Napoleon House

Just as the best emperors are the deposed ones, the best bars are those that have seen better days. Having opened its doors in 1797, Napoleon House is a particularly attractive example of what Walker Percy termed ‘vital decay.’ By all appearances, its stuccoed walls haven’t received so much as a dab of paint in over two centuries, and the diffuse glow pouring through the open doors and windows in the afternoon draws out the room’s gorgeous patina. The back courtyard is also pleasant, day or night. As an added bonus, the place has a colorful connection to Bonaparte himself: after the emperor was banished to St Helena, a band of loyal New Orleanians reputedly plotted to snatch him and set him up in this building’s 3rd-floor digs. It didn’t happen, but you can easily imagine Napoleon whiling away his last days in this pleasant spot, telling fishing stories about conquering Europe.