#2468 - Big Daddy's, New Orleans - 3/19/2014

Big Daddy's, Marigny, New Orleans

Not to be confused with the identically named, only recently closed strip club with the iconic mannequin legs swinging over Bourbon Street, this Big Daddy's is a relatively placid, unassumingly gay, unapologetically divey bar in the Marigny. It is open 24 hours, many of them with a small, mostly older crowd mixed with young people who swing in when Mimi's across the street is clowded, closed, or just to full of hipsters. But as one article notes, "It's not unusual to find the place nearly empty at 8 p.m. and crowded at 8 a.m."

Both the staff and patrons are friendly, and we chatted with Edgar Riley Jr., who played with Frank Zappa and was most notably the vocalist and keyboardist for 80s metal band Axe. The band toured with acts like KISS, Ozzy, and Judas Priest before breaking up after a tragic auto accident in which one member was badly injured and another killed.

2513 Royal St, New Orleans, LA 70117 - (504) 948-6288
Reviews: nola.com - yelp - gaycities