Storyville

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Jazz Sexiness in the Back Bay

None 5 Photos Storyville
Dive bars are great.

But sometimes you want something more. Something like a subterranean, leathery, felt-wallpapered nightclub that recalls the debauchery of New Orleans. Located in the spot where a legendary jazz joint of the same name reigned supreme in the ’50s.

Guess which one we’re talking about today.

Drink in your first sexy look at Storyville, a new 400-person-ish, red-light-district-y lounge in the former Saint space, opening this week in the Back Bay for all your speakeasy-meets-nightclub needs.

And when we say this spot was legendary in the ’50s, we mean it: everyone from Louis Armstrong to Duke Ellington to Billie Holiday played here (Holiday’s historic “Live at Storyville” album was even recorded here).

To start, you’ll want to reserve a table for you and a crew, and set your dancing shoes to “Justin Timberlake.” Then you’ll make your way downstairs and into the Bordello Room for tiki drinks like the Test Pilot (several rums, citrus, absinthe).

Once cocktailed, you’ll claim your black leather booth in the main room for the party. Think: new state-of-the-art sound system, multiple bars and live music in the coming weeks.

Oh, if you and your posse get hungry from all the booty-shaking (or just the watching-the-booty-shaking), they have the former head chef of Sel de la Terre doing small bites like beef Wellington and duck à l’orange.

Luckily, tiki drinks go with everything.

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