Travel Guide : Las Vegas must stop spots
I moved to Vegas a few years ago for work and wasn’t quite sure what to expect, but I have fallen completely in love with it! Here are some of my favorite spots, mostly focused off the strip - also available on Tripadvisor.
Travel Guide : Las Vegas must stop spots
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Where to drink cocktails and more in Las Vegas
Arts District and Downtown Las Vegas
Liquid Diet - a great new cocktail bar with culinary inspired cocktails that recently won the Eater award for best new bar in Vegas. Getting here is definitely something interesting, as you will want to look in the alley between Commerce and Main, south of Imperial in the Arts DIstrict.
Velveteen rabbit - this woman-owned cocktail bar was so funky and uninterested in tourists it made me realize I could live in Vegas. Velveteen rabbit started my love affair with the arts district back when there wasn’t much else around. Enjoy a daring, strange, and delicious cocktail in a moody velvet clad interior with friendly bartenders or in the bright pink Polly pocket patio beneath the glow of the vintage photo booth.
Rebar - another longtime favorite, this bar obviously appeals to me because it’s also a thrift store. Excellent trivia, an amazing backyard called the funk yard that hosts everyone from local bands to local political candidates. This is a great spot for a beer or two. They also have a frozen Aperol spritz or try the mystery beers!
Atomic liquor - boasting the oldest operating liquor license in Las Vegas, the rooftop of this bar used to fill up with guests drinking and watching atomic bombs go off in the distance. Grab a beer or a highball to enjoy in the smoky interior or while people watching on the Fremont street patio.
Garagiste - a unique wine menu and a killer happy hour - is there a better combination? Ask the bartenders about their low intervention wines.
Downtown Cocktail Room - cozy cocktails spot with a “halfy” hour where everything is half off.
Ser-vay-sah - awesome tap room downtown with a walk in cooler and rotating set of food trucks!
Herbs & Rye dark and moody cocktail lounge and restaurant with great happy hour. The cocktail menu here is organized by different eras of cocktail and it’t so much fun to read through. I always get the Vesper or the Corpse Reviver!
Frankie’s Tiki Room - the smoky dark divey cocktail bar with gaming and amazing tiki cocktails in the most unassuming spot right off Charleston near the UNLV Medical Campus.
Oak and Ivy - A great whiskey selection in the Container Park on Fremont Street.
Khourys - if you happen to be out in the burbs looking for something rare, Khourys is your spot. A local bottle shop with craft beer & good wine shop + a few beers on tap - this is a great place to chat with folks who are really into beer and wine.
Golden Tiki - It’s like walking into a Disneyland tiki themed water ride but the drinks are boozy and the animatronic animals tell dirty jokes. This spot is in a strip mall in Chinatown and a night of Golden Tiki followed by J Karaoke is a go-to for a great night.
The Huntridge Tavern - a dive with a cigarette vending machine and the air quality to match, I just honestly love this place. Stop by for a $3 whiskey club and people watch or lose track of time laughing with your favorite people.
Silver stamp - Just the coolest spot to enjoy a unique craft beer or amaro in a warm and welcoming environment that feels like the coolest 70s midwest basement bar. Bonus that it is run by the kindest and coolest married couple. Sip your beer with sophistication or chug it out of a lawn flamingo. Your choice!
Starboard Tack - another smokey tiki dive - great cocktails and really good bar food.
Huntridge Tavern, Downtown Las Vegas
Best Restaurants in Las Vegas
Black Sheep - amazing Vietnamese home cooking from Top Chef finalist Jamie Tran
Lotus of Siam- delicious Thai food I love this family run institution specializing in Northern Thai that has been here for decades!
Sparrow & Wolf -incredible spot - won best restaurant in town recently beating out all strip restaurants which is unheard of in this town!
Viva Las Arepas - venezuelan - quick spot for cheap and delicious food
Esther’s kitchen - modern italian - we love it here so much we ate here after we got married
Honey Salt - great cocktails and southern inspired food
Weiss’ deli - simple no frills jewish deli with great bagels (a rarity here)
Beauty and Essex - restaurant in Cosmopolitan - great cocktails and appetizers
Chengdu Taste (Chinatown)- unreal Sichuan food highly recommended by Jonathan Gold very spicy and low key and one of my absolute favorite spots
Best coffee shops in Las Vegas
Publicus - hip coffee shop with really good food as well - perfect for brunch or lunch before shopping and lounging at Ferguson’s Downtown or boozing your way up Fremont street.
Mothership - The most serene alien-inspired coffee shop you could dream of finding! Perfect for a coffee date with friends or getting some work done or- the large, sun filled room nestled in the heart of a converted Fremont Street motel is truly dreamy.
Vesta - One of my favorite places to work and enjoy delicious coffee in the Arts district
Gabi Coffee and Bakery - This place is truly like falling down the rabbit hole - an otherworldly somewhat hidden cafe in Chinatown with amazing coffee drinks and pastries with lush, whimsical decor and a bathroom that teaches you Korean
Where to shop in Las Vegas
Akin Cooperative - A local small business cooperative that hosts amazing gatherings from the same brilliant community-oriented mind as Ferguson’s and Market in the Alley!
Writer’s block - unique independent bookstore that is the heart of the literary community in Las Vegas
Analog Dope - an adorably tiny and artfully curated bookshop centered on Black culture in the heart of the Art’s District
Ferguson’s downtown, a local beautiful community space full of small businesses in a converted motel with many amazing events and natural space
Container Park - “mall” of independent +local small businesses
Museums, arts, and culture in Las Vegas
Neon museum- museum of all the retired neon signs
Walk around Arts District - vintage shops, galleries, bars, and restaurants
Wander around looking at mid-century modern homes in Paradise Palms
Nature around Las Vegas
Hike red rock
Hike valley of fire
Willow Beach, Arizona - you can rent kayaks, canoes, stand-up paddle boards, or motor boats and enjoy this gorgeous canyon with beautiful water that is always a crisp 55 degrees. There are tours available as well!
Entertainment in Las Vegas
Majestic Repertory Theatre - I’ve loved absolutely everything I have attended here - they even have immersive shows where you can be an “extra”
Burlesque - We’ve got some great local burlesque - check out shows at the Red Dwarf, Taverna Costera, or any Babes and Blue’s show!
Top golf - Indoor virtual driving range with tvs and other games