The cocktail world's attention to tequila and mezcal has done wonders for the margarita scene in New Orleans. The marg is no longer just an icy, fruity tequila version of our beloved daiq, (though there's nothing wrong with that, mind you) but is being played with and reinterpreted all over town. From sweet to savory, to just a simple, well made margarita, here's your guide.
UPDATE: We removed Mizado Latin Kitchen from the list, as it will serve its last margarita on June 4, 2017.
Did we overlook your favorite margarita? Let us know in the comments or by email. Editor's note:This map is arranged by neighborhood.
Hit Arana up for brunch to take advantage of bottomless house margaritas for $15, from 11am - 3pm on Sundays. If you're looking for creative versions on other days of the week, check out the jalapeno-pineapple-cilantro marg or the "El Matador" mezcal margarita. Many of to choose from as well, if that's your poison.
This CBD, elevated taco joint has an entire cocktail menu built around Mexican flavors, so finding the traditional Margarita de la Casa alongside a grapefruit-blue curacao version is no surprise. Tequila purists, be sure to check out the impressive tequila and mezcals, since there are about 50 to choose from. If you're there from 2-6pm, Mon-Fri, you'll get that house margarita for half price... a very sweet (and sour) deal.
El Gato Negro, located in the Quarter near the French Market, Lakeview, and the Warehouse District, takes its tequila seriously, offering flights of various vintages. It also serves a seriously kickass margarita, with traditional versions alongside the signature pineapple cilantro margarita and the Blood of the Devil, which uses a house-infused tequila, cranberry, and lime. If you're going for a baller marg experience, try one of the premium margaritas,which involve super rare tequila, Grand Marnier Cuvee 1800, and the fruit in the drink being squeezed tableside. It's $250.
Hand squeezed lime juice makes Felipe's cocktails a hidden gem. Relatively inexpensive every day, on Wednesday they're especially so, $4 for a marg frozen or on the rocks. Although the house version is heaven in a glass, give the new blueberry thyme margarita a try, made with local blueberries.
From classic to supersized to fruity to frozen, if you're not getting your margarita on here, you ain't doing it right. Try the cooling cucumber, frozen lemon berry, or treat yo'self to a Cadillac. Better yet, make your margarita a "Bootlegger" by adding a shot of moonshine to it, or add a shot of sangria for a "Sandroni."
Settle in on the patio overlooking Magazine Street or the one in the back to enjoy margaritas the way they were meant to be. All the house margaritas are made with fresh squeezed juice. Del Fuego also placed second in the judge's Top Creative Tequila Cocktail at Top Taco 2017 with the Green Lantern (pictured).
Velvet Cactus has a great patio from which to sip delightful margaritas made with freshly squeezed lime juice and cane sugar. Its summer marg menu features cooling combos like watermelon and mint, blood orange and mango, and coconut and mango and habanero. And during the week, happy hour gets ya a large for the price of a small, so that ain't too shabby.
Enjoy a wide variety of margaritas on St. Charles Avenue, with various tequilas and fresh citrus juices. And there are lots of opportunities to get the margs on the cheap - happy hour every day is 2 for 1, and on Wednesdays, all day, the house margaritas are 3 for 1. Note: when faced with the choice to make it a single or a double, you know what to do. If you are counting calories, ask for the skinny margarita. It's really not bad.
Stop by for happy hour any time from 4-7pm and whatever seasonal margarita that is on the menu. Flavors include pomegranate, serrano, and ginger-mint. There is also a second location on Oak Street called La Casita Taqueria. Find equally excellent margaritas there alongside top shelf outdoor dining..
This Freret Street Cuban-Mexican-Central American hole-in-the-wall serves margaritas by the glass or pitcher. You can get them sweet (original, mango, or strawberry) or savory (hints of jalapeno and cilantro). Pro tip: get some complementary queso and chips to accompany your margs.
Check out what Commander's Palace alums Carl Schaubhut and Jean Pierre Guidry are up to with their Latin-Asian fusion restaurant on the Northshore. And try the Tres Couyon margarita, which has just a hint of lemongrass. The bar program was created by Lu Brow, who is pretty much cocktail royalty.
Given Kimberly Patton-Bragg's love of tequila, it's no surprise that there's a delightful margarita variation on the bar menu called the Minor Swing Margarita. It's made with hibiscus/jalepeno tequila, Solerno, lime, grapefruit soda, and a pinch of spiced salt. It can also be found at the new Maple Street location.
If you're looking for a margarita to complement the Bourbon Street experience, this is the place. Despite its location, it's one of only four certified tequila houses in the country. It also placed first in New Orleans' Top Taco Fest, taking home the people's choice award for Creative Tequila Drink with its Fantasma margarita (made with with ghost pepper infused Ghost Tequila, cucumber, Bittermens hopped grapefruit bitters, lemon, and fresh sour mix.) Kick it up a notch with a champagne margaritas or keep it simple with a frozen margarita from one of the machines. Oh, and 100+ tequilas.
It's all in the name at this newcomer located at the edge of the CBD and Warehouse District. House, fruit, premium... order up, on the rocks or frozen. In addition, margs are only $5 Mon-Fri between 3 and 7 pm.
It's a fiesta with Rosa Mezcal's trademark Mezcalrita (made with both tequila and mezcal). The Lower Garden District spot also offers some really interesting margarita flavors like guava and sangria. Another house specialty is the Chingona, made with fresh orange and lemon juices.
Casa Borrega is off the beaten path, but worth a little trip to Central City for the delightfully eclectic New Orleans meats Mexico atmosphere and outdoor seating. The margarita menu includes the Margarita Borrega made with Cimarrón Blanco, Gran Gala, fresh squeezed lime, and dark agave nectar. The standard house version is a solid choice, as is the Cadillac version made with blood orange liqueur.
This tiny joint in Broadmoor was BYO until recently, and now uses its fantastic agua fresca game to liven up its margarita selection. The selection changes seasonally but if they've got watermelon, definitely check it out. This place doesn't really have a bar, but the only thing better than their margaritas here is their food, so sit down and tuck in.
Simple, well made margs at this hidden treasure of a Mexican joint. Available frozen or on the rocks regular style, strawberry, or mango. Get 'er done.
This is a great place for a Mama's or Daddy's Little Helper. Let the kids run wild in the restaurant's backyard (step 1) while enjoying the Daisy Mae, the house marg with Sauza, Grand Marnier, and Cointreau (step 2). Step 3: RELAX.
Hit Arana up for brunch to take advantage of bottomless house margaritas for $15, from 11am - 3pm on Sundays. If you're looking for creative versions on other days of the week, check out the jalapeno-pineapple-cilantro marg or the "El Matador" mezcal margarita. Many of to choose from as well, if that's your poison.
This CBD, elevated taco joint has an entire cocktail menu built around Mexican flavors, so finding the traditional Margarita de la Casa alongside a grapefruit-blue curacao version is no surprise. Tequila purists, be sure to check out the impressive tequila and mezcals, since there are about 50 to choose from. If you're there from 2-6pm, Mon-Fri, you'll get that house margarita for half price... a very sweet (and sour) deal.
El Gato Negro, located in the Quarter near the French Market, Lakeview, and the Warehouse District, takes its tequila seriously, offering flights of various vintages. It also serves a seriously kickass margarita, with traditional versions alongside the signature pineapple cilantro margarita and the Blood of the Devil, which uses a house-infused tequila, cranberry, and lime. If you're going for a baller marg experience, try one of the premium margaritas,which involve super rare tequila, Grand Marnier Cuvee 1800, and the fruit in the drink being squeezed tableside. It's $250.
Hand squeezed lime juice makes Felipe's cocktails a hidden gem. Relatively inexpensive every day, on Wednesday they're especially so, $4 for a marg frozen or on the rocks. Although the house version is heaven in a glass, give the new blueberry thyme margarita a try, made with local blueberries.
From classic to supersized to fruity to frozen, if you're not getting your margarita on here, you ain't doing it right. Try the cooling cucumber, frozen lemon berry, or treat yo'self to a Cadillac. Better yet, make your margarita a "Bootlegger" by adding a shot of moonshine to it, or add a shot of sangria for a "Sandroni."
Settle in on the patio overlooking Magazine Street or the one in the back to enjoy margaritas the way they were meant to be. All the house margaritas are made with fresh squeezed juice. Del Fuego also placed second in the judge's Top Creative Tequila Cocktail at Top Taco 2017 with the Green Lantern (pictured).
Velvet Cactus has a great patio from which to sip delightful margaritas made with freshly squeezed lime juice and cane sugar. Its summer marg menu features cooling combos like watermelon and mint, blood orange and mango, and coconut and mango and habanero. And during the week, happy hour gets ya a large for the price of a small, so that ain't too shabby.
Enjoy a wide variety of margaritas on St. Charles Avenue, with various tequilas and fresh citrus juices. And there are lots of opportunities to get the margs on the cheap - happy hour every day is 2 for 1, and on Wednesdays, all day, the house margaritas are 3 for 1. Note: when faced with the choice to make it a single or a double, you know what to do. If you are counting calories, ask for the skinny margarita. It's really not bad.
Stop by for happy hour any time from 4-7pm and whatever seasonal margarita that is on the menu. Flavors include pomegranate, serrano, and ginger-mint. There is also a second location on Oak Street called La Casita Taqueria. Find equally excellent margaritas there alongside top shelf outdoor dining..
This Freret Street Cuban-Mexican-Central American hole-in-the-wall serves margaritas by the glass or pitcher. You can get them sweet (original, mango, or strawberry) or savory (hints of jalapeno and cilantro). Pro tip: get some complementary queso and chips to accompany your margs.
Check out what Commander's Palace alums Carl Schaubhut and Jean Pierre Guidry are up to with their Latin-Asian fusion restaurant on the Northshore. And try the Tres Couyon margarita, which has just a hint of lemongrass. The bar program was created by Lu Brow, who is pretty much cocktail royalty.
Given Kimberly Patton-Bragg's love of tequila, it's no surprise that there's a delightful margarita variation on the bar menu called the Minor Swing Margarita. It's made with hibiscus/jalepeno tequila, Solerno, lime, grapefruit soda, and a pinch of spiced salt. It can also be found at the new Maple Street location.
If you're looking for a margarita to complement the Bourbon Street experience, this is the place. Despite its location, it's one of only four certified tequila houses in the country. It also placed first in New Orleans' Top Taco Fest, taking home the people's choice award for Creative Tequila Drink with its Fantasma margarita (made with with ghost pepper infused Ghost Tequila, cucumber, Bittermens hopped grapefruit bitters, lemon, and fresh sour mix.) Kick it up a notch with a champagne margaritas or keep it simple with a frozen margarita from one of the machines. Oh, and 100+ tequilas.
It's all in the name at this newcomer located at the edge of the CBD and Warehouse District. House, fruit, premium... order up, on the rocks or frozen. In addition, margs are only $5 Mon-Fri between 3 and 7 pm.
It's a fiesta with Rosa Mezcal's trademark Mezcalrita (made with both tequila and mezcal). The Lower Garden District spot also offers some really interesting margarita flavors like guava and sangria. Another house specialty is the Chingona, made with fresh orange and lemon juices.
Casa Borrega is off the beaten path, but worth a little trip to Central City for the delightfully eclectic New Orleans meats Mexico atmosphere and outdoor seating. The margarita menu includes the Margarita Borrega made with Cimarrón Blanco, Gran Gala, fresh squeezed lime, and dark agave nectar. The standard house version is a solid choice, as is the Cadillac version made with blood orange liqueur.
This tiny joint in Broadmoor was BYO until recently, and now uses its fantastic agua fresca game to liven up its margarita selection. The selection changes seasonally but if they've got watermelon, definitely check it out. This place doesn't really have a bar, but the only thing better than their margaritas here is their food, so sit down and tuck in.
Simple, well made margs at this hidden treasure of a Mexican joint. Available frozen or on the rocks regular style, strawberry, or mango. Get 'er done.
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