There is nothing quite as inviting as a neighborhood bar on a New Orleans corner with the doors open wide and R Bar embodies that image in every way. Outdoor seating stretches around the angled front entrance on the point of the building’s corner, all protected by the second floor overhang typical to New Orleans architecture. The space inside is a black & red, deep colored vibe of a place, hanging chandeliers, dim accent lighting all adding to the ambiance of a lounge-like refuge from the New Orleans sun.
As the bar’s web site proudly proclaims, despite the beautiful inn upstairs and the refreshed paint job inside, $2 High Life is still on the menu, along with a pretty extensive selection that can be found on a chalkboard behind the bar. An L-shaped bar commands the back wall of the main room, a series of framed photos (and a rabbit costume head on this reviewer’s last visit) adding a little character. The screen that hangs above the bar always, in my personal experience, features just the right kind of B-movie fare to accentuate the experience (Cheech & Chong on last visit).
The space feels cavernous as New Orleans dive bars go, ample room that feels like an extension of the neighborhood more than a hole in the wall to duck into. Tall tables and stools ring the bar area, the New Orleans-standard video poker machines taking up residency in one corner. A vintage looking “Royal Street Hotel Tap Room” sign is easily the most dive-beautiful piece in the space, again underscoring the duality of this dive bar slash inn.
