A new ranking of the world’s best cities for nightlife is in and taking the top city is none other than Las Vegas. According to a recent Time Out survey, the entertainment capital beat out iconic nightlife cities like Paris and Madrid when it came to late-night revelry. That may come as no surprise to seasoned travelers familiar with Vegas’ legendary nightclubs and over-the-top pool parties.
What is surprising, though, is that Vegas’ nightlife renaissance is being driven not by the Strip, but by the burgeoning Arts District, located several miles north. Specifically, it’s the neighborhood’s cocktail scene that helped propel the city to the top spot of the list.
As a local, I can attest the Arts District has been gaining serious momentum in recent years thanks to standout eateries like Esther’s Kitchen and the popular First Friday series. But when it comes to cocktails, this low-key enclave is giving the flashier (and pricier) venues on the Strip a run for their money.
One key figure in this shift is Juyoung Kang, head mixologist and founding partner of Doberman Drawing Room. With its inventive cocktail menu and offbeat decor, the newly opened bar exemplifies the growing sophistication of the Arts District’s nightlife scene—and proves tha there’s an eager audience for serious cocktails in this lesser-known corner of Vegas. “This was our way of announcing to the world: it’s okay to have a really great, elevated cocktail experience,” Kang told Travel + Leisure. “We don’t have to be a beer bar. We’re doing cocktails and people are noticing.”
Here are a few standout spots to enjoy a delicious, boozy night out in Las Vegas’ buzzing Arts District.
Doberman Drawing Room
Doberman Drawing Room made a splash in April when it became the first cocktail bar in Vegas to offer a $3,000-per-year membership option. Of course, non-members are welcome, too. Inside the antique-filled space, which features red velvet banquettes, a wrought-iron chandelier, and a mounted deer’s head, guests can enjoy highly inventive concoctions like the Sahara, a boozy riff on horchata (made with cantaloupe, hibiscus and roasted peanuts), as well as a chili-infused Tom Kha Fizz.
Laundry Room
There’s a reason reservations are required at this Victorian apothecary-like den: the tiny, candlelit speakeasy only seats 22 people at a time. The bar is nested inside another bar, and when you step through the hidden door, you’ll feel like you’ve escaped into another century. The cocktail menu reads like a masterclass in 1920s cocktail culture, and is divided into sections like Rattletraps, Collin’s White-Walled Jalopy, Taking a Louie, and Mouse Motors.
Nocturno
This minimal, honey-accented cocktail den is from the same team behind James Beard-nominated Mexican eatery Milpa, so it’s no surprise that the food menu is outstanding. Feast on items like a prosciutto tower, chopped sea bass crudo, or cacio e pepe gnocchi as you contemplate the extensive, deeply-researched cocktail menu, which features over 120 options.
Prowl
Newcomer Prowl is designed to feel like you’ve been dropped in the middle of a spooky jungle. A panther stalks menacingly from behind three windows (OK, they’re LED screens—but the effect is good) and the moss-covered lava rock wall only adds to the dramatic ambience. The playful menu continues the jungle theme with quaffs like the Monstera Mash (pisco, sugar snap pea, elderflower, lime, egg white) and Sex Panther (tequila, roasted pepita orgeat, lime), served in a ceramic panther head.
Echo – Taste & Sound
Cocktail culture meets hi-fidelity audio at this classic listening lounge. Walk in and you’ll be greeted by the warm sounds of vinyl spinning from a McIntosh sound system. Meanwhile, the kitchen churns out simple but delicious fare (Wagyu beef skewers; shishito peppers with mushrooms; cauliflower ceviche tostadas) that pairs wonderfully with cocktails like the old fashioned-style Lover Boy and the Autumn Serenade (vodka, St. George peach, absinthe, ginger beer).
