Taste

Hazel Coffee & Cocktails satisfies your thirst, sunup to sundown

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An Old Fashioned at Hazel
Photo: Christopher DeVargas

There’s a magical allure to a good hotel lobby bar. The thrill of possibly rubbing elbows with a local luminary, the clinking of crystal cocktail glasses and those plush armchairs you can sink right into. If walls could talk, these would certainly have great stories to tell.

Mandalay Bay’s new Hazel Coffee & Cocktails might not have the years behind it like the classic bars after which it’s modeled, but it’s an elegant gem of a meeting space, where time slows down and the smallest luxuries can be appreciated. Hazel operates as a coffee and espresso bar from 5 a.m. to 3 p.m., then changes over to a cocktail bar for the evening set. Starbucks might do in a pinch, but those who take their morning or afternoon coffee ritual seriously will find lots to love here.

It’s the touches like a chalkboard menu, combined with the illuminated bar and old-fashioned lighting, marble hexagon flooring, brass and gold finishes and Mandalay Bay’s beautiful crown molding that makes Hazel feel like it’s a bar from an entirely different era. Traditional cocktails like the Cosmopolitan and Manhattan ($16) are offered in both classic and modern versions. For early risers, Hazel is steeper than an average coffee shop ($5-$6 lattes and $8-$13 breakfast sandwiches), and the pesto turkey sandwich ($13) resembles Starbucks’ mozzarella tomato panini for double the price. But if you’re looking for an elevated coffee or cocktail experience, consider Hazel as your next spot to indulge.

Hazel Coffee & Cocktails Mandalay Bay, 877-632-7700. Sunday-Thursday, 5 a.m.-2 a.m.; Friday- Saturday, 5 a.m.-2 a.m.

Tags: Dining, Drink
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