Tulane University students will not be surprised to learn that the bar just a few steps off campus was ranked the second-best college bar in the country, losing the top spot to The Airliner at the University of Iowa. The Boot Bar and Grill opened on Broadway Street to serve the Tulane and New Orleans community in 1965.
The ranking was determined by The Athletic, a sports analysis journal under the New York Times. The Boot was selected for “a rich history, patrons who vary in age and a menu that stretches beyond cheap beer and drink specials.”
Tulane students know The Boot for its heavy pours, $5 well triples during happy hour and being the go-to spot to tailgate before home football games. Just a stone’s throw from the library, The Boot is a core part of Tulane’s culture of drinking and partying. At the end of their final year, seniors often take their graduation photos in front of the green-gray building.
David Cantor graduated from Tulane in 1993. When he lived on campus, Cantor said The Boot was a popular spot amongst students, along with Bruno’s Tavern and TJ Quills on Maple Street. The food service and tables outside are new additions since his time, and there was rarely an ID check at the door, according to Cantor.
During the Monday of Mardi Gras, students pack the street in front of the building until sunrise, celebrating the annual Tulane tradition, Tequila Sunrise. The Boot has survived with Uptown through Hurricane Katrina, the COVID-19 pandemic and the arrest of a Loyola University student in 2019.