Entry No. 97 — the New Orleans file — filed under: dive-bar
BJ's Lounge
A corner barroom at the residential end of Bywater where the stage is barely a riser and the CD jukebox — still a CD jukebox — is stocked deep enough with New Orleans R&B that regulars will genuinely argue with you over it. A toy racecar hangs above the pool table, a deer head watches the door, and the room is rated for about 75 people, a number that a good Monday treats as a suggestion. Monday is the red beans night: free beans, a band at 9 or 10, and for years that band was King James and the Special Men — the slot rotates more now (Washboard Chaz and Jonathan Freilich took a recent one), so check who's actually playing before you build the night around it. Cash only, doors from the early afternoon, and it runs until 4am.
→ Three more underground music & performance in New Orleans — never the same twice
The story
The Bywater started life in the early 1800s as Faubourg Washington and only took its current name in the 1940s, borrowed from the local telephone exchange, and the corner barroom is the neighbourhood's oldest surviving unit of social infrastructure. BJ's occupies one at Burgundy and Bartholomew, past the point where the restaurants give out and the shotgun houses take over. It traded as George's before it was BJ's. It is cash only, it holds about 75 people, and there is no ATM inside.
The decoration is cumulative rather than designed: a wall of snapshots of regulars, a toy racecar suspended over the pool table, a mounted deer head next to a glossy portrait of Fats Domino, and a CD jukebox — an actual disc-loading jukebox — stocked deep enough in New Orleans R&B that feeding it is a public act with consequences. The stage is a low riser in the corner, big enough for a four-piece if nobody swings an elbow.
Monday is the anchor. The night runs under the name Red Beans & Blues, the beans are free, and the band goes on around 9 — King James and the Special Men held the slot for years, and WWOZ currently lists Washboard Chaz and Jonathan Freilich on it, so check before you plan around a specific name. Little Freddie King, the McComb-born bluesman who moved here at 14 in 1954 and is a cousin of Lightnin' Hopkins, plays the corner stage often enough that OffBeat put his 82nd birthday party here in July 2022. The other six nights are genuinely open: brass band on a Thursday, two metal acts on a Saturday, country the week after.
What it's like
You walk in off a dark residential block into a small bright room that is already loud. Nobody checks a list; you order at the bar, in cash, and the drinks are cheap enough that a round barely registers. On a Monday get there by 9 if you want a bowl of beans and a stool — the beans are put out, not served, and they go. There is no stage door and no separation between band and room, so the front row is whoever is standing there, and the drummer's cymbal is roughly at eye level. Feed the jukebox between sets and expect a regular to have an opinion about your choice. Tip the band; the tip bucket is the fee. It stays open to 4am and the last hour is the good one.
The move: Go on a Monday. Hit an ATM before you walk over, be there by 9 for a bowl of free red beans and rice, claim the corner of the bar nearest the jukebox and feed it while the band sets up — two of you will have spent about thirty dollars by the time the last set ends.
📍 Before you go Cash only, and there's no ATM inside — sort that out on St. Claude first. Roughly a 12-minute walk from the Bywater restaurant strip through dark residential blocks, so walk it together or take a car. Listed hours are about 1pm to 4am daily; (504) 945-9256. Capacity is around 75, so a busy Monday means standing and shouting. Music typically starts 9-10pm.
- 📍 New Orleans
- 💸 $
- ⚡ Big night
- 🌗 Indoors
Where: 4301 Burgundy St, 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
- Music Box Village — Three blocks away on N. Rampart and the exact inverse of BJ's — you play the architecture there in daylight, then walk over and let somebody else play at you.
- Euclid Records New Orleans — The Bywater record shop with the deep local 45s bin: hear the R&B on the jukebox at BJ's, then go buy the original pressing on Chartres Street the next afternoon.
- Melba's Old School Poboys — Open 24 hours at Elysian Fields and Claiborne, which is the answer to a 3am exit from a cash-only bar that only feeds you on Mondays.
More weird in New Orleans
Good to know
Do I really need cash?
Yes. BJ's is cash only and there is no machine inside. Draw what you need on St. Claude Avenue before you walk over — it is a bar tab, a band tip and a few dollars for the jukebox, so budget accordingly.
How do I get there, and is the walk fine?
4301 Burgundy Street, about a 12-minute walk from the Bywater restaurant strip through unlit residential blocks. It is a normal neighbourhood, but the blocks are dark and empty — walk it with someone or take a car. Street parking is usually easy.
Is there a cover, and when does the music start?
Bands generally start between 9 and 10pm and play for tips rather than a ticket. Doors are listed from about 1pm daily and it runs to 4am. Check WWOZ's Livewire calendar the day of; the schedule is booked short and changes.
Is there food?
Only on Mondays, when the Red Beans & Blues night puts out free red beans and rice before the band goes on. Every other night, eat first — Bywater and Marigny both have options within a short walk or drive.
How crowded does it get?
The room is rated for around 75 people and a good Monday treats that as aspirational. If you want to sit rather than stand and shout, arrive before 9. Call (504) 945-9256 if you need to confirm hours.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: localgroove.live · welcometonola.com · wwoz.org
last checked: 2026-08-26