A New Orleans transplant in name and spirit — lagniappe means 'a little something extra' in Louisiana Creole — this backyard wine and cheese bar on NE 2nd Avenue offers live music under the trees most nights and a self-serve wine and cheese model that feels like a house party with better acoustics. The setting is the point: a wooden house with a sprawling yard, string lights, mismatched chairs, and musicians playing jazz, folk, or acoustic sets on a small stage. In a city that defaults to volume and spectacle, Lagniappe whispers.
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Wine by the glass from the self-serve coolers inside — the selection spans old and new world with enough range to satisfy both casual drinkers and enthusiasts. Build a cheese and charcuterie board from the counter selection. The combination of a good glass of wine, a board of cheese, and live music under the trees is Lagniappe's entire proposition, and it is sufficient.
Any evening from 8pm onward when the live music starts and the backyard fills with a crowd that has come for atmosphere rather than intoxication. Weeknights are mellower and easier to find seating. Saturday nights are the most energetic but arrive by 8pm for a chair.
Located on NE 2nd Avenue in Midtown, between Wynwood and the Design District. The wine and cheese are self-serve from the interior — choose your bottles and boards, then carry them to the backyard. No table service in the traditional sense. The backyard is the entire experience; the indoor space is a means to an end. Mosquitoes are real at dusk — repellent is advisable. Parking is street-side. The music lineup varies; check social media for the evening's performers.