This is what a New Orleans club is all about, and its reputation was only furthered when it became the very first live music venue to reopen, just weeks after Katrina, with an emotional, generator-powered performance by Walter "Wolfman" Washington. It's medium-size but feels smaller when a crowd is packed in.
And by 11pm on most nights, it is, with personal space at times becoming something you can only wistfully remember. But that's no problem. The stage is against the window facing the street, so more often than not, the crowd spills onto the sidewalk and into the street to dance and drink (and escape the heat and sweat, which are prodigious despite a high ceiling).
You can hear the music just as well and then dance some more. With a party atmosphere like this, outside is almost more fun than in. A good bar and a rather pretty patio make the Maple Leaf worth hanging out at even if you don't care about the music on a particular night. But if the ReBirth Brass Band is playing do not miss it; go and dance till you drop.

The Scene
The Maple Leaf is a smallish place with a simple bar, a patio area in the back and a hammered-tin ceiling lending to its homey atmosphere. Its stark decor sits in direct contrast with the caliber of local talent on hand. The club's proximity to Tulane and Loyola guarantees a healthy mix of university students, and the surrounding Uptown neighborhoods furnish quite a mix of local characters as well.

The Draw
Blues, Cajun, funk, R&B and even locally accented rock acts (plus the occasional like-minded regional act) play for the madly swirling crowds--and make no mistake, they come here to party. You'll often find patrons dancing or milling about on the sidewalk outside, with a clear view of the back of the stage