This place was so much fun! Cheap pool and cheap but great drinks make for a fun night out! The pink flamingos done in neon are awesome! Hubs and I will be back!
John P.
Place rating: 1 Oviedo, FL
The worst bar I’ve ever been to. They dont accept credit or debit cards. Cash only! Its also super smokey and doesn’t bring in the best crowd. Not to mention the bartender was super drunk and couldn’t even remember to bring me a shot or coke for that matter. I will never go back to this bar.
Pam W.
Place rating: 5 Orlando, FL
Great place to hang out, music on jukebox diverse along with the crowd. I will be back!
Jennifer R.
Place rating: 4 Orlando, FL
Oh, Whiskey Lou’s… how I love and hate thee. Strange spot filled with permanent bar fixtures and newbies alike. This might be the smokiest bar in all of Orlando but the shots are strong and the people watching is prime. You won’t be bored or thirsty, that is for sure!
Matt P.
Place rating: 1 New Haven, CT
Check your ego at the door unless you’re the bartender. I guess? Cool enough vibe for a dive. I couldn’t get either of the bartenders to look at me. I left after fifteen minutes of watching pretty ladies and hipster regulars getting served. First time. Last time.
Carlos R.
Place rating: 3 Miami, FL
I honestly torn about this review… In one hand I have a bar that will make strong/good drinks for a good price, in the other hand there is no way I bring a date to this bar(unless she has a drinking problem she and she happens recommend it). The location is cool tho. Its located by the milk district which is a super hipster cool area away from mainstream downtown Orlando. That being said I would give 5 stars to this place if Im planning to have a strong pregame situation or hit this bar after I realize that I am too obnoxious for other places. Otherwise a strong 3 stars is fair. TIP: bring cash they dont take cards
Rhonda E.
Place rating: 4 Otis, OR
Ridonculously affordable«lounge» w/a quirky fun old school appeal. The larger than life iconic blues brothers on the stage add
Adora B.
Place rating: 1 Orlando, FL
If you are a drunkard, like to be around people who drink and would like to meet a drug dealer, perhaps in the middle of the day, then this is your bar. If you live in Colonialtown and like to drink cheap and strong, you can go to Lou’s and walk home without getting a DUI. Lou’s doesnt have any windows. It has pool tables and mirrors. I have only been here twice and both times I saw some crazy stuff. One time it was the middle of the day(I was on vacation) and a girl got so drunk at like 4 in the afternoon that she fell at the bar. Three guys carried her to the car and drove her home. Everyone at the bar said they knew her and she was talking to them for a bit so I am going to hope that’s the case. The other time some guy started hitting on me when i was with my boyfriend. People here dont really have boundaries or shame. If you like liquor, people pour strong here.
Gordon S.
Place rating: 1 Orlando, FL
Even from the parking lot this place reeks of cigarette butts, cheap booze, and broken dreams.
Pam D.
Place rating: 4 Orlando, FL
retired, pool shooter, juke box buff, native orlandoan, enjoy people watching and minimal interacttion. smoke only problem in 7 or 8 o’clock, later. if this sounds like you then check it out.
Stephanie P.
Place rating: 5 Washington, DC
Whiskey Lou’s ISTHEBESTBARINORLANDO! Not only did they offer strong cheap drinks and silly pictures with Elvis & the Blues Brothers, but ALSOHOLDINGONTOMYCELLPHONE&RETURNINGTOMETODAY! If you haven’t been, you got to go and if it has been a while, go return the good Karma with a visit to Lou’s!
Eric F.
Place rating: 5 Orlando, FL
A man once said, «drinking is a form of suicide where you’re allowed to return to life and begin all over the next day. It’s like killing yourself, and then you’re reborn.» Want to see craggy faced folks doing just that? Want absorb second hand smoke until you might as well have smoked two packs yourself and you have to change clothes before going out in public? Kill yourself nightly at Lou’s, but they only take cash. Be reborn with your hair tinted yellow with nicotine and contacts glued to your eyeballs. There is a money back guaranty on the condom machine. This is my review.
Robert B.
Place rating: 3 Land O Lakes, FL
Good god! What a dive!
Walter S.
Place rating: 4 Orlando, FL
Lou’s, aka Lou’s Lounge, aka Whiskey Lou’s, aka Lou’s Whiskey Lounge. Whatever, this place has become my most patroned bar in recent months. Why? Just like the Stardust Lounge, this place is the closest liquor bar to my stomping grounds. The Lake Eola Heights neighborhood. Another reason? The drinks are dirt cheap. $ 5.50 for a STIFF Vodka Tonic and a Heineken during happy hour? Read it and believe it. You pay that much for a cocktail at any other location in the city. Even beyond the happy hour, you’re still looking at around $ 7.00 bucks. Not bad at all. Why else? It’s a bona fide dive bar. Folks don’t come here to see or be seen. No DJs. No live music. No frills here. Just a diverse, comprehensive jukebox and the murmur of different walks of life carousing, playing pool and passing time on the bar’s arcade games. You come here to drink, relax and bullsh! t the day/night away. ANOTHER reason? It’s right smack dab in the burgeoning Milk District. Get your drink on and stumble over to The Social Chameleon or The Sandwich Bar for some good eatin’. Stopping in for a drink during the day? No problem, you got Arepas and More, Beefy King and the Drunken Monkey within a block! I’ve noticed some reviewers basically declare this place a dump. Really? Maybe if you’re the type to patron Bliss, Vain or Vintage. It’s actually nice on both the outside and inside. The joint is on par with Casey’s or Wally’s. I’ve patroned some REAL hell holes, and Lou’s Lounge isn’t one of them. Sure there’s a questionable mural of an arbitrary tiger lounging seaside on some rocks whilst waves crash and a sparking Mercedes Benz sits pretty on a beach in the foreground. Confused as I am? Fantastic. If you come at night, Lou’s can’t be missed by all it’s neon sign/light glory. If you can’t find parking, you’re more than welcome to park next door where you’ll find Medina’s Grocery(kick ass latin grocery store). The inside décor isn’t bad either. Neon beer signs, red Christmas lights, flat screens with sports/news and a stage decked out with life size stage props of Elvis Presley, flanked by the Blues Brothers in action. What? Yup, perfect for photo ops! Want to blow .50 cents trying to grab a stuffed animal with a weak robotic claw? They got one of those too! The Bartenders have been here for decades and are down to earth folks. Always a pleasure. CASHONLY, but they do have an ATM in the corner. However, despite the not to shabby digs, the clientele can leave more to be desired. The regulars, for the most part are personable, working class folks. At times, depending on when you come in, the atmosphere can be a bit of a downer. But it is what you make of it. Some regulars are ANCIENT. These bar flies look to be in their 70s. They may mutter a few words to you, or take your hand and ask for a dance, but don’t be shaken, they’re harmless teddy bears. You’ll also find pool sharks, hipsters and some occasional yuppies peppered throughout. A couple of potential downsides. The ventilation isn’t great, so when it gets busy on a given night, don’t be surprised if your eyes burn a little from the cigarette smoke. Also, because this is a watering hole where people come to simply drink, you may encounter someone who’s SHELLACKED. I’ve encountered a couple of folks who are not shy to impose your space a little bit talking about WHATEVER is on their mind. But this is pretty rare. Nothing you wouldn’t encounter gallivanting around downtown on the weekend. Check it out if you want to escape with a drink and keep it low key. Come as a novelty even. Hell, you could pencil this joint in for a Pub Crawl too. You can’t go wrong with a dive that shares the same name as the bar where Tyler Durden started the infamous Fight Club.
Gabe M.
Place rating: 4 Saint Louis, MO
One of the best of a few ‘dive bars’ in the downtown Orlando area. I won’t mention the others in this review.(1 is just as smokey). Get a nice stiff drink from a bartender who knows how to pour them. Bring cash as they don’t take cc, OR pay a little extra at their own in-house ATM. If you go, be sure to write a review… There’s always a famous act on stage as well.
Michael P.
Place rating: 3 Orlando, FL
How many times can you visit a dive bar ironically? Once — maybe twice with friends from out of town. Lou’s is worth a stop on a bar crawl, but this isn’t a bar that that I want to spend a lot of time in. And don’t forget, this bar is CASHONLY! Poor bottled beer selection.
Sarah S.
Place rating: 1 Portland, OR
Ew. I had the displeasure of having this be my first 21+ drinking experience. For my birthday I got to be skeezed on and damn near felt up by some guy with a 3 year olds grasp on the English language. His vocabulary obviously didn’t include«No,» «Go away,» or «Leave me alone.» It was definitely an interesting experience, seeing how far one can go in a lifelong quest for better living through libations, but I’d rather kiss Dick Cheney on the lips than spend another cent here.
Michael C.
Place rating: 4 Orlando, FL
Voted second best dive bar this year by Orlando Weekly, Whiskey Lou’s is a whiskey bar first and foremost. Three and a quarter gets you a glass of whiskey and water large enough to put a man down, and if you have two or three, you might just start screaming for an encore from the life-size fiberglass Elvis statue they have on stage. Other than that, I don’t think anything in this bar is from after 1987, from the all wooden walls, the cigarette machine, to the neon signs of Bart and Homer Simpson on the walls. That being said, the bar is surprisingly well kept. While obviously old, nothing is dirty and the liquor selection reminds you of stuff your grandparents kept for«special occasions» They don’t take credit cards, which is something that automatically flags you as a newbie when you whip out an American Express. However, with the recent write up, the regulars are sort of expecting it, as they laugh to see who comes back for a second time.
Annette G.
Place rating: 1 Orlando, FL
A while back some friends and I did a ‘scary bar tour’ and this one topped the list. After a few drinks, some racist skinheads came in and took over the pool tables. Words were exchanged and we made a hasty exit. I’ve never been back.
Jeff O.
Place rating: 4 Orlando, FL
This neon laden venue has a charm unto itself. You can’t miss it as you drive up Bumby Ave. It’s got enough neon and bright colors lighting up the outside façade to qualify as a mini Las Vegas watering hole right in our backyard. There is ample parking. As you enter, be prepared to be stared down! The bar is filled with old timers and booze hounds who seem to never leave. For the most part they seem harmless though. They just haven’t seen many young people lately who’ve been corrupted by a life of whiskey, cigs and divorce. The bar is lit by neon beer signs and Xmas lights. The walls are done up with faux wood paneling, so it has a BBQ Bar/Lodge kind of feel. If you go in with a group, you may have a blast! It’s definitely got a northern feel to it, ala a dive bar in Chicago or maybe Pittsburgh. They have a few video games and pool tables. I recommend it for the experience of some new place, if nothing else.