Nightlife

Three newish Downtown Las Vegas bars deserve your attention

Image
Horse Trailer Hideout
Photo: Wade Vandervort

Downtown Las Vegas is a fantastic place for leisurely bar-hopping—unlimited fun whether you’re strolling the Fremont Street area or the Arts District. With so many spots we’ve come to love, newer venues can sometimes slip by. No excuses! Let’s re-crawl these streets and spend some time at unique DTLV bars we might have missed the first time around.

HORSE TRAILER HIDEOUT

If you’re a Main Street enthusiast, you’ve definitely passed this one by and wondered WTF is going on in here. HTH has been bartending at weddings, private parties and corporate events for the past four years until its Downtown brick-and-mortar slowly bloomed during the pandemic. It appears to be a tiny country-chic space with a few banquettes and a bar functioning in a real, converted horse trailer, but it’s actually a desert oasis filled with colorful DIY charm, solid sweet-and-sour margaritas ($13) and fun specialty cocktails like What Happens in Vegas ($15) with its Ambros banana whiskey, coconut rum, pineapple and five-spice syrup.

The narrow, elongated space gives way to a second room filled with games, high pub tables and conversation nooks, then to a back patio perfect for private parties or just a little time in the sunshine with a shot and a beer. You assume the soundtrack will be bro-country party music, but this place is much more chill—think beachy reggae vibes. Even along a street featuring so many bars with character, this one stands out as something completely different. 1506 Main St., 702-720-2630, horsetrailerhideout.com. Monday-Thursday, noon-midnight; Friday-Saturday, noon-2 a.m.; Sunday, noon-11 p.m.

LUCKY DAY

This Fremont East addition opened in 2020 as part of Corner Bar Management’s pandemic-era wave of new nightlife offerings, but only recently has it truly hit its stride as a complement to the company’s Commonwealth and We All Scream clubs across the street. Originally envisioned as a mezcal- and tequila-focused craft cocktail bar—an appropriate concept given its takeover of the space formerly occupied by Vanguard Lounge—Lucky Day has evolved into more of a party spot for Latin dance music fans with DJs and covers most nights, and as a home for the roving Techno Taco Tuesday bash.

But the brilliant, fully programmable LED installation on the ceiling also creates cool vibes earlier in the evening, the right time to sample a flight of Mexican spirits ($18-$35) or sip on a house paloma ($13) or the chili and cherry-infused Escorpion ($14). Tasty house-made chips and salsas will keep you properly fueled for the rest of your night. 516 E. Fremont St., 702-291-7599, luckydaydtlv.com. Monday-Friday, 7 p.m.-close; Saturday-Sunday, noon-close.

F THE BAR

The newest Downtown bar is a thoughtful conversion of the former Japanese restaurant Hatsumi and a lovely neighbor for another Corner Bar project, Peyote. The restored Fergusons motel space feels like it’s back to full power now that F the Bar has opened, serving natural wines on tap ($9), local beers from Able Baker to Tenaya Creek, mocktails and more.

Slightly greened-up but still holding the serenity of the previous occupant, F the Bar might be the new jump-off for Fremont cruising, great for meetups and chit-chat with a Clincher (Old Forest bourbon, Cocchi Rosa, vanilla and tiki bitters, $13) in your hand and dinner or dancing on your mind. You could go anywhere from here. Fergusons Downtown, fergusonsdowntown.com. Thursday-Friday, 3 p.m.-midnight; Saturday-Sunday, noon-midnight.

Click HERE to subscribe for free to the Weekly Fix, the digital edition of Las Vegas Weekly! Stay up to date with the latest on Las Vegas concerts, shows, restaurants, bars and more, sent directly to your inbox!

Share
Photo of Brock Radke

Brock Radke

Brock Radke is an award-winning writer and columnist who currently occupies the role of managing editor at Las Vegas Weekly ...

Get more Brock Radke
Top of Story