We had our first experience at Bacchanal Wine last week through our latest #NewinNOLA meet-up. We had the perfect weather to sit outside under the trees, drink wine, eat cheese and meet new people.
photo by Carlie Kollath Wells/New in NOLA
Plus, we got to mark another restaurant off of Eater.com’s list of 38 Essential New Orleans restaurants that we’ve visited.
Hope you are able to join us for our next meet-up and eat-up. Our gatherings are geared toward new residents, but we welcome everyone. We’ll post details soon about our next gathering.
We had several people give us tips before we went to Bacchanal and we learned some more while we were there. If you have more advice, we’re all ears. Leave us a comment.
Tips for getting the most out of Bacchanal Wine:
– Wear whatever you want. Some people dress up for special events. Other people wear extremely casual clothes. It doesn’t matter.
– Arrive before 7 p.m. if you have a group (4+ people) and you don’t want to wait for a table. The restaurant doesn’t take reservations.
– Creep on tables if you are waiting for one. Stake your claim if you want a seat with your friends.
photo by Carlie Kollath Wells/New in NOLA
– Order your cheese and wine in the front store when you walk in. The cheese cooler is on the left as soon as you walk in, as is a small selection of beer and soda. You can’t order food inside – only outside.
– Get a cheese plate if you want a dish you can share & nibble on. You select the cheeses from the cooler and pay for them at the register. Bacchanal then gives you a number and will convert your cheese into a cheese platter with bread, preserves, olives, almonds and cornichons. The cheeses are from St. James Cheese Co., another #NewinNOLA fave.
photo by Carlie Kollath Wells/New in NOLA
– Order a bottle if you plan to have more than two glasses of wine. You can get a bottle for $20 – $25. We paid $8 per glass. We learned on the second round and got a bottle.
– The folks at the register will help you find a bottle that suits your tastes and your wallet. Ask for help.
– You can pay with a credit or debit card in the wine area. Outside is cash only.
– Take your number out back and grab a table.
– Take bug spray if you are a mosquito magnet.
– Order your food (menu) from the outside window. We repeat – it’s cash only if you want food beyond cheese. The dishes are small but tasty.
photo by Carlie Kollath Wells/New in NOLA
– Save a few bucks to put in the band’s tip jar.
– Sit under the trees and lights, listen to the music and enjoy a nice glass of wine. Cheers!
photo by Carlie Kollath Wells/New in NOLA
Bacchanal Wine
600 Poland Avenue (in the Bywater)
Free parking on the street
504-948-9111
Hours:
Open seven days a week from 11 a.m. to midnight.
Food & wine served all day.
Kitchen open from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Stays open until midnight Fridays & Saturdays.
Live music every night.
Some of the #NewinNOLA crew:
photo by Carlie Kollath Wells/New in NOLA
New in NOLA 
Just like to add, food is 7 days a week as is music. And there’s a new craft bar and inside seating for when it’s raining or too hot/cold. It’s located upstairs, steps are to the left as you enter the courtyard. They also have a limited selection of wines by glass or bottle. It’s currently cash only as well. Also there’s a FREE wine tasting on Saturday from 3-5 (or until the wines gone).
We live up the street so we’re there all the time. The tip about arriving before 7 is spot on.
Good to know about the wine tasting. Thank you!! We heard about the craft bar but we didn’t make it upstairs.
And, we couldn’t figure out if we were able to get more bread for our cheese tray. It was busy when we ran out, so we didn’t want to bother the waitstaff. Do you know? We had several chunks of cheese, but no bread. It was a sad thing.
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