Bar UnCommon

Chris left ages ago. Thus the cocktail program no longer exists in any quality. Considering the awkward space there isn’t any reason to come here.

Service nonexistent. If possible I’d give 0 stars but drink ok. Two bartenders and a hand full of customers but totally ignored.

This is a great little bar located within the Renaissance hotel. Yes, it is a hotel bar, but this hotel bar boasts great service, wonderful appetizers and great service. I would recommend grabbing a couple of drinks and some grub at this place prior to making your way to the French Quarter. Try the shrimp beignets or the corn quesadilla, they’re actually quite delicious and a little less fussy than anything on bourbon street.

It’s a lobby bar right? How much can you say?
Well I can share this… If you are staying at the Pere Marquette you must try the specialty cocktails they are delish and not crazy expensive. Now even if your not hungry you must try the sweet potato chips with the blue cheese and chive dip! Holy man they are crispy fresh sweet little bites of heaven! Seriously… All for .99 cent! Huh? Yes that’s not a typo!
Great service too! Cheers!

Delicious food and drinks, great bartender, and HUGE and well-​made cocktails? Definitely a YES! I decided to come here based on the beautiful pictures of the bar and the awesome reviews about the bartender. Bar UnCommon is located inside the Pere Marquette Hotel alongside a well-​known restaurant named MiLa. The food served at this bar is specially made by the chefs of MiLa and you can definitely tell! We ordered the cheese plate (which was delicious!!) and the Creole Flatiron Steak with fries, which was also good. I ordered one of my favorite drinks, the Pimm’s Cup, which was awesome! Not only was it enormous, it also contained many fresh fruits! YUM!
I loved the décor inside the hotel around the bar area. It’s modern, contemporary, and retro! Many great areas for photo ops with friends hehe. The only thing I did not like was that the lighting was a bit bright for my taste, which I did not expect since it was dark in the pictures. Maybe it was just for that one night? I don’t know, but I definitely plan on coming back for that cheese plate and Pimm’s Cup!

I suddenly had a Epiphany!
Let’s try somewhere new in the Downtown area… Did not dance on the bar, this go round, but nonetheless it was totally fun. The interior décor is very Sexy and the City! I felt like Carrie Bradshaw having drinks with my girls: Nikki aka Miranda, Rhonda aka Char, and Joli’ aka Sam!
The bartender was super friendly and welcoming. In my COSMO colored eyes, that’s always plus. The blueberry hill mojito was very good. I think this is the perfect SATC hangout, group date, or 1:1 date spot. Yes, go behind the curtain and MAKE your own VIP section.
The parking is not the greatest in this area but spring is a gorgeous lady. Tis the season for the sling backs and breezy walks.

Kent Westmoreland is one of the finer bartenders I’ve encountered in the 10 years of hitting the craft bar scene across Manhattan, Boston, London, Paris, Prague, Singapore, etc.
Tell him some drinks that you like and don’t like and he’ll make you something you haven’t had before (but that you’ll probably have again)! He’s very precise and incredibly knowledgable: few bartenders could knock out a tricky array of drinks like Frisco, Aviation, Pisco Sour, Vieux Carré and Corpse Reviver #2 without a single misstep. He’ll even give you the recipe for the drinks you like.
The space is quite cool, too — funky urban bohemian with lots of different seating options. Definitely worth a visit!

Hands down my favorite bar in NOLA. I’ve been to NOLA 3 times and have been in 30+ bars and clubs in my time there but none compares.
If food makes restaurants then drinks make bars. The drinks is what sets this place on top. The Ramos Gin Fizz has been truly perfected here. Drink in it’s silky smoothness and enjoy the performance of your bartender as he/​she starts shaking the glass for five minutes to make a froth that emulsifies the gin so that the only flavor you enjoy is vanilla silkiness. Not just my opinion, my friend Carl thought this place was the best as well.
Service. Super nice bartender, very personable and talkative. We did not stay at the renaissance, just dropped by but we noticed him calling most patrons by name when they walked up. Ritz-​Carlton comparable service.
Don’t miss out. Go here if you are in the area. No need to do it at night. They open at 10 am and the best drink — Ramos Ginn Fizz — is certainly morning palatable.

Cool décor :-) Closes too early :-(Go behind the hidden curtain… be your own VIP.

Chris mcmillians wife makes a mean sazerac and pimms cup, she wasn’t there this recent visit this month but the guy that was there made my sAzerac wonderfully and a cucumber drink and a punch with an interesting history… love this place.

What an odd place. The décor is over-​the-​top trendy and shabby chic — calling it a blend of style would be like calling a train wreck a multi-​media art project.
Their clientele that night was a gaggle of hammered redneck contractors. And I really mean hammered and I really mean redneck: think of a caricature of Larry the Cable Guy after a 5^th of crappy bourbon.
And here’s an odd turn… they were playing vintage live Bob Marley shows. I don’t object at all, it was just really out-​of-​place.
Also, get ready to spend $ 15 for a martini. Oh wow, am I in a cool DC lounge? Nope, I’ve got team Realtree sitting across from me in a gaudy velvet chair.
However… if peyote is your thing, I bet this place would visually send you to the moon.

Hidden inside the Renaissance Pere Marquee hotel– well, not so hidden if you are from the area, is Bar UnCommon. During our recent trip to New Orleans for the Tails of the Cocktail, in staying in the hotel, Bar UnCommon became our spot of choice for ‘tying one on’ between events throughout the day. Just as unassuming as the exterior of this hotel calls to you, this bar is much the same thing.
This is not your typical hotel bar. For that matter, its not your typical lounge either. Ultra chic setup with posh couches, mood lighting, and the perfect setting for enjoying a unique cocktail. Sure, its a New Orleans bar, and you can get a traditional sazerac or old fashioned, but you’d be missing out on what Chris McMillan has developed here (he’s kind of a big deal when it comes to bartending). What can be said in 1,000 words, has often been summed up in pictures… so goes the saying or something like that. Anyway, do yourself a favor and check out the pictures tagged to this location and you’ll understand the emphasis on the UN– before COMMON. And if you need to know the reason for COMMON, well, its on Common Street, so that part was kinda easy.

Hello the 1960’s called and they want their bad acid trip back. This interior of this place seems like a venue that belongs more in a Los Angeles or Austin and it doesn’t evoke anything of New Orleans. This aesthetic of this place is just gaudy and painful to the eyes with all the clashing designs.
I’ve stopped in here a few times over the years when going next door to MiLa and while the bartenders often seem to be very good at what they do I’m really more of a beer or wine drinker (MiLa’s bar makes great drinks too). Generally I could care less about cocktails and while they do make some notable cocktails here they also come at a notable price as it is ultimately a hotel bar. Cocktail fans and those who enjoy such über tacky «hip» and «mod» designs like this joint has will probably love this place. It exudes so much hipness here that even hipsters aren’t hip enough to drink here. Granted they do make some very nice looking drinks here but I prefer the comfort of more old school and antique interiors and just a plain whiskey will do me fine if I’m drinking liquor. The drinks here are probably four to even five stars for cocktails but the interior is a solid one star. I’ve never been in this bar when any sort of decent crowd has been present and it seems to close very early by NOLA standards so it really lacks for any type of fun social aspect. If you only want to go drink a fancy cocktail in a hotel type bar that is nearly deserted with a psychedelic interior design then you will love it here.

The Biff and I came here on a pilgrimage to see none other than Chris McMillan, man were we miffed when we saw instead, some broad at the bar. We asked for Mr. McMillan and turns out he has retired from the cocktail industry. It also turned out that that «broad» was in face MRS. McMillan. Awesome. She gave us their home phone number and told us to call anytime.
Now let me tell you MAN does Mrs. McMillan know a thing or two about making mean drinks! I got a milk punch (which actually had milk in it… first time for everything) and the biff had a Pimm’s cup.
MILK PUNCH: Used to a tiny thing, instead I got a giant concoction. I’m not sure if she was humoring me, I wassss dressed to match the douchebag central hoes sitting at the other end of the bar drinking red bull vodkas, but nonetheless, the drink was amazing. I couldn’t stomach all of due to my strange and long standing aversion to milk, but the Biff helped finish.
PIMM’S CUP: Possibly the best Pimm’s cup I’ve had since Christmases in Manchester. Damn well executed. Highly impressed.
Great experience!

A super cool lounge/​bar! The glass bubbles ceiling, the red light, the super comfortable seats…
Service by Kylie was superb. What we had:
The Cucumber Mule — Absolut Citron vodka, Pimm’s No. 1, Reed’s Ginger Brew, English cucumber, freshly squeezed lime — $ 9 — refreshing
Sam Adams Lager — $ 6 — nice and cold
Louisiana Sweet Potato Chips with blue cheese and chive dip — $ 0.99 — this was delicious, very thinly sliced and coated with honey! Can you believe the LOW LOW price?!? Crazy!
We’ll definitely be returning.

I’ll keep it short and sweet… Chris is no longer at Uncommon but Laura his wife is, and the place is still slinging some very good cocktails in what is honestly a really weird space (right off the hotel lobby, and truly it’s far too bright in there). Laura was very sweet and drew up a map of her favorite other bars in the area, and Ian made the best Aviation I’ve ever tasted, along with various others and a custom cocktail combining bourbon and rye into something that tasted like drunk Christmas.
4 stars (loses 1 for the lack of atmosphere)

Inside the Pere Marquette hotel hides an oasis for cocktail fans. It’s a very non-​assuming loungey-​type bar. In fact, while we were there, we had a few groups actually walk up and ask «Is this Bar UnCommon?» because they weren’t quite sure if they had stumbled into the correct place.
Chris was behind the bar and I have truly never met someone who is more knowledgeable about cocktails. There was no stuffy cocktail list, just a man who can take what you like and create something for you. That, to me, is the sign of a true bartender. We had several really delicious drinks — from the Sazerac to the Bramble — and everything was spot on.
We overheard another group asking Chris about his famous Mint Julep — he apparently has won awards for his version — and we insisted that we have one. He tried to steer us in a different direction. «But if yours is the best, we have to try it!» so he obliged and I can now say, if I have tasted the BEST mint julep, they really are not for me! And he knew it. When your bartender is this good, you should trust them.

Bar UnCommon was uncommonly good. Ok, really bad pun, but I wanted to get your attention. So on our most recent trip to New Orleans, we wanted to hit up a few of the bars recommended to us by Bobby Heugel of Anvil and Carlos, the bartender at Mockingbird. Lucky for us, one on our list happened to be in the lobby of the Pere Marquette hotel.
We had a few minutes to kill before heading out for our dinner reservation, so my wife and I each ordered a Pimms Cup. Chris McMillan, the bartender, made the best Pimms Cup that I have had at a bar (I’m partial to the one I made at home, though). The downside? Something like $ 11 apiece. While I know this is the going rate for a bartender of Mr. McMillan’s stature, it still hurts knowing that I could have purchased a whole bottle of Pimms for less than I bought two Pimms Cups.
Upside: The quality of the drink and the cool décor in the lounge area.
Downside: Chris McMillan wasn’t very chatty when I tried to engage him, but he could’ve just been tired. Seemed a bit standoffish. When we walked by the bar later that evening, the vibe was very weird. Not a ton of people and no music playing.
Consensus: I’d go back, but more for a casual afternoon drink than for the night scene. I like my cocktails with a bit more of a groovin’ atmosphere.

I cannot believe that I have waited this long to go to Bar Uncommon! Hidden away in the Pere Marquette (NOT the bar attached to MiLa) is one of the best cocktail bars in the city. The ambiance is really cool– very modern, hip– with a long glass bar, chic yet comfortable bar stools, lounge seating and a long table that is perfect for a big group.
Chris McMillian is an excellent mixologist– there was another couple at the bar that visits New Orleans every few months just have drinks made by him. He specializes in classic cocktails, prepared with fresh ingredients (we learned that the Marriott standard is to use fresh squeezed juices at their bars, which is huge for hotel cocktail programs).
There is no cocktail list– they ask you what your preferences are and make you a drink accordingly. I knew what I wanted, a Clover Club, the drink the Sazerac Bar screwed up last year on my birthday. I thought Bar Uncommon would be able to make it right. I was correct– it was a beautiful pink color and so delicious, I had two. I would have stayed for more, but we had dinner reservations. I look forward to returning soon.

Could have been better! They ran out of Pimms No. 1 and the other bartender was in training! Ouch… but will give her an A for effort and honesty.
However, I did have a very memorable time relaxing with an after dinner drink and enjoyed the funky décor.
There was one confused Bourbon Street type who was downing Bud Light while everyone else enjoyed Sazeracs and Pimms. Which one of these doesn’t belong here?