A Simple Guide to the Best Las Vegas Bars, From Strip Lounges to Downtown Dives

In the PubClub series of simple guides to the world’s party cities, Las Vegas is the one that looks the most complicated. There are dozens of casinos, hundreds of bars and a Strip that is four miles long. The good news is that you do not need to see all of it. The best Las Vegas bars fall into four easy buckets: the Strip, Downtown, the Arts District and the off-Strip spots where locals drink. Pick one or two per night and fill things in from there.

Here is the simple version.

Las Vegas bars on the Strip

The Strip is where most visitors start, and the best bars here are inside the resorts. You can walk between most of them, which makes the Strip the easiest place in town for a bar crawl.

• The Chandelier (The Cosmopolitan). Three levels of bar wrapped in two million crystals, with the casino floor on the bottom, a small bar in the middle and a lounge at the top. It is the bar that created the Verbena, a cocktail that is not officially on the menu but is still one of the most ordered drinks there. Ask for it by name.
• Ghost Donkey (The Cosmopolitan). A tucked-away mezcal and tequila bar, imported from New York, glowing in neon pink. Order a mezcal Old Fashioned or a flight with sangrita, and get the truffle nachos.
• Juliet Cocktail Room (The Venetian). Velvet couches, Victorian-era decor and a precise cocktail menu. It is one of three standout cocktail bars at the Venetian, so it pairs easily with the others on the same night.
• Peppermill Fireside Lounge (north Strip). Skip the diner and turn left into the lounge: neon-lit booths, mirrored ceilings and a sunken conversation pit around a fire feature. Cocktails arrive in goblets the size of fishbowls. It is pure old Vegas, and it is a great late-night stop.

Downtown and Fremont Street bars

Downtown is where the best Fremont Street bars are, and the stretch known as Fremont East is the most walkable bar district in the city. It is cheaper than the Strip, a bit grittier and a lot more local.

• Atomic Liquors (917 Fremont Street). Vegas’s oldest freestanding bar, first built in 1945, and named for the days when customers watched atomic test blasts from the roof. The Rat Pack drank here after their shows. Sour beers are a specialty, and the patio is the place to be late at night.
• The Laundry Room (inside Commonwealth, 525 Fremont Street). A 22-seat speakeasy hidden inside Commonwealth and marked only by a clothespin near the entrance. Check Commonwealth’s website for the reservation clue, or look for the red light outside, which means walk-ins are available.
• The Silver Stamp (Gateway District). A 1970s-style wood-paneled beer bar a short ride from Fremont East, from the former manager of Atomic Liquors. The draft list changes regularly, and a shot of Underberg is the house tradition.

The Arts District

• Velveteen Rabbit (Arts District). Two sisters’ ode to the children’s book, with trompe-l’oeil wallpaper, reclaimed furniture and a seasonal cocktail menu inspired by the golden age of mixology. It is the anchor of any Arts District night and an easy rideshare from Downtown.

Off-Strip bars where locals drink

If you want to see Las Vegas without the casino carpet, these are worth the short ride.

• Herbs & Rye (3713 W. Sahara Avenue). A speakeasy-style bar and steakhouse with a menu that reads like a history book of pre-Prohibition cocktails. Order a Blood and Sand or a Sazerac, and go during happy hour, when steaks are half price.
• The Golden Tiki (3939 Spring Mountain Road). A tiki bar turned up to 11, with animatronic birds, fountains and a ceiling of shooting LED stars. It is open 24 hours, but book ahead on weekends.
• Frankie’s Tiki Room (1712 W. Charleston Boulevard). A dark, divey tiki bar that is open 24 hours every day, pouring some of the best rum drinks in town. It is the classic answer to the question of where to go at 5 a.m.
• Sand Dollar Lounge (3355 Spring Mountain Road). A live music bar since the 1970s that has hosted Muddy Waters and B.B. King. There is live music most nights, and the pizza is not optional.

How to turn Las Vegas bars into a night out

The simple routine: start with cocktails, finish at a club. Las Vegas bars fill up early, but the nightclubs in Las Vegas do not get going until after 11 p.m., so a couple of bars first is the smart warm-up. On the Strip, the Chandelier and Ghost Donkey are in the same resort, which makes the Cosmopolitan the easiest place to start. Downtown, Atomic Liquors, Commonwealth and the Laundry Room are all within a few blocks of each other.

Two more tips. Resort bars on the Strip charge resort prices, so if you are on a budget, save your big drinks for Downtown. And if you want to see the neon lit up, Fremont Street is at its best after dark.

Las Vegas Bars Q&A

What are the best bars in Las Vegas? The Chandelier at the Cosmopolitan, Atomic Liquors on Fremont Street, Herbs & Rye off the Strip, the Golden Tiki and Frankie’s Tiki Room are among the best-known bars in Las Vegas, with the Peppermill Fireside Lounge as the classic old-Vegas stop.

Where is the best bar area in Las Vegas? The Strip has the most bars, but Fremont East in Downtown is the most walkable bar district, with Atomic Liquors, Commonwealth and the Laundry Room within a few blocks of each other.

Are there bars in Las Vegas open 24 hours? Yes. Las Vegas bars can stay open around the clock, and both the Golden Tiki and Frankie’s Tiki Room are open 24 hours.

Are bars in Vegas cheaper off the Strip? Usually, yes. Downtown and off-Strip bars generally charge less than resort bars on the Strip.

Can you walk between bars on the Las Vegas Strip? Yes. Many Strip bars are inside resorts connected by walkways and pedestrian bridges, but distances are longer than they look, so wear comfortable shoes.