America has a storied tradition in mining the intersection between drinking and doing laundry. This reviewer has visited a handful of laundromats crossed with dive bars, an amazingly cyclical business model that makes waiting for a dryer to free up both profitable and enjoyable. Igor’s is the New Orleans entry in the genre, a line of washers and dryers taking up the rear of the space, just off the pool tables.
Inside, the space is bathed in red light, from the hanging shades above the bar to the Budweiser signs that dot the walls. A small sitting area holds down the area just inside the front door, a collection of short tables under a license plate display. The immediate eye grabber is perhaps the nicest video poker setup among New Orleans dive bars, a ritzy, lit-up, mirrored platform with three machines under a tinsel and neon-infused indoor awning.
The gambling alcove sits opposite the bar that runs about half the length of the long interior footprint, winding from the front door to a small flat top used to crank out a handful of food items. Divided into mirrored sections, the bar itself is an impressive specimen, punctuated by a carved wooden mermaid emerging from one of the junctures between sections. As the space transforms from dive bar into gameroom, a set of pool tables can be found in back, one downstairs and one up a flight, flanking the dive bar’s bathrooms.
