More Las Vegas Places - Summer 2022
Including a few more places for 2022.
Atomic Liquors (Oldest Bar in Las Vegas) - 1945
In keeping with the goal of visiting the oldest bar in the cities I visit, I present Atomic Liquors. The bartender said that there may some establishments which may technically be slightly older but this one has the first license #00001. The place has been remodeled of course but still retains the charm of an older bar.
Located in downtown past the container park and beyond the mayhem of Fremont Street, they do a good job celebrating the history of the place. Word has it that it was a popular place to watch the nuclear test mushroom clouds back in the day.
The Lock (Speakeasy inside Bally’s - soon to be Horseshoe)
One of the newer bars on the Strip, the Lock is located inside the Cabinet of Curiosities Bar just beyond the casino floor in Bally’s (which soon will be re-branded The Horseshoe). You have to enter through the safe door where the host will present a little puzzle to obtain the combination to enter into the speakeasy proper.
They provide amuse bouche light drinks to start and then give you coasters where you check off some preferences and the bartenders custom craft a cocktail based on your answers.
A nice quiet place to have some drinks which the middle of the strip needs more of. They have plenty of video poker bars but not enough lounges to just relax and have a sip.
Davidoff of Geneva (Cigar Bar)
This gets my vote for best happy hour on the Strip. (The best happy hour in Downtown would be the Downtown Cocktail Room noted in a separate post). Davidoff is a cigar bar so if you are not into that, it might not be your scene. The locals are aware of the good deal though and you see them hit this place. Ladies get 2 free glasses of sparkling wine and beer and some liquor are 1/2 off. They have TVs inside and outside so it’s also a good place to catch a game. It’s located outside the Fashion Show Mall and they have mister fans to keep you cool when it’s hot out. Pretty good whiskey selection here as well.
Montecristo (Cigar Bar)
Montecristo is located inside Caesars Palace in a walkway across from Nobu. It checks all the boxes for a good cigar bar. It has luxurious comfy furniture, a wall of TVs for sports viewing, and good drinks. It is pricey though, which is to be expected based on where it is. The place is fairly spacious and the bar itself has video poker if that is your thing. There is a cigar shop attached and you can also order food from the steakhouse next door.
Stage Door
This place is very popular based on what I assume is the super cheap beers. It is located just behind the Cromwell so close enough to walk to from the Strip and they offer drink prices that are super low for the Strip.
It’s all good I guess but I’d have to say it’s not why I go to Vegas or the Strip. If the dive atmosphere and cheap drinks is what I was looking for, I could have stayed home (and the floor is not as sticky at my dive bars back home).
I think if you are looking for this scene in Vegas, you should go Downtown or the Arts District where the bars have more character and you can still find reasonably priced drinks.
There is a liquor store attached (which you need to access by going outside probably for some licensing reason). The store actually has not crazy prices for some hard to find whiskeys.
Pizza Rock
This is a very popular pizza place in Downtown. I probably like Evel Pie a little better but this place has a bunch of awards for best pizza in several Las Vegas contests so we had to check it out.
They serve all sorts of styles from the Neapolitan style to the New York style pies. The menu is pretty big in terms of what they offer. The atmosphere is pretty fun with a semi-truck sitting in the middle and they have a bar area in the back. You can also get slices at the front of the restaurant.