Las Vegas has always known how to pour a drink. What’s changed is how seriously it’s started to think about what’s in the glass. The city that once measured a cocktail’s success by whether you could carry it down the Strip has become one of the most compelling drinking destinations in the country—and not just in the tourist-addled areas. Downtown’s Arts District alone has produced, in the span of a few years, a James Beard-nominated wine bar, a Japanese whiskey room with imported carved ice, a nationally celebrated agave-forward cocktail bar, and a moody manor house with a 4,000-person membership waitlist. Meanwhile, on the Strip, a piano-backed lobby bar at the Fontainebleau is picking up Best Bars in America accolades, and a hidden Hokkaido ski lodge inside the Cosmopolitan is serving cocktails developed by a James Beard Award winner.
What ties all of it together is something Las Vegas has always had in abundance: a commitment to the bit. These bars don’t do anything halfway; the themes are committed, the programs are serious, and the eccentricity is entirely intentional. In Las Vegas, that’s not a contradiction. That’s the point. These are the best bars in Las Vegas.
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How we choose the best bars in Las Vegas
Every bar on this list has been selected independently by Condé Nast Traveler editors and reviewed by a local contributor who has visited that restaurant. Our editors consider both high-end and affordable eateries, and weigh stand-out dishes, location, and service—as well as inclusivity and sustainability credentials. We update this list as new bars open and existing ones evolve.