawfish etoufee. Daily lunch specials are posted on the bistro's Facebook page/

Walk-On's Bistreaux & Bar is located on Poydras Street just four blocks from the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, making it a preeminent spot for pre- and post-game food and drinks. Walk-On's has televisions nearly everywhere, including outside on their 2nd floor terraced balcony. The eats go beyond what you might expect for a sports bar, with a nice array of regional specialties, including gumbo, seafood po-boys, fried catfish and andouille-filled quesadillas. The bar area is a great place to be to watch your favorite team in action. Grab a pitcher of ice cold beer and start the party at this engaging locals' haunt.

Fried frog legs for brunch? absolument if it's a truly French brasserie setting you crave with the emphasis on locally sourced seafood and Southern hospitality. Offering a trendy, convivial atmosphere, top notch service and one of NOLA's most extensive raw bars to boot, Luke is a dream come true for shellfish enthusiasts. If selections like fresh local oysters and littleneck clams don't pique your appetite, choose from a host of other menu items like the local crabmeat omelet or the signature Luke burger. A house speciality, the flamenkuche is always a crowd pleaser, an Alsacien onion and bacon tart fragrant with Emmenthaler cheese. Personable bartenders are always in the house, and the drinks are top shelf.

It's no accident that Manning's at Harrah's is followed by the subtitle Eat Drink Cheer. This is one of the best sports bar/restaurants in New Orleans, a partnership between the casino and former New Orleans Saints quarterback Archie Manning, who spent 12 years playing at the Superdome. The restaurant is heaven for any fan of the Manning family, with all kinds of memorabilia from Archie Manning's playing career, and that of his sons, Peyton and Eli. The sports theme at the 210 seat restaurant is driven home by 30 flat screens always tuned to one game or another. As for the menu, it's an intersection between Mississippi delta and Creole, with specialties like shrimp and grits and local red fish.

Copper Vine is what would happen if a swank wine bar married a craft beer joint. Owned by Brechtel Hospitality Group (BHG), the same company behind Fulton Alley and the Walk Ons franchise up the block, Copper Vine is a gorgeous spot close to the Dome, Smoothie King Center and in the heart of the CBD. If some wine bars can be snooty, this one is a breath of fresh air intent on making wine sipping approachable and fun - smart and spunky somm Lydia Kurkoski is behind the inventive flights curated with care and not a bit of attitude. BHG founder Kyle Brechtel had a vision with Copper Vine, imaging an approachable and inviting place for tasty food and 30 wines on tap. Add in the knock out interior, second floor balcony, communal tables and private dining options, and Copper Vine is sweet indeed. Chef Amy Mehrtens recently joined the team, a seasoned young CIA trained chef that worked most recently as a sous at Commander's Palace. She's already some spectacular dishes to the menu including bacon wrapped dates stuffed with Creole cream cheese and a filet brochette with wild mushrooms and a tangy roasted pepper sauce that's to die for. Don't miss her excellent gulf fish amandine with a champagne cream sauce, brown butter almonds and tobiko - absolute best version of the traditional dish in town. Substantial mains run the gamut from crawfish and andouille gnocchi to shrimp and grits and chicken piccata. The stunning Edwardian building was originally constructed in 1876 as the Maylie's residence and restaurant.