Tracey's Original Irish Channel Bar. New Orleans, LA.

3226 Magazine Street #45

Guinness Tag: $6.00 | Overall Rating: 4.65

The place used to be a few blocks down the street with a great reputation, but as of recent they re-located to a new property on Magazine Street and it's nowhere close to the "good ol' days." It's not so original anymore and if you ask me, they should re-name it "Tracey's New Irish Channel Sports Bar." There's really nothing Irish about it and there's essentially zero patina anywhere you look.

They've been on the Food Network twice for their Roast Beef Po'Boy, however, from the people that I've talked to; Parasol's seems to be the local favorite on the sandwich. You always have to remember that the Food Network doesn't always pick the best spots; they pick what's most convenient for their ratings. Who are you going to listen to more? Food Network marketing squad? Or the people on the streetcar, the local industry folks, and those who have lived right around the corner? Obvious answer.

In the 1830s there was a wave of Irish settlers that formed the Irish Channel. Tracey's sits right in that area inside the Garden District. They opened their original location in 1949 and that's where the Craic was.

The new location doesn't have Guinness on tap. The bartender(s) can make you feel like a nuisance. They provide an average whiskey selection with a sub-par beer selection. The bar itself is an L-Shaped bar that holds over 10 people.

The place itself is very large, very bright, and very open. The furniture gives off strong beach vibes and the walls are covered in blue paint. There's an overload of 20 TVs along with a lot of sports decor, giving the place a BDUBS wannabe feel to it. Of course, with every BDUBS wannabe sports bar it's got wings that aren't going to knock your socks off and other American foods.

They do offer some fun pinball machines, colorful parasols hanging from the ceiling, and their own branded hot sauce (clearly the same sauce that's been mass produced for hundreds of other companies with different labeling per account). The bathrooms are very clean and the place as a whole is tidy throughout. It's not a grungy or awful place by any means; so why the low score?

The promotion of Irish descent. If you want to be a sports bar then market yourselves as such, if you want to be a German Haus then, well, market as such. If you're going to label yourself as Irish, then a Craic addict is going to expect some Irish charm (like maybe some Guinness or Murphy's on tap). When you try to cater to everyone then you end up pleasing no-one to the fullest degree.

Watch some sports here, sure, but you're better off going to Pete's or Parasol's down the street. Sorry Tracey's. Slainte!