About Cuban Creations Cigar Lounge | New Orleans, French Quarter
Have You Ever Wondered What Makes the French Quarter’s Only Cigar Lounge Truly Legendary?
Some places earn their reputation over a weekend. Cuban Creations earned its over four decades. Nestled at 533 Toulouse Street in the heart of the Vieux Carré, Cuban Creations is not just the French Quarter’s only dedicated cigar lounge and smoking bar, it is a living, breathing piece of New Orleans history, where premium cigars, exceptional cocktails, and the timeless pleasure of genuine human connection come together night after night.
As featured in PCA The Magazine, Cuban Creations stands alone in one of the most celebrated neighborhoods in the world as the only establishment where patrons can drink, smoke, and eat under the same roof. That distinction is not an accident. It is the result of a remarkable confluence of history, legal legacy, and a man who understood exactly what this city deserved.
The Story Behind the French Quarter’s Most Legendary Cigar Lounge
A Legal Legacy, a Historic Address, and a Vision That Changed New Orleans Nightlife
The story of Cuban Creations begins not with a grand opening, but with a grandfathering clause. When New Orleans enacted its indoor smoking ban, certain establishments in the Vieux Carré received a rare carve-out that protected their right to permit smoking on their premises. That exemption did not attach to any business or any individual. It attached to the address: 533 Toulouse Street.
For years, that address held its distinction quietly. Then, in 2018, Andrew Wilson, a seasoned hospitality executive with decades of experience in luxury resort development, assumed the lease, recognized the extraordinary opportunity before him, and launched Cuban Creations. What followed was the birth of New Orleans’ most celebrated cigar lounge and the French Quarter’s only true indoor smoking bar.
Today, Cuban Creations moves approximately 50 boxes of premium cigars through its custom-built humidor every single month. The lounge has been featured in PCA The Magazine, embraced by locals and visitors alike, and recognized as a must-visit destination for anyone who appreciates the finer things New Orleans has to offer.
Meet Andrew Wilson, The Man Behind Cuban Creations
From Coventry, England to the Heart of the French Quarter
Andrew Wilson, 47, grew up in Coventry, England, and has spent the last 31 years building a career at the highest levels of the American hospitality industry. Before bringing his vision to the French Quarter, Wilson served in customer development roles for MGM Resorts, Seminole Resorts, and Winn Resorts in Las Vegas, organizations where the art of creating unforgettable guest experiences is not optional, it is the entire business.
Wilson took those decades of expertise and poured them into 533 Toulouse Street. He describes his clientele with characteristic candor: “All over the board, doctors, lawyers, your average Joe, tourists, government workers. The majority of our foot traffic consists of tourists, but we get a lot of locals as well, people who work in the city.” That diversity, he will tell you, is exactly the point. Cuban Creations was never meant to be exclusive in the cold sense of the word. It was meant to be exceptional, and open to everyone willing to appreciate it.
“We’re all cigar people here. The specialness of where we are and what we’re able to do here stands out. I’ve lived and worked in a lot of different places, but the uniqueness and allure of the French Quarter is so synonymous with cigars.”
Andrew Wilson
Owner, Cuban creations
Wilson’s insight into the deep connection between New Orleans and cigar culture runs deeper than commerce. The historic trade route that ran from New Orleans to Tampa to Cuba is, as he describes it, “a lost piece of history.” Cigar aficionados and tobacconists helped nurture and protect the growth of the French Quarter for generations. Cuban Creations, in Wilson’s view, is the rightful heir to that tradition, a cigar lounge that honors the past while delivering a luxury experience worthy of the present.
The Humidor, Built by Hand, Stocked With the World’s Finest Cigars
Less Than 300 Square Feet. Fifty Boxes a Month. Absolutely No Compromises.
The Cuban Creations humidor is a testament to passion over convention. At less than 300 square feet, it is not the largest humidor in Louisiana. But it may well be the most carefully curated. Built by Wilson and his friend Steve Bozant, an HVAC contractor with a deep passion for cigars, using Spanish cedar over the course of just a couple of months, the humidor was designed from the ground up to fit the unique demands of this historic, intimate venue.
The result is a humidor that maintains precise cigar humidity levels around the clock, preserving every premium cigar in its inventory at peak condition. Our top-selling brands reflect the elevated taste of our clientele:
- Padrón, Nicaragua’s most revered family of premium cigars
- Arturo Fuente, the Dominican Republic’s most celebrated cigar dynasty
- My Father, the García family’s world-class Nicaraguan masterpieces
- Atabey, among the rarest and most sought-after Cuban-seed cigars in the world
Whether you are a seasoned cigar aficionado who knows exactly what wrapper, binder, and filler you prefer, or a first-time visitor who simply wants to try something extraordinary, our knowledgeable staff, genuine tobacconists in every sense of the word, will guide you to the perfect selection. This is cigar sommelier service delivered with warmth, without pretension.
The Bar, Where the French Quarter’s Finest Cocktails Meet World-Class Cigars
Head Bartender Matthew Retoske and the Art of the Perfect Pairing
At the heart of the Cuban Creations bar program is Matthew Retoske, our head bartender and, as Wilson himself puts it, “a big part of our success.” Retoske has been with Cuban Creations for nearly four years, long enough to know every regular’s preference and short enough to still approach every new guest with the enthusiasm of someone who genuinely loves what he does.
Under Retoske’s stewardship, the Cuban Creations bar has become one of the most respected in the French Quarter. We offer a wide range of spirits at different price points, one of the more extensive whiskey selections in the city, and a cocktail menu that spans everything from scratch frozen daiquiris to classic New Orleans cocktails that have been perfected over generations. The whiskey pairing experience alone, matching the right Scotch, bourbon, or rye to your cigar selection, is something our guests return for again and again.
What Our Full Bar Offers
- One of the most extensive whiskey lounge selections in the French Quarter
- Classic New Orleans cocktails crafted from scratch, Sazeracs, Hurricanes, and more
- Scratch frozen daiquiris and margaritas made the right way
- A wide range of spirits at every price point
- Premium beer, wine, and cognac to complement every cigar pairing
- Seasonal cocktail specials inspired by the flavors of New Orleans
What Our Guests Say About the French Quarter’s Most Beloved Cigar Lounge
A Place Where Lifelong Friends Are Made
The true measure of any cigar lounge is not the size of its humidor or the length of its cocktail menu. It is what guests feel when they walk through the door, and what they say when they walk back out. At Cuban Creations, our guests speak for themselves.
“You come in as a customer or patron, but when you leave, you are considered family. I have visited many cigar spots domestically and abroad, but Cuban Creations is the only one that always gives me a satisfying experience, where I can meet positive new people from all walks of life.”
Winston Reid, Cuban Creations Regular
“What makes Cuban Creations special is the same thing that makes New Orleans tick: the mix of history, architecture, music and the pleasure of camaraderie over a drink and a cigar with friends old and new. You’ll find oil workers and mechanics rubbing elbows with judges, developers and tourists, with a regular dose of musicians, celebrities and sports figures. It’s a place where everybody not only knows your name, but your cigar preference, and they are likely to buy you one before you have a chance to buy your own.”
Howard Glaser, New Orleans Cigar History Enthusiast
Oil workers and mechanics rubbing elbows with judges, developers, musicians, celebrities, and sports figures. Tourists who come for one evening and return every time they visit New Orleans. Locals who consider this their living room. This is what a great cigar lounge feels like. This is what four decades of authenticity, care, and genuine hospitality looks like.
The French Quarter, Where the Allure of New Orleans and the Culture of Cigars Converge
A Historic Neighborhood With a Deep and Storied Cigar Tradition
The Vieux Carré, the French Quarter, is one of the oldest residential communities in the United States, home to more than 40 restaurants, 60 bars, almost 200 hotel establishments, and some 4,000 permanent residents who welcome 15 million visitors annually. It is, by any measure, one of the most vibrant and celebrated urban neighborhoods on the planet.
What most visitors do not know is how deeply cigars are woven into the fabric of this neighborhood. The historic trade route that connected New Orleans, Tampa, and Cuba made this city one of the most important centers of cigar culture in North America. Tobacconists and cigar aficionados helped build and protect the character of the French Quarter for generations. At Cuban Creations, that tradition is not just honored, it is alive.
And in all of that famous, boisterous district, there exists only one cigar lounge where patrons can drink, smoke, and enjoy food under the same roof. One address. One experience. 533 Toulouse Street.
Next Door, Pig Out NOLA at 537 Toulouse Street
Because Every Great Cigar Deserves Great Food Close at Hand
One of the most uniquely convenient features of Cuban Creations is what sits directly next door. At 537 Toulouse. Offering pork and brisket, tacos, duck, and andouille sausage gumbo, Pig Out NOLA serves the kind of food that pairs beautifully with an evening of cigars and cocktails.
The bar’s canopied sidewalk seating area connects both establishments seamlessly, meaning Cuban Creations guests have exceptional food close at hand without Wilson ever needing to run a kitchen inside the cigar lounge. It is the kind of elegant, practical solution that only someone with decades of luxury hospitality experience could have engineered.
Why Cuban Creations Is New Orleans’ Most Celebrated Cigar Lounge
In a Class by Itself. In a City Like No Other.
There are bars in the French Quarter. There are tobacco shops. There are cocktail lounges and sports bars and restaurants with outdoor patios where you might sneak a cigar if the wind is right. But there is only one Cuban Creations.
Only one cigar lounge where indoor smoking is not merely tolerated but celebrated. Only one establishment with a grandfathered legal exemption, a custom Spanish cedar humidor, and a bar program worthy of the greatest cocktail city in America. Only one place where oil workers and judges, tourists and locals, musicians and athletes, all share the same leather chairs, the same amber light, and the same profound appreciation for a great cigar and a great evening.
Everything That Sets Cuban Creations Apart
- The French Quarter’s only dedicated indoor smoking bar and cigar lounge since 2018
- Grandfathered legal exemption attached to 533 Toulouse Street, a distinction no other venue can replicate
- Custom Spanish cedar humidor built on-site, featuring Padrón, Arturo Fuente, My Father, and Atabey
- Head bartender Matthew Retoske and one of the city’s most extensive whiskey lounge selections
- Owner Andrew Wilson, 31 years of MGM, Seminole, and Winn Resorts luxury hospitality expertise
- Approximately 50 boxes of premium cigars moved through the humidor every month
- Featured in PCA The Magazine as the French Quarter’s definitive cigar lounge destination
- Open daily 11AM to 2AM, seven days a week
- Private cigar lounge events, corporate gatherings, and celebrations available
- Pig Out NOLA next door at 537 Toulouse for exceptional food steps away
Come Experience the Cigar Lounge New Orleans Has Been Talking About for Decades
You have read the story. You have seen the quotes. Now it is time to experience it for yourself. Whether you are visiting New Orleans for the first time or you have called this city home for decades, Cuban Creations is the one cigar lounge experience you simply cannot afford to miss.
Your leather chair is waiting. Your cigar is in the humidor. And somewhere behind the bar, Matthew Retoske is about to make you the finest cocktail you have had in the French Quarter. Come discover why every cigar aficionado who visits New Orleans finds their way to 533 Toulouse Street, and why so many of them never want to leave.