An influential Freret Street cocktail bar with a serious drinks program, courtyard seating, and food—best treated as a bar destination rather than fine dining.
Why It Belongs on the List
Cure is the cocktail bar that earned New Orleans recognition as America's most important cocktail city in the modern era — a James Beard Award winner for Outstanding Bar Program on Freret Street in Uptown, with a deep spirits library, award-winning bartenders, and cocktails that reference the city's remarkable drinking history while pushing the craft forward. The space is handsome and serious without being pretentious. The spirits library is particularly strong on American whiskey and amaro. For visitors who want to understand why New Orleans is the cocktail capital of America, Cure is the essential stop.
What Stands Out
- James Beard Award: Outstanding Bar Program
- Deep spirits library with emphasis on American whiskey and amaro
- Cocktails referencing New Orleans' remarkable drinking history
- The best cocktail bar in America's most important cocktail city
- Freret Street Uptown location — a neighborhood bar with national ambitions