Neon lights, over-the-top decor, and a large, vibrant bar await at Mucho Mas, Oak Street’s new Mexican restaurant and lounge. Mashups like barbecue birria tacos and Mexican ramen as well regional Mexican dishes like carne asada tasajo and snapper a la talla are complemented by extravagant house cocktails and tableside pitchers of margaritas served with a ladle to share. Never tried a cantarito? Do it here, made with the oh-so-trendy Clase Azul — or order a whole bottle.

This new rooftop lounge in Old Metairie boasts big-name businessmen backers and an open-air rooftop — the area’s only rooftop, apparently. A menu from chef Chris Wilson (who previously cooked at Emeril’s Restaurant) is a major draw, but the bar, along with its ample wine, beer, and cocktail selections, is central given iits rooftop setting. It’s a good place to watch a Saints game, and the bar stays open until midnight on Friday and Saturday.

At new restaurant Hungry Eyes, drinks play a central role, from classic martinis to inventive cocktails to fresh wines. It’s an ’80s-themed spot from the Turkey and the Wolf Team, headed up by acclaimed chef Mason Hereford, and is the group’s first foray into dinner and drinks. They call the menu “drinking food,” built to compliment offerings like an espresso martini on tap, a pandan old-fashioned made with rum and bourbon, and an Ube Baby Baby made with coconut, pineapple, and rum. It doesn’t take reservations, so expect a bit of a wait, but it can be spent next door at Second Vine Wine. Sitting at the bar makes for a particularly enjoyable experience.

The new bar taking up residency at the Selina hotel downtown is Odd Birds, an expansion of a St. Augustine, Florida bar. The small, downstairs bar formerly known as Pisco Bar remains, now complemented by an arepa bar, a brilliant idea. The rooftop has a fresh new look, with a rum and mezcal-focused cocktail menu.

The former lauded craft cocktail destination Victory Bar is now a 100 percent woman-owned cocktail lounge, Baroness on Baronne (or the Baroness for short). With WDSU news anchor Camille Whitworth at the helm, there’s new, romantic decor, moody lighting, and a menu stacked with fresh, creative house cocktails, well-done classics, and even a specialty shot, the Gas Masque, with Chartreuse and Stroh rum and lit on fire.

The bar at Couvant is just beautiful, worth a visit to experience even for just one drink. The restaurant in the Eliza Jane Hotel, which returned in Spring 2022 after closing for two years straight, shines with its cocktail menu focused on lighter spirits, cordials from generational distillers, and classic techniques. Six house cocktails created by Couvant staff are rotated monthly but might include unexpected combinations like an absinthe margarita — for fall and winter, there are four warm seasonal cocktails.

American Townhouse is a new queer-owned bar and restaurant set in a renovated 1857 Greek Revival townhouse across from Armstrong Park. The bar is part of the Rampart street renaissance, home to a classic French Quarter courtyard and first-rate craft cocktails, not to mention first-rate bar food. Go for the Friday $5 martini happy hour and stay for the loaded waffle fries and kale caesar.

The Will and the Way is technically a revamp — the space was previously home to Longway Tavern before the restaurant group behind it, LeBlanc + Smith, decided to rethink the concept amid the pandemic. In addition to shifting the focus to wine and cocktails, the group has redone the inside to expand the centerpiece L-shaped bar, add texture and moody colors, and create additional “nooks and crannies,” for patrons to post up in. The beautiful courtyard remains a draw, and the new food and bar programs are backed by serious talent.

It’s not exactly a rooftop bar, because it’s just inside, but the floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the river sure feel top of the world. Observatory 11 at the Westin manages to be more than a convention hotel bar, thanks to the swank setting and the live music that gives it a true New Orleans sense of place.

A new springtime cocktail menu is enough to warrant a revisit, or a first-time visit, to Donald Link’s Four Seasons Hotel restaurant, just a little over a year old. Designed to complement a food menu drawn from Link’s travels tracing the roots and pathways of Creole cuisine through the Caribbean and Europe, the new drinks menu leans heavily on refreshing aperitifs, low-ABV cocktails, and European-style concoctions. Try a Parisian Cobbler made with Lillet, cassis, citrus, elderflower, and local strawberries, best enjoyed in the restaurant’s Purple Grackle lounge.

The recently reopened Frenchmen Hotel has a new bar to offer a respite from Frenchmen Street chaos, a tropical, tiki-themed spot that extends to the hotel’s rooftop. Walk through a cool clock-lined carriageway to find a funky backyard bar and sample extravagant drinks like a Parakeet: rum, Velvet Falernum, Le Verger Liqueur, lime, tiki spice syrup, and egg white. There’s also a show-stopping volcano bowl, the Mount Pelee, a few frozen options, and a few intricate non-alcoholic cocktails.