Entry No. 95 — the New Orleans file — filed under: burlesque
The AllWays Lounge & Cabaret
Two small rooms share the corner of St. Claude and Marigny: the Lounge, entered off St. Claude, and the Twilight Room behind it with its own lobby door on Marigny Street — blue, sultry, VIP tables at the front, padded general-admission rows in the middle, a raised lounge at the back. Programming is producer-driven rather than booked by the house, so the room rents out and up to two shows can run in a night, which is why the calendar swings from burlesque to drag to sideshow to a two-night Bertolt Brecht song festival at $30 a head. Gambit named it the city's best place to see both burlesque and drag in 2025, and Ambush voted it the top show club the same year. Penny Arcade called it one of her favorite places in the world, which tells you roughly what register the place operates in. Nothing about a Tuesday here predicts a Friday.
→ Three more after-dark & night-sky spots in New Orleans — never the same twice
The story
The AllWays bills itself as the Pearl of the Marigny, "Charmingly Louche," and operates two rooms out of one corner at 2240 St. Claude. The Lounge takes the front entrance on St. Claude. Behind it is the Twilight Room, which the venue calls a more intimate traditional cabaret space in the rear of its buildings, with its own lobby entrance around the corner on Marigny Street — front VIP tables, general-admission padded rows in the middle, a raised lounge at the back, and a colour scheme the house itself describes as blue and sultry. Up to two shows can run in the Twilight Room in a single night.
The reason a Tuesday here predicts nothing about a Friday is structural. The AllWays rents its rooms to producers rather than booking the house: the published terms have a producer emailing for custom pricing that covers setup and performance time, arranging a light and sound tech through the venue if they want one, supplying their own Responsible Vendor certified door person, and paying extra for a satellite bar. Whoever can fill a room gets the room. In practice that means Betsy Propane's Smoke Show Cabaret every Monday at 7pm, Sunday Swing with the Old Growth Jazz Band at 8pm, Van Ella Bordella's Storyville burlesque, a comedy-and-burlesque night called LEGS, Stormy Daniels doing a One Night Stand in June 2024, and BrechtFest — seven editions deep — running two nights in the Twilight Room with accordion, piano and puppetry from David C. Symons and Harry Mayronne, $30 a ticket, a cut of it to Innocence and Justice Louisiana.
The city has noticed: Gambit named it the best place in New Orleans to see both burlesque and drag in 2025, Ambush voted it the #1 show club the same year, and the performance artist Penny Arcade calls it one of her favourite places in the world. It is 21+ without exception, valid ID or passport at the door.
What it's like
Check the calendar the afternoon of — shows are producer-run and sell out — then note which room your ticket names, because the Lounge and the Twilight Room have different doors on different streets and turning up at the wrong one costs you the opening act. Doors usually open about half an hour before curtain. Eat first: there's a full bar, frozen daiquiris included, and no kitchen. Front VIP tables are close enough that the performer may make you part of the bit; the raised lounge at the back is the seat to take if you'd rather watch. Bring singles. Performers and the DJ are working for tips, and the room's economics run on them.
The move: Check the calendar the afternoon of, buy tickets in advance for the late Twilight Room show, then eat first — the room has a bar, not a kitchen. Get there for doors (usually about 30 minutes before showtime) so you can take the raised lounge at the back rather than the front tables, which is the better seat if you'd rather watch than be part of the act.
📍 Before you go 21+, strictly — valid ID or passport at the door, no exceptions. 2240 St. Claude Ave; the Twilight Room has a separate entrance around the corner on Marigny Street, so check which room your ticket names. The lineup changes nightly and shows sell out, so buy ahead through the calendar page rather than turning up cold. Doors and prices vary by producer — a recent two-night run was $30 with doors at 7:30 and curtain at 8:00. Cash for tips is worth having; performers are working for it. Rideshare in — this stretch of St. Claude is a 10-minute drive from the Quarter and parking is thin.
- 📍 New Orleans
- 💸 $
- ⚡ Low-key
- 🌗 Outdoors
Where: 2240 St. Claude 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
- Siberia — Directly across St. Claude Avenue — WWOZ literally files Siberia as 'across from AllWays Lounge' — so a 7pm cabaret and a 9pm four-band bill is a thirty-second commute.
- Café Istanbul — A block and a half up the same avenue inside the Healing Center, and the same event-by-event logic: nothing happens on unbooked nights, so check both calendars and take whichever is stranger.
- Marigny Opera House — Ten minutes' walk into the Marigny for the opposite register — a deconsecrated German Catholic church with the pews pulled out, running ballet and chamber opera under the original vaulted ceiling.
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Good to know
Which entrance do I use?
Depends on your ticket. The Lounge uses the front door on St. Claude Avenue; the Twilight Room has a separate lobby entrance around the corner on Marigny Street. Both are the same building at 2240 St. Claude, and up to two shows can run in the Twilight Room in one night, so check the room name before you queue.
What does a night cost, and how do I book?
Most shows land in the $20–$30 range — BrechtFest VII was $30 with doors at 7:30 and curtain at 8. Buy through the calendar page on theallwayslounge.net, where hovering a show gives you tickets and details. Some producers sell reserved VIP seating that has included a glass of champagne.
Is there an age limit, and is the venue accessible?
Strictly 21+, valid ID or passport, no exceptions posted. The venue's own homepage bills it as a 21+ accessible venue; for specifics on either room, email the admin address on their contact page before you buy, since the Twilight Room is reached through a separate lobby off Marigny Street.
Is there food?
No kitchen — it's a bar. Eat before you come. Drinks are cheap by New Orleans standards and the frozen daiquiris have a following.
Anything recurring worth planning around?
BrechtFest lands in early February — the seventh ran February 3–4, 2026 in the Twilight Room. Otherwise the fixtures are weekly: Betsy Propane's Smoke Show Cabaret on Mondays at 7, Sunday Swing at 8. Everything else changes nightly.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: Official site · offbeat.com
last checked: 2026-08-26