Mid City Yacht Club

Go for: outdoor seating, good pub grub, parties and events

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Mid City Yacht Club — MCYC, for short — is a neighborhood pub, a good dining destination, and a sports bar all in one spot. Located in the heart of Mid City, just behind home plate at the storied St. Patrick playground, MCYC opened just after Hurricane Katrina. The bar was rebuilt with reclaimed wood from local homes and business.

And today, MCYC is a favorite spot for people in Mid City, Lakeview, Metairie, Gentilly, and beyond.

Enter the bar from St. Patrick Street, and walk into a room that sets just the right tone. It is comforting and feels instantly familiar: dark woods on the walls, and atop bar, small high-top tables aside one set of windows, old maps of fishing grounds that surround our city along the other, and then? There’s the outside; you gotta see this.

The backyard patio is surrounded by a well-built fence which helps the space function as another large room. Good thing, too because the weather in Nola permits outdoor drinking and dining most months in the year.

Book a private or semi-private event in their Boat House or on the Courtyard. Join one of the many leagues that play year round at St. Patrick’s park (kickball, softball, dodgeball). Come for beer specials, frozen cocktails, and great pub grub.

The menu here includes one of my favorites — roast beef debris sliders. It also features garlic fries, a delicious pork green chili bowl, and Yachtchos (one of their most popular items). This is an order of house fried tortilla chips, topped with homemade cheese sauce, veggie black beans, jalapeño, fresh habanero crema, pico de gallo and green onions. Wanna kick it up a notch? Add spicy crumbled chorizo, shredded pork, or some of that beef debris. This is a great dish to share.

I like coming here before late afternoon Saints games. It’s also known as the home of the Cajun Buckeyes. That’s the Alumni / Fan Club chapter for The Ohio State University (but, hey … everyone’s friends here, don’t hold that against them).

Since MCYC opened it’s turned into The Cheers of the neighborhood. Owned and managed by folks who live within walking distance, staffed by a good team who pitches in to keep the area safe, and community minded. This is a good place to come if you want to have a business lunch because the courtyard is so accommodating, it’s a great place for happy hour drinks, and one of our go to spots on a weekend afternoon. – scott mccrossen