Entry No. 89 — the New Orleans file — filed under: dive-bar
Bar Redux
Bar Redux sits at the downriver end of Poland Avenue, about as far as Bywater goes before the river and the wharf take over. The interior is dominated by a hundred-year-old U-shaped bar — the old Joe Arones bar, brought down from Minneapolis — under a 1936 red neon BAR sign, a Michael Roman mural on the exterior wall and a large King Creole poster keeping watch. The partly covered patio, with seating under trees and a church pew reworked into a Saints bench, converts into the stage and dance floor for the burlesque, stand-up, improv, trivia and touring punk they run most months. WWOZ lists them at 9pm on August 29 with Dirty Rotten Snake In The Grass plus an act billed as Stumps Duh Clown, which describes the booking range more efficiently than any mission statement. The kitchen sends out creole plates and homemade pub food until around 1am.
→ Three more underground music & performance in New Orleans — never the same twice
The story
Bar Redux sits at the downriver end of Poland Avenue, past where Bywater stops being a strip of restaurants and turns into the wharf. The thing the room is built around is a hundred-year-old U-shaped bar — the Joe Arones bar, hauled down from Minneapolis — sitting under low light, with a vintage 1936 red neon BAR sign out front doing the advertising and a mural by the street artist Michael Roman on the exterior wall.
It is run by Janya and Russ Mercado along with Damian Elvis Mercado, and the slogan they picked — come as you are, stay as you like — is more or less enforced. The interior is furnished out of their own collection: music memorabilia, retro pop-culture salvage, a 1990s jukebox with no discernible policy, and a large King Creole poster keeping Elvis in the room. The walls rotate through shows by local painters, most recently Cary Cordier Simms. The partly covered patio is assembled from architectural salvage and original art, with seating under trees and a church pew reduxed into a Saints bench.
That patio is also the venue. It converts into stage and dance floor for the burlesque, stand-up, improv, trivia, dance parties and touring punk they run every month, plus film — the Loup Garou Horror Film Festival and InFringe Fest have both landed here. A recent WWOZ listing put a 9pm bill of Dirty Rotten Snake In The Grass alongside an act billed as Stumps Duh Clown, which describes the booking range more efficiently than a mission statement could. The kitchen sends out creole classics, Caribbean-leaning plates and homemade pub food until around 1am, and in the warmer months there is Sunday brunch from noon to four.
What it's like
Nothing about the approach suggests a venue: you come down residential Poland Avenue to the last corner before the river and there is a red neon sign and a mural. Inside is dim and dense with other people's things; outside is where the night actually happens. Take the patio rather than the U-bar if there is a show — you will hear the act and can still talk between sets, and the Saints bench is better than it sounds. Covers are small and paid at the door in cash, so sort that out before you arrive. Acts start around 9pm and the room is small enough that heckling is a social decision, not an anonymous one. Order off the kitchen near midnight, when it is still running and everyone else has stopped thinking about food.
The move: Ride down to 801 Poland for the 9pm show and take the patio rather than the bar — you'll hear the act and still be able to talk between sets. Order off the kitchen around midnight when it's still going and everyone else has given up on eating.
📍 Before you go Their own tumblr hasn't been touched since 2017, so don't plan off it — check WWOZ's Livewire calendar or call (504) 592-7083 (booking: [email protected]) for what's on. Covers are small and door-paid; bring cash. Kitchen runs to about 1am, and Sunday brunch (noon–4pm) only runs in the warmer months. It's several blocks past the usual Bywater strip at the very end of Poland Ave — plan on a rideshare back rather than a late walk.
- 📍 New Orleans
- 💸 $
- ⚡ Big night
- 🌗 Indoors
Where: 801 Poland Ave, New Orleans, LA 70117
Hours: Added 2026-08-26 — confirm current hours before you go.
⚠ Seasonal or scheduled — always check before you go.
Pair it with
- Euclid Records New Orleans — Half a mile up at 3301 Chartres in the same corner of Bywater — dig through the New Orleans 45s in daylight, then carry the haul down Poland for the 9pm show.
- BJ's Lounge — The other end of Bywater at 4301 Burgundy and the natural second stop: another cash-only corner barroom, but with a CD jukebox and free red beans on Mondays instead of a patio stage.
- Music Box Village — A short ride away on N. Rampart and the deliberate contrast — a lot of artist-built houses you play like instruments, which is the composed version of what Bar Redux does improvised on a patio.
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Good to know
How do I find out what's on? Their site looks abandoned.
It is — the Bar Redux tumblr hasn't been updated since 2017, so don't plan off it. Use WWOZ's Livewire calendar, which carries their listings, or call (504) 592-7083. Booking and general questions go to [email protected].
What does it cost, and do they take cards?
Covers are small and collected at the door, and cash is the safe assumption for the door specifically. Drinks and the kitchen are cheap by New Orleans standards; two people can do a show, dinner and several rounds without it becoming an event.
How do I get there and back?
801 Poland Ave is several blocks past the usual Bywater restaurant strip, at the very end of the street where the wharf takes over. It's an easy ride or bike from the Marigny; walking back late through the dark residential blocks is the part people regret, so plan on a rideshare out.
Is the food any good, and when is it available?
Homemade pub food and creole classics with some Caribbean-leaning plates, running until roughly 1am — unusually late for a kitchen this size. Sunday brunch is noon to 4pm but only in the warmer months, so don't build a January Sunday around it.
Is the patio covered if it rains?
Partly. It's the stage and dance floor as well as the seating, and shows and film screenings there are weather-permitting, so a genuinely wet night can move things indoors around the U-shaped bar — which is atmospheric but much tighter.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: wwoz.org · barredux.tumblr.com
last checked: 2026-08-26