As the stage is set in Las Vegas for The World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2024 awards, take a look at the best places to head to for great happy hours, super snacks and creative cocktails before you see a show, concert or comedy gig in the world’s entertainment capital
With more than 100 show venues, countless clubs and innumerable lounges, you’ll never be short of something to do or see in Las Vegas. But whether you’re dressed to the nines and heading to see Adele, checking out Wynn’s theatrical production, Awakening, or catching Illenium at Resorts World’s Zouk Nightclub, you’ll likely want to grab a light bite or aperitif. From reasonable happy hours to lush lounges and everything in between, here are some of Vegas’ ultimate pre-show haunts for whatever your vibe may be.
The Sand Dollar
@thesanddollarlv
For nearly 50 years, everyone from B.B. King to Mick Jagger has sauntered up to The Sand Dollar, a beloved industry dive with a penchant for festive decor. The room is often filled by the time the live bands come on around 10pm on weeknights and 6pm on weekends. Locals tend to settle in a bit earlier and order an artisan pizza. The Little Red Rooster is a particularly popular sauceless creation topped with chicken, tomatoes, jalapeños and cheese. These naturally pair with the wide selection of cult beers and craft cocktails uniquely balanced with a selection of Nordic, Latin and independent American spirits. There’s no cover charge, but do tip the (often notable blues) band. Its newer downtown location inside The Plaza caters a bit more to visitors and focuses on larger touring acts.
3355 Spring Mountain Rd, Las Vegas, NV 89102
Lotus of Siam
@lotusofsiam
Chef Saipin Chutima’s work at Lotus of Siam has been regarded as some of the best Northern Thai cooking in the country for more than two decades. And while her khao soi with crispy duck, fried garlic prawns with crisp-like shells and spicy-yet-sour nam khao tod has guests clamouring for reservations months out, the bar is first come, first served and features some standout snacks. Wash them down with a glass of value-driven German riesling or a bottle of Hexamer Spätburgunder Weissherbst Halbtrocken from the impressive wine list that also boasts a range of aspirationally priced first growth Bordeaux and Domaine de la Romanée-Contis. Situated a few blocks east of Caesars Palace, this is the perfect pre-Adele stop.
620 E Flamingo Rd, Las Vegas, NV 89119
Chyna Club at Fontainebleau
@chynaclublasvegas
With 36 food and beverage outlets onsite, there is a seemingly endless array of culinary offerings at Fontainebleau Las Vegas. Chyna Club however stands out from the pack. Restaurateur Alan Yau (the man behind Hakkasan, Wagamama and Yauatcha) offers modern Cantonese cuisine in a space evocative of a Mayfair member’s club. Before heading to a show at Bleaulive Theater or a set by John Summit at LIV Nightclub, don’t miss the exquisite plant-based Sichuan dumplings, steamed Santa Barbara spot prawns and carbonara made with Inaniwa udon, sea urchin, 65-degree egg and wind dried pork. Mixologist Juyoung Kang’s work is also among the best in the city and her Bloody Chyna, a clarified, agar-washed, savoury martini made with Roma tomatoes, lemon, peppercorn and Thai chilli is worth the trip alone.
2777 S Las Vegas Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89109
Fuhu at Resorts World
@fuhulv
Whether you’re heading to the Resorts World Theatre for an early evening performance by Carrie Underwood or a late-night set by Travis Scott at Zouk Nightclub, Fuhu’s pan-Asian sharing plates served in a sultry room is the perfect way to start your night. The menu is extensive and well-rounded, but the goma krab in ponzu butter, chilli-glazed fried chicken, and A5 Mitsuboshi beef tataki are musts. The beverage programme slants tropical with nods to Southeast Asia, Japan and Hawaii. This is realised through the use of lychee spirits, guava puree, Hawaiian coffee, wasabi syrup and the like to construct a dozen or so signature sips.
3000 South Las Vegas Boulevard, Las Vegas, Nevada 89109
Aft Cocktail Deck at Wynn
@aft.wynn
Set on Wynn Las Vegas’ Lake of Dreams, Aft Cocktail Deck’s nautical design is transportive and more reminiscent of what you’d expect on a yacht docked in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin than in a luxe Vegas resort. In keeping with the theme, Wynn’s master mixologist Mariena Mercer Boarini has created a drinks menu inspired by seaside retreats. Drinks are refreshing, Instragramable and multisensory. Take the Monaco, a play on a seaside spritz with lemon-basil vodka, elderflower liqueur and ginger. Butterfly pea blossom is added to give the drink a gorgeous blue hue and garnished with edible glitter and spritz of Mediterranean Sea parfum. Given how immersive a sojourn here can become, keep an eye on the time if you’re heading to a show.
3131 Las Vegas Blvd S, Las Vegas, NV 89109
Estiatorio Milos at The Venetian
@estiatoriomilos
Estiatorio Milos is mere steps from all four of The Venetian’s show venues and the indoor walkway to the Sphere, making it a spectacular Greek pre-show fete. The only thing more spectacular than the bounty of imported Mediterranean seafood is chef Costas Spiliadis’ hyper-seasonal and simply prepared produce. The Milos Special – paper thin and lightly fried aubergine and courgette with saganaki cheese and tzatziki – makes for the ultimate chips and dip and pairs perfectly with botanical and herbaceously driven cocktails. Other must-eats include its lobster salad, tasting of raw fish, salt-baked rofos and grilled royal prawns served with a shot of sherry to help swallow down the heads.
3355 S Las Vegas Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89109
Honey Salt
@honeysalt
Don’t let this unassuming neighbourhood haunt fool you, a visit to Honey Salt is more than worth the 20-minute jaunt west of the Las Vegas Strip. This charming Summerlin eatery is the prodigy of restaurateur Elizabeth Blau and her husband, chef Kim Canteenwalla. Locals love the market driven menu and line up for Dutch pancakes topped with macerated strawberries and pink peppercorn as well as $25 bottomless bloody caesars for brunch, sticky Iberico pork ribs at night, and one of the city’s most iconic happy hours. From 3-6 pm, just $6 affords an order of Mississippi-style fried chicken sliders and a choice of spirit and mixer, making it a perfect stop before a poolside concert at the nearby Red Rock Resort.
1031 S Rampart Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89145
The Chandelier at The Cosmopolitan
@cosmopolitan_lv
There is nothing subtle about the three-story Chandelier Bar at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas. Dripping in two million crystals, the only thing more celebrated than this mid-strip haunt’s not-so-secret, off-menu Verbena cocktail – a yuzu-based Margarita riff topped with a palate-inverting Sichuan flower – is the arrival of new mixologist Gedeon Tsegaye. As Tsegaye refocuses the multilevel space from the top-down, expect more celebratory, champagne-driven creations in the penthouse loft designed to draw guests inside prior to the opening of the more avant garde ‘Level 1.5’ at 5pm (the bar is split into three levels with speciality drinks on each floor). A menu of liquid snacks provides an opportunity to move away from the more historic tiki offerings with guests delving into a playful selection of carbonated milk punch, boozy cotton candy and crystalline ‘caviar’.
3708 Las Vegas Blvd S, Las Vegas, NV 89109
The NoMad Bar
@nomadvegas
Close to the T-Mobile Arena and Dolby Live at Park MGM, NoMad Bar is one of the sexiest and most grown-up pre-show watering holes in Vegas. The bar programme was conceived by Leo Robitschek, whose original NYC concept reached No.4 on The World’s 50 Best Bars 2019 list. Settle in for a flawless classic cocktail or more inventive libation – the Sakura Maru is a particularly delightful play on a pisco sour, combining genever, pisco, cachaca, green tea, sheep’s milk yogurt, lemon and agave. And should you be feeling peckish, the truffle fries and jalapeño buttermilk-dredged fried chicken with an avocado ranch are exceptional.
3772 Las Vegas Blvd S, Las Vegas, NV 89109
The list of The World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2024, sponsored by S.Pellegrino & Acqua Panna, will be announced on Wednesday 5 June from Las Vegas. To stay up to date with the latest news, follow us on Instagram, Facebook, X and YouTube, and sign up to our newsletter.
