Entry No. 34 — the New Orleans file — filed under: speakeasy-bar
Beachbum Berry's Latitude 29
Tucked into the lobby of the Bienville House Hotel, this is the personal bar of Jeff "Beachbum" Berry, the cocktail historian who spent decades reverse-engineering lost mid-century tiki recipes from defunct Polynesian restaurants. Drinks arrive in custom ceramic mugs, and the menu resurrects formulas like the Three Dots and a Dash that had been scattered or destroyed. It opened in 2014 and remains one of the most serious tiki programs in the country.
The story
Walk past the front desk inside the Bienville House Hotel on North Peters Street, and you'll step into the operational base of Jeff "Beachbum" Berry. Before Berry came along, mid-century tiki cocktails were functionally extinct—ruined by decades of neon food coloring, pre-made sour mix, and lost notebooks. Berry spent years acting as a cocktail detective, hunting down retired 1930s bartenders, digging through estate sales, and reverse-engineering secret coded recipes from defunct Polynesian temples like Don the Beachcomber and Trader Vic's.
In 2014, he finally opened Latitude 29 as a living laboratory for those lost formulas. What you get here isn't a theme-park gimmick—you didn't hear it from us, but most 'tropical' bars are just serving syrup and vodka. Here, formulas like Three Dots and a Dash are resurrected with surgical precision, served in custom ceramic mugs, and backed by decades of actual archival research. It remains one of the most uncompromising drink programs in the country.
What it's like
The room sits tucked into the hotel lobby, striking a line between mid-century tropical lounge and low-lit French Quarter hideaway. You'll find serious cocktail geeks inspecting the drinkware sitting right next to hotel guests who wandered in for a quick bite. If you want to drop in without a reservation, arrive right when they open in the late afternoon to snag a stool at the bar, order two distinct archive drinks, and pair them with a pupu platter.
The move: Order two different reconstructed-from-the-archives tiki drinks in carved ceramic mugs and split the pupu platter while you compare which lost recipe tastes more like time travel.
- 📍 French Quarter
- 💸 $$
- ⚡ Up for anything
- 🌗 Indoors
Where: 321 N Peters St, New Orleans, LA 70130
Hours: Added 2026-06-22 — confirm current hours before you go.
Pair it with
- The Sazerac House — Follow up Jeff Berry's tiki revival research with a short walk to this three-story museum dedicated to New Orleans' indigenous cocktail history.
- Manolito — Trade mid-century Polynesian rum alchemy for meticulously blended Cuban daiquiris at this narrow French Quarter townhouse bar.
- Cane & Table — Continue your rum exploration further down Decatur Street in a candlelit Old Havana-style space focused on proto-tiki rum culture.
Good to know
Where inside the hotel is Latitude 29 located?
It is tucked right into the lobby level of the historic Bienville House Hotel at 321 N Peters Street.
What makes the cocktail program special?
Owner Jeff 'Beachbum' Berry spent decades researching and reverse-engineering lost mid-century tiki recipes from defunct Polynesian restaurants, recreating them here with exact historical accuracy.
Does the bar serve food?
Yes, it operates as a full-service restaurant and bar, serving food options like pupu platters alongside its cocktail menu.
Do I need a reservation?
It gets busy in the evenings, so making a reservation online or stopping by early when they open is recommended.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: Official site · theworlds50best.com · bienvillehouse.com · Yelp · Reddit
last checked: 2026-06-22