What an awesome bar! And what a sketchy neighborhood! Totally not what I expected. At all. Why is that, you ask? Good question. I think it's because for some reason I had the scenario reversed in my head: I've been wanting to check out Twelve Mile Limit since I found out it opened, so it's been months and months, and my imagined version of it was more like a dive-y bar in a nice-ish neighborhood. Instead, I got a shiny, dark wood and deep red, classy bar that serves drinks in ACTUAL GLASSES. It's apparently been a while since I drank anything served in something other than a plastic cup, because the whole heavy glass thing was kind of an issue. They're much more difficult to manage if you're standing outside on the corner talking to people and trying to type on your phone and etc.
Anyway, although Twelve Mile Limit wasn't exactly what I thought it would be, I'm definitely not complaining because the kind of bar that it turned out to be in reality is WAY better than the one I had imagined.
My favorite things: The drinks are REALLY CHEAP. My two gin and tonics were only $8, AND they came in a fancy grownup glass. The staff was super nice, and I had a chance to chat with the owner, who is awesome. Like super rockstar nerd awesome, and the bar is totally a reflection of his personality. (His words, not mine.)
Oh, also, this place was an absolute falling apart mess when he bought the building, and he's done an amazing job turning it into something awesome. Twelve Mile Limit would definitely not be out of place if it were Uptown in the Tulane Bubble instead of on a surprisingly sketchy corner in Mid-City.
About the neighborhood. First of all, I have an extremely high tolerance for places that Metry residents would consider the "hood," and so it's very rare for me to mention that an area seems shady. Because it's very very rare that I encounter a part of town that strikes me that way. Which is not to say that Twelve Mile Limit is in a bad or dangerous place. Bottom line: when I got there, I ended up being glad I drove instead of riding my bike, as I'd originally intended. Not enough streetlights and stuff in the three to four block radius.
Another thing about the neighborhood: this is a PRIME SPOT. The Banks Street corridor is an up-and-coming area that you should keep an eye on. It's already awesome, and in the near future it's going to rock your socks off. Right now, you've got Twelve Mile Limit, Banks Street Bar, Finn McCool's, Crescent Pie and Sausage, Lazaro's, Huevos, and all kinds of other stuff I'm forgetting. Plus, Mid-City is the BEST 'hood in New Orleans, so as Banks Street continues to become more awesome, it will eventually become one of the best streets in the best neighborhood in the city.
If I weren't quite so tired, I probalby could've conveyed all the information in this review in FAR fewer words. Unfortunately for anyone who attempts to glean nuggets of useful (or funny or cool) from my reviews, I'm not up to editing right now. Solution: I'll just add it to the Overly Long Reviews list.
Stay tuned for Drunk Spelling Saturdays! A weekly spelling bee type event at Twelve Mile Limit. The owner and I talked about it, and now I'm yelping about it, so it pretty much has to happen. :) read more