Tracey's Original Irish Channel Bar

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Our Story

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A Friendly Atmosphere,
Cold Beer, and Fantastic
Food!
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Tracey's was the original Irish Channel bar, established in 1949. It started off 4 doors down (at the corner of Constance) and moved to this location, at Third and Magazine Street, a few years later. It was always seen as an Irish Channel oasis, with cool air conditioning, the first color TVs in then neighborhood, cold beer, and fantastic food.

Tracey's has been lucky to have recaptured that original old-fashioned feeling by maintaining its great staff and fantastic customers and friends. Kirk Tracey, a grandson of the original owner, Hugh Tracey, had this to say about his memories: 

The original Tracey's Bar was famous for originating the frozen beer glass in N.O. Grandpa had an oversized A/C system installed in the building so that in an era of little home A/C systems, Tracey's Bar would be a cool Irish Channel oasis. When the color TV show Bonanza became popular, Grandpa drove to N.Y. and returned with a huge color TV in the back seat of his car. Irish Channel residents would jam into Tracey's to cool off and watch color TV every Sunday night... Tracey's Bar belonged to my grandfather, Hugh Tracey, Jr. It was a hugely successful neighborhood landmark for many years. Our family lived in apartments above the bar for many years. The bar moved in the late forties from the Parasol's locations down the block. The building was built in a wine wholesale warehouse and has huge beams to support the kegs of wine stored there. Out back was a giant steam kettle my grandfather salvaged from a WWII destroyer that was used to boil up huge quantities of
seafood. Giant fans would blow the aroma of the cooking seafood all around the neighborhood. I have so many more fond stories about that building.

"We welcome you and a new generation of  memories to Tracey's!"


Thank you for your patronage,


Jeffrey and Jaimee Carreras