19 Best Nightlife in Las Vegas, Nevada

This Downtown bar is the oldest freestanding bar in Las Vegas (dating back to 1952) and owns the first liquor license in the state (literally, No. 00001). It takes its name from the custom of patrons in the 1950s, who would buy drinks, head to the roof, and watch atomic blasts in the desert in the distance. The Rat Pack and Barbra Streisand drank here. Fast-forward to now, and it's become the place to hang out, with 20 microbrews on tap and an inventive menu that specializes in fancy beer cocktails. There's even a restaurant next door. The bar is open until 2 am nightly.

An egalitarian mix of men and women congregates at this 24-hour bar with a taco menu, a dance floor, pool tables, video-poker machines, and karaoke (on Monday). The live drag shows are more raucous than the tame ones on the Strip.

You’ll need to access a hidden door in the back of the Block 16 food hall at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas ( Look for the small donkey on the otherwise plain door), but employees will help you find it if you get stuck. Once inside, you’ll find yourself in a tiny space with a gigantic collection of mezcal and tequila. The food menu’s limited to nachos, but they’re quite creative, with choices like black truffles with white cheddar, and mole chicken with cheddar and red cabbage.

Should you happen to be Downtown, head over to Downtown Container Park and sit inside a shipping container to sip barrel-aged cocktails and whiskeys galore. Although tiny—it's sometimes tough to nab a spot at the bar—this little railroad car of a drinking spot packs a punch with a well-crafted menu of drinks. Can't decide on a whiskey? Order a flight. Want to try something truly special? Order a taste of one of the bar's barrel-aged bourbons.

This classic mid-century tiki bar might remind you of Don the Beachcomber and Trader Vic's. It's part of a crazy-busy strip mall in Chinatown, with a cocktail menu spilling over with nostalgic classics. Cautiously sip a Dole Soft Serve Float or jump into the deep end with a Blue Lagoon or Painkiller. Hop a rideshare back to your hotel after a Navy Grog with three rums. The roomy decor is full of surprises if you look around, including such treasures as an animatronic skeleton of the mythical privateer and legend behind The Golden Tiki, William Tobias Faulkner. A tiny stage and dance floor host occasional DJs and live bands. There's an appetizer menu and now a Captain's Brunch with waffles and burritos on weekends.

Consider the Badlands saloon a 24-hour haven for local gay cowboys. It's decorated with a mock-log-cabin facade and offers cubbyholes in which regulars can store their beer steins. There's also a jukebox crammed to the coin slot with country-and-western hits. Acknowledged to be Las Vegas's oldest surviving gay bar, Badlands was featured on the reality show Bar Rescue in 2021 after the pandemic crippled its business.

This full-service cigar shop reproduces the decor and atmosphere of El Floridita, Ernest Hemingway's favorite Havana watering hole. Its sophisticated lounge, which obviously specializes in rum drinks, is a great place to enjoy your smoke.

As urban renewal continues Downtown, the one-block stretch of Fremont east of Las Vegas Boulevard (dubbed Fremont East) remains the hottest of the hot spots, and Commonwealth arguably is the epicenter. Inside, wrought-iron railings, chandeliers, and a tin ceiling create a feeling of old-school opulence without being excessive. Drink options range from handcrafted cocktails to microbrews; there's also good live music in the evening. The atmosphere changes as evenings progress, from quiet happy hours conducive to conversation to full-on dance craziness for a younger crowd. Venture upstairs to the rooftop bar, or try to secure an invite to the private Laundry Room speakeasy. Commonwealth is closed on Monday and Tuesday.

Barmaids in tight clothes break into choreographed bar-top dances intended to make Hooters look like a church picnic at this noisy tourist trap, a reincarnation of the 2000 movie's title nightspot (which is, fittingly, in New York). If you want to gaze at galvanized aluminum siding, old license plates, and an impressive bra collection, who are we to stop you?

Call it a self-aware dive bar—the Double D sits a short walk between the Virgin Hotels Las Vegas and the Thomas & Mack Center and a long, long way from the upscale casino hotels. A sign inside says it nicely: "Shut Up and Drink." Delicious decadence prevails here 24 hours a day; no wonder it was a favorite of the late food celebrity Anthony Bourdain and anyone else adventurous enough to enjoy a bacon martini. For the boho crowd, this deliberately downscale bar awash in cleverly obscene graffiti has everything from great local bands to a truly eclectic jukebox. Our advice: go late, choke back the cigarette smoke, and try the (fabled) Ass Juice cocktail.

Hiding from your creditors? Seeking a good spot for a séance or a Spin-the-Bottle party? If so, then consider stepping—carefully—into the gorgeous gloom of this hipster hangout, which is just around the corner from The Griffin. The minimalist lounge glows from candle-filled tables and thumps with simmering house music, making the vibe mysterious and romantic. Happy hour is 4 to 7 pm every night but Sunday, with everything on the menu half-price. Locals love that deal, as well as the seasonal cocktail menus. Just beware: the front door is hard to find. It's closed Sunday and Monday.

You want Polynesian tiki-bar culture, Vegas-style? You want grass huts, carved wooden furniture, and cocktails such as the Green Gasser, the Thurston Howl, the Lava Letch, and the Bearded Clam? You'll get it all here, and more, 24 hours a day in this small, windowless but thoroughly charming tiki bar that is utterly committed to its theme. The tiki mugs are all original, and if you love yours (and trust us, you will), there's a "merch hut" where you can buy one to bring the spirit of aloha home with you.

Classic cocktails are the name of the game at this bar off the Strip and worth the cab ride. Each cocktail comes with a story and quite a show while it's being made. Crack open the menu to learn the history behind each libation from the Prohibition era. This is the place to rub elbows with bartenders from other joints, who often visit when finished with their shifts on the Strip. An appetizer menu includes shrimp cocktails and mussels, and if you stay for dinner they under-promise and over-deliver on their claim to make "pretty good steaks."

“Enter a hidden world of sin,” implore the operators of Here Kitty Kitty, a speakeasy tucked away in a “secret” spot in the Famous Foods food hall. The sin is tame by some Las Vegas standards, limited to specialty cocktails such as One Night Stand, which is Don Julio blanco tequila, lime, strawberries, serrano, and Tajin. Can’t decide? Name a spirit, and one of the talented bartenders will surprise you. There also are extensive collections of tequila and mezcal, Scotch, bourbon, and Asian whiskey.

Beer and pizza are in high demand at this lively sports bar on the second floor of City National Arena. The restaurant is open for lunch and dinner most days, and is particularly hopping during Vegas Golden Knights games, when locals turn out to watch on big-screen televisions and enjoy food and drink specials. The connection to the Knights here runs deep; City National serves as the team’s practice facility, and you can watch practices for free on certain days.

Cigars team up with whiskeys (including barrels and flights) and small bites at this respite in the center of the resort. Find up to 1,000 cigars housed in a climate-controlled humidor, one of the largest in the city. If you're a sports fan, take in the fan cave with its 208-inch video wall and lots of screens. You can bring your own cigars; there's a $10 cutting fee. Become a member for discounts on beverages.

This lounge right off restaurant row at Mandalay Bay is the perfect place for people-watching, as a flood of humanity goes by to dine or to attend a concert or conference at the sprawling Mandalay Bay Convention Center. There’s even more energy thanks to the live music, which is performed from 10 pm to 2 am Thursday through Sunday. The lounge is open 24/7, serving a small selection of bar food, drafts, and classic cocktails like mojitos, Negronis, and the current darling of Las Vegas, the Aperol spritz.

As good as Vegas Bohemia gets, this Downtown bar, close to the Beauty Bar and the Downtown Cocktail Room, is an instant winner. Some wags have likened it to a Peppermill for the younger, looser set, but this description fails to account for the beauty of its hipster crowd as well as its decor, from the kitschy neon sign outside to the fire grills, the barrel-vaulted brick ceiling, the semicircular banquettes, and the griffin insignias on the bathroom walls. The best feature, though, is the back room, which resembles a study owned by King Henry VIII—had he lived in the 1950s.

Located inside the Plaza Hotel & Casino, this dive bar is renowned for stiff drinks and hard living. While the original Sand Dollar near Chinatown is renowned for live music (it opened in 1976 and has a long history of being a great place for live blues), the Downtown outpost is more of a watering hole. A modest menu from Pop Up Pizza is available all night long; just be prepared to wait a while for food.